Remeron (Mirtazapine) Withdrawal Support Group

[[An...]]

PS Where IS everyone???  Are you all still alive ?? Lol

[[Ru...]]

Hi angel and thank you,

 

Firstly I just wanted to say that I am happy you are doing so well angel.

 

Thank you when did you come off the rem?

I have been off of it since nov 24 th and my anxiety and depression have been horrible. I know this is the wd because I had no anxiety before I went on it in late sept of this year. The wd off this drug is extremely tough, torturous and long but I am starting to have windows so there is hope.

[[no...]]

hi all, i'm still alive  barely. just kidding. i'm ok.

4mg of remeron. last cut was a few weeks ago. i cut 10% - doesn't feel so great, but getting better. i'm going really slow. i want off, but i don't want to mess up. i'll get there..

hope everyone is doing ok.

dave

[[An...]]

Hi Dave. Thanks so much for checking into your thread.  See how much it's grown!  BB even have a prominent section for it too at the top of the page.  It shows what a popular topic this is and am glad to have been part of it from the beginning but doubly glad that part of my ordeal is now over.  Well done you!

 

I couldn't visualise taking so long to get off the damn stuff but it's obviously suiting you to do so and you're getting there and with your strong determination and willpower it won't be long before you are off too.

 

Good luck with the final drops and let us know how you're getting along.

 

Hugs

Angel xx

[[th...]]

Just a quick note to say that I found something that has helped my anxiety-- decreased about 80+%. I was very skeptical but the data looked good (double blind, placebo trials) and my doc said OK, agreed, it is worth a try. Have tried 5-6 grams of powdered inositol (in water) per day since Tuesday--3  days. It is working for me. Please check out with your doctor.

Good luck.

 

[[Ho...]]

I have been on 45mg of Remeron for the past two months, after being on 30mgs for a month. I have been able to take breaks on and off the remeron with NO side effects. The sedation has decreased, even with doses below 45mg.  But I don't suffer any w/d what so ever. Perhaps cycling on/off has helped, also It helps fantastic with my morning anxiety contributed by gabapentin withdrawal.

 

I have only read cases of Remeron w/d with those taking it to ease benzo/alcohol w/d. Anyone else taking it without a history of benzo use or w/d suffering these side effects?

[[Co...]]

Hello everyone, I am doing well! So happy to be off because Meds! I'm having my cortisol checked because I believe it becomes low in the afternoon. Anyways I'm still on the T3 thyroid medicine that I was telling you about and it's out me quite a bit! It even helps me with my sleep!

I think the reason it's difficult to get off Remeron is because it messes with our adrenaline it suppresses cortisol. So that's probably why people had such a hard time getting off of that!

 

Dave and everyone else, have you ever had a 24 hr cortisol or adrenaline checked?

 

Hugs!

[[no...]]

coralashley, hello. it's nice to see you posting, and glad to hear you are enjoying life off psychotropics. you know, i should revisit the cortisol check w/ my doc. i ran it by him at one point and he hesitated for some reason, but enough time has elapsed that i bet it would be worth checking into. i'm curious. i'm reasonably certain that my cortisol and adrenalin do funky stuff on the remeron - both when i cut and when i "stabilize."

angel, hello. i know - it feels like a snail's pace. i have to hold and take it slow. i want off in a major way. i feel awful on the stuff, but my system goes completely awry when i cut too fast.

hoplessinny - yours is a good question. will be curious if anyone responds.

feeling pretty shabby today, but wanted to pop in and give you all the big "hi."

here is to great feelings of peace and stability - perpetual.

dave

[[Ru...]]

This is insane, I can't believe how sick , depressed and anxious I am at Almost 3 months off. I feel like I haven't made any progress at all. How fing long can this evil horrible drug effect me and mess me up.

I can't even believe this.

[[Po...]]

Hello. I've been taking 30 mgs of Remeron for 10 years. I quit cold turkey. I'm on my 5th day of no 30 mgs of Remeron and all I've gotten is some nausea twice, it lasts a minute and then goes away. I'm sleeping better, my sleep apnea has stopped and I feel fine. I'm more clear headed and my reflexes are better, thinking is clearer and I don't wake up in that fog that took 2 large cups of coffee to kick. I'm still taking 1 mg of Ativan and 20 mgs of Valium at bedtime (to stop the nightmares from child abuse). I walk 1.5 miles a day on my treadmill, don't smoke, eat an organic, non GMO, whole food plant based diet with no red meat. I'm 55 and last check up doctor said I was healthy, no physical medical problems at all. My hubby has cancer, so we are very aware of what we eat and do. No processed food and as few chemicals as possible. I am wondering if I'm going to have side affects like some of you.

[[Si...]]

hi buddies. i am not yet on mirtazapine but my doc wants me to take it to help taper off Valium. does it really help? and i am worried that it would be a hard time tapering a generic mirtazapine tablet of 30mg doses only. any advice? thanks all..

[[An...]]

To Ruby. HANG IN THERE!  You've done so well and you are almost at the end. I told you it took me 3.5 - 4 months to feel relief and another few weeks to feel over it more or less. So be brave for the last little bit. It WILL pass!

