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I would be incredibly grateful for some advice about antidepressant withdrawal. I don't trust my doctors or psychiatrists anymore. I am 40 years old with no history of mental illness until about 11 months ago, when I began overreacting to a number of problems in my life like skin issues and threats of lawsuits, and this led to a two-month period of psychosis that gave rise to severe depression (according to the doctors here). It was very intense. I live in Frankfurt, Germany. Once I began to calm down and realize that these fears were unjustified (around February), the depression symptoms seemed to get worse, and I began to have physical problems like dizziness, vertigo, and derealization. This led me to think there was some neurological damage, and so I had an MRI and EEG done but with no findings. I began seeing a psychiatrist around this time, who gave me a prescription for Olanzapine, but I didn’t take it due to my strong aversion to pharmaceutical medication. However, by mid-March I was feeling so awful and had starting having difficulty sleeping. I could fall asleep, but I would wake up after three or four hours and couldn’t fall back asleep. I didn’t see any other option but to check into an inpatient clinic, where the doctors started me on 5mg Olanzapine and 50mg Sertraline. The Olanzapine helped me sleep, and I was hopeful that the antidepressant would begin working quickly. After a few days, the dizziness and derealization subsided. However, after about seven weeks (and increases to 100mg and 150mg), I was still feeling depressed, and the doctors switched me to Venlafaxine in late May, initially 75mg but quickly increased to 225mg. It was at this time that I left the inpatient clinic with the intent of continuing Venlafaxine at home. Occasionally I tried skipping the Olanzapine, but whenever I did I couldn’t stay asleep. And after six weeks of Venlafaxine, I felt no better and decided to discontinue (against the advice of my psychiatrist). I tapered down to 150mg to 75mg to 37.5mg over a period of 15 days (each dose for five days). I completed the taper in mid-July. I didn’t notice any withdrawal symptoms during the taper, but once I was off completely, the brain zaps, nausea, and restless legs began. But I also noticed that I no longer needed the Olanzapine to sleep well, as if the Venlafaxine had been causing the insomnia. The brain zaps were not painful and didn’t bother me too much since I was expecting them to go away soon. And after about two weeks, the zaps were hardly noticeable and I was feeling much better. I was happy about this because it was just a few days before a vacation I had planned to Florida. Throughout the entire 10-day vacation site-seeing and soaking up the sun, I hardly noticed any symptoms at all and my mood was great. It was as if I was completed cured. Unfortunately, the very day I returned to Germany at 7am from a long overnight flight (this past Sunday), I began feeling unwell again, like nauseous or a queasy feeling in my stomach and chest accompanied by low moods. I was hoping it was due to jet lag, but it’s been an entire week now and there hasn’t been any improvement. I can still sleep well fortunately but I have a pronounced feeling of being unwell most of the time and I feel very fatigued and unmotivated to do much. No dizziness, pain, or cognitive issues. Given that I felt virtually symptom-free while in vacation, are my current symptoms are more likely to be a continuation of the withdrawal or some sort of (travel-induced) depression relapse, or something else? Could I already be going through windows and waves just a month after stopping the antidepressants? Just to summarize, I was on antidepressants from mid-March to mid-July, including the two-week taper. So about eight weeks on Sertraline (mostly 100mg) followed immediately by eight weeks on Venlafaxine (mostly 225mg). I was also taking Olanzapine for most of that time, occasionally taking Pipamperone instead. Thanks in advance for the help and insight!

Link to Hibari's Success Story: hibari-polydrugged-benzos-twice-and-now-im-well Link to benzo forum thread - Hibari: Swtich from Ativan to Clonazapam Hi, I have been Remeron since April 2014 reaching a dosage between 37.50-41.25 I also have been on Lamictal since September 2014 reaching a dosage of 200mg. I began a taper of the Remeron with my psychiatrists knowlege, I think at the end of February/March? Hard to remember with my somewhat foggy brain. I am now down to 28.125-tapering at about 10% for each cut. My withdrawal has follwed a specific pattern. I make the cut, feel some nausea but okay, then after about 2-3 weeks have a crash, depression, crying, and anxiety. Then I pop through and move into a more stable period. I think I let myself stabilize for about 10 days and then make another drop. My question is about starting a slow Lamictal withdrawal at the same time. I may be overeacting but when I read about what Lamictal can do to the brain, along with other antidepressants, I want to start the taper now. I do have some professional obligations happening over the next few months but I don't want to stop my progress. I like many others I have read am very impatient about getting off these medictions. They served their purpose to help me after a long stressful period of caretaking-7 years-and then the death of my mom 2 1/2 years ago. Any thoughts or experience about taper from two drugs at the same time. Thanks. Hibari 28.125 Remeron 200mgs Lamictal

