Misc Coming off mirtazapine

[Spurs_1882]

I've been taking mirtazapine for 11 days, 7 days on 7.5mg, 4 days on 15mg. It was supposed to for anxiety, but it's making me depressed, despairing, hopeless and extremely angry. I want to stop.

I really want to feel as well as possible for Saturday, as it's an important day for me (first game of the season for my football team, Spurs, and I'm going to the game). My questions are:

Do you think that will be best achieved by coming off the mirt cold turkey, or by tapering off?
Is it advisable to come off cold turkey, considering the long half-life, low dose and short amount of time I've been on it?

I also need to work a full day tomorrow, so need to take that into consideration. No work on Friday. I can do nothing and feel shitty if necessary. I'm expecting some insomnia. I also have some diazepam, to help with whatever I feel, whether it be continued depression or something else in the WD.

Thank you so much.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

I don't think that 11 days is enough for withdrawals, but you never know.
I'd say take 5mg the day you have to work and then just stop.
If you experience withdrawals (I highly doubt it) take 5mg and wait as long as possible, then take 2.5 then stop

 

[Spurs_1882]

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it.
I decided to just come straight off. Fingers crossed it won't cause me any lasting damage to do this rather than taper (that's probably my anxiety talking right there). I hate the way it's been making me feel. Such a shame because it's supposed to be one of the better ones, but it just ain't the right AD for me.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

l really really doubt that you'll expreience any lasting damage

How're you feeling now ?

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

Mirtazapine shouldn't cause any damage. It's method of actions - meaning it's two main sites of action, the alpha 2 adrenergic and 5- HT 2C receptor - are excitatory, as it antagonizes them, so you should have more net inhibition in your brain from stopping.

Increased activity at your H1 receptors will not cause excitotoxicity and neither will the mild 5-HT 2A activity.

That dose you are on is paltry and you can stop it without feeling a thing. But if you want the full stimulating, antidepressant effects from mirtazapine and not the ones you are feeling, you need to consider the 45-60mg dosage range.

At your dose, your brain is getting the depressant and inhibitory effects from the drug.

Just some advice.

Hope you have fun!

 

[Spurs_1882]

l really really doubt that you'll expreience any lasting damage

How're you feeling now ?

Thank you. I'm okay. I had maybe one very bad night's sleep as a result, but other than that, nothing I can attribute to the mirtazapine.

 

[Spurs_1882]

Mirtazapine shouldn't cause any damage. It's method of actions - meaning it's two main sites of action, the alpha 2 adrenergic and 5- HT 2C receptor - are excitatory, as it antagonizes them, so you should have more net inhibition in your brain from stopping.

Increased activity at your H1 receptors will not cause excitotoxicity and neither will the mild 5-HT 2A activity.

That dose you are on is paltry and you can stop it without feeling a thing. But if you want the full stimulating, antidepressant effects from mirtazapine and not the ones you are feeling, you need to consider the 45-60mg dosage range.

At your dose, your brain is getting the depressant and inhibitory effects from the drug.

Just some advice.

Hope you have fun!

Thank you, you seem to understand this drug. The psychiatrist I saw told me to stay on 15mg for a month. Why do you think I was feeling depressed and so angry? Might this go away with the higher dose? Also I had very bad sexual dysfunction. Worse than on pregabalin. Might this be better at the higher dose? A couple of days after my last dose, my mood lifted dramatically (to its normal level), I could be with people without feeling angry, and my libido came back dramatically.

 

[keeping]

coming off any prescribed medication should always be with a medically supervised taper - jumping straight off mirtaz would be uncomfortable, but thats it.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

How're you feeling today ?

 

[PushingDaisies]

I take 15mg at night for sleep along with an antidepressant. I've missed days and didn't feel any type of withdrawal, it makes sense that u had trouble sleeping, glad it was only one night and that u are doing well

 

[Spurs_1882]

How're you feeling today ?

I'm fine thanks. Did not seem to have any effects from dropping it, except for one night of bad sleep. Have got some insomnia and anxiety but I don't relate that to the mirt, just my usual baseline state/life stresses. My mood has gone up massively (to its normal point) since dropping it. I think I was being overly anxious about stopping taking it.

 

[SKR]

I'll add that I agree based on my own experience with KK's first reply which is all I have read up to. You should be fine, I always taper any drug even if it is extremely short like KK suggested take a very low dose for a day or two and jump off which I think is sensible after only 11 days use.

Many people experience an exacerbation in their symptoms within the first day and up to month of starting any of these psychiatric type drugs. I've tried and tested a fair few due to chronic pain and the great shift away from narcotics like partial or full agonist opioids
and in the end or as it stands now I'm almost off Lyrica, Sertraline and Valium and switched back to full agonist opioids again (morphine & oxycodone) which works best for my pain....but I will be switching to Suboxone every few months or so which helped to drop my tolerance to full agonists so when I resume them I don't require ridiculous amounts for decent enough pain relief - digressed again ADD style. Sry.

 

[SKR]

I'm fine thanks. Did not seem to have any effects from dropping it, except for one night of bad sleep. Have got some insomnia and anxiety but I don't relate that to the mirt, just my usual baseline state/life stresses. My mood has gone up massively (to its normal point) since dropping it. I think I was being overly anxious about stopping taking it.

Nice one, glad you're ok. I worried about Mirtazipine too simply because when I first took it I basically fell asleep standing up and my wife found me and sat me down in a nearby chair. It was after this that I realised that sleeping in a chair helped my back pain in that it wasn't exacerbated. Woke up with swollen feet and cankles which was a new experience and so began the realization by myself and my plethora of Dr's that my kidneys aren't functioning too well. I'm convinced it's my shut down thyroid and yet my endocrinologists do not - so I should know once the thyroxine I'm on kicks into gear.