success Hibari: tapering Remeron and want to start tapering Lamictal

[leahy]

What a difference a day makes! I'm so glad you're feeling a bit better.

[Hibari]

It does, though when you're in it, it's hard to believe.

 

Thanks Leahy.

[Hibari]

Could use some math help.

 

I am on 18.75mgs of Lamictal and right now and splitting pills to get that dose.  I want to switch over to a liquid compound to make the calculations more accurate. 

 

I have a 10ml syringe.  Here is what I think I should do but I need help to know if this is right.

 

1 Fill the syringe with water to the 10ml mark.

 

2. Empty into a cup

 

3. Fill the syringe with water to the 8.75 mark

 

4. Empty into a cup

 

5. Put my 18.75 pills into the cup and let them dissolve completely.

 

6. Draw the dissolved pill liquid into my syringe up to the 10ml mark and take it.

 

7. Then draw the dissolved pill liquid into my syringe up to the 8.75 mark and take.

 

8. Throw out remaining liquid.

 

Is that right? 

[scallywag]

Hibari

 

In steps 1 - 5, you dissolve 18.75 mg Lamictal in 18.75 mg water. You're making a solution where 1 ml liquid equals slightly less than 1 mg Lamictal. The tablet itself adds 1-2 ml to the liquid. If you're taking only 18.75 ml of liquid the your Lamictal dose is slightly less than 18.75 mg.

 

What symptoms have you noticed, if any, since you started doing this?

[Hibari]

Hi Scallywag,

 

Thanks for you response. 

 

I haven't started doing this yet.  I am trying to stabilize first from my stepping off of Remeron a month ago.

 

I am pre-planning because right now I am spitting my Lamictal pills and I am probably not as precise as I could be.  Not rocking the boat by much but probably a tad under or over each time. 

[toomanymeds]

How is it going? Are you feeling stable yet?

I'm praying for a quick recovery. Take care.

[Hibari]

Thank you for asking and checking in.

 

Today I feel stable or at least it's a window.  Had a very bad day yesterday-lots of physical symptoms. 

 

It's such a relief to feel better and of course there is a touch of anxiety about how long it will it last.  I am trying to stay away from those thoughts.

 

Being the person I am I was trying to figure out why it was so bad yesterday.  Probably just because that's how it goes. 

 

I also thinking that once I stepped off the medication, it took about a week for it to leave my body-not totally but that my brain did not have any to rely on.  Then it started to register over the past few weeks.  So I am peaking in terms of withdrawal and I just have to do the best I can.  Tomorrow is acupuncture so that usually helps.

 

How are you doing today?

[Hibari]

3rd Day of a window.  Again, not a "I'm totally recovered window" but a out of mental and physical anguish window.

 

Had acupuncture yesterday so I feel tired, had flashes and bit spacey.  But overall I am more stable than I was on Monday. 

 

As usual I have to write to remind myself not to run around like crazy and push beyond this new stability. 

[AmyK]

That sounds good, Hibari. It's a great sign of recovery.

[Hibari]

Thanks Amy. 

[Hibari]

Sweating, sweating and more sweating.  All through the night I am sweating like crazy with wild hot flashes.  Occasional ones during the day. 

I don't want to touch my hormones till I am more stable from stopping Remeron.

 

Anyone else sweating this way?  It started when I got to the lower doses of Remeron and now has been on going for the last 6 weeks.   Mood okay, some weepiness and low mood but not horrible.  I find that if I read too much on how bad antidepressants are for you, the more freaked out I get   Just like the current political situation, I have to get some detachment or else I end up getting anxious. 

 

Looking forward to better and better health.

[AmyK]

I know what you mean, Hibari. I tend to freak out too if I read too much about ad's. Try to do calming things you like instead and believe in the power of healing. Listen to music, go for a walk, take a bath. Maybe a swim? I always feel better after a swim.

 

I sweat sometimes at night, always after a cut. Your body is rebalancing, it will get better.

 

Take care. You are doing great.

[Hibari]

Thanks Amy, good to hear.  I did some research about sweating and it's definitely associated with Remeron wd and I'm sure all other med withdrawal. 

[toomanymeds]

Hi Hibari,

Just wondering if your nausea is gone? I am down to 15 mg and struggling with nausea and anxiety at times.