Hello, New here. My primary issue is with the rollercoaster I’ve been going through with my antidepressant, Mirtazapine: History: I’ve been on Mirtazapine for several years, very happy with the effects on my depression, appetite, sleep, and even anxiety to an extent. It’s efficacy has been consistent for me, such that over the years, I’ve only needed to increase the dose modestly once (from 15 mg to 22.5 mg, a switch made ~1 year ago). The problem: just before the holidays 2023, I unknowingly used a counterfeit THC cartridge (don’t know what it was, but it was NOT THC), which properly thrashed my mental stability. After two weeks of distress - loss of appetite, cold sweating, bouts of heart racing, feelings that there is something very wrong (which put me in the hospital on two separate occasions, with “it’s probably just bad anxiety” being the punchline in both instances) - my psychiatrist thought maybe the Mirtazapine was worsening/prolonging the problem… So he cut me off cold-turkey. Knowing how effective it’s been for me, this was utterly devastating, but I indulged it, and we explored medication to calm my anxiety which, in short, did not stick >2 days (couldn’t handle the side effects). Moreover, after ~3 days without Mirtazapine, withdrawal started setting in - I literally could not eat (threw up everything I tried) nor sleep; I was intensely uncomfortable with a host of physical symptoms. I touched base with my psychiatrist again, asserting that I was not convinced enough that the Mirtazapine was worsening things for this cold-turkey cutoff to be worthwhile. We decided to reinstate a small dose of Mirtazapine to feel things out (7.5 mg/day). I’m now on day 3 of Mirtazapine reinstatement, and this is where I need feedback/help: reinstating the Mirtazapine has helped the majority of the most pressing symptoms; I can eat again, I’m sleeping okay, cold sweats/tremors/shivers have been largely resolved. What remains is: brain zaps (very pronounced days 1 & 2) and physical “jolts,” and today, an overwhelming feeling of pressure and heat in my head just after taking half of my 7.5 mg dose for the day - this was fairly scary, though I don’t have a fever at all (though it feels like I do), so I don’t think I am in a dangerous place. Otherwise, I’m feeling okay; my head is just in profound discomfort almost constantly, and this discomfort has made my eyes a bit twitchy, also scaring me. I am absolutely torn in that I have no idea if this discomfort is a result of the Mirtazapine itself, or a continuation/evolution of withdrawal symptoms as a result of my current dose not being near that which I was on for many months (& on the other end of 3 days without entirely). This being unclear makes it really difficult to trust a further reinstatement of Mirtazapine to a place closer to my normal dose, as I’m terrified it’s going to manifest something serious physically. I don’t know how to approach this with my psychiatrist without threatening another rugpull on the Mirtazapine entirely, which I know only gets worse before it gets better (I would want to do a supervised detox if pushed this direction). I am frustrated. I thought maybe bringing back the Mirtazapine would alleviate things, but now I don’t know if it’s the problem or the problem is I’m not taking enough. Any insight/suggestions for how to approach this are much appreciated.

