Mirtazapine -coming off?

[OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo]

I've been on mirtazapine for nearly 2 years now. Before I went on it I was a complete wreck for at least 6 .oaths. hyper vigilant, anxious and really not sleeping.

It got tk the point where I wasn't sure if the sleeplessness was causing anxiety or vice versa.

I agreed to go on mirtazapine and its been a wonder drug for me. BUT I am so groggy in the mornings and lethargic half the day. I do have ME/cfs so it might not be the drug but I'm starting to wonder.

Also I'm morbidly Obese.... I know it's known to contribute to weight gain but I was huge already. I suspect I am heavier but no way of knowing.

I'm looking at zoe diet and gut biome and it looks like mirtazapine really doesnt help there either.

So I'm thinking of stopping (speaking to gp of course but they're variable about withdrawal advice I find and let you decide)

I am really worried about the insomnia retuning. I would love to sort it . I'm not super anxious right now and in a much better place. But it could be peri or I might get withdrawal jnsomnia . I'd have to see it through wouldn't I? I can't go back to not sleeping though.

I have been fairly balanced the last 2 years . Its worked. But I've also had therapy so maybe I'd manage better now?

My effexor withdrawal was awful many years ago. I'd.lvoe to withdraw safely.

Or maybe I need to be on it forever. I so need to lose weight though...

I put on 20lbs whilst on mirtaz, tapered it down from 15mg to 7.5 over a couple of weeks then stopped. Felt okay, I was very agitated at night whilst I was taking it, twitchy and hungry all night, getting up at 3am for toast and honey.

My appetite did decrease a bit after stopping but I’m still struggling to lose the weight. weight. I’m sleeping better though, not agitated or raiding the kitchen.

How long have you been off mirtazapin
I'm many stone overweight and put another 5 stone on on top of that 😬. I really really want to lose lots but I know its statistically unlikely.

I've lost 12 pounds in my first 7 weeks and aware it will pribably slow done now but so hoping it keeps coming off! I am eating much better and avoiding ultra processed food as I think for me that's addictive.

How is everyone doing? I believe I've been off Mirt 6wks now, I had a dreadful couple of weeks halfway through with struggling to drop off to sleep and then constantly waking up. I'd be awake for an hour or 2 two each time and it was torture, thankfully it seems to be settling now (touch wood)

I've still got zero appetite, I feel like I'm never going to enjoy food again. I don't know if this is due to stopping the tablets in general or whether I was like this before and just don't remember after taking the tablets for 7years? I've gone from constantly thinking about food and not being able to go without munching on something every hour or two to not caring if I ever eat again. I'm just eating to stay alive at this point. I always enjoyed food from what I remember and food still tastes nice but it's unnerving to have no desire to eat anything.

Has anyone that lost their appetite after stopping Mirt got it back yet? If so how long did it take?

The only other things I've noticed is (TMI) my bowels are more regular, going almost every day rather than every 3 ish days and I never feel bloated anymore. I was constantly bloated before, I never knew what it felt like to not feel bloated....it's brilliant.

I've been off it for 3 weeks and have massively reduced my bingeing in the last week or so and lost 1kg!

I'm not sure about my appetite but the mindless eating isn't as bad as it was

I had to come off quickly as found out I was pregnant and they were worried about cardiac problems and dependence for baby, from memory I was fine coming off it and think I was advised to half it every other day as it has a decent half life so is still in your system

so I think it was like
day 1 15mg
day 3 7.5
day 5 3.75, I was told not to take it at all on the in between days

Hi, has anyone had any unusual side effects while being on Mirtazapine.

I have tapered down from 15mg to 7.5mg over the last 6 weeks after being on it for almost 3 years. I fainted for the first time last week. Could this be related to the mirtazapine?

What was the circumstances of the fainting? It's probably worth a check up with the GP if it's the first time.

It could be the medication changes but there are also so many reasons why your body faints. When I was on olanzapine I fainted or would have fainted had I not sat down first every morning but I also faint due to not drinking enough, low blood sugar, anxiety and sickness

I've booked an appointment with GP. I don't want to overreact but I've felt fine on this lower dose so far.

Hi, I know this is an old thread but was just wondering how everyone is doing with no longer taking mirtazapine? I’m currently on 15mg for sleep, have tried to come off it twice but the insomnia just comes back with a vengeance and I can’t cope. But I’m really desperate to come off it!

