Hopefull: suffering from PGAD

[Hopefull]

Down to 1.5mg of Mitrazapine after 2 months hold. I reduced my dose on the14th of June from previous dose of 2 mg. The last 2 weeks have been rocky.

I have been feeling low, experiencing weird WDS that I thought were gone for good.   I have to keep reminding my self that end is in sight. 

When WDS is at bay, I feel optimistic for the future.   I feel like I could return to work.  As soon as WDS hit me, I wonder if I will ever be able to feel normal again and get a job. More and more, I feel like I have wasted the best years of my life and a lot of opportunities have passed me by because of  WDS and not feeling like my old  self. I feel stuck. I have not moved forward with my life. I am sick of pretending that I feel normal when I am around people.  I am feeling a bit blah,  this is a good place to get it off my chest. 

Hopefully next post will be a bit more optimistic. 

 

[cathyfrench]

Hi Hopefull,

 

I am new on this forum and am suffering from PGAD since I withdrew from Sertraline (Zoloft is called Sertraline in France, I am french) in May, this year.

 

I read your story and It gave me a lot of confort because I found it very much like mine. Like you I was only for a few weeks on Sertraline (50). I think you were on zoloft.  I was put on Sertraline while I was in a psychiatric ward in April and when I went back home early may, I started having very bad side effects after 2 weeks on this med so I brought down my Sertaline 50 to 25 and I got awful side effects. I got tinnitus, agitation, shakings, tremors (all of this making worse by the fact that I was made to stop my xanax 0. 25 that I have been taking for few month) I wrote my story in the introduction section if you want to read it. I am now suffering from PGAD and I would like to know how you are doing with this awful symptom. I would love to be in contact with you because I like to know if you recovered. 

I am feeling terrible. I have very bad tinnitus and this PGAD and I don't know what to do. My life is destroyed and I spend my days lying on my bed crying suffering from constant tinnitus and from PGAD that doesnt give me any relief.

 

I hope you can advise me because you went through this horror before me and i need to hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Thanks a lot for your great posts. They gave me hope

 

Cathy

 

My story :

 

I am suffering from PGAD.

 

 

I  took Sertraline 50 (French name for Zoloft).  for only a month and I have developped PGAD (Persistent  Genital Arousal Disorder) following a too fast withdrawal.

 

Until December 2016, I had never taken any antidepressant or a benzo in my entire life. I was leading an happy life with my husband and son in the West of France. We had a chemical accident in december. I mixed 2 products  while cleaning my house, bleach and a cleaning product with acid and stupidly burnt my lungs and got a toxic choc on the 27th of december.

 

My doctor thought I was anxious afer the accident and put me on Xanax 0.25, half a pill at night. I took it for a month in January 2017 and was sent to a psychiatrist who put me on Lisanxia 10, a pill a day. I felt suicidal because i didnt understand I was suffering from the Xanax withdrawal the doctors kept changing the pill without any tappering, I stayed  on Lysanxia 10, a pill a day the whole February , then another psychiatrist decided to put me on Bromazepan 6 (4 quarter a day).  I stayed on Bromazepan the entire March and  he put me back on Xanax, all of that cold turkey.

 

And that how I met my worse nightmare, the Sertraline AD: I was feeling very agitated on benzos, my lungs and entire skin were burning and everybody told me it was in my head. I  didn't agree so I was hospitalised againt my wish in a psychiatrist hospital. There, they made me stop my Xanax 0.25 cold turkey and put me on Sertraline 50. This happened on Easter monday 2017 (April 17 th). After 2 weeks, I was sent home and started feeling very ill, I had tremors, agitation, fatigue, shakes, flu like symptoms and suicidal thoughts. I went to see a GP who told me I could drop the Sertraline to 25 because I had only been on it for 2 weeks and I could slowly stop it. I went on the 25 pill and then I started having violent withdrawal side effects (I don't know which ones came from Xanax or from Sertraline) :

 

My symptoms : Sensitivity to light and smells, burning skin, hyperacusis, agitation, akathisia, tinnitus and  when I thought it couldn't get worse, I started peeing every 10 minutes, got a hyperactive bladder, terrible pains in my genitalias, bladder and pelvic area and the worse of it permanent arousal.

 

Since I have kept  the tinnitus in my left ear, the akatisia and PGAD. I was sent to another mental hospital at the beginning of June because I thought they could help me  with PGAD. They put me on Risperidone for a week while they made me stop the Sertraline very fast (they made me take it every 2 days for a week then they replaced it with Anafranil 25 that I kept for a week. My tinnitus got worse and  my PGAD stayed the same. I was getting sicker and sicker so the psychiatrist stopped the Anafranil and the Risperidone and I was put back on Xanax.