I'm supporting my husband in his journey withdrawing from AD and Benzos. My apologies for the length of the story but as an introduction it paints a better picture for giving advice. He is a 77 year old male in excellent physical health and until last year in good mental health. He has always been on the anxious side but it was specific to travel and feeling out of his comfort zone while away from home. He had been working with a therapist to address anxiety related to travel and felt he was getting a handle on some strategies to deal with some of his fears. In early 2022 he lost 2 very close friends within a few months. Both friends were part of a pipe band that he has been involved with for 40 years. One friend, in his mid 50's, was the pipe major and so the band became somewhat rudderless after being a going concern. He found all of this very stressful and began experiencing some anxiety any time the pipe band was part of a conversation. In early May a second band member passed away and days after his funeral we travelled from Canada to visit family in the UK. At this time he was taking Lorazepam PRN only to deal with travel anxiety e.g. while at the airport and the same on return so, very rarely. Part of our vacation included a trip to Crete with my siblings and their spouses. While in Crete he became more anxious as the days went on and one day experienced a panic attack. From then on his anxiety increased fearing this could happen again at any time. By the time we were due to fly home to Canada he was anxious every day. Upon returning home he made an appointment with his GP who suggested Wellbutrin 150mg to deal with the anxiety. After one week of steadily increasing anxiety and nausea the GP switched him to Buspar 10mg BID and recommended an appointment with a psychiatrist to review his symptoms and medication. The psychiatrist diagnosed GAD increased the dose of Buspar to 10mg TID. Two weeks into the dose increase his anxiety and nausea were increasing to a severe level and once again and he was taking .5mg Lorazepam more often, sometimes several days in a row to ease the anxiety. In consultation with his GP he decreased the Buspar back down to 10mg BID with the idea to cross taper onto Mirtazapine 30mg. All of this trial and error of medication was happening during the month of August while we were hosting 10 visitors from the UK which in itself caused significant stress and anxiety. By the end of September he had been on Mirtazapine 30 mg for about 6 weeks. He was experiencing occasional nausea and anxiety but much improved from when he started taking the medication. In the middle of October we travelled to Morocco. Travel triggered his anxiety and the Mirtazapine didn't seem to relieve it so he began to need Lorazepam again to deal with this. During our trip we both got Covid. He was not very sick and only experienced mild flu like symptoms for a few days. He began to have trouble sleeping and took Melatonin to help with this. Unfortunately, this caused bizarre nightmares. After Covid he began to experience a burning sensation across his neck and shoulders and sometimes across his chest. He began to be quite agitated, restless, and his anxiety got much worse. November and the beginning of December were relatively stable with anxiety, nausea and burning sensations occasionally but not all the time. In January his symptoms became more frequent and more intense and he talked with his GP about coming off Mirtazapine as it was definitely not helping and possibly making things worse. His Dr agreed and suggested a taper that we now know was way too fast. Coupled with the addition of Lexapro and Quetiapine as aids to withdrawal he was now dealiing with side effects from the added meds and withdrawal from the Mirtazapine all at the same time. Here is a brief summary of the meds taken: May 2022 - panic attacks and GAD. Rx Lorazepam .5 mg PRN for anxiety until March 2023 June 1 Dr prescribed Wellbutrin 150mg June 13 Dr switched Buspar 10 mg BID - Psych Increased dose to 10 mg TID Aug 9-Feb 8 Dr switched to Mirtazapine 30 mg Below is a brief timeline of the withdrawal process from the GP: Feb 9-16 Mirtazapine 15 mg, Lexapro 5 mg, Seroquel 25 mg BID Feb 16-22 Mirtazapine 15 mg, Lexapro 10 mg, Seroquel 50 mg in am, 75 mg in pm Feb 23- Mar 1 Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Lexapro 10 mg, Seroquel 50 mg in am, 75mg in pm Mar 2-16 Mirtazapine 7.5 mg Tapered Lexapro and Seroquel concurrently March 17-19, Mirtazapine 5.6 mg, Seroquel 25 mg BID March 20-26, Mirtazapine to 3.75 mg, Clonazepam 25 mg BID March 27-April 2, Clonazepam 25 mg BID April 3-May 3 Tapered Clonazepam May 3 no drugs He has not taken any medication since the beginning of May and is a little more than 7 months into withdrawal from all drugs. At this point it is impossible to know which of the drugs are causing the symptoms. He continues to suffer from insomnia and has some nights when he gets of a few hours of broken sleep and then he'll have a good night of 7 hours. He has become anxious around the amount of sleep he gets. He has developed social anxiety even to the point of visiting our children and grandchildren and suffers extreme chest tightness and anxiety at the thought of socializing. Interestingly, when he's actually visiting with people he does quite well. Likewise, he experiences the same symptoms if he needs to be in the car for longer than about 15 minutes although he is able to drive, go to the supermarket and do daily activities without too much discomfort. Sometimes he will wake and complain of "flu like" symptoms where he feels like he has a temperature but he doesn't. He has trouble with temperature regulation and is often very hot or too cold. He has experienced a couple of weeks about a month ago when his symptoms were a little less intense than they are now but just recently they seem to have ramped up once again. On a daily basis his symptoms include anxiety, chest tightness, feelings of hot and cold waves, agitation, restlessness, fear, and depression. The symptoms change in intensity throughout the day and a trigger can cause a sudden spike in intensity from mild to severe. Hi symptoms tend to get worse during the day until around dinner time then gradually subside during the evening until they are almost gone at the end of the day. We have recently sent of for some genetic testing as it would be interesting to see whether any of the medications he has taken might have been contraindicated based on his genetic profile. We're not sure what we will do with this information once it is available in the next few days. Perhaps, should he consider taking a different AD down the road, this information may serve to inform that decision. Based on his experience with ADs so far I would think this would be unlikely. However, the one thing no one can tell us is whether the symptoms he is experiencing at 7 months off a relatively low dose of Mirtazapine for a short period of time are from withdrawal or a worsening of his previous anxiety. How long do you wait in the hope that is the case? Does he look at the possibility of yet another AD? He is becoming more depressed by his constant symptoms on a daily basis. Doing nothing but waiting it out seems futile. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, does anyone ever experience a lovely feeling in the brain, like a prolonged Serotonin rush when taking or withdrawing from antidepressants. I might be the exception to the rule but i almost enjoy this side effect. I often experience it after bad days, like my brain is trying to balance out the feel good hormones and is somewhat overcompensating. It's normally followed by either a feeling of recovery for a few days or tumbles into bad days immediately.

Hi, Thank you for this forum. Very interesting. My name is Caroline, I live in Switzerland and I suffer from anxiety and depression. My mother tongue is French and I'm 52 years old and I have a son Tiago, 14 years old. In 2022 I was prescribed Deanxit by a psychiatrist because I was suffering from anxiety due to the covid situation. A year later, I went to my doctor to get a prescrpition for Deanxit. My doctor refused because Deanxit, in addition to an antidepressant, contains a neuroleptic which can cause muscle contractions. So she told me to replace Deanxit with an antidepressant, Mirtazapine. Today, the Mirtazapine has no effect on me. I have strong anxiety attacks and I suffer from depression (this can also be due to the sudden stop of Deanxit). My doctor advises me to take Brintellix in addition to Mirtazapine. Then if I support the Brintellix, she advice to reduce the Mirtazapine. What to do ? - I stay on Mirtazapine and start withdrawal ? But the situation i am in this moment is not very good. I'm anxious and depressed. How I will be able to identify if the effects I am feeling are due to the reduction of the drug or to my depressed state - I take Brintellix which will add a new molecule and it's not sure that it works. Thank you for your help and for your website with all these tips. Carolin

Hello, I am tapering Ambient currently 5mg. I am using the dry cut method with a scale. Is there a spreadsheet or calculator that will calculate the weight and how many mg that is at each reduction? I am terrible at math and this has been where I mess up, I get very anxious and am just not able to think clearly about the numbers. I want to be prepared if pharmacy changes lab which results in different pill weights (long story but I've already tried asking at several pharmacies and none will commit to keeping same lab) that I will be able to make the conversion. My focus is help with the math, if you have suggestions about working with pharmacy that's a secondary issue that's fine but please help with the math!

