Adjusting to AD's while in withdrawl.

[[jo...]]

What are anyone's experiences of adjusting to AD's while in withdrawl? I upped my dose of mirtazapine to 15 mg not long ago and am experiencing a lot of agitation. It tends to hit in the afternoon. I think it's the start up effects of the mirt. Anyone with similar experiences?

[[...]]

@[jo...]I once took mirt and yes it made me aggertated and very angry the next morning when I woke up 

[[En...]]

1 hour ago, [[j...] said:

What are anyone's experiences of adjusting to AD's while in withdrawl? I upped my dose of mirtazapine to 15 mg not long ago and am experiencing a lot of agitation. It tends to hit in the afternoon. I think it's the start up effects of the mirt. Anyone with similar experiences?

I took a DNA test for medications and was put on Prozac about 3 months ago. I was anxious and had a hard time sleeping when I was getting used to it. I feel it has helped me during withdrawal. 

[[jo...]]

3 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

I took a DNA test for medications and was put on Prozac about 3 months ago. I was anxious and had a hard time sleeping when I was getting used to it. I feel it has helped me during withdrawal. 

Hi @[En...] In what ways would you say it has helped you?

[[En...]]

Just now, [[j...] said:

Hi @[En...] In what ways would you say it has helped you?

I had bad depression and felt like doing nothing. I haven't had depression and my motivation is better. I still get some anxiety but I feel it has helped with that as well. 

[[jo...]]

Just now, [[E...] said:

I had bad depression and felt like doing nothing. I haven't had depression and my motivation is better. I still get some anxiety but I feel it has helped with that as well. 

Thanks. Sorry your having a rough day. Me too. I'm sure good days will come again.

[[En...]]

1 minute ago, [[j...] said:

Thanks. Sorry your having a rough day. Me too. I'm sure good days will come again.

We will get better just have to take one day at a time. It is suffering but we will get through. 

[[Bl...]]

I was put on Mirt but had to come off after a year due to a side effect. It gave me my appetite back though . 

[[jo...]]

3 minutes ago, [[B...] said:

I was put on Mirt but had to come off after a year due to a side effect. It gave me my appetite back though . 

Hey @[Bl...] What side effects caused you to come off? And was it hard to get off. These are my concerns at the moment. I'm feeling like I want to crawl out of my skin sometimes. I think it's a start up effect as it's different from my usual anxiety.

[[jo...]]

This agitating anxiety just wont let up. Is it a common side effect of mirt? I've googled it and can't find much. It feels more like withdrawl . Cant work it out. I might stop taking it but have been on a couple of weeks. started at 7.5 then moved up to 15mg. Can I just stop taking it?

[[Cr...]]

Agitation can be a common side effect of any AD start-up. It probably doesn't help that you are going through a particularly rough withdrawal period as well.

I feel you might be at the time period where you may be able to taper down quickly with minimal withdrawal. I doubt you have become dependent to the point where you need a slow taper. A simple plan of action from your doctor may suffice. 

I did a quick search for other short-term mirt users and many said they cut their dose in half for a week, then again for another week, and then off.

You are at the weird timeline where you haven't put in enough days to feel the benefits, but enough time where you might feel guilty for giving up after the effort you gave it.

Coming off now:

+: less dependent, easier to come iff

-: may have been close to getting relief

Coming off later:

+: You will know for certain if med helps

-: more dependent, harder to come off

[[jo...]]

do you think the AD has taken this long to build in my system which is why it's presenting now? 

[[Cr...]]

1 minute ago, [[j...] said:

do you think the AD has taken this long to build in my system which is why it's presenting now? 

Well if I recall, you were originally going to go up slowly right? Mg by Mg. But it seems you just went from 7.5 to 15mg? If so it would make sense to feel so agitated. 

If you decide to try a different med you would probably handle it better doing a slow taper up, allowing a full month to reach the first therapeutic dose.

[[Cr...]]

If you decide to taper off quickly (about 2 weeks), try not to get discouraged if you feel a slight uptick in anxiety or other symptoms. They will most likely be very short-lived since you were not on a steady dose for that long. Unlike benzos, there don't seem to be short-term dependency anomalies. With ADs short-term problems only tend to linger if the patient had a severe reaction right away, which you did not. 

[[jo...]]

7 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

If you decide to taper off quickly (about 2 weeks), try not to get discouraged if you feel a slight uptick in anxiety or other symptoms. They will most likely be very short-lived since you were not on a steady dose for that long. Unlike benzos, there don't seem to be short-term dependency anomalies. With ADs short-term problems only tend to linger if the patient had a severe reaction right away, which you did not. 

Thanks Crono. Sorry to be a pain with all this just finding it hard to know what to do for the best. Been struggling a bit lately and being indicisive.

[[jo...]]

The reason I jumped streight to 15 was its still supposed to be a sedating dose. I have been sleeping a bit better to so it's just a bit confusing to me.

[[Cr...]]

8 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

The reason I jumped streight to 15 was its still supposed to be a sedating dose. I have been sleeping a bit better to so it's just a bit confusing to me.

 

Yeah, but just because it is still sedating doesn't mean it can't also be agitating. Don't forget that mirt affects several receptors. The immediate side effect after taking it is sedation, the other side effects occur over time as your body adapts to the changes in neurotransmitter levels.

You are not a pain. You are probably trying your best to figure out how to get yourself to a more tolerable state mentally without making yourself worse. Such a path naturally leads go confusion, doubt, and fear of what may lie ahead.

You may feel better if you stay on or come off. On because benefits might kick on, off because more time has passed and natural improvements may take hold.

[[Bo...]]

This is just me. I’m coming from my experience being stuck on Mirt. I would get off as soon as you can…. Once you reach four weeks on, usually people have to commit to a long slow taper for it.

I really if it were me would make my way down very quickly off of it… might be worth asking Nicole Lamberson or Markowitz about it, but I know I asked both of them after the four week marker and was in a much worse place.

In my opinion, seeing what this med has done to so many people in a negative way, it’s hard for me to share positivity about it. The one thing very low low doses at like one or 2 mg for sleep at least Can work their way off of those amounts.

Dr. Mark Horowitz’s maudsley de- prescribing guidelines state to not taper  longer then you have been on it when it is been  less than a month on. 
Not saying, it will be pleasant at all because it can still be very difficult to come off of after being on for a few weeks, but it’s better than being stuck on and having to take years to taper off of it (coming from someone that got stuck on this at four weeks and now has to do a who knows how long taper- but I’ve only gone from 7.5 to 5.6 and started taper in February after being forced the med in Dec.

I’m sorry you’re in the situation… It always stinks to have to make these decisions, but from what people told me the four week marker is a critical point for antidepressants and once you’ve hit that, about 50% of people that take mirtazapine have moderate symptoms and have to try to do a slow taper off.

Hope you can make the best decision for yourself