Remeron (Mirtazapine) Withdrawal Support Group

[[op...]]

Quinn: Thanks - I will have a look. I'm down to 2mg mirt, so I'm right there now in that low dose spot. I REALLY hope you start feeling better - you have had COVID way too much and way too long. (Also, yes to sauna - I spent a week in asheville in Sep and hot tubbed every night and I felt so much better during that week.)

Slowphie: I hope you feel better soon, too. This dang virus - the gift that keeps on giving.

Ox: way to go, getting down to 7mg!

Everyone else: hang in there!

 

Thanks for being my buddies. I'm about to step off the benzo (!!). Then I'll just be tapering mirt with the rest of y'all. I'm planning to taper the last 2mg very slow. Thanks for being an upbeat and supportive crew.

 

As I like to say ... onward.

 

openroad

[[Fi...]]

Congratulations Openroad on your soon to be benzo freedom. A huge achievement.

[[as...]]

Wow, Open Road!

 

Zero benzo as of today!!  CONGRATS 

 

Did you daily micro taper it?

[[op...]]

Thank you FH and Quinn <3

 

Quinn - yes, I used a dry microtaper for almost the whole thing, and DMT since 5/30. 

[[wi...]]

Thank you FH and Quinn <3

 

Quinn - yes, I used a dry microtaper for almost the whole thing, and DMT since 5/30.

 

I'll be curious to hear how it goes from here - if you feel much of anything from finishing off or not. I'm about to jump at .2mg diazepam. Just stabilizing for 1 more day.

[[Sl...]]

Wow open, congrats on benzo freedom! Wishing you a smooth recovery ☺️ with as little bumps as possible.

 

Quinn, I’m so sorry to hear about your covid struggles, that sounds truly awful. 🥺 You poor thing, I can’t even imagine. I’m nervous about vitamin B but might have to try it at this point. I’m at day 20 atm and it’s really starting to mentally get to me. I think I’m improving but it’s hard to tell when the progress feels so slow. I’m spending most of the time in bed and the doctor gave me another two weeks off work. This virus is truly horrible, and some days I feel like I’m back in withdrawal months 2-3 😞 feeling so discouraged and deflated atm, I truly hope this passes soon.

 

Hope everyone is doing a little better than I am atm ❤️ I’m making progress with my Mirt taper despite this covid bs and will go down to 2.44mg tomorrow.

[[as...]]

Wow open, congrats on benzo freedom! Wishing you a smooth recovery ☺️ with as little bumps as possible.

 

Quinn, I’m so sorry to hear about your covid struggles, that sounds truly awful. 🥺 You poor thing, I can’t even imagine. I’m nervous about vitamin B but might have to try it at this point. I’m at day 20 atm and it’s really starting to mentally get to me. I think I’m improving but it’s hard to tell when the progress feels so slow. I’m spending most of the time in bed and the doctor gave me another two weeks off work. This virus is truly horrible, and some days I feel like I’m back in withdrawal months 2-3 😞 feeling so discouraged and deflated atm, I truly hope this passes soon.

 

Hope everyone is doing a little better than I am atm ❤️ I’m making progress with my Mirt taper despite this covid bs and will go down to 2.44mg tomorrow.

Reports from doctors who treat patients with histamine disorders is that Vitamin B1 is one of the few vitamins that very few people have bad reactions to. You have to take at least 100-200mg of it for it to work. And as I've said, I know multiple people it has helped tremendously. Of course, everyone is different. And I've seen one report of it causing problems. I have taken it for most of my taper.

 

Also, as a side note, I might hold on my taper for just a moment. Long covid is caused by out of control histamine. I don't know if its a great idea to add to your poor body's histamine burden while its fighting so hard to defeat this virus. You will be able to keep tapering once this illness passes... which it will!

[[Sl...]]

Hey ask, I appreciate the advice but I’ve actually never experienced withdrawal from my Mirt taper so far. If I had been, I’d definitely be pausing the taper now.

[[as...]]

Hey ask, I appreciate the advice but I’ve actually never experienced withdrawal from my Mirt taper so far. If I had been, I’d definitely be pausing the taper now.

 

Understood. I'm guessing you must have a really robust nitric oxide gene! I'm jealous to say the least 

 

Hope you are feeling better from the covid!