Hello, I would like to introduce myself. I need a lot of help and advice on my situation as it's somewhat complicated. I was on Cipralex for 4.5 years. It stopped working as well and I was extremely emotionally blunted so I went to a psychiatrist for help. He increased my 10 mg dose to 15 mg's. I immediately developed severe suicidal thoughts and what I now know is akathisia. I lowered the dose down to 10 again until I saw a new psychiatrist. He increased my dose to 20 mg's of Cipralex in a week. All hell broke even more loose. I believe I developed some serotonin syndrome and lowered my dose to 15 in one week and back to 10 another week. I decided after this hell that I wanted to taper off as quickly as possible. Obviously I didn't know then what I know now. I jumped off 5 mg's of Cipralex and cross tapered to 15 mg's of Mirtazapine as I had lost 25 pounds in a month and had severe akathisia. I stopped the Mirtazapine after 5 days as it was a terrifying experience. I remained medication free until after 4 weeks the akathisia creeped back in. I went back on Mirtazapine at 7.5 mg's and almost unalived myself twice. I entered inpatient care at that point and lowered my Mirtazapine to 3.75 mg's. They put me on Pregabalin(Lyrica) which I'm now off as of November 2023. I should also add I took Ativan intermittently from May-October so I was often confused on what role that played in my akathisia. I had a big 2-week window recently but I'm now in a vicious wave. I want off the Mirtazapine because I feel it's been causing my anhedonia and DP/DR. My question is should I start tapering Mirtazapine? I still have akathisia and it's not helping with anything other than increased appetite at times. Any advice is appreciated.

Hello, This site was included in an article about the dangers of antidepressants that was in Dr. Mercola's daily email. I am not or have never been on any antidepressants myself, but have been on a mission to research and find the best way and support for my son to wean off of Remeron. The reason he was put on this med was for chronic insomnia. Prior to being prescribed Remeron he had been taking Nyquil every night for a very long time. Over the years he has tried many natural vitamins and supplements with none of them helping. For about six months the doctor had him on both Remeron and Vistaril at the same time, but for the past month he has just been on Remeron 45mg. Thank you very much for accepting my registration. Cecelia77

Hi, I would like to know why making a liquid form instead of just tapering with a milligrams balance and a cutter ? is it faster, isn't it ? I just cut off a small piece from the tablet (in my case a mirtazapine soltab) with a cutter then I weigh it in the milligrams balance. Maybe it's not so accurate like with a liquid form but if you are precise in cutting the tablet you can do it. For example my mirtazapine soltab (30mg) weighs 300 milligrams so for a reduction of 10% I just substract 30 milligrams from the tablet with a cutter. So why a liquid form is better ? maybe for the reason that goin down in a smaller doses it becomes harder to cut 10% or are there other reasons ? thanks.

I (31F) had some anxiety around getting pregnant back in June 2023 and my doctor recommended proactively starting on anti-anxiety meds to help. Unfortunately, no one really explained to me that the meds could make me feel worse before better and I ended up on a drug cocktail of Buspirone 30mg, Mirtazapine 30mg, Ativan 1.5mg and Promethazine 12.5mg. I finally stabilized on all these meds around Sep ‘23, but I am devastated because it has delayed our plans of starting a family and will do so even further due to taper. I have done some tapering and am down to 0.5 Ativan and 18.75mg of Mirt (see signature for taper times). I am now holding Ativan and working on Mirt taper, but currently trying to hold and stabilize before continuing to taper as I have learned I was tapering too quickly. I have a few questions: What are the risks of tapering Mirt at 20% every 4 weeks (vs 10%)? Could the withdrawal compound? If I follow this rate I could realistically be at a pretty low dose in 18 months and resume my plans of starting a family, but I don’t want to mess it up and cause further delays. What do people define as stable? I’m have some GI issues with the Mirt taper and some increased anxiety, but it’s coming in waves and windows, and it’s not nearly as bad as when I went on all the meds. Should I continue to push forward or wait for further stabilization? Does anyone have experience tapering Mirt during pregnancy? I’ve done research and know this drug doesn’t have as much research as other ADs but existing research results don’t differ significantly from other ADs, but just trying to understand my options. I am taking Promethazine for nausea, but I’ve now learned it’s also an antihistamine, could this be curbing my Mirt withdrawal and ultimately cause me more trouble when I stop it in the future? I am devastated I am in this position and know it is temporary, but feel like I am on the reproductive clock. I know this is a long post, but appreciate the support.