 

I am now back at home, my PGAD symptoms are terrible and I am considered manic and hypocondriac. My doctor wants to put me back in a mental hospital. I can't look after my family and Iam in a very dark place with suicidal thoughts

 

My 3 main withdrawal symptoms : high pitched tinnitus, agitation and PGAD. Pins and needles in my lower back, legs and arms when the PGAD crisis start.

.

MY PGAD symptoms : Overactive bladder, ongoing arousal sensations in and around the genitals, having to go to the toilets every 10 minutes, pelvic pains, Pins and needle, shaking. It is atrocious and it makes me suicidal. I take 3 Xanax 0.25 a day and a Zopiclone 7 to sleep. I cannot sit because the symptoms get worse and I can barely walk because my bladder hurts. I spend my days crying on my bed with an ice pack on my lower parts. At night I cannot sleep well because of the tinnitus.  I went to see an urologist, I had a cystoscopy done and they told me it is not an interstitial cysticis and gave me Lyrica (I am scared of taking it because I fear it will make my tinnitus worse). Nobody knows this symptom in France and people think i am crazy.

 

Thank you for reading my story. Please can you reassure me ?  I am terrified and I am suffering greatly.  Would it go away ? Is it a withdrawal symptom ?

 

 

[Hopefull]

Hi CathyFrench,

My heart goes out to you. I am sorry that you have found your self in such predicament 

Reading your story and the symptoms that you are experiencing are very similar to mine. I too experienced constant need to pee, burning sensation and pain in the genital area, arousal, pins and needles and burning in the chest area, arms and legs.  Burning feeling in the head,  nausia,  loss of appetite,  etc. 

First of all you are not crazy. What you are experiencing is a bad reaction to Zoloft , (Setraline ), which by the way is the same.

The good news is that it does go away,  but it does take time.  It took a while for things to settle down for me, because a long the way I was put on Mitrazapine. 

I will come back to finish this. 

[Hopefull]

Hi CathyFrench, 

Sorry I had to go, did not get a chance to finish. 

I want to reassure you that you will recover from PGAD.  If I was in your shoes,  I would not take Lyrica or anything else for that matter.  Speaking from my own experience,  no other drugs or supplements can help.

Benzos eliviated my PGAD symptoms to an extent,  but as it wore off it made it worse.  The only thing that will help you is time and learning to be patient.  It is a long process and  the brain needs time to heal. Don't add coctail of drugs or supplements.  I have experienced set backs along the way because I was trying to "help" myself , by trying different supplements, including  Seroquel and Mirtazapine. It just made things worse for me. 

I still feel angry that GP'S can be so stupid. It is absolutely criminal what has happened to you.

It makes me furious!  The symptoms are real and it is not in your head. 

Are your PGAD symptoms,  better or worse when you take Xanax? 

These are the things I found helpful and got me through the worst time :

× Meditation,  ( Mindfulness ).

Look it up on You Tube

× Listening to Nature Sounds on You Tube  to cancel out any weird head noise. 

×Walking and exercise 

× Shopping for clothes,  it made me feel a bit normal. 

× Accupuncture 

× Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy 

What I found the least helpful are psychiatrists and GP'S.  I may as well have been talking to a brick wall. 

Stay away from them, it can only do you more harm than good.  

Time is the only thing that will heal you and you will heal.  In the mean time find something that will keep you occupied, to stop you obssessing over your  symptoms . Listen to soothing music with headphones to cancel out tinnitus at night, to help you fall asleep. Meditate before bed time to help you fall asleep. At one stage I did this for 2 months every night to help me fall asleep. But most of all believe in yourself that you will heal and take baby steps to get there. I have been there where you are and it is extremely hard to think positively when you feel like your world has crashed around you. 

Your world will come together again,  with patience and taking each day as it comes.  I hope that I have answered your concerns and that I have given you hope to continue through this journey until you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there your perseverance will pay off in the end. Take care of your self and you can ask me anything. 

I am happy to help you get through this. 

Xo 

 

 

[AliG]

Hopeful : I haven't checked in for a while due to circumstances but I'm wishing you well and hope that you get some real relief soon ! Much love   

[cathyfrench]

Hi Hopefull,

 

I am so happy you replied to my message. Your story on Surviving Antidepressant  gave me so much hope.

 

My symptoms are : Heavy, painful bladder, pain in the urethra, pins and needles on my lower parts, constant arousal, vaginal lubrification, going to the bathroom every 15 minutes, pain in my lower back., pins and needles on my legs, arms and lower back. I can't stay sit, I need to lie down. I am also very agitated (akathisia) . Did you have all these symptoms ? I hope you don't mind me asking you a lot of questions but I am terrified about this experience and I am also suffering terribly from Tinnitus since I withdrew from Sertraline. 

