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Jadedreams: Help with Remeron/mirtazapine taper


jadedreams

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Hey everyone, 46 year old single woman here with a history of anxiety and recently some intrusive thoughts & depression because of the anxiety/intrusive thougths.  Have been on Remeron, Lexapro and Klonopin since 8/2015, my signature has the complete history and details.

 

Anyway, I am currently trying to taper off 15mg of Remeron mainly due to weight gain and feeling better, but am having a pretty hard time.  My psychiatrist originally told me to go down to 7.5 for 2 weeks, then 0 but I knew that would be too fast.  I tried to drop by a quarter pill and was ok the first week just a little sadness.  The 2nd week got headaches, trouble sleeping, worse mood, fatigue, achiness, a little nausea.  At this point I started looking online for other peoples stories and found this site among others.  I found information on one site on how to mix Mirt. into a liquid, and started dropping by 1mg a week, currently starting my 4th week and am at 12mg.  But honestly I feel like crap.  Depression is probably a 6-7 out of 10, having trouble sleeping and that really affects my mood, very low energy, hard to concentrate, some headaches and body aches, intense dreams/nightmares, feel very unmotivated and getting more intrusive thoughts (which I have dealt with for 2 years now).  Ironically my anxiety is better!

 

I thought I was going at a slow enough taper, maybe I'm wrong or maybe I wasn't ready.    Not sure, just want to feel better though.  I really want off the mirt because of weight gain (45 pounds!) and was feeling better, at least before I started taper.  I see my psych next week and will talk to him.  Just thought I would ask you guys for some advice since you've been there or are currently in the middle of a taper.  Any thoughts about what could help me, should I go slower?  I think sleep is the main thing that wrecks my mood and gives way to a lot of the other issues.

 

Any tips or kind words would be greatly appreciated!

Jade

Edited by scallywag
tags

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Jadedreams, welcome to SA.  We recommend a slow taper of 10% of the current dose with at least 4 weeks between cuts. Sadly doctors don't know anything about tapering and have their patients tapering far too fast, then say it is a relapse when they are suffering withdrawal. You are describing withdrawal from tapering too fast and need to slow down. You could updose slightly to stabilise, then when you are stable wait another 4 weeks before restarting the taper. You have had a lot of changes recently trying to get it right and feeling the effects. It isn't your fault, you were following your doctor. 


 


Here is our topic on tapering mirtazapine 


 


http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5301-tips-for-tapering-off-remeron-mirtazapine/


 


Why taper 10% 


 


http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/


 


Some people find the weight falls as the dose lowers, which is good because it is gradual. Other side effects can lessen too.   

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Thanks MammaP, I really appreciate the reply - yes I did some more reading on the site as I had a really rough day yesterday.  Had lots of depression, crying spells and just didn't know what to do with myself.   I think the taper was too fast for me too, I went back up a little to approximately 13.5 (10% of my original dose) last night and do feel some better today.  Slept a little better which helped as well.  I still feel some sadness, but much better than yesterday and feel more motivation/determination today.  Still dealing with intrusive thoughts, the bane of my existence for the past 2 years, but am determined to get past this.

 

Last night I really wanted to go back to my original dose of 15mg because of how bad I felt, but did the 13.5 10% as I do want to get off this.  Thanks for the links, I will read through them!

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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Hey Jade,

 

I'm not on here often but happened to see your post. It sounds like you have been experiencing a lot of the same symptoms that I get in reducing mirtazapine. About a year and a half ago, I went through a crazy round of meds and finally ended up on mirtazapine and paxil. If you can handle staying at the 13.5 and stay there if things don't get worse, it would be good to level out. Last year, I took a much needed break from my tapering after some forced tapering in the hospital and then me trying to force myself faster, which was no good. Anyway, it was like an 8-week break, I think, without looking back. Symptoms evened out so much after that. I know everyone is different, but since you haven't done a cold turkey with the mirt, I think waiting to see if symptoms even out may be a good idea. My highest dose was somewhere around 7 mg. After a little more than 1-1/2 years, I am down to 3.1 mg. I will skip a month sometimes and usually, at this low of a dose, only taper 0.2 mg a month. Plus, I am also working on the paxil. In January, I lowered mirt between 0.3 and 0.4 mg over the month plus a drop in paxil, and boy did I see a return of depressive symptoms, anxiety, crying spells, bad dreams, abrupt awakening, obsessive and intrusive thoughts, etc. When I finally realized what was going on, I took a break for a month, and that really helped. So hang in there, and keep letting us know what's going on. The slow-like-a-turtle tapering method may seem frustrating, but at this point, I'm realizing it's the best way to go.