Hello, Currently trying to taper off my psych meds particularly Sertraline. I've been struggling so much with tiredness and lack of motivation since being on it. I recently tried to go from 50mg to 25mg and last about 6 days..I've reinstated 50mg today and I'm here for peer support/ advice on next steps. I am based in the UK and want to do the 10% method using Sertraline Oral Solution from the GP. They are very reluctant to prescribe it, can anyone provide me with advice on how best to approach this ? I really don't want to be messing around crushing up pills. Also how long should I sit at 50mg before thinking of starting my 10% taper? Thanks, Nige

I am on 30mg mirtazapine and 50mg trazodone for 3 months. I would like to taper but not stable enough. I have been through hell with valium, hopefully this shows in my signature although I can't see it here. I am still not functioning and suffering beyond words. As I write this horrible painful jabs of anxiety stab up my arms and throat. If I wait to heal, and do a long slow taper, will the ad withdrawal be okay? Does ad withdrawal cause anxiety that makes you call out, rock, suffer pain, be unable to function? I have been on the mirt 3 months. I imagine I need to wait another 3-6 months before starting to taper? I do not care about having anxious thoughts. I do not care about brain fog or suffering depression. I need the physical anxiety feelings of pain in throat and chest, painful surges up body and arms, gone. I want to be able to sit back on my sofa and watch tv. I am worried I am too traumatised to recover. I have suffered for over a year with internal aka, writhing around, pulling hair, banging head, unable to breathe, crawling around, violent shaking of every body part...now I am 6 months off the valium and these most serious symptoms have stopped, but still have the painful surges and the painful throat and chest tightness. I was only getting 2 hours sleep until the mirtazapine. I now get 4-6 hours sleep. I don't know how much longer the drug will keep working for this. I worry I will need to kill myself every day, as my "life" is intolerable.

In Jan 2018 I was put on Temazapam 22.5mg for insomnia. Remeron 15mg was then added to increase effectiveness. Everything was okay, but in Aug 18' I wanted off Remeron first because of weight gain, I was also having chronic pain in elbows which wouldnt resolve. (i was a personal trainer, and highly active my entire life, but had suffered some chronic pain issues along the way- I am 33 currently) I believe the chronic pain issue might stem from large amounts of childhood trauma, neglect, and abandonment. My mother left me at 13, father is alcoholic, discovered deceased boyfriend at 27) Doctor also allowed me to switch temazapam to ambien in aug 18' because i believed i could taper ambien easier (pills vs capsules) and I had tapered Ambien and light xanax use no problem when boyfriend died in 2012. I began remeron taper in aug and went too fast, landed me in hospital in october 2018' with first panic attack. Slowed taper and continued. Taper completed some time in April/May of 2019. Sleep began to suffer. By May 19' things were very bad, hard to remember, but its the first time I felt deep depression (never considered myself depressed my entire life, not even when boyfriend passed, although I did have a ton of childhood and adult trauma that has not likely been properly addressed) By July things were extremly bad, and then dad had a double heart attack. Once that happen, hell really broke loose, and ambien became completely ineffective. Dad survived, but I came out with IBS issues, extreme panic, deeper depression, lost appetite, lost muscle mass, constant diarrhea, anal pain. etc. Began to wonder if I had other diseases, such as lyme. Doctored had me try a carousel of meds, trazadone, gabapentin, seroquel... Then doctor C/T my ambien in aug because it wasnt "doing anything for me". Some of my symptoms have improved. Able to eat more and bowels are doing ok. Sleep is the main issue. By a long shot. Its hard to even talk about. Remeron 7-15 was reinstated and gabapentin added. I dont know how I will be from day to day. I am alone in this. Mother and father doing what they normally do, run away from me if something is wrong. I want to win this battle but am very scared. I live with roommates (family/friends) but they do not understand what is happening, and they themselves are dysfunctional in many ways. I have a part time job, but it is in no way shape or form what I am meant to do with my life. I have no children and no partner. I am 33 and want to believe I can become drug free and have a life after this. Any help on what to do next is appreciated. My hope to to become more stable and then make a educated plan on how to get where I would like to be.