[[Ho...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

[[as...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

 

I tried to cut my Remeron at 6 months off Clonazapem/Valium, and it was untenable. My benzo withdrawal was still underneath the surface and too severe for me to cut. I ended up having to go up to 60mg of Remeron to make it stop. Other people have not had that problem, but I did. I waited many years to cut the Remeron after that. The symptoms of cutting Remeron now, years off the benzo, are similar in many ways to benzo symptoms (before I found DAO), but also not as numerous or severe, and I am WAY less sensitive to supplements cutting Remeron now than I was post-benzo.

[[Fi...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

 

Hi HCHC,

 

I'm sorry this cut has been tough for you. I too have had cuts that feel harder than others.

 

2 grams, depending on your starting pill weight can be significant at the lower doses. 

 

You also may need to stretch out the time between cuts and maybe try 14 days or 21 days. You can experiment with this and use how you feel to determine the next cut. I think a body based taper is a good way to go.

 

I have found as I taper that I get two hits when I cut.  I feel physical withdrawal on days 3 and 4 and then I have the mental symptoms hit me on day 9 or 10. You may not have the same pattern but that can occur.

 

Overall, you may need to hold for a little longer after these current symptoms subside to allow your brain to adjust to the lower dose.

 

This will pass and you will be on your way again to Mirt freedom.

 

Final Healing

[[Ho...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

 

I tried to cut my Remeron at 6 months off Clonazapem/Valium, and it was untenable. My benzo withdrawal was still underneath the surface and too severe for me to cut. I ended up having to go up to 60mg of Remeron to make it stop. Other people have not had that problem, but I did. I waited many years to cut the Remeron after that. The symptoms of cutting Remeron now, years off the benzo, are similar in many ways to benzo symptoms (before I found DAO), but also not as numerous or severe, and I am WAY less sensitive to supplements cutting Remeron now than I was post-benzo.

 

Wow, you've had quite a journey! Thank you for sharing your experience. It helps me to realize that this isn't all in my head or me being whiney/oversensitive. It's probably much better for me to go slow or consider holding for much longer!  Thanks so much!!

[[Ho...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

 

Hi HCHC,

 

I'm sorry this cut has been tough for you. I too have had cuts that feel harder than others.

 

2 grams, depending on your starting pill weight can be significant at the lower doses. 

 

You also may need to stretch out the time between cuts and maybe try 14 days or 21 days. You can experiment with this and use how you feel to determine the next cut. I think a body based taper is a good way to go.

 

I have found as I taper that I get two hits when I cut.  I feel physical withdrawal on days 3 and 4 and then I have the mental symptoms hit me on day 9 or 10. You may not have the same pattern but that can occur.

 

Overall, you may need to hold for a little longer after these current symptoms subside to allow your brain to adjust to the lower dose.

 

This will pass and you will be on your way again to Mirt freedom.

 

Final Healing

 

You're right. Now I know that lowering my mirtazepine dose isn't something I can just do quickly and easily. I can't really pinpoint a pattern, but I do know that I feel pretty awful for  several days. I'm beginning to think that I'm too ambitious overall, and it would be better to hold for a while. I was just starting to have a feeling of normalcy some days and then shot myself in the foot by dropping down on the Mirt too quickly. But I wouldn't have known unless I tried! So definitely going to hold. It's such a pain trying to get the scale to register accurately! It's a jeweler's scale. I bought the same one my daughter uses for my grandson's beds and she's super fussy about accuracy. I'll trim a pill and hope for the scale to be close to 33 gms. It will go up to 37, down to 31, up to 33, down to 30 and on and on ad nauseam. Sometimes I just wait until it hits 33 gms and just take it with my fingers crossed.

 

Not the most scientific way to take meds. Ugh.

 

Anyway, thanks for the advice! BTW I love your name!

[[Fi...]]

Hello fellow Mirt-ers (Oh that doesn't sound right!)

 

I have a question! I've been on half a 7.5 mg tablet for months. Guess that would be about 3.75 mg. I recently cut back and took the advice I was given here which was to take it slow. I'm doing a dry taper so I just weigh the pill fragment on a jeweler's scale. I'm only dropping about 2 grams at a time, about every 10-12 days.