Do you think that reinstalling to another drug then taper off slowly is helping to quiet down your PGAD syndrome ?

When did you stop having PGAD ? . How many months after stopping Zoloft ?

How are you doing now ? I am sorry to ask you all these questions but I can't wait to know how your doing.  

At the moment I feel so bad that I can't go out. I am exausted because Xanax makes me depressed and tired but  it also helps with my tinnitus. I also take Zopiclone at night, it makes me very tired but my tinnitus is so loud that I can't sleep without it and I am already addicted to the 2 drugs. I think Xanax quiet  down the anxiety caused by PGAD but it is an evil drug that makes me depressed. 

 

I am in a very dark place. My tinnitus is very loud and I keep crying. My PGAD is getting worse and worse and I have been off Sertraline for 2 months and I haven't recovered. I tried a lot of therapies but nothing seem to work. My gynecologist wants to put me on hormones replacement therapy because I have just started the menopause. I don't know if it can work. I am scared it will  make things worse and make my tinnitus worse. I am off antidepressants now and I must be deep in the withdrawal period.

 

I hope you don't mind me asking you all these questions and I am looking forward to hearing from you again. 

 

Thank you so much 

Cathy

[Hopefull]

Hi Cathy, 

 Please don't hesitate to ask me questions.  I was in the same situation as you couple years ago. 

I  did experience, the symptoms that you have experienced, frequent urination,  burning and pain in the genital area,  burning sensation and pins and needles in the head,  chest,  arms,  legs, loss of appetite,  disturbing dreams,  ear worms, etc.

I honestly can't remember exactly how long it took for things to settle down as I was experiencing issues as I was coming off Mirtazapine,  but this time mainly muscle spasms and twitching in the groin area.  I have not had that for a while.  I think it took approximately 6 months for things to settle down,  but flared up every now and then when coming off Mirtazapine,  spasms and twitching.  We are all different,  but it does take a while.  My advice to you is to stay clear from any other medication,  and think about getting off Xanax,  because it can cause you more harm than good. I know that this is hard ar the moment because you are not in a good place,  but remember that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. 

It is tough,  there is no doubt about it,  but being hopefull is what will get you through the heard time.  Keep everything simple and you will start to heal.  If you keep adding drugs and other things to the mix, it will take you longer to recover.  You need stability, going to bed at the same time,  I mentioned before to try listening to nature sounds on your earphones , walk as much as you can.  I did this when I was at my worst and meditation. 

Lying in bed and crying is not going to help you recover.  Sorry if I sound harsh.  You have to be a bit proactive and try to help your self to get through the WDS. 

Exercise,  I did even when I was not feeling well.  Get out of the house,  go about your day as normal. I still had a shower every day,  put bit of make up on, even though I was so depressed and felt hopeless.  I had to take care of my kids, and took them to school, activities etc. This is how I got through it.  We are all different,  but I had to do things to make me forget how bad I felt. 

I hope that you can find strength inside you to find one activity that you can do each day to prevent you from thinking about your symptoms. 

I am a living proof that you can get through it,  but it takes time.

Take care,  Hopefull. 

 

[Hopefull]

On 04/08/2017 at 11:47 PM, AliG said:

Hopeful : I haven't checked in for a while due to circumstances but I'm wishing you well and hope that you get some real relief soon ! Much love   

Thank you very much AliG. I am feeling better.  I just have moments from time to time.  How are you doing?  I have not stopped by your thread for a while. 

Thank you for thinking of me. 

[Hopefull]

Down to 1.00 mg if Mitrazapine 2 days ago.  Getting there slowly.

Couple months to go.  

[cathyfrench]

Hi Hopefull,

 

I hope you don't mind  me contacting  you again regarding PGAD. I am not doing well and losing hope of getting rid of it (on top of things I have strident tinnitus that makes me mad). My PGAD has changed since I went off Sertraline. I  don't have this feeling that I was going to  have a O everytime but I keep these symptoms and they are continuous :

Heavy, sore bladder,  lubrification, engorgement and feeling as if my clitoris and urethra are falling down (as if the urethra was full of stones) when I stand. I keep the arousal feeling . I also have pins and neddles in my lower back, legs and arms and i have tremors when I sit..

 

Did you also get these symptoms 3 months after taking zoloft ? How long did it take to go ? Do you think that mirtazapine help to control the symptoms ? and how did you cope ? Did you take a benzo to control the feelings ?

My son is only 9 and I feel so disgusting that I can't go near him. I am doing acupuncture, hypnosis, counselling and I also go to a chiropractor. I am looking for a place to do hyperbaric therapy but in France they are only in the main regional hospitals and only used for major traumas such as diving accidents.