 

To the others - sorry you are suffering. With me it took about 8 days for the w/ds to kick in. It is impossible to predict how any one of us is going to react.

 

Good luck in your journeys

 

Angel

[[Ru...]]

Hi angel, thanks so much for saying that. I really needed to hear that about how long it took you.

 

Its just so tough how long and severe the withdrawal is so I def needed to be reminded of how long it took you. This gave me some perspective back.

 

How are you feeling now that you are Off the Effexor?

[[An...]]

You're welcome Ruby!

 

You will be fine, don't worry.  I know how much encouragement was vital for me during my recovery which I got from my doctor and therapist. 

 

Am doing great!  Effexor has been a breeze compared to Remeron.  A couple of dodgy but manageable post-withdrawal weeks but feeling so much better.  Clearer mind. Still a bit emotional but it's improving but it's great to cry at things now and not live in a drug-hazed fog.  Also sleeping well again so all good

 

Take care.

 

Angel xx

[[no...]]

poptart, hello. it is very hard to say. it is a valid question, but you're only going to know it through direct experience. hang in there.

 

sigmundfreud, hi. it's got to be your choice. but some buddies have done extraordinarily well using the mirt for withdrawal and others have had a difficult time. a very personal decision. my personal take is 50/50. thankful for some of it during benzo withdrawal, hating the taper now.

 

ruby, hey - hang in there. sorry you are in the thick.

 

everyone else, i send you my best. here's to the path...

 

dave

[[Po...]]

Oh my! My heart goes out to all of you who are going through withdrawal.

I feel so much better, I've been off it for 7 days. I never want to be on Remeron again. I can't believe THAT was causing my sleep apnea. I had just been fitted for the chin strap and CPAP machine, and now I don't need it. Hubby says I don't even snore anymore. My doc is monitoring me (I see him next Friday). I will tell him my appetite is gone. Hubby has to remind me to eat which is new but since I'm walking on my treadmill to lose about 30 pounds, I know I must eat something. Hummus is my new favorite food.

Good luck to all of you, I hope it gets better for you and think positive! 

[[Po...]]

I forgot to mention, I'm on Zoloft, 100mgs 2 times a day which really keeps me in the middle, so to speak. No depression or manic euphoria, so I plan on staying on that. I'm down to 1 Ativan a day and only 2 Valiums at bedtime. I think I must be lucky, I tolerate changes well. I'm here for moral support for anyone who needs it. 

[[th...]]

Checking in to say that it has been pretty bad--the insomnia is so severe- causing me to take more Ambien and some Halcion--every night now which is depressing of its own accord.. The inositol is helpful with anxiety but I may be taking too much or I may be one who experiences some insomnia from it (most people experience sleepiness). Depression creeps in when the anxiety is lowered. I have been , after suffering since jumping off in late December, even considering going back on some AD but I have held back. I look to those like Angel who are healing well. You give us hope, Angel. I send my most caring thoughts to Ruby-- you are truly brave and you know we are all pulling for you! I thank Dave who started this thread and wish all the best possible for Poptart. Thank you for offering your moral support. It is much appreciated.

[[no...]]

thankyouforhelp, hello. thanks for checking in and sharing what you are going through. hang in there. i know it is hard when you are where you are at. you're surviving and you are on the path. despite the meds you are still taking, you know the goal. you'll get there. this is the hard stuff, these are the hard times. strength to you...

 

poptart, hey. so awesome of you to lend your support and it is truly good to hear you are doing well and are fortunate to handle changes the way you do.

 

everyone, stay loose, keep your belief that you will heal. all in different spots, all on the same path. that's us.

 

dave

[[th...]]

Thank you, Dave, for your kindness, wisdom and encouragement. They are invaluable. I send you thoughts of strength and peace today.

[[no...]]

thankyouforhelp, hello. and thank YOU! much needed this day. resonating the same for you... peace and strength, peace and strength... our bodies and minds will heal. many have healed before us. we are healing. and many will heal after us.

 

-dave

[[no...]]

what it's like where i am at...

 

fellow mirtazapine users and withdrawal-specialists, hello. i'm glad i started this post last year. it seems like there are a few of us out there, as remeron seems to be a go-to drug for generally helpless doctors over-seeing withdrawal. 22,000 hits on this post would indicate an interest. i hope the post hangs up here for awhile and helps others on their journey to healing. which WILL occur incidentally.

i wanted to give an update as to where i am at. you know, there are buddies out there who have no problem dropping the remeron after it serves its purpose. for others of us, it proves a little more difficult. i think the choice of whether or not to use mirtazapine, or any non-benzo supportive medication in withdrawal, is deeply personal. the pros and cons must be weighed by the person seeking the support. and it's not an easy choice to make when benzo withdrawal is roaring like rocket up and down the length of our recoiling nervous systems.

