Remeron (Mirtazapine) Withdrawal Support Group

[[An...]]

Excellent link regarding recovery in case you haven't seen it

 

http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/post-acute-withdrawal.htm

 

 

[[An...]]

I really love your attitude Coralashley!!

[[Co...]]

Thank u Angel! That makes me  happy 

[[no...]]

Hi Ruralie - Welcome to the Mirt. w/d support group and thank you for sharing your story. We are somewhat of a small group at this point, but as you can see - good conversation and good support. So welcome and post whatever, whenever. 

 

Hi Angel - Nice link! Very concise article. Your spirits seemed lifted in the last few posts.  You will recover too. None of us on here are going to be the first to not recover. But we will need patience.

 

Hi Coralashley - Thanks for your continued positivity and huge gusts of insight. 

 

Hi Tiger Lily - Hope your travels are smooth and enjoyable still. Really loved the way you answered Angel's queries yesterday. Lovely insight and compassion.

 

Which is why we're all here - right? To get through this w/ support. I'm appreciative you are all here. And always love it when new people pop in as well.

 

xoxo

-Dave

[[Ba...]]

Hi everyone,

I am new to benzo buddies and I can see that a lot of you are having difficulty with these medications.  I have tried to stop Mirtazapine 4 times.  Each time I stop, within 2 days, my sleep declines, and by the third night, I don't sleep at all.  I have been off  benzos for 11 weeks, and I wondering if there are any tricks for getting off this drug.

 

Thanks for any of your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[An...]]

Hi Baseballfan and welcome to this group

 

The recommended way to get off Mirtazapine is to drop no more than 10% of your dose every 4 to 6 weeks.  I think it depends on your past drug history and your sensitivity but if you have come off benzos as well you may find you are sensitive to dose changes.

 

I think others here are making smaller drops weekly.  And I believe Coralashley intends to do a faster taper if you read her thread.

 

The most important thing is to listen to your body as you decrease and if it is too fast then slow it down.

 

At this point in time, as I am recovering from a cold turkey (DO NOT DO THIS!  IT PLAYS HAVOC WITH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM FOR A VERY LONG TIME!) i am not sure how I will do my taper when I get to it.  I really would like to do the 10% taper as I really want off this drug quickly but am not sure if my body will allow it!  Anyway I am far off.

 

Best

 

Angel

[[no...]]

Welcome Baseballfan 

 

Angel said it perfectly - I have nothing to add there. Listen to your body - if we go all baseball metaphory, sometimes it is better to bunt just to get on base - and then take each base as you can, rather than swinging for the fences - especially when it's all tied up in the 9th with no outs and bases vacant. This is taking far too much brain power for a Friday.  And it'd be cool if when you decide to taper, you give us your experience on the thread for those who will come after us. Always helpful.

 

Blessings and healing all...

 

--Dave

[[Co...]]

Hi everyone!!  Welcome Baseball fan & Ruralie! You have a found a wonerful support group indead!

Just curious what side effects you both had had coming off of remeron or trying to come off remeron.. what made you reinstate your remeron Baseball fan?

 

If you haven't done so already, I'm suggesting you download the book "Back To Life" by Ann Armstrong.  It's only a downloadable book, it cost around $25.

 

Here is the taper plan I am going to follow from the book.. currently I am between 7.5-3.75 in dosage per night... in the liquid form I have 1.o = 7.5 and I am taking .7mg.. not 3.75 and not 7.5

 

It should only take me about 14 weeks to taper off of the remeron with their plan or action.  And these people have working with thousands of people just like us!  I'm oing to wait to start my remeron taper till I'm off the benzo for 2 months at least (or if I feel better I may start sooner). Great news is I'll be off the benzo in 2 weeks or less.  YEAH!!

Im going to give you some insight as to what the book says to do to taper off remeron, which makes sense b/c you don't really feel the full extent of the w/d till about 2 weeks... that's when I always had to go back on and now looking back I wish I hadn't.. but today is a new day and one day soon this will be all over!

Once you are down to 7.5 or lower you can start this taper plan.. if you are on a higher dose, please get the book b/c it explains everything...

this will say what week #, what day # and how much mg per each day.

week 1:

day #1 7.5mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 7.5, day #4 7.5, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 2:

day #1 7.5mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0mg, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 3:

day #1 7.5mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 0mg, day #4 7.5, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 4:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0mg, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 5:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0mg, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 6:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0mg, day #5 7.5, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 7:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 0, day #4 7.5, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 8:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 0, day #4 7.5, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 7.5

week 9:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 0, day #4 7.5, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 0

week 10:

day #1 0mg, day #2 7.5, day #3, 0, day #4 7.5, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 0

week 11:

day #1 0mg, day #2 0, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 0

week 12:

day #1  0mg, day #2 0, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 0

week 13:

day #1  0mg, day #2 0, day #3, 0, day #4 7.5, day #5 0, day #6 7.5, day #7 0

week 14:

0mg, day #2 0, day #3, 7.5, day #4 0, day #5 0, day #6 0, day #7 0

 

 

I hope someone on here is helped by this taper plan!  Go team!