 

I woud like to know if you had the same symptoms as mine. I found mine so worrying and disgusting that I sometimes fear that I am the only one in the world with it. How did you cope ? you were very brave and I am so happy I read your story on SA because it is thank to you I understood that I was not a pervert.

 

Thanks a lot for your great help

 

Cathy

[Hopefull]

6 hours ago, cathyfrench said:

Hi Hopefull,

 

I hope you don't mind  me contacting  you again regarding PGAD. I am not doing well and losing hope of getting rid of it (on top of things I have strident tinnitus that makes me mad). My PGAD has changed since I went off Sertraline. I  don't have this feeling that I was going to  have a O everytime but I keep these symptoms and they are continuous :

Heavy, sore bladder,  lubrification, engorgement and feeling as if my clitoris and urethra are falling down (as if the urethra was full of stones) when I stand. I keep the arousal feeling . I also have pins and neddles in my lower back, legs and arms and i have tremors when I sit..

 

Did you also get these symptoms 3 months after taking zoloft ? How long did it take to go ? Do you think that mirtazapine help to control the symptoms ? and how did you cope ? Did you take a benzo to control the feelings ?

My son is only 9 and I feel so disgusting that I can't go near him. I am doing acupuncture, hypnosis, counselling and I also go to a chiropractor. I am looking for a place to do hyperbaric therapy but in France they are only in the main regional hospitals and only used for major traumas such as diving accidents.

 

I woud like to know if you had the same symptoms as mine. I found mine so worrying and disgusting that I sometimes fear that I am the only one in the world with it. How did you cope ? you were very brave and I am so happy I read your story on SA because it is thank to you I understood that I was not a pervert.

 

Thanks a lot for your great help

 

Cathy

Hi Cathy,

I am more than happy to help you get through this. 

I don't mind that you are asking me in regards to PGAD. 

It did take a while to go away. 

I don't remember how long exactly,  but even when I was put on Mitrazapine,  I had issues.  I hope that you don't mind me asking,  but did you experience spontaneous O's, that was triggered by walking, sitting,  sudden movement,  driving, etc?

I did, and that was really distressing and I  felt horrible.  I found that not having control over my body was the most distressing.  Like you,  I felt disgusted and didn't see the point of living my life anymore.  Mitrazapine did not help me with the symptoms really.  I had to reduce Mitrazapine to 7.5mg , because I was experiencing mild PGAD symptoms.  I was experiencing muscle spasms and twitching bellow, for a while,  when getting off Mirtazapine.  Every time I would reduce the dose, I will get spasms and twitching that lasted for couple of days until things settled down.  Only this time I did not have the arousal feeling. 

I honestly think that if you try another AD you might make things worse for you.  I think that you should try hyperbaric chamber therapy,  because it helped me a bit with WDS.  I did 16 hours of hyperbaric chamber therapy,  I saw a bit of improvement.  But I did not continue with it. I had anxiety going into the chamber and it is really expensive. 

I have been thinking of trying again,  once I am completely off Mirtazapine.

I  also did accupuncture and I saw a bit of improvement in regards to PGAD. 

Again,  I did not go on regular basis.  I spent so much money along the way, at the beginning of this crap, that at the end I just stopped with everything. 

I would recommend for you to try hyperbaric chamber therapy,  you have nothing to lose.

It is safe. I did take few benzos at the beginning. The feeling would go away  temporary,  but then come back worse.

I did not  take benzos regularly,  only when I was really desprete.  But I had to stop that to become I was reacting to benzos.  It made me feel depressed and super anxious.  I have not touched a benzo for the last 3 years.  Cathy, I know that you are feeling really distressed,  but I can reassure you that the symptoms do take a while to settle. 

At this point you are probably obsessing over the symptoms and it hard not to.

To this day, I still think about everything that has happened to me,  even though it will be 4 years in November.  It still feels like it happened  yesterday.  But the symptoms do go away.  It does take time.  Time is a proven healer.  My advice to you is to try not to take suppliments,  don't try anymore drugs,  let your brain heal naturally.  As I have mentioned to you before,  supplements and even fish oil and magnesium triggered PGAD symptoms for me.

When I mentioned this to my doctor,  I was not really believed.  

To answer your questions in regards to what I felt after Zoloft,  I had that feeling like a spontaneous O was about to come on,  but nothing happened. I felt burning, tingling ,painful feeling.  I felt like I had to pee all the time.  Even when frequent urination stopped,  I still had a feeling of a full blader. Something like what you currently experiencing. 

I still had PGAD triggers,  walking,  driving,  wearing tight clothing,  jeans, etc. It  would trigger that weird PGAD  feeling, like it was about to flare up. 