2014-2015, tapered off risperdal 1 mg done 11/14, Librium 2/15 from 25 mg (switched from Klonopin), and Prozac 40 mg to 20 mg and went off without tapering last 20 mg I think (no record of that) by March or April 2015. Possible rebound anxiety started in May 2015 (plus I'm anxious anyway but controlled usually).

Flexeril in August 2015 (for a couple weeks) and then 1 5 mg dose of Prozac in September 2015. Either going off flexeril or trying the Prozac or both plus my previous jump off Prozac that spring set off withdrawal symptoms, which at the time I just thought was severe anxiety due to a frightening situation that had happened plus insomnia and neuro symptoms. Also had a 1-week of steroid in July 2015 that made things a lot worse (anxiety, obsessing)

Buspar, Sept. 2015, didn't work well (severe chest pain), tapered off. Ambien, 2 nights for terrible new insomnia. Afraid of Ambien and went on Mirtazapine. Tried some ativan 2 or 3 times during this time, felt great while on, but rebound anxiety severe so stopped.

Mirtazapine 15 mg, 1 night on Oct. 9 '15, brain fog, too sedated, groggy all day; Mirtazapine 7.5 mg for about a week. Told pdoc didn't like bc side effects. He said I could jump off. Tapered down to 5.8 mg in a few days and held to talk to doc. He said stay on, seemed to help. It is helping sleeping but nothing else. Went from 5.8 mg to 5.6 mg on one day and 5.7 mg the rest. Taken from 5.7 mg to 5 mg while hospitalized in December 2015. Took a total of 3 doses of Valium during that time. Started on less than 5 mg Paxil by pdoc after hospitalization.

Started lowering mirtazapine dose from 5 to 4.6 mg on Mondays on Jan 4, 2016. Horrible. 1/18/16. Held mirt at 5 mg and 4 mg Paxil by weight on scale until April 2016. Slowly tapering since then 0.1 mg at a time.

Current dose: 2/17, 3.4 mg mirtazapine; 2.4 mg paxil; 3/17, 3.1 mg mirt; 2.1 mg paxil; 7/17 2.8 mg mirt, 1.8 mg paxil; Jan 2018 1.5 mg paxil, 2.5 mg mirtazapine  Update; January 11, 2021:  1.1 mg paxil and 2.5 mg mirtazapine and holding since at least January 2019.

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Thanks herenow, yeah your symptoms from tapering the mirt seem very close to mine.  In the 4 days since I went back up to 13.5, I have noticed a pretty big difference, my mood is much better.  Mornings are still a little rough, still have a little fatigue and some weird dreams but overall feel much improved from last week.  I too think I'm going to have to taper off at a very slow rate, apparently I am pretty sensitive to this med.  In the past I never had troubles tapering from the Lexapro, but this has been a whole different story.  I sure wish the docs would educate patients better about the possibilities of needing a slow taper.

 

I will discuss all this with my psych when I see him next, which is coming up soon!  And thank you for the reply, I will definitely keep everyone updated.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Glad you are feeing better JD, it will take a while to stabilise but you will get there.  :)

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Thanks mammaP, yes I'm planning on staying steady for a while to stabilize.  One question, right now I am dissolving the tablets in water to make a liquid and worry that I may not be getting an accurate dose.   Would weighing tablet fragments be more accurate and if so, where could I get a digital scale?  Thanks for the help.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Liquid is more accurate than weighing, it can be difficult to balance fragments. I make liquid and find it easy now but resisted for a long time thinking it would be difficult! 

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Thanks again MammaP, just something I was wondering.  Right now I'm holding steady at 14mg and trying to let things even out.  I'm doing ok, mornings are still kind of rough, but if I can focus on something I forget about the depression/anxiety and the further I get into the day the better I feel.  Just need to determine how long I want to hang out at 14mg before adjusting again and how much I want to try dropping.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Jadedreams,

 

Stabilizing after reinstating or a change in dose can take anywhere from days to months, and you do want to wait until you stabilize before making any more changes. These discussion topics have more information which may help:

 

After Reinstating or Updosing, How Long To Stabilize?

Stabilizing after a reduction -- what does that mean?