46yo male in Australia. Government lockdowns and financial debt tipped me into severe depression end of 2021 and I didnt know it until I was in that dark hole. Was given Mirtazapine, it did help me as I needed sleep and needed to regain my appetite. The initial side effects was the usual sedation, brain fog, lower blood pressure but the huge benefit of sleeping outweighed that. After watching Dr Andrew Huberman and his 'sleep cocktail' I started taking supplements, Magnesium Threonate, Apigen and L-Theanine and started walking 7am every morning to get sunlight in eyes as it resets your body clock, regardless of how I felt and what the weather was. Also walked at night too. Took 3 months off work which added to the financial stress. (Mortgage is $1000/week, married, 2 kids). I came across 'Vipassana Meditation, A Guide for Beginners' on youtube. Please do it, it taught me how to slow down my overthinking mind, its amazing what are subconscious mind does and when youre aware of it, its the beginning of getting better. All you have to do is lay down on your back and listen. So simple. I also joined a gym and started doing weight training. Also found Dr Jordan Peterson's lectures on depression on youtube very helpful, David Goggins mental strength stories and came across Dr Eric Berg explaining the link to gut health and mental health. I started eating raw saurekraut (creates serotonin in your gut) then 4 ate pasture raised eggs every night as the tryptophan in the eggs helps transport the serotonin to your brain neurons. Things you learn when youre on this horrible journey! I was still taking 30mg Mirtazapine daily and 4 months into it I was confident to start tapering. I bought the Gem20 scale for $50, a pill cutter and nail file. Slowly tapered 10% to 15% every 1-2 weeks for 14 months. The Brass Monkey slide seemed too long, 30mg would of taken 6 years. While I was tapering I started taking fish oil with a very high EPA ingredient, 750mg. The higher the EPA, the better for the brain. In the 14 month taper I had approx. 10 nights that I couldnt sleep, had some agitation and was very flat but I knew I was getting better. Withdrawals look like depression symptons, stick to it but slow down with the tapering if it gets too much. You will always have some withdrawals but as long as you can still function you will get there. Now 4 weeks from getting to 0mg I still have some small withdrawals like agitation and not feeling myself but thats nearly gone too. Feel free to ask questions. I was there, I found this website when I first started my journey and it stressed me out more, all the disaster stories. But here is a positive story that was done with alot of hard work and consistency to get to where I am. You will do this too!

I have been on citalopram since 2009 then it stopped working. The Dr put me on citalopram and mirtazapine combination which worked for a while then that stopped working. The Dr then put me on mirtazapine and Venlafaxine 150mg XL combination which workes for a while again ans then stopped working. The Dr put me on amitriptyline 50mg saying thay would be the best drug for me while i took 8 months to slowly remove each bead from Venlafaxine capsule to come off it. As soon as I took my last beed i went into crazy angry depression. The dr increased my dosage of amitriptyline from 50mg to 150mg but the side effects were horrible and at this point i got sick of these meds and decided to quit CT. I had horrible withdrawal symptoms and i started acting like a child and not being able to walk, had balance problems. I reinstated back to 50mg amitriptyline since april 2018 and i have been getting worse. I cannot sleep. My vision is so badly affected that i have grainy vision and floaters have increased dramatically . I see after images and it's as if the lights have been turned off. When i begin to fall asleep, i start to have dreams before i actually fall asleep and my brain keep. Waking up just before i am about to sleep. I cannot follow conversations, I mishear things all the time. I am totally dependant on others and i feel people think i have gone crazy. I don't know what to do i am getting worse and worse. I often trip, lose my balance. I hardly have any short term memory and cannot do simplest of things. I cannot even watch anything on TV as i cannot follow.it I'm having major concentration problems. I don't know how. I'm writing this. I cannot work or drive. Please you have no idea how i am putting these sentences together. I need urgent help. Please advice. I have no energy, no appetite. If I'm posting this in the wrong place, please accept my appology as I can hardly read and understand things. P

I think I'm one of the very few people to have ever had an experience with mirtazapine where it could be considered as an addiction. I started on 15mg 7-8 years ago, and was at one point using up to 135mg. I couldn't tell if it helps or if taking it just cancels out the withdrawals. When I wake up, I'm high-strung and feel a lot of mental tension. I take my first 1/4th dosage and it mellows me out. I used to really enjoy having my worries fade, my anxiety fade, and to just be a content vegetable for the day. The downsides are crazy, I went from being an athlete to obese, with T2 diabetes. When it works, I'm lazy and unmotivated, I just eat and play video games. I cut down to 90mg, and haven't been able to go lower for long. The effects no longer work as well, I've been using daily Ativan at 2mg to pick up the slack. I've also been on Effexor 225mg for a few years, I tapered down to 75mg without any significant issues. My doc suggested a bridge, an SSRI, to help lower the need for mirtazapine. Has anyone here had a similar experience? They say this drug is harmless and side-effect free, but the withdrawals are absolutely no joke.

Anyone experience the most uncomfortable brain pressure on this drug. Can’t work out if it is anxiety or the actual medication causing it. The most uncomfortable sensation ever like my brain is folding in on itself some days and like an Ill fitting jigsaw that won’t settle on other days. It’s absolutely relentless