i made the choice to go on the remeron. i'd lost 50 pounds in two months when i went into acute withdrawal, i had no appetite, and i couldn't sleep at all which was completely destroying me. i looked like a late-stage cancer patient. all the muscle mass i'd accumulated over the years wasted away. i was desperate. i went in-patient. that was a bad choice for me. fortunately i went in voluntarily. i tried some of the atypicals like seroquel and risperidone (these are essentially standard-issue in psych wards now) and they served to do nothing but make me feel absolutely insane. i'd used remeron before with no bad side effects other than nocturnal emissions (yeah, wet dreams) and a little dizziness, so i went for that. because it truly seemed they wouldn't let me out of the joint without taking SOME form of medication. despite my telling them every which way that this was benzodiazpine withdrawal. whatever.

so, i went on the remeron. they pushed me to 30mg, which is the dose you give someone who is clinically depressed. not the dose you give someone who is anxious. instead of sedating me, it revved me. this was terrible. but, it did give me an appetite and i was able to reverse the decline in weight.

i have been slow tapering for a long time now. i am on 4mg of remeron. i have a compound pharmacy mix it for me liquid-style - 1mg to 1ml conversion - so i don't have to even think about it. 4mg is 4ml. it gives me control over the dosage in very minute intervals.

the use of this medication now follows a precise cycle. when i am stabilized on a dose, i don't feel too sad or too anxious. i do however have side effects. dizziness and a sort of heavy-headed feeling. it puts me down for generally 8 hours of sleep. an hour after dosing, i feel like i could eat an entire buffet on my own and take home leftovers. when i start feeling this, i know i have stabilized on a dose. and it's time to cut again. now remember i have been doing this from 30mg down to 4. so i've come to know this cycle like a demonic pal.

when i make the cut, it's sort of a hell-breaks-loose scenario. 24 hours after, i feel generally terrible. but this soon lifts and for a week to two weeks, nothing seems amiss. about the 2 week mark, i have that good old feeling of wanting to weep at anything and everything. someone says "hey, nice shirt dave" and i feel like i'm going to burst into tears. i look at the clouds. i'm sad. i look at the sun. i'm sad. i now have the most incredible compassion for those w/ clinical depression. oh, what you deal with. it is insane. anxiety too. i rev. oh do i rev. i feel like i could power a jet plane with the extra energy surging through me. my stomach goes whack for awhile, appetite diminishes, sleep is erratic but not terrible. blood pressure rises. resting pulse clocks in around 90 and that makes me feel squirrelly. when i work out, i feel great. once the cortisol rushes in post workout however, i feel like digging a hole and jumping in it (i opt for long showers instead). this lasts from cut to stabilization, about 4 weeks per cut w/ 10 percent cuts. i have a feeling my 10% days are about through. smaller cuts will be the norm.

and that is where i am at now. i am stabilizing. getting closer to another cut. nervous about it. wondering what it will all be like when all is said and through. will i be ok? will i survive? is the medicine keeping me from being a depressive crazy man. i'm going to bet not. i've healed massively from the benzo debacle and i thought i would never come back from that. i wish i wasn't dealing with this remeron thing. but hey, sometimes we need to make choices and we go with our guts. do i regret the remeron? not really. would i do it again in the same position? well, if i had hindsight, i certainly would think a lot harder about it.

that's where i am at friends. this message will likely get buried in this old thread o' mine (of OURS!!!) and that is ok. but i wanted to put it out there.

buddies who graduate, please come back here from time to time and give the good word to others. you know we'll appreciate it.

to people considering remeron, this is a personal choice. think as deeply as your benzo-battered brain will allow you. there are pros and cons.

for those withdrawing, we're going to be all right. it just doesn't feel so good.

jump when you're ready, hold when you're intuitive. be true to yourselves. take care of your bodies. take care of your minds.

i'm with you all in spirit and a whole lot of heart.

hang tight and let's get this done.

dave

[[Co...]]

Hi angel, thanks so much for saying that. I really needed to hear that about how long it took you.

 

Its just so tough how long and severe the withdrawal is so I def needed to be reminded of how long it took you. This gave me some perspective back.

 

How are you feeling now that you are Off the Effexor?

 

Hi ruby! How r u?

Have a 24 hr cortisol check done.

I did and my cortisol is fine in the am but skyrockets after noon until 3am...

Remeron suppresses the adrenal glands and when u stop it it cause them to go haywire.

I am waiting on my order of orthomolecular adrenevive, which will help lower  also to lower cortisol:

I drink 3-4 cups of black tea, instead of intense workouts I do yoga and meditation, and I stay away from caffeine, sugar, etc.

 

U can't just have a morning cortisol level checked bc it does fluctuate during the day and as u can see my levels r normal in the am from 7am-11am... but high every other time

 

That's why it's hard for me to go to sleep, always have been, that's why I took the benzo in the 1st place.. And that's why even when I do fall asleep I wake up multiple times in the night.

 

Hope this helps someone!

 

[[Po...]]

Well I think it's day 9 with no Remeron. Last night I couldn't sleep at all. I just laid there and thought about things. The nausea is once in a while. I have started getting small headaches, but nothing serious. My appetite is still gone. I see my doc Friday so I will discuss all this with him. Right now, it's 3F and I'm freezing!

I hope everyone else is okay or better. 

[[th...]]

Hang in there, poptart. Stay warm and know that we are thinking of you and wishing you well. Let us know how it goes.