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Petunia - I will check out those links, also just wanted to provide everyone with an update.  I ended up going back to my original dose of 15mg.  I've had several stressors recently (a car accident - I'm ok, sick cat and big project at work) and just had trouble with the depression on top of all that.  I went back up from 14mg to 15mg right around May 1st, since everything happened the last week of April.  I really do want to taper off the Mirtazapine, but now may not be the right time until I settle.

 

One thing I am wondering about after doing some research is whether I should try tapering off Klonopin first.  I've done a lot of reading research and it seems some people get depression with it.    I'm wondering if that applies to me, my psych had initially tried to get me to taper off both Mirt. and Klonopin at the same time, I knew that would be a mistake so didn't try both at once.  But he gave me .5 pills instead of 1 for the Klonopin so I could try a taper.  Well a couple of days I mistakenly only took one .5 instead of two .5 pills of Klonopin, on those days I noticed I had less depression after the fact.  I know a Klonopin taper won't be easy (at all) and I will go read on the benzo boards, but just wondering if anyone had thoughts about which to taper first?

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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Welcome from me too.

 

We usually recommend tapering the AD first. The klonopin will act as a brake in the meantime.  

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

Where are you - with symptoms right now?

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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Where am I phsycially or on the meds? I'm in the United States, sorry if I misread your post.

 

Medwise here are my stats:

 

Lexapro 20mg - have not changed dose or tried to taper at all, steady for 1.5 years

 

Mirtazapine 15mg - tried to taper in March, got down to 11.25mg but had a lot of depression & stressors, went back up to 15mg slowly

 

Klonopin 1.5mg - Haven't started a taper, my doc wanted me to try it but was nervous about tapering both it and Mirt at the same time.  He  gave me .5 pills instead of 1mg for when I wanted to try, a couple of days I accidently only took .5 mg in the morning instead of 1mg.  I'm at the 1.5 mg dose though, with 1mg in the mornings and .5 at bedtime.

 

Just wondering if I should try a Klonopin taper first before the Mirt.  Right now I'm staying steady on my current doses to let things settle down.  Hope that makes more sense.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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Ok, I found articles on the site about which to taper first, it seems like the general consensus is to taper the AD first before the benzo?  Because the AD could be activating and cause anxiety, etc.  Anxiety is my main issue by the way, with depression because of having the anxiety so long.  One thing I noticed when I tried the mirt taper is that my anxiety levels actually went down during the taper so I do think it is activating for me.  The bad thing was that I experienced a lot of sadness/depression/fatigue and trouble sleeping trying to taper off it.  I know now it was  too fast of a taper for me.

 

So my plan is to leave the Lexapro and Klonopin steady, with future plans to get off the Klonopin next and the Lexapro last.  Right now I am holding steady at 15mg of Mirtazapine for at least all of May to let my body/nerves settle.  Then when I feel up to it to try a much slower taper than what my doc had recommended.

 

I will admit I'm very scared and worried about tapering off these meds, but I've had such weight gain (etc) from the Mirt I want off it and I know it's not good to be benzos for a long period of time.  I wish I had known these issues before ever starting these meds.  In the past I had good experiences with Lexapro and fairly easy taper offs with some headaches/brain zaps but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.  This time it is all different..

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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Hi AliG, I just saw your updated message.  Feelings wise I am having more anxiety in the mornings (not horrible but higher than it was before I tried the mirt taper and I don't like it).   I also feel more down in general and am dealing with one of my biggest worries, not getting better.  I am usually feeling better in the evenings or if I do something that keeps me busy & my mind away from negative thoughts.  Negative thoughts are also one of my biggest issues.

 

Right now I kind of wish I hadn't tried a taper in March, I was doing pretty well and felt better then.  I feel like I set myself back in my recovery and all I want is to get better from this. Feeling frustrated and discouraged at the moment.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I think your plan to hold everything for a while is a good one. When you are back at base level you can then start a slow taper of mirtazepine if that is what you want to do. The klonopin will help to buffer the withdrawal.  

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Hi Jadedreams,

I have experienced what you have experienced and I have been tappering off Mirtazapine for the last 2 1/2 years.

If you want to make your own liquid, try Soltab. I dissolve 15mg tablet in a 15mls of water and draw out the amount that I need with a syringe.

The WDS symptoms do improve over time.

The hardest part is getting thorough it at the beginning. It does get better.