 

Last night was my 3rd time, down to 31grams. It was only a small change, but today was a baaaaad day. All my usual symptoms, which were slowly abating, came back with a punch. Anxiety, burning arms and legs, dizziness etc. I just passed my 5-months-since-I-jumped anniversary.

 

Is it normal to feel this awful?

 

Hi HCHC,

 

I'm sorry this cut has been tough for you. I too have had cuts that feel harder than others.

 

2 grams, depending on your starting pill weight can be significant at the lower doses. 

 

You also may need to stretch out the time between cuts and maybe try 14 days or 21 days. You can experiment with this and use how you feel to determine the next cut. I think a body based taper is a good way to go.

 

I have found as I taper that I get two hits when I cut.  I feel physical withdrawal on days 3 and 4 and then I have the mental symptoms hit me on day 9 or 10. You may not have the same pattern but that can occur.

 

Overall, you may need to hold for a little longer after these current symptoms subside to allow your brain to adjust to the lower dose.

 

This will pass and you will be on your way again to Mirt freedom.

 

Final Healing

 

You're right. Now I know that lowering my mirtazepine dose isn't something I can just do quickly and easily. I can't really pinpoint a pattern, but I do know that I feel pretty awful for  several days. I'm beginning to think that I'm too ambitious overall, and it would be better to hold for a while. I was just starting to have a feeling of normalcy some days and then shot myself in the foot by dropping down on the Mirt too quickly. But I wouldn't have known unless I tried! So definitely going to hold. It's such a pain trying to get the scale to register accurately! It's a jeweler's scale. I bought the same one my daughter uses for my grandson's beds and she's super fussy about accuracy. I'll trim a pill and hope for the scale to be close to 33 gms. It will go up to 37, down to 31, up to 33, down to 30 and on and on ad nauseam. Sometimes I just wait until it hits 33 gms and just take it with my fingers crossed.

 

Not the most scientific way to take meds. Ugh.

 

Anyway, thanks for the advice! BTW I love your name!

 

Yes, the scale can be finicky. I actually have two scales because I'm so scared of being too off in my dosage.

 

I end up weighing my pill numerous times before I cut.  I take the most consistent weight I can get using the the tray.

Openroad shared their method of turning on the scale, putting the empty tray on the scale, then using the Tare function to bring the tray weight back to zero, then weigh my pills. Other people use this method as well.

 

My pill vary in weight so I try to use only the ones that weigh the same. But sometimes I have some that weigh between two different weights. I'll use the first group for a week and then the second group for a week.

 

I try to hold the intention that even if there is a small variance in weight that there is enough of the medication consistently in my system to handle that little variance.

 

Holding for me is the hardest thing because I want off so badly but I will have to hold when my body tells me to. 

 

FH

 

 

[[as...]]

Checking in. How is everybody doing?

 

I am still holding at 2.8mg, but I am sleeping a lot better with certain interventions: a 20-minute 2-cups dead sea salt bath before bed, or a 20-minute 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup potassium bicarbonate bath before bed, or 20-minute 125 degree FIR sauna and cold shower before bed.  I have to rotate these for them to retain effect. All three of these things are bringing down histamine in their own way.

 

Dead Sea Salt Bath

Salt is a natural antihistamine. In fact, when we are inflamed with histamine, the body intentionally raises aldosterone to retain salt for that reason. The bad effect of this is that aldosterone dumps all of our potassium, magnesium and calcium into the urine. This is what causes heart palpitations and other symptoms related to low minerals in withdrawal. I often sleep through the night when I take a dead sea salt bath. I think because dead sea salt is high in calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, it helps with the mineral deficiencies, too. The only risk with this is that dead sea does have a lot of lead in it, so it's probably not good to take more than 1 of these baths per week. Also, it can cause water retention, because your body is pumping out aldosterone, and your adding salt to your body (which your body needs), and obviously, it may be problematic with high blood pressure (which is caused by high aldosterone)

 

Sodium and Potassium Bicarbonate

I'm not sure how these help me sleep, but I suspect that potassium itself relaxes the body. Bicarbonate is extremely alkaline, so I am guessing it acts as a buffer the inflammation and histamine. This type of bath doesn't work as well as the Dead Sea Salt Bath, but I can usually get 5 hours of sleep out of it.