 

[[An...]]

Hi Coralashley

 

Am writing this in the middle of the night as I just cannot sleep!  The thought of a long taper with insomnia is horrendous and I am very tempted by your tapering suggestion.

 

However on the Surviving AD site they promote the slower 10% taper and don't recommend skipping doses but there's must be some merit to the taper you suggest if lots of people do it. 

 

When I am stabilised I am definitely thinking of getting off these in a few months somehow, if I still have insomnia.  I would prefer to be off them completely and I accept I will feel lousy for quite a long while as a I heal.  That's how I feel right now on a new day with not one minute of sleep anyway.

 

Angel xx

[[Co...]]

Hi Angel I am sorry u r not sleeping!

But I want to pep u up! I have reminded myself that insomnia may happen when I start rapper in off remeron, I may become OCD about it, I may feel like crud, but I will remind myself that this to shall pass. (all that happened to me when I stopped remeron 3xs)

 

I love the Lord and I know He is the great physician. So He will help me and you through this!

 

The reason they say skip doses with remeron is b/c it's a nasty drug that cannot just be 10%taper b/c of the insomnia and b/c of how long it stays in ur system.

I have tried tapering slowly in the past and after I stopped in about two weeks I just couldn't at the time bear it... So I went back on.

 

If u would like to wait and we could taper off it on this plan together than lets do that!

I believe in the Tahitian Noni juice that the book says to take. Because it stops the drugs from building up in our system.

 

U r a very strong person and U R Doing This! Give ur self a pat on the back.. U willWill come out of this alive and happy! And ur story on day will help someone else!

 

Xoxo

[[An...]]

Hi Coralashley

 

You really are sweet in your support of me.

 

I raised the question of this taper in the AD site and what they told me was that for me this  oils cause problems because if my past history which I have not written all about in my signature.

 

I was on Effecor for 9 years from 2003. Superfast tapered on doctors advice over 3 weeks.  Felt fine. Thought I had escaped withdrawals. Panic attack a few months later. Put on benzos and Effexor. Came off Effexor 2012.  No probs. delayed withdrawals. Put on Mirtazapine. CT'd  and you know the rest

 

I am so super sensitive now. My reinstatement withdrawals are the stuff of nightmares. Am in acute n early withdrawal. Stabilisation could take months.

 

This is why I will have to taper very slowly and the missing doses may throw me.

 

You go ahead. If I see that I am fine down the road I may reconsider.  Thing is if if didn't work out I would have damaged my nervous system even more and there may be no solution for me other than a long protracted withdrawal

 

But I shall cheer you on!

 

Angel xx

[[Co...]]

Thank u Angel!

I understand now what u r talking about.. I was once put on Effexor and serizone, this was when I was in college and I was in a bad relationship, etc.. I didnt know how bad these meds could be and I wasn't on them for long, but I cold turned off of them... My mom says I had bad w/ds but I don't remember b/c it was a long while ago.. I was in college at the time too, but some how I managed through it and I still made great grades.

 

I will keep u in my prayers and I am here for u!

 

I hope u have a blessed day today!

 

[[Ba...]]

Thank you all for your replies. 

Thank you Coralashley for the information about that book, and wean.

To answer your question, my worst symptom when I stopped the Remeron is that I don't sleep.  Of course, when I don't sleep, I feel terrible, my heart rate is up, and I feel like I can't do anything.  I have always been a very active person, morning till night, and when I feel so restricted from the lack of sleep, it is depressing.  That then leads to me worrying about how I will sleep tonight.

[[Co...]]

Hi baseball fan! Yes when I tried to stop 3x that's what I did too! I would worry and start obsessing about how I needed sleep and how I was going to get to sleep!

 

How long to u go each time you stopped remeron? The longest I made it was for 13 days..

My psych doctor was like, but u r doing it.. U can do this, ur sleep will come back to u... But I caved in and went back on it to tapper completely off of the benzo?.

 

If I didn't have to work full time, etc I could probably do it, but it's hard when u r a manager and u have to train ur sales reps and go out with them on sales calls... Uggggg.

Each time I tried coming off I'd get scared again to drive the big highways and then having to interview people, etc.. It a little too much to do when u r trying to come off a med!

 

So when it's time I've spoken to my husband and I may just stay home or get a part time job.. I love the company I work for and my boss is one of my best friends (she knows I've been tapering off a benzo and supports me), but I've got to kick this stuff and take care of me! So if I have to I have too.

 

But I am proud of being able to come this far without having to quit,etc.. When I called the people in the U.k (from who wrote the book,etc) they said I'm doing a great job and that most people cannot work while coming off of benzos, or even ssri's etc. 

 

So for all of us that have been still working great job! And if u haven't been able to, that's ok too! It's not a race or competition. We just need to finish this thing!

But we r a team, Go team!

[[An...]]

Coralashley you are simply amazing!

 

I look like a recovering heroin addict right now! 

[[Co...]]

:-) ahhhhh thank Angel 

 

They have found that coming of off a benzo is harder than coming off heroin... So u r much stronger than u think!