Try to walk every day.  You will have good days and bad days. Brian needs time to heal.  Unfortunately it does not happen overnight. 

I did have pins and needles in my arms,  and head , frontal lobe and at the back of my head,  for a long time. 

I can't remember if I had pins and needles in my legs.

The way I coped with the symptoms  is I walked a lot. I had to get my mind off things,  which was really hard.

I did mindfulness meditation,  (Tara Brach), look her up.  

I exercised 4 x a week.  Which included Yoga and Zoomba.

How are you coping with taking care of your son?

I had to take care of my kids while I was going through this. 

It was really difficult.  But somehow I survived. Don't forget that we all have the strength to get through this difficult process.  I am glad that you find my story inspirational,  I hope that it gives you hope to push through.  I am not better than you and there is no reason that you can't get through this either.  There is no answer how long it will take,  because we are all different.  It took a while  for me.  Even when PGAD symptoms go away for a while,  you might still feel a very mild symptoms,  until it finally subsides. 

It takes time,  as your nervous system settles down,  the symptoms slowly go away. 

Cathy,  stay strong and if you feel like hyperbaric chamber will help you,  do it.

At least hyperbaric chamber therapy is not harmful.  I felt a bit calmer afterwards.  

Walk, exercise,  don't lock your self away from the world.  

That is how I coped.  

Take care,  Hopefull. 

 

[chicken]

On 8/22/2017 at 6:57 AM, Hopefull said:

Down to 1.00 mg if Mitrazapine 2 days ago.  Getting there slowly.

Couple months to go.  

Congratulations Hopefull for getting this far. It seems like it takes forever but when the end is in sight...you know you can make it.

[Hopefull]

4 hours ago, chicken said:

Congratulations Hopefull for getting this far. It seems like it takes forever but when the end is in sight...you know you can make it.

Thank you so much Chicken.

I am getting there slowly.  Not long to go. How are you feeling? I can't wait to be free from Mitrazapine.   

[LexAnger]

hi Hopeful,

 

glad ad to see your update ( hard to find old friends I used to follow since the new format here in the forum), I want to congratulate you on getting down to 1mg and feeling better! Wonderful news!

 

me too at very low dose of lexapro after a 5 yr taper. Still in very bad shape, but hopeful as the road ahead can't be too long regardless.

 

you may want to update your signature to mark the huge achievement!

 

Wish you best luck getting off soon smoothly.

lex

 

 

 

 

[Hopefull]

Hi LexAnger,

Thank you so much for your encouragement.  I really appreciate it.  Congratulations to you too. I am not sure how to follow old friends either. 

I need to update my signature,  it has been a while. 

I do worry how I am going to be like,  after I get off. 

It has taken me almost 3 years to get to 1.00mg.

Hang in there.  You really have courage and patience,  since it has taken you 5 years to low dose of Lexapro. Let me know when you get completely off Lexapro.  

Take care,  Hopefull.  Xo

[LexAnger]

Thank you for your kind words! It has been a long and bumpy roads for both of us and I know how much you endured. The good thing is we made it so far and we are almost there!

 

i should be off in couple more months even I know it will be smoother if I travel slower. I can't hold long ever since the drug reaction from an accidental updose for just one day, so have to push through faster endearing the agony of WD.

 

I will be looking froward to your success stories!

 

please check out cipromillion and AmyK threads. They just got off completely and doing fine/ great with some bumps but a sure success now.

 

cheers,

lex

[chicken]

On 8/29/2017 at 5:04 AM, Hopefull said:

Thank you so much Chicken.

I am getting there slowly.  Not long to go. How are you feeling? I can't wait to be free from Mitrazapine.   

I'm feeling well.  Hang in there...this too shall pass.

[Bayboy]

Hopefull,

 

You're doing great.  Your taper has been slow and steady, you will be fine when you decide to jump.  Like you, I took my time (3.5 yrs to taper from 7.5 mg) and I just jumped 8 days ago.  All is well so far, not perfect, but very manageable...I remember when I tried to CT Mirt years ago when I was still in acute Benzo WD and that was a horrific disaster.  This has been very gentle in comparison...

 

I echo Chicken's comment, "hang in there", I'm in your corner as well, keep doing your thing..

 

BB

[Hopefull]

Hi  LexAnger, Chicken and Bayboy,

 

Thank you so much for your support. It means a lot to me. 

I think that it will take me at least another 5 months to get off Mirtazapine. I know that we will all get there in the end.  I am sure that we will all write a success story. 

But at the back of my mind, I still worry about the outcome. 

But I still remain hopefull. 