I'm praying that your healing will come quickly.

[Santino]

Hey Hibari my friend...

I am sweating currently a lot too. I went a bit fast with my last three cuts and am suffering a little now. Some more tomorrow we start a new project which i was dreading as it will put me in front of my ex manager (a very mean person) and i am not sure how I will handle the whole situation. Last night I only slept three hours and i was worried as it is the first night after most probably one or two months that my sleep suffers this way. I am trying to keep my self calm but it is a very tough task. I am having hot flash-es as well and am hoping that they will end soon. Maybe i should be a bit slower right now with my taper schedule... 

Anyway life goes on. I hope things will get better and maybe the down mood today is just WD... it is true that reading about AD-s a lot increases the anxiety so try to limit it my friend to at most half an hour every 3 days or even a week. I know i should practice that tooo but sometimes i just forget and dwell on.

Having three days of a window is surely a good sign. Maybe you will not have a tough time after this. Try to keep positive and go on. You are making it.

[Hibari]

Hi Hibari,

Just wondering if your nausea is gone? I am down to 15 mg and struggling with nausea and anxiety at times.

I'm praying that your healing will come quickly.

Not completely.  It seems to come and go but for the first month, nausea and headaches were my constant companion.  I watch my diet but drink do drink gingerale, which does have sugar.  It is one of the best things for my nausea so I'm not worrying about it.

 

Even though I have to take a break from reading too much about antidepressant withdrawal, I do look at other sites that talk about Remeron withdrawal.  They aren't all withdrawal sites, but different sites that talk about what to expect.  Nausea and anxiety is a common symptom.  Also, many people talk about how powerful Mirtazapine/Remeron is and that coming off of it does take effort. 

 

That makes me feel comforted in a way that my struggle is not my fault but the actual strength of this medication. 

 

We are doing it and you will make it.

[Hibari]

Hey Hibari my friend...

 

I am sweating currently a lot too. I went a bit fast with my last three cuts and am suffering a little now. Some more tomorrow we start a new project which i was dreading as it will put me in front of my ex manager (a very mean person) and i am not sure how I will handle the whole situation. Last night I only slept three hours and i was worried as it is the first night after most probably one or two months that my sleep suffers this way. I am trying to keep my self calm but it is a very tough task. I am having hot flash-es as well and am hoping that they will end soon. Maybe i should be a bit slower right now with my taper schedule... 

Anyway life goes on. I hope things will get better and maybe the down mood today is just WD... it is true that reading about AD-s a lot increases the anxiety so try to limit it my friend to at most half an hour every 3 days or even a week. I know i should practice that tooo but sometimes i just forget and dwell on.

 

Having three days of a window is surely a good sign. Maybe you will not have a tough time after this. Try to keep positive and go on. You are making it.

Santino, thank you for sharing that you are sweating and flashing.  On my good days, I know it's my body trying to shed the medication.  On my bad days I think there is something wrong.  It's good to hear your perspective. 

 

Not getting sleep can be very upsetting because it affects our mood.  But you can get through your meeting, just take your time.  As far as your ex manager, in my experience, most mean people have a lot insecurity and fear that they try to cover up by being bullies. 

 

Sounds like your instinct is telling you to slow down a bit on your cuts till you stabilize more.  I had to do that a few times during my withdrawal and even though it was frustrating, I needed to let my body catch up.  

 

You can do it too Santino! Thank you for your support!

[Hibari]

Had acupuncture yesterday, which really helped with some dizziness, head pressure and nausea.

 

As I lay on the table, I had the distinct feeling that my body is now fighting the Lamictal I am taking.   When I take it at night, I feel it enter my system and I don't feel good.  Not horrible but it feels like it doesn't belong.  And then in the morning, I wake up feeling moderately sick-functional but sick.   My acupuncturist also felt my body was in conflict. 

 

I am going to try a small drop in the next few days to see if it helps. 

[Hibari]

Couple of updates.

 

I feel I have moved away from the majority of severe wd symptoms from Remeron, at least for today.  I am not naive and imagine I am out of the woods but I have felt a real shift at I move into my  7th week off the medication. 