 

They say heroin w/d last 1 week and benzo w/d can last for months to yrs?..

 

I am praying for u and for the people on this thread!

 

[[no...]]

Love the vibes, everyone 

 

This is why we are here - this support is invaluable. And each day we close w/ each other's support brings us one day closer to healing.

 

Really appreciate seeing this.

 

Blessings and healing...

 

-Dave

 

p.s. quick update. so i did a micro-cut .2 mg last saturday. have ALREADY stabilized. will keep w/ this method for now, tho Coralashley is persuading me. ha ha - LOVE your vibrancy! will update this as i do. 

[[Ma...]]

You're doing it David!  So amazed at your tenacity!  Blessings to you my good friend!

[[Co...]]

Thanks Dave! :-) I'm glad your cut went well for u! Please keep us updated!

 

Marathin, it's so nice to c someone that is on nothing and has been benzo fre for so long!

Now how is ur sleeping? Do u take any natural remedies? If so, Please share!

 

It's so silly but I'll share... So for days I was feeling great! But the remeron wasn't making me sleep all that great.. Then last night (i upped my dose by like .02 liquid) I slept better than I have in days and today, though I still feel ok, I don't feel as well as I have for the past week.

I feel the more sleep I get on this med the worse off I feel the next day, little more anxiety, not as calm.. Anyone else experience that?

Thanks!

 

[[An...]]

Dave.  That is great news!  Made me so happy!  Are you doing another drop now?

 

Coralashley - use your positive vibes to keep going. You guys are all my inspiration!

 

We can do this!!

 

Angel xx

[[Ti...]]

I don't know what to do. Since I arrived to Spain two weeks ago my body is going crazy. I sleep normally one out of three nights (and by that I mean that I get up 3 times per night instead of 6 or 10, and fall back asleep). My body has been utterly destabilized by jet lag. This morning I had to travel to another city to give a conference and I cancelled last minute because I had only slept 2 hours and facing an audience scares me right now. I'm cancelling also a long awaited trip to Japan as I cannot face yet another jet lag. I've been on my current dose (0.75 mg) for a month and I'm getting worse, not better. My partner thinks I should resume my taper, he believes this tiny does doesn't help me sleep any longer and it's preventing me from healing. I agree, but the idea of a worsen insomnia scares me to death. Don't know what to do and I'm very depressed right now.

[[Co...]]

Hi TigerLily, I'm sorry u r having a rough time.

R u currently taking magnesium?

I recently postEd that I had good sleep the other night and now I know why...

U c I for quite some time I took magnesium before I went to bed, then for over 1week I stopped and didn't have as good of sleep... Now I've reintroduced it for the past two nights and I've slept much better..

On another bezo post it talks about natural remedies:

I just ordered this book off a recommendation there:

The magnesium miracle by carol dean and I've ordered some liquid magnesium b/c it absorbs better in the body..

 

Let me know if u r taking any magnesium, omega 3s, & vitamin e.

[[Ti...]]

Hi Coralashley, I do take magnesium citrate every day. I have tried pretty much every supplement in the market. Melatonin seemed to work, but then I started having depression and anxiety, and I had to stop it.

I guess my question is whether I should wait longer in order to make another cut or proceed right now. I don't seem to be stabilizing even though I've waited for a month. My insomnia is getting worse (obviously, my moving to Spain hasn't helped). As I'm on a very low dose, I don't know whether to hold or to speed up. When I was withdrawing from Valium, I held my last milligram for over a month, as withdrawal grew increasingly difficult. However, it was only after quitting it completely that noticeable healing started to happen. I wonder if I'm in a similar situation right now, but I can't expect remeron withdrawal to behave the same way as benzo withdrawal because they are two different beasts.  It's difficult for me to admit it, but I'm finding remeron withdrawal every bit as difficult and as painful as benzo withdrawal, just more disorienting (and there isn't even much agreement on how to proceed, whereas at least benzos have a trusted discontinuation protocol).

I wonder whether I will ever stabilize on this dose or whether I should finish this taper no matter how bad insomnia is right now, but I don't know if I could stand insomnia getting worse. It's a no-win situation. 

[[Co...]]

I would say u have answered ur own questions with ur past experience.. I say jump my friend, jump... U will/may have insomnia, just know this and this too will pass.. Give it a few months...

In hind site they say u should wait to stop ur a.d at least 3 months before trying to come off that too... But u r here and u r making it!

U can do this & u r doing this....

Set ur self free and let the healing begin!

 

Blessings!

[[An...]]

Hi Tigerlily. Sorry you are in this difficult spot. I am not sure what you think about the occasional Z drug to help you sleep as you only recently finished your Valium taper

 

The way I see it is you have these choices: 1) go up to say 1mg to see if it helps; 2) fast taper off 3) jump

 

For professional advice it may be worth posting on Surviving Antidepressants site.

 

 

I don't think there is any right way or wrong way. It is so personal and you will regain your sleep in the end. 

 

I hope it resolves soon. If you manage to get one good nights sleep you will feel better.

 

Angel