 

 

LexAnger,

I know how destabilizing it can be,  when you accidentally updose or accidentally miss a dose .

It takes such a long time to stabilise and so quick to destabilise. 

It really is a juggling act.

Sometimes it is tempting to just quit, but I always remind myself that it had to be done this way. Keep going you are almost there too.

How many months before you get off Lexapro? 

I will have a look at AmyK's success story.  It is always encouraging to read a success story on SA. 

Take care,  Hopefull

 

 

Chicken, 

Do.you still experience WDS? 

Thank you for stopping by my thread. 

I am happy to hear that you are doing well.  Couple years ago,  we were both not doing too well. 

I can't believe how time flies by.

Without the knowledge and support from this community,  I am not sure how I would have coped. Thank you all.

 

 

Bayboy,

Congratulations to you for getting off Mirtazapine! It will take me approximately as long as your self to get off Mirtazapine. 

How did you go after 0.5mg? I drop by 0.5 and I tend to tolerate it.

Not sure how I will go the lower I go.

Once I get to 0.5mg, I plan to cut to 0.25 take it for 2 months and stop.

Hopefully it will work out.

What are your current symptoms? 

Do you feel a bit weird or liberated from not having to take Mirtazapine anymore? 

Have you gained weight from Mitrazapine? 

Thank you for your support,  

Take care,  Hopefull.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bayboy]

Quote

On 9/5/2017 at 6:28 AM, Hopefull said:

Bayboy,

Congratulations to you for getting off Mirtazapine! It will take me approximately as long as your self to get off Mirtazapine. 

How did you go after 0.5mg? I drop by 0.5 and I tend to tolerate it.

Not sure how I will go the lower I go.

Once I get to 0.5mg, I plan to cut to 0.25 take it for 2 months and stop.

Hopefully it will work out.

What are your current symptoms? 

Do you feel a bit weird or liberated from not having to take Mirtazapine anymore? 

Have you gained weight from Mitrazapine? 

Thank you for your support,  

Take care,  Hopefull.

 

 

Hi Hopefull,

 

To answer your first question, I didn't accurately record ALL of my drops, since I did it mostly by feel.  But, If you look at my signature, it took me a year to go from 1.87 mg to .37 mg so I probably hit .5 mg somewhere last November.  I completed roughly 4 more drops after that to get to zero mg, as I was holding for a minimum of 2 months.  The drops in dosages were selected based on how easy it was to measure using syringe and liquid.  My last dose before jumping was the last that I could accurately measure or else I would have tapered longer, it just would have been pure guesswork and inconsistent by that point.  Those 2 month holds proved to be invaluable and seemed to work for me in the end.  This part as you know, is highly individualized, but I continued to heal as I did this.

 

My current symptoms are minimal.  I still have floaters but that started in the Benzo days so I'm not sure if Mirt played a role, but they don't really bother me much anymore, my vision is fine.  My sleep is mildly erratic and has not returned to baseline yet, but it is for the most part tolerable and I function normally.  I can already feel it straightening out after 12 days.  I may be experiencing a slight histamine reaction which would be understandable due to Mirt properties but its also hayfever season and I've always had allergies to pollen so I'm not sure about that one.  That's it.  Nothing else!!

 

And yes, it is  both weird and liberating not having to worry about taking medicine or measuring it out in a syringe.  To be honest though, I developed a more positive relationship with the drug and the experience in the end, it didn't really bother me like it did, if that makes sense.  I was not in a true rush to jump, I was just going with the flow and I couldn't measure it anymore.  Things had already improved drastically a long time ago when I began to slow down and do things right.  That being said, I'm not quite out of the weeds yet, so I'm still on guard...but I think I have the tools now to deal with symptoms if they arise, especially the neuro stuff.

 

Finally, I never had to deal with the weight gain thing, it just didn't have that effect on me.  It probably helped that I switched to a high fat/ low carb Paleo..ish diet and exercised quite regularly, but I was never on a significant dose long enough for the blood/ sugar to become destabilized.  I didn't experience the carb cravings.

 

Hope that helps

 

BB

 

 

[Hopefull]

Hi BB,

 

Thank you so much for answering my questions.  You have a really positive attitude,  which really helps when you are going through this process. 

 

Like you,  when I drop a dose, I hold for 2 months.  It works for me too.

You are lucky that you have not gained weight from Mitrazapine. 

I have, but I know it will come off once I get off Mirtazapine. 

I admire people who can stick to a particular diet. Do you find it hard sticking to a Paleo Diet?

I still have cravings even on a small dose of Mitrazapine. 

Thank you for stopping by my thread. 

Hopefull.

 

 

 

[Hopefull]

Hi tjdeepthinker,

 

Sorry for the late reply.