 

I have also lost 16Lbs from the original 30 I gained.  Some of it started to come off as I got below 10mgs and cleaned up my diet but the rest has been from the puffy, fluffy weight starting to leave.  I still am eating well but that's about 90% of the time.  I just don't have the crazy Remeron false hunger and it feels strange.  Now I wait to eat in the morning where I used to wake up so hungry.  Also, the craving for sugar that was so strong at times has dropped away.  For anyone on Mirtazapine/Remeron-the hunger and metabolism slow down is medication induced. 

 

I also made a small cut in my Lamictal, about 5%.  I was feeling a little after taking it at night and then was having the morning hangover.  I do feel emotional, and have had a headache but I felt in my body I needed some relief.  In my acupuncture treatment last week I felt how my body was fighting the drug and my acupuncturist felt it as well.

 

I'm not going to push my Lamictal taper as much as I felt the urgency I did with Remeron.  Remeron really affected me mentally, physically and spiritually.  It's sedating qualities and the weight gain all had a horrible impact on me in my life.  While I need a medication to stop the free fall depression I was in back in 2013-2014, Remeron never did anything for me except knock me into a stupor.

 

I will keep moving forward, rest when I need to and stay tuned into my body. 

[leahy]

Thank you so much for the updates, Hibari.

 

Your experience is significant and very helpful to me. So many other people will benefit from reading your words, too. 

 

I really appreciate reading the details. It gives me hope. I am so very, very happy you are doing well.

 

L

[Hibari]

Thank you Leahy.  Will keep posting.   I see how far down you have come on your Xanax. 

[Hibari]

Very angry and tearful today.   My anger is more like rage and it's not directed at wd but at many people in my life.  But the fact that I am 7 weeks off of Remeron and down a 5% on my Lamictal is certainly adding to the anger. 

 

I can see why people go out on anger rampages when they are tapering or have been cut off from their meds too quickly.  I don't feel I'm off to quickly just that I feel things so acutely.

 

I feel both tired and wired at the same time.  Everything irritates me and I feel like throwing a tantrum! 

[Survivor1]

Hibari,

 

Sorry you are feeling this way.  Just think though, you are off one of your drugs.  Hooray!  

 

I am wondering how you are able to keep dropping (now Lamictal) when you are still in WD from remeron.  Do you not feel any worse after dropping the Lamictal?  

 

Hope this taper goes as well as can be for you.  All the best.

[AmyK]

I recognize this rage, Hibari. I have once in a while too. It's absolutely awful, but it will pass. It is very chemical, an nothing to do about it really then to just let it pass. And not try to act too much on it.

 

Many hugs!

[Hibari]

Hibari,

 

Sorry you are feeling this way. Just think though, you are off one of your drugs. Hooray!

 

I am wondering how you are able to keep dropping (now Lamictal) when you are still in WD from remeron. Do you not feel any worse after dropping the Lamictal?

 

Hope this taper goes as well as can be for you. All the best.

[Hibari]

Hibari,

 

Sorry you are feeling this way. Just think though, you are off one of your drugs. Hooray!

 

I am wondering how you are able to keep dropping (now Lamictal) when you are still in WD from remeron. Do you not feel any worse after dropping the Lamictal?

 

Hope this taper goes as well as can be for you. All the best.

Hi Survivor,

 

Thanks for your support

 

To answer your question, for about 75% of my wd from Remeron I was tapering both meds at the same time. The reason I did a recent 5% drop of the Lamictal was I was feeling sick when I took it at night and then hungover from it in the morning. I don't plan on pushing it too much but am going to trusty body as best I can.

[Hibari]

I recognize this rage, Hibari. I have once in a while too. It's absolutely awful, but it will pass. It is very chemical, an nothing to do about it really then to just let it pass. And not try to act too much on it.

 

Many hugs!

Yes, it's the not acting on it part that I have to watch out for. I am tying to get it out of my system without doing too much damage to anyone else!

[Hopefull]

Hi Hibari,

Thank you so much for your update.

I am especially hopefull that I will also lose the weight once I stop taking Mitrazapine. The sugar cravings are insane and I am so glad that you are doing better.

I still have a couple of months to go before I am free.

You give me hope. Take care, Hopefull.

[Hibari]

Hi Hibari,

Thank you so much for your update.

I am especially hopefull that I will also lose the weight once I stop taking Mitrazapine. The sugar cravings are insane and I am so glad that you are doing better.

I still have a couple of months to go before I am free.