I am 74 yrs old and have been on antidepressants and Benzos most of my life. In the past I don’t recall any trouble stopping or switching meds. But all that changed 3 years ago 2019 Paxil 20 mg, Clonazepam max 1mg - Traumatic episode which unearthed childhood trauma. Sank into deep depression, anxiety. Crying daily the entire year. Would feel all this pressure in my chest and I had to cry. Never experienced anything like that before. Using up to 1 mg Clonazepam to manage. Decided to get off Paxil. Had no guidance. 2000-2020 paxil 20 mg, Clonazepam varied January 2020 start Paxil taper using The Netherlands tapering strips. Dec 2020 Paxil Taper done, clonazepam as needed January 2021 - August 2021 Started having severe symptoms : depression, anxiety, nerve pain, DP, DR, had no idea what was happening. Two Behavioral Health hospitalizations where I was cycled thru various drugs. Also Clonazepam for 20 yrs off and on. I have been suffering this whole year from what I think was PAWS from Paxil. Varied neurological issues, also Orthostatic hypotension, insomnia. Months of no appetite w weight loss, unable to leave the house, terror, incompacitated, couldn’t drive or take care of myself April 2021 - Mirtazipine 15 mg, clonazepam max .5 mgMay 2021 - Sertraline 25mg for anxiety, clonazepam .5mgJune 2021 - Reduced Mirtazipine to 7.5 mg, Clonazepam 2.5 - 1 mg , Buspar 5mg added for anxietyJuly - started Pregabalin 25.mg for nerve pain symptoms Aug 2021 - clonazepam .5 mg, stop Buspar, increase Sertraline to 50 mg, Pregabalin 50mgSept - Taper off Sertraline by cutting in half, back on by end of month at 25mg due to withdrawal symptoms. Nov - stopped Sertraline, started Nortriptyline 25mg, Dec - stop PregabalinJan 2022 - Nortriptyline 50mg at bedtime,Mirtazipine 7.5 mg at bedtime, Clonazepam .125mg morning and bedtime I recognized back in August that my Autonomic Nervous system (ANS)was destabilized, was in sympathetic state 24/7 I just couldn’t relax. Because I have Complex PTSD, I tried a Stellate Ganglion block to reset ANS but no help. I just keep going from one symptom to another. Except for neurological and orthostatic hypotension impairments, my mood is most stable it’s been in 3 yrs. I want off Mirtazipine because it can be factor in Orthostatic Hypotension. I attribute most of my suffering in 2021 to PAWS from Paxil. Looking for someone to review my plan because I do not want more withdrawal symptoms. I plan to get Tapering Strips for Mirtazipine from The Netherlands. 4 strips of 28 days each: 7.5 - 5.5, 5.5 - 2.5, 2.5 - .1 .1 - 0 so it will take me 4 months to be completely off Mirtazipine. Do you think that is slow enough? (About month ago, psychiatrist said to take half, so one night I only took 3.75 mg and was awake all night!). Thank you so much for guidance.

Hi all I’m Matthew 38 the last few days have felt like opening a Pandora’s box of what it may take to get me off mirtazapine I got tinnitus distress last year and anxiety which was stopping me from sleeping mirtazapine has helped me and I’ve been on it for 8 months now feeling alright and ok about my tinnitus I thought about coming off the mirtazapine 15mg tablets Doctors gave me the advice of dose skipping and jumping off from various levels. A cut to 7.5 gave me a bad withdrawal effect and scared me. so now I’m here and have familiarized myself with the Horowitz work. I plan to resettle myself at 15mg for a month or two before I Re attempt using the 10% method. I plan to use precise scales and file the tablets, although I realise this could be challenging in the end game. I’m a bit scared to use liquid. That’s about it; hope I’ve not broken any rules, my intentions are all genuine and I hope to update here and help support others. the length of time to get off looks very daunting and scary and I never anticipated to be weighing out drugs but tapering strips are not an option here. Still asking my gp about liquid maybe. So yea very scared about this whole thing and hope I can do it ok. I may even go just 5% at the start as I really want to minimize withdrawal feelings. thank you for reading

(02/25/2021) 15mg for 3 days - start 30mg for 2 months 45mg for 2 months 30mg for 1 month 15mg for 10 days (10/08/21) 0mg (25/03/22) - still with withdrawal symptoms. I started by chronologically following the doses above. Being first at the beginning and then increasing. From the first day of use I felt bad. With a heaviness in the body, tiredness and exhaustion during treatment, severe depressive episodes caused by mirtazapine, akathisia, absurd drowsiness (up to 12 hours of sleep a day). Inability to interact with other people, constant bad mood, apathy, compulsion for sweets (I gained 7 kg in this period). Sexual problems (0 libido, no pleasure in orgasm). Demotivation, feeling of imminent death, suicidal thoughts, panic, depersonalization, vision problems, lack of pleasure in physical activities (low ability to exert strength and difficulties in controlling one's own body).

Hi everybody! I am starting this post to get some words of encouragement and engage with all of you brave people. I am 32 yo and hear is my story: 2/21 started mirtazapine 7.5mg for dyspepsia3/24 stopped mirtazapine CT due to slowed thinking, no energy3/28 acute nausea/anxiety. Restarted mirtazapine at 3.75mg4/9 Dropped mirtazapine to 1.8mg. Started noticing stomach cramps with some foods such as tomato sauce5/2 nausea starts creeping up plus tension in the jaw. 5/6 increase mirtazapine to 3mg5/7 - 5/20 worst days of my life, constant panic attacks throughout all mornings. Some diarrhea, some stomach upset. Nausea occasionally but doesn't last6/8/23 other symptoms resolved but tinnitus and vertigo started appearing So here I stand now. I am waiting/hoping to stabilize (vertigo to resolve mainly). I think I will wait a total of 3 months before I start tapering slowly from 3mg. I still cannot believe that I cannot stop a medication I took at the lowest dose for only one month. I was very a high-functioning person before this all started and I was the rock of my family. Now I am sick all-the-time. I am hoping that stabilizing and doing a slow taper will give me some peace of mind from now on