I have not stopped by my own thread gor a while. 

Thank you for your kind words. 

I have cut down to 0.5mg of Mitrazapine two days ago , after slmost a 3 month hold.

So hopefully by February /March of 2018, I will finally be free from this stuff.

Thinkingof you too, TJ Deepthinker.

[Survivor1]

Congrats Hopeful.  You are almost there!  Hang in there ...

[Hopefull]

2 hours ago, Survivor1 said:

Congrats Hopeful.  You are almost there!  Hang in there ...

 

Thank you Survior1. 

How are you doing? How is everything with you? Are you off Mitrazapine?

Take care,  Hopefull.

 

 

[Santino]

HI Hopefull

It is nice to hear you re doing good and stabilizing at your very low dose. On my case i am currently on 0.05Mg which means one 15 Mg pill every 300 days... :-) While you re still at one 15Mg Pill every 30 days... anyway that is a damn success in itself my friend.

I would advice to get a small syringe if you re tapering with liquid and go as low as possible. On my side i plan to do another drop to 0.025 and after that go off for good. Same as you i am planing to be free by January my friend. I have sill problems and am not normal again but i am attributing it more to situational factors than the medicine currently. Things seem normal again for me my friend and they would look the same to you too.

Good luck my friend. I am happy you re doing it.

[Hopefull]

Hi Santino,

Congratulations on your taper too!

I never thought of it that way,  that I am taking 15mg of Mitrazapine every month.

Far out! lol! So that means that recently I was taking 30mg a month, since I was on 1.00mg! 

That means you are doing great if you are only taking 15mg every 300 days!

I am taking 0.5 now, what should I drop to next? 

I was thinking 0.25 mg , next drop. 

I am not sure how to mesaure out really small amounts . I have to mention that last night I felt a bit weird after couple of hours of taking my dose,  and it almost felt like those old WDS symptoms were about to come back,  but nothing happened.  Maybe it is all in my head.

I don't know.  But it scared me a bit. But I feel ok today. 

So don't worry about not feeling normal. 

It will pass eventually. You are almost there and I am sure that you will see a lot of improvements over time.

What ever is happening in your life at the moment,  remember that it will pass.

Take care my friend, 

Hopefull.

 

 

 

 

[brassmonkey]

Hi Hopeful--  Dropping from 0.5mg to 0.25 mg is way too much.  Even at these small doses it is very important to make small cuts. I know how hard it is to work with those small amounts of powder.  I ended up doing a visual division when tings got really small.  I would weigh out the smallest amount I could accurately measure and then divide it into quarters or such to  get the smaller amounts. I would really suggest doing that instead of just jumping to such a large cut.

[Santino]

Hopeful

I normally mix 15Mg of Mirt with 15 Ml of water and draw with a 1ml syringe 0.05ml of the mixture every night before sleep. I put the rest on the fridge and use it for 5 days. I do not use any Oraplus or any other thing for mixing. Just shake it well before use so the particles can distribute evenly and that's it... 

You re on a good track my friend. If my work life would be stable i would be good tooo but now my problems are purely situational with just a few shadows of WD.

All the best

[Hopefull]

Hi Sabtino abd Brass Monkey, 

Thank you for your advice. 

The cut is a little bit much, I have experienced a bit of strange WDS symptoms. I am used to it, can cope with it at the moment.  I honestly don't have the patience to measure minscule amounts. 

I was on Mitrazapine for around 6 months and it has taken me over 3 years to get to this point. I hope that by March I will finally be off these drugs. 

I really have had it. I have tappered as slow as I can.

There comes a time where you have to jump off and March is my target. 

By the end of March it will be 3 years and 5 months of tappering.  Hopefully  it will not bite me in the butt.

But I will see if I can get a 1ml syringe.

I hate going to the pharmacy asking for a psyringe, I feel like I am a junkie.

Hopefully everything is well with you.

Thank you for your support. 

Hopefully soon , my story will have a happy ending.

 

[Hopefull]

Hi TJ,

 

How are you doing? Nice to from you. 

I have been holding my current dose of 0.5mg over 2 months. 

End of January I will cut half of 0.5.

By end of March,  hopefully I will come off.  I will see how I go. Once I am off , it is very unlikely that I will be able to reinstate. I am extra sensitive to these drugs.  There is no going back for me.

I am planning on holding the next dose for 2 months, maybe 3 months  and then stopping.

Thank you for your support TJ.

I hope that you are feeling better. 

Best wishes hopefull.

 

 

[Shebon]

HI Hopefull:

 

A big congrats to getting so far down dose-wise.  I've been following your postings and you have been sure and steady!!