 

FIR Sauna and Cold Shower

The sauna boosts nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide is the master neurotransmitter that regulates histamine and other neurotransmitters. It gets used up in withdrawal. When it gets used up, we have symptoms of low nitric oxide like yeast infections (body uses nitric oxide to fight yeast in gut), high blood pressure, erectile/sexual dysfunction, racing heart. Nitric oxide calms the cardiovascular system and does a bunch of other things crucial to health and well being. I can often sleep through the night from the sauna. It's important not to get overly hot or to overly sweat when doing it, because we are mineral and salt deficient from the histamine/aldosterone process that is going on. I keep it to where I am just barely breaking a sweat, and if I start sweating too much or feel too hot, I get out. FIR sauna is great, because it works even if you keep it at a low temp like 95 degrees.

 

Once I get organized, I will probably start cutting again. I have 1ml syringes, and my compounded remeron is 1mg per ml, so I should be able to make smaller cuts as I come down from here. Going very slow since I want to have a nice spring with my son getting ready to graduate high school.

 

I'd love to hear how everyone is doing. All the best, Quinn 

[[op...]]

Hi everyone -

 

Just checking in. I'm down to 1.6mg. Getting so close! I am still dry tapering and I've decided to continue with that all the way down, like I did with the diazepam. "The devil you know ...," if you know what I mean.

 

So far, I'm doing ok. I've still got a few lingering benzo w/d sxs, but it's the usual suspects (for me) and nothing more. I'm taking 1-2mg of melatonin w/ L-Theanine every night, and a small dose of magnesium citrate, and I seem to be sleeping ok. I'm also taking bovine colostrum and triphala for my tummy motility woes, which are one of my lingering benzo sxs. Things feel like they are starting to move again. The abdominal distension is improving, if not at a snail's pace.

 

It occurs to me that this board hasn't seen anyone walk off mirtazapine in some time, maybe since PPY. I think a few of us will be hopefully following w/in the next few months.

 

Hope everyone is doing ok and taking care of yourselves. <3

 

Openroad

 

 

[[Fi...]]

Hi,

 

Glad to see the recent updates on the Mirt thread.

 

I am down to 5.7mgs and currently experiencing some withdrawal. For me it's headpressure, nausea, low mood and anxious. My sleep is not great but it's been that way since my setback. I think the Mirt is now giving me some sleep but I wake up with a hangover. 

 

But I do feel like my anhedonia is shifting and that is the biggest relief. I'm still tracking it and will be able to gauge more once this cut stabilizes.

 

I've also started taking DAO again and using a vegetarian formula. My body is able to handle it better. It's only beek 24 hours so I don't know the overall results yet. Did those of you who use DAO find it helpful with withdrawal symptoms? I don't generally have histamine issues so I'm hoping it will help ease withdrawal.

 

@Openroad: I too plan on dry cutting all the way down. I did it with my benzo taper and find my body responds well to tablets as opposed to liquid. I will be following your progress. Congratulations on getting to 1.6mgs! You are moving into the home stretch.

 

@ask2266: Thank you for these resources for sleep. I've been leaning towards adding potassium to my supplements I'm wishing you well for when you start tapering again.

 

I hope everyone else is doing decently or better.

 

Final Healing

[[Sl...]]

Glad you guys are getting along with your tapers.

 

Unfortunately I still haven’t recovered from covid. Six weeks in now and dealing with some pretty bad lingering covid issues 😞 I’ve had to extend my sick leave from my new job and I feel so heartbroken rn. Also paused my Mirtazapine taper at 2.33mg now until I’m feeling more recovered, and gosh I hope I recover but the prospect of long covid is terrifying rn. I have so much light/sound sensitivity and brain fog, just resting in bed all the time atm and feeling very sad. Life feels really unfair.

[[as...]]

Glad you guys are getting along with your tapers.

 

Unfortunately I still haven’t recovered from covid. Six weeks in now and dealing with some pretty bad lingering covid issues 😞 I’ve had to extend my sick leave from my new job and I feel so heartbroken rn. Also paused my Mirtazapine taper at 2.33mg now until I’m feeling more recovered, and gosh I hope I recover but the prospect of long covid is terrifying rn. I have so much light/sound sensitivity and brain fog, just resting in bed all the time atm and feeling very sad. Life feels really unfair.