You give me hope. Take care, Hopefull.

The sugar cravings have dropped away so much. Again, I eat pretty cleanly 95% of the time. My only sugar right now is Gingerale and I am fine with drinking it. I need both the carbonation and the ginger for my morning nausea.

 

It has been strange not to feel those sugar cravings and hunger but also a relief. From my experience, they do drop away. I have read that elsewhere too.

[Survivor1]

Hibari,

 

I'm glad things are falling into place for you.

 

I am on a low dose of remeron and having a hard time with a drug interaction scenario. Deciding between large cuts or d/cing at 2.4mg.  

 

How severe were your symptoms as you tapered and did you stabilize after each cut before moving onto the next?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Rachel1963]

Hi Hibari! I just wanted to tell you how thrilled for you I am to be off the Remeron! I feel like crying because it's so good to know

That it is possible to get off this stuff and that you are okay. I just wanted to check in and say I'm so happy for you. I'm still not ready to start tapering yet but I will be at some point. All the best to you and congratulations!

[Hibari]

Hibari,

 

I'm glad things are falling into place for you.

 

I am on a low dose of remeron and having a hard time with a drug interaction scenario. Deciding between large cuts or d/cing at 2.4mg.  

 

How severe were your symptoms as you tapered and did you stabilize after each cut before moving onto the next?

 

Thanks for your help.

I felt every cut I made.  I am very sensitive to all meds as many people here are.  So even at the 10% drop rate, I would feel the wd symptoms.  I got familiar with my Remeron wd pattern, which would help me during my peak days of wd.  Even then, I would question my sanity because of what wd does to our brains. 

 

I would stabilize before I made the next cut and when I say stabilize, I mean not in the depth of physical and mental agony.  Only on rare occasions was I feeling just fine, it was more a feeling of being more than functional.  I was always aware of the medication in my body, maybe more so because of this experience.  There was only one month last winter when I pushed my taper, doing two cuts of both meds in one month.  I was feeling frustrated and acted out of anger.  It was a tough month but the good things was I did stabilize. 

 

At the low levels, I have had to go slow.   It is frustrating but for me the best course of action.   I jumped off at 0.0025 or 35 and that was probably still a bit high for me.  But I made the choice and have survived.   To be honest, I am not feeling good today but I credit that to last weeks Lamictal cut.  I just have to get to stabilization. 

[Hibari]

Hi Hibari! I just wanted to tell you how thrilled for you I am to be off the Remeron! I feel like crying because it's so good to know

That it is possible to get off this stuff and that you are okay. I just wanted to check in and say I'm so happy for you. I'm still not ready to start tapering yet but I will be at some point. All the best to you and congratulations!

Thank you Rachel.  Yes, it can be done. 

[Survivor1]

Hibari,

 

You have been very helpful to me, I am very grateful.  I wish you continued healing and am glad you are posting your experience for us all to learn. Best wishes.

[Hibari]

Hibari,

 

You have been very helpful to me, I am very grateful.  I wish you continued healing and am glad you are posting your experience for us all to learn. Best wishes.

Thank you.  I will continue to post and feel free to ask any questions you need. 

 

I wish you continued healing as well. 

[Hibari]

I am now headed into my 9th week without Remeron.   I've lost 17lbs and can't believe I'm off of it, it really numbed me out.  This was the medication I wanted off the most out of the two I was tapering.  I'm not in denial that the drug is still moving out of my brain but I feel instinctively that I am out of major wd that I was. 

 

I am now focused on the nuances and timing of my Lamictal taper.  I did make a small 5% cut a little over 2 weeks ago.  I haven't been as familiar with the withdrawal pattern so that' what I'm paying attention too.  It seems like peak wd symptoms hit about a week after the cut.  I was in a lot of mental and physical agony about a week ago and considered reinstating.  I waited and the mental agony and inner physical tension lifted a day later.   Now I'm just have the morning nausea, hot flashes, head pressure, brain zaps and fuzzy thinking.   This lifts as the day goes on.   I am going to take it slowly over the summer and get used to the pattern. 

 

I continue to have the same feeling inside that I am fine but that my body is in major stress from this.  Taking care of myself through acupuncture, walking, eating the best I can though not perfectly and really focusing on not overdoing it as soon as I feel good.  This is what I have to focus on the most.