Hi.

I never needed to go back on this medication after finishing it, I took my final dose in November 2023 I believe (haven’t read this thread back to check) and I hope I never need to take it again.

I think I started taking it in 2016 so I’d been on it for a long time, surprisingly my sleep wasn’t too bad I had a few bad nights but nowhere near what I was expecting, I also had this awful pain in my stomach for a few weeks but I’m not sure whether that was withdrawals or not.
I lost my appetite for a long time and despite forcing myself to eat I still lost almost a stone and a half so the tablet must have contributed to the weight I’d slowly put on while on it and could never shift no matter what I did.

Coming off was the best thing I ever did, never regretted it. I didn’t realise at the time how much it changed me and suppressed/dulled every single feeling and emotion I had including love and happiness. I feel like a new person now and never want to feel the way that medication made me feel.

Have you tapered off the tablet with a pill cutter? Taking a tiny bit off every tablet and then when you’ve adjusted to that amount taking a tiny bit more and repeat.

You can do this, it’ll be hard but worth it.

Good Luck 🙂

thank you for replying, that’s so good that you’ve not needed to go back on it and feel like a different person (in a good way) now! This is what I am hoping for 🤞

last time I tried to come off (about a year ago) I did cut the tablets so was taking 7.5 for a few weeks and then tried not taking them and I just couldn’t sleep at all, it was horrific. I’m taking bed at 10pm, still awake at 4am sort of thing :’( and then had to be up for work at 6.30 so I just couldn’t function. I do really want to come off them though, I’m hoping that if I can just push through it, I might be able to come out the other side. But having said that, I’ve never been a great sleeper!

I definitely agree with you that it dulls your emotions. That’s part of the reason why I want to come off it!

Did you go straight from 15mg to 7.5mg? If so that was more than likely the problem. If you use a pill cutter you can shave a tiny amount off each tablet before you take it. It’s not a huge jump in dose then. So you take maybe 12.5mg each night for a while and then when you’ve adjusted to that drop it a little lower. It’s a slow process but it’s less harsh on you.

I’m still trying to wean myself off, been taking it since 2017
I bought a pill cutter, and cut down from 15 to 7.5, then cut the 7.5 to 3.75, now cutting to 1.875 which is a bit fiddly, it just looks like a crumb !
hoping to try and alternate one night on snd one night off after a month then stop

I did go straight from 15mg to 7.5 yes, so that’s a good idea I’ll try and use my pill cutter to try and make it 12.5 - thank you! I suppose I just cut it in half because of the line on the tablet, and that’s what my GP advised I do but in hindsight I’ve been on it for over 10 years so it’s definitely going to be hard for me to come off

@FloridaGirl90 if it’s sleep you’re struggling with, apparently magnesium can help. I’m planning on getting some to try but I’m just cautious of replacing the mirtazapine with something else!

Yes it was purely for sleep, I keep hearing about magnesium so think I will try that
I’m going to stay at 1.875 for at least a month
I’d happily carry on taking it but cannot shift any weight despite exercising nearly every day !

Please help! I was on Mirt 15mg for 6 months from October. It did help with sleep and depression lifted a bit. Didn’t help anxiety/ocd at all really but the sleep was all I really needed at an all time low last Oct. I started to taper off mid March probably. Took 11/12mg for a week or two, then 7.5 for two weeks. Then 3.75 for a week or so, then stopped. Took my last dose 10 days ago. Felt fine for 3 or 4 days. But now it’s hell. From day 5 to now (5 days) I have had a constant headache, constant nausea that gradually gets worse through the day. Bowel movements iffy but the regularity is a win. Positives are weight loss and not being a piggy with food, but my god, I feel so sick. I’m obvs not really feeling the urge to go to sleep either, but once I get to sleep at 1ish it’s ok. My eyes are so sore and itchy, could that be lack of the anti-histamine combined with hayfever season, not sure. Has anyone else had the constant headache and nausea, when does it stop?? 😢😢😢

Sorry you are having a rough time, it will pass. I had all of those symptoms (except the eye issues) plus I often felt like my body was on fire! I got so hot, then I’d go really cold.

Its the withdrawals, I hope you feel better soon.