I am almost there with my tapper. Couple of months to go. Take it easy and try to be kind to your self.

It will pass, but most importantly you have to learn to be patient. Learning to be patient is the hardest part. It was for me. I am better at it now. But at the beginning of the WDS, patience was not my vertu.

Please remember that you will heal. It might take a while. We are all different.

Take care, Hopefull. :)

DRUG HISTORY:

 

November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction).

January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey).

January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering.

October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg.

September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed.

September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised.

February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. :(

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Thanks MammP and Hopefull, still holding steady on the Mirt for now to let my body settle down.  Doing being most days, have a few off times, right now is one of those.  For some reason woke up with lots of anxiety this morning and hadn't done that in a while.

 

And good job Hopefull for getting to where you are, gives me hope I can get off these meds and that things will get better!   I do want to get off the Mirtazapine and the Klonopin, as I feel I've had side effects on them (big weight gain, sleepiness, harder to think clearly, numbed emotions).  The Lexapro I've been on in the past and would taper it last depending on how I was feeling.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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Hi Jadedreams,

Thank you for your kind words. :)

You can do it. Tapper of Mitrazapine slowly and you will be better. I have also gained weight from Mitrazapine. But I know that I will lose the weight once I jump off Mirtazapine.

Don't feel discouraged. Take each day as it comes. Anxiety tends to ramp up while you are going through WDS. It does even out once your nervous system stabilizes.

But when you are feeling anxious, listen to nature sounds on You Tube.

 

It really helps to bring your anxiety down. Try mindfulness exercises on You Tube. If you can do this before bed time or in the morning. It helped me alot when I was at my worst.

You will get there. Beleive in your self.

I used to get nightmares and disturbing dreams, but that is pretty much gone now.

I get it rarely now. Trust me when I tell that you will get better.

Take care, I wish you all the best.

Hopefull. :)

DRUG HISTORY:

 

November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction).

January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey).

January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering.

October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg.

September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed.

September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised.

February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. :(

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  • Moderator Emeritus

still holding steady on the Mirt for now to let my body settle down.  For some reason woke up with lots of anxiety this morning and hadn't done that in a while.

 

 

 

Hi Jade, Holding sounds like a good idea. 

Have you seen the thread on this site about morning cortisol spikes? It seems that our systems in withdrawal are very sensitive to the usual early-morning cortisol spike. People have shared ideas about how to deal with it, ranging from special curtains to vitamin C. It's certainly an awful way to start the day, but I believe it will get better. I love what Hopefull wrote, "Trust me when I tell that you will get better." Take care.

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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  • 5 months later...

Hi everyone, haven't been on here in a while.  With a lot of work on changing my negative patterns of thinking and using tools I learned from my therapist and CBT,  my anxiety and intrusive thoughts have been under control. I feel so much better now that 6 months ago and have also done a couple of small tapers where I'm down to 1.0 klonopin a day and 10mg mirtazapine.   Currently getting ready to do another small drop on the mirtazapine.  Have had a few withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and dizziness with some morning anxiety.  But I have taken things slow to get from 15 down to 10 and have held steady a while.  So time for another small decrease..  Here we go.

2006 - 2014 On Lexapro several times for 6 months & tapered off without issue

4/2015 to 6/2015 - Lexapro and Gabapentin for a couple weeks, switched to Effexor & had issues so was switched to Zoloft, didn't help switched to 15mg Remeron and Vistaril. 

6/2015 - 12/2015 - Remeron was upped to 30mg, tried Viibryd, Wellbutrin, Latuda and Seroquel without success.  Was eventually put back on Lexapro 20mg 8/15 and also put on 1mg Klonopin. 

1/2016 - 9/2016, settled into a pattern of 15mg Remeron (was tapered from 30 successfully), 20mg Lexapro, up to 2mg Klonopin daily

9/2016 - Tried Remeron taper and went back to 15mg and stayed there

3/2017 - Had more weight gain on Remeron and started unsuccessful taper

5/2017 - Back at 15mg Remeron, steady on 20mg Lexapro and tapered to 1.5 klonopin daily.

8/2017 - Able to taper down to 1mg Klonopin per day

10/2017 - Over 2 months was able to taper down to 10mg Remeron from 15mg

11/2017 - Starting further taper of Remeron, currently at 9mg

 

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to Jadedreams: Help with Remeron/mirtazapine taper

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