Hello all fellow mental health warriors, I am having a tough go of it currently. I was on an SSRI (of some sort) for 20 years. My most recent psychiatrist and I decided to try to bridge me over to Lamictal 50mg ER to see if my sexual side effects from the SSRI would go away. They did, (which is amazing) BUT Lamictal has given me such severe headaches and now such severe insomnia that I am now relying on Ativan now almost every night. My psychiatrist recently tried me on very low dose Mirtazapine (3.75mg), as a substitute for Ativan, which made me sleep for 12 hours and made me dizzy for the next 48. I am currently unsure if I should just stay on the benzo (Ativan) which does not leave me groggy and dizzy all day and try to taper slowly from there or keep trying liquid Mirtazapine (Remeron) at maybe 1mg per night for sleep. I also am going to request liquid Lamictal to taper eventually but for now, I am tolerating it ok. I want to be drug free so bad but I also need to sleep to function at work and give my children a functional mother. Currently waking up crying in the middle of the night at 2 or 3 pm and unable to fall back asleep. Just wanted to reach out to the community for support. With love and hope, L

Hello all, I’m Sarah. Having been diagnosed with ADHD last December (age 50!!) I am coming off Venlafaxine in order to try ADHD meds on the basis that my decades long anxiety has been the hyperactive mind of undiagnosed ADHD. I have high BP (Venlafaxine induced) and as stimulant meds may also raise my BP I have been advised to come off the Venlafaxine. I started antidepressants (Prozac) in 2000, following my last pregnancy in which I had hyperemesis gravidarum (severe pregnancy sickness)I became so afraid of being sick) I couldn’t work (in case I came in contact with someone who had “germs”). In 2004 after citalopram didn’t work I was put on Venlafaxine and that helped the emetaphobia and associated anxiety. All along I had health anxiety but it was intermittent and manageable, if I had a real symptom I would worry but otherwise I was ok. That changed in 2019 (perimenopause?) and since then the anxiety has got worse and worse. I am anxious more often than not, I imagine all kinds of symptoms and have a constant sense of impending doom. I’m currently having a few (what I hope) are withdrawal symptoms, which are exacerbating my anxiety a lot - I’ll post in the other forum about them. Aside from my mental health issues I am married to my childhood sweetheart and we have two adult children who I’m happy to say are still at home. We have two Tonkinese cats, Jasper and Bear and a JRT called Mr Darcy as well as Chico, an orange-winged Amazon parrot who hates me!! 😆 I do not work but I am arty so I occupy myself with drawing; sewing; embroidery; knitting; crochet, etc I hope to find reassurance and friendship here.

I was prescribed 15mg Mirtazapine in May 2019 for sleep and anxiety following a diagnosis of PVFS (now ME/CFS) in Jan 19. Developed tinnitus 4 weeks later and advised to come off by MD. Both the MD and pharmacist advised that what I now know as a FT would be ok as I was only taking the drug for almost 3 months. In fact, my MD said that Mirtazapine would be ok to just stop. Dropped from 15mg to 0 in about 4 weeks and unsurprisingly got the whole raft of symptoms. The worst was my inability to sleep and brain tremors that would come on as I was just falling asleep and if I did fall asleep would wake me at every sleep cycle. I went for some nights with no sleep and became suicidal. Reinstated after 16 days, under the advice of my MD at 3.75mg for 2 days, with little improvement, then up to 7.5mg, where I have been for two months. I have been a heavy meditator since the start of June as part of an ME/CFS recovery program, called ANS Rewire (highly recommended), which includes brain training. I am taking a supplement regime as part of this protocol, I also take melatonin (2mg). Two months on from reinstatement pretty much all withdrawal symptoms have disappeared apart from minor tingling and skin crawling sensations (this could be withdrawal, the drug side affects, or my illness) and the sleep disturbance, and I am seeking advice on whether to up the dose to 11.75mg as suggested by MD. It has improved a great deal and I am getting a number of hours a night. Initially the brain tremor would be very intense, making my whole body tingle/tremor and my tinnitus gets very loud, stopping me from falling asleep and waking me on each sleep cycle (perhaps on REM part as I can always remember dreams and never could prior). After a bit, it became much milder and less frequent, still stopping me falling asleep and waking me, but feeling more like an odd sensation. More recently it appears to have worsened and when I wake my heart is pounding. I think I wake on each sleep cycle and after about 4.30 am, its constant as a fall asleep and will happen multiple times until waking. Oddly, I have noticed that on days where my meditation feels particularly deep, the night is much worse and this worries me, because it makes me feel as though there is something wrong with my brain. I also wonder whether having ME/CFS (a dysfunction of the ANS), means that things are harder. Anyway, I am thinking of upping the dose to 11.75mg and am seeking advice. Also, I wondered if anyone else has experienced that meditation makes symptoms worse? I do go very deep and believe that I have high brain neuroplasticity.