 

Oh no, Slowphie. I am so sorry. As someone who has had long covid, I know it is very scary. But I want you to know that you can and will recover.

 

Because I catch covid very easily, I have now had long covid 3 separate times. Two of those times were very severe. The first time I had it, I couldn't even walk up and down stairs and was on my back all day for over 2 months. I was so fatigued and so sick and so hopeless. The first time I recovered by getting the covid vaccine. It has been reported to help some people recover. The NY Times had an article about it. I got the vaccine and popped back up within a few days.

 

The second 2 times I had long covid and recovered I used supplements. Paramount was taking Vitamin B1 (at least 100 mg) and beef liver supplements and magnesium chloride and C. The B1 literally took me from bedridden to functional; it got rid of the fatigue. I have also read encouraging things about Lactoferrin, in particular apolactoferrin, because it boosts immunity against the virus by stealing all the viruses iron and also boosts nitric oxide which is crucial to deal with the virus and all the histamine generated by fighting the virus.

 

You are in fairly early days with covid. The 2 times I had covid where I didn't get long covid (which I define long covid as coming on many weeks after the initial infection and as a deterioration some weeks laster) I had symptoms from my initial infection for 75 days, and my body finally cleared the infection after 75 days.

 

Stay hopeful. Your body can beat this if given the support and rest it needs.

 

Sending you a big hug and prayers, prayers, prayers. Love, Quinn 

[[Fi...]]

Glad you guys are getting along with your tapers.

 

Unfortunately I still haven’t recovered from covid. Six weeks in now and dealing with some pretty bad lingering covid issues 😞 I’ve had to extend my sick leave from my new job and I feel so heartbroken rn. Also paused my Mirtazapine taper at 2.33mg now until I’m feeling more recovered, and gosh I hope I recover but the prospect of long covid is terrifying rn. I have so much light/sound sensitivity and brain fog, just resting in bed all the time atm and feeling very sad. Life feels really unfair.

 

Slowphie, I am so sorry to hear about your struggle with Covid. I understand about the light and sound sensitivity having had it in my setback. It has gone away as my body and brain healed.

 

I know you are scared about healing but I know the body's capacity to heal. I am experiencing that healing as we speak.

 

I think you holding your Mirt taper is a smart idea. You can pick it up again when you recover from Covid, which you will.

There is a woman on Surviving Antidepressants who had to hold her taper when she was in the 2s or low 3's due to a accident. The hold actually let her taper with ease once she started again.

 

You will get through this.

 

Final Healing.

[[op...]]

Slowphie -

 

I am so sorry you're going through this! Sounds awful. Please keep us updated. You will get through this! It's awful but everyone I know who's had long covid (or long lasting covid sxs) has kicked it. It's not fair. It really sucks.

 

None of us should ever have to go through another illness again.

 

 

[[op...]]

@[fi...]

 

Sending healing vibes to everyone.

 

Openroad

[[Sl...]]

Thank you so much everyone ❤️ your messages are so encouraging and kind. I really appreciate it as I’ve been in a very dark place the last few days thanks to this.

 

Amongst all the other horrible symptoms, covid also interrupted my sleep but I finally slept for around 8 hours through the night the last two nights - so I hope that’s a good sign. I’m still far from my normal energy levels and brain function, but I really hope I’m a lot better in a few months. For now, I’ll just keep resting and hoping for the best. Unfortunately I can’t get another vaccine to help because I was injured by the second Moderna vaccine and it’s part of the reason I even ended up on benzos 😭 I’m taking a lot of supplements though - including B1 and many others. This pandemic is awful. Please take care out there.

[[Fi...]]

@finalhealing - I did find DAO helpful when I was having extreme histamine issues during withdrawal. I stopped taking it about a month ago b/c I really wasn't having those issues anymore.

 

Sending healing vibes to everyone.

 

Openroad

 

Thanks @Openroad for your feedback.

 

I'm going to continue to take it while I am on the highedises of Mirt and see how I feel as I move lower. I can't wait to ger out of the 5's.

 

Final Healing