 

I have ordered Ora Plus suspension liquid from Amazon, and my doc has put in an Rx for dissolvable remeron tablets.  I will soon be starting my slow taper off 3.75 mg. of Rem.  I have been on this low dose for almost 5 years and I want to get off. 

 

So any suggestions would be soooo very helpful. 

 

Slow and steady wins the race!!  ...and you are almost to the finish line!!

 

[Hopefull]

 

On 25/01/2018 at 12:04 PM, Shebon said:

HI Hopefull:

 

A big congrats to getting so far down dose-wise.  I've been following your postings and you have been sure and steady!!

 

I have ordered Ora Plus suspension liquid from Amazon, and my doc has put in an Rx for dissolvable remeron tablets.  I will soon be starting my slow taper off 3.75 mg. of Rem.  I have been on this low dose for almost 5 years and I want to get off. 

 

So any suggestions would be soooo very helpful. 

 

Slow and steady wins the race!!  ...and you are almost to the finish line!!

 

Hi Shebon,

Thank you so much for your kind words.  I really appreciate it. 

I have tried to be consistent , and patient with this tappering process. 

It is challenging,  but you get there in the end. 

Congratulations on deciding to get off Remeron.

You are on a small dose, so it should not be difficult to tapper off, but also bearing in mind that you have been taking Mirt for 5 years. 

My tip would be to get your doctor to prescribe 15mg dissolvable tablet and dissolve the tablet in 15mls of water. 

Withdrawal the amount needed  with a syringe. 

That is how I have been tappering from Mitrazapine.

My tip is to listen to your body.

Decrease the amount when you stabilize.  

Try to be patient.  Be positive.  Keep going.

Find ways to cope when in a wave. Eg, go for a walk,  listen to music, etc. 

Find someone to talk to. 

Avoid supplements.

Let time heal you.

Be kind to your self.

I am going to hold my current dose for another 2 weeks.  By then it will be 3 months. 

I am currently experiencing mild WDS symptoms.  Slight burning sensation in my head. I have not had this for a while. 

Few other symptoms.  If the sensation does not go away in 2 weeks time, it might be that the drug has built up in my system and I need to cut again.  

I'm am holding 0.5mg and have been for the last 2  1/2  months. 

I am almost there,  but will take my time and hold another 2 weeks. Hopefully by April,  I will be off Mitrazapine. 

Take care,  Hopefull.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hopefull]

I also asked a pharmacist for a smallest syrange, and they only have a 5mls syringe.   My next dose should be 0. 25mg.  

[LinLina]

Hopefull,  you are doing very well with your slow taper :-) congratulations for getting down to such a low dose, you almost see the finish line :-)

 

Maybe you could consider taking it a bit more slow in the end, if you increase the amount of water where you dissolve the tablet you could take smaller steps. I dissolve 7.5 mg in 50 ml , so 1 ml equals to 0.15 mg. If you dissolve your 15 mg in 100 ml, it should be the same: 1 ml = 0.15 mg

[Shebon]

Hi Hopefull:

 

Thanks for your helpful reply!  You are soon to be crossing the finish line and enjoying the "fruits" of your labor. 

 

I tapered off a benzo in April 2011 and started on Remeron in March 2013.  I so wish I hadn't!!  I do avoid supplements and eating high sugars at any meal.  Has the insomnia been a problem for you? 

I never thought about having to do another taper and my doc did not mention difficulty getting off Remeron.  What a surprise! 

 

I have had to restart a low dose of Synthroid (thyroid med) and want to get a few months of this under my belt before I start to taper the Rem.  Thank you for your suggestion on the dissolvable tablets with water.  I do have the OraPlus suspension.  Do I need to keep the remaining 15 mg. of Rem in the fridge?  Some have suggested this.  If I can do this, that would be making up doses for (4) days at least. 

 

Let's stay in touch.... you are a rem model!!

 

[Hopefull]

On 01/02/2018 at 11:54 PM, LinLina said:

Hopefull,  you are doing very well with your slow taper :-) congratulations for getting down to such a low dose, you almost see the finish line :-)

 

Maybe you could consider taking it a bit more slow in the end, if you increase the amount of water where you dissolve the tablet you could take smaller steps. I dissolve 7.5 mg in 50 ml , so 1 ml equals to 0.15 mg. If you dissolve your 15 mg in 100 ml, it should be the same: 1 ml = 0.15 mg

 

Hi LinLina,

Thank you so much for your kind words.

I will try your method or try to get a smaller syrange. So if I want to cut 0.5 mg,  half dose, is it 0.25?

As I am getting a bit lower,  I am getting a bit confused. 

I have to pick up my script soon, so I will ask the pharmacist about increasing the water quantity. 

Maths is not my strongest point. 

Best wishes,  Hopefull.