It’s going well!
In March, I dropped from 60 to 45 mg with no ill effects whatsoever. In April, I went down to 30 mg, and that’s where things got a little hairy. First I had withdrawal symptoms, and stepping up to 37.5 mg temporarily made no difference, but just dragged out the whole process. Then I began to notice that my mood felt ‘wobblier’. I was getting upset more easily and having more intrusive thoughts, or perhaps it was just that the intrusive thoughts were ‘louder’ and harder to brush off. So it was with some trepidation (but my GP’s support) that I reduced the dose again to 15 mg last week.
The effect has been immediate. Despite some withdrawal symptoms in the first couple of days, from the start I’ve had more energy and drive. The concept of working full time and doing a little housework in the evening is no longer alien to me! It’s much easier to wake up in the mornings and I no longer need to mainline tea. Of course it makes sense that this has happened, as mirtazapine is a very sedating antidepressant, but this has been the first dose reduction where I’ve noticed a change in side effects, and these are adverse effects I’ve been living with for years. The last time I was on 15 mg was in 2006.
Even more excitingly, my mood has stabilised and the intrusive thoughts have stopped bothering me. This is harder to explain, as when I started taking mirtazapine, stabilising my mood and quietening down the ‘noise’ in my head were two of the ways in which it really helped. However, I think I’m more vulnerable to these symptoms when I’m tired, so it kind of makes sense that being on a less sedating dose has made a difference. 30 mg felt like an unpleasant no man’s land where the drug had stopped doing much for my mental health, but I was still getting all the side effects.
Of course, it remains to be seen what will happen when I come off mirtazapine altogether, currently scheduled for some time in June. Watch this space!
Congrats! While I haven’t been on this drug, I know how hard it is to wean yourself off of psych. meds. Congrats to you on persevering! You’re being really smart and positive about the whole process – which is awesome.
Thanks!
This is really good! The way you’re doing this is so sensible, with a really gradual reduction.
Thanks! My on/off psychiatrist wanted me to come off it faster and my GP wanted me to come off it slower, but this seems like a good speed to me.
I’m glad it’s going well and you’re starting to have more energy. I found 30mg not much fun when I went on mirtazapine but then I seem to have difficulty with being sensitive to my seratonin levels being messed with on their own. It seems to be balanced out at 45mg by the effect on the noradrenaline, and wasn’t so bad as it didn’t hit the seratonin so hard at 15mg, so maybe our brains are a bit similar. Possibly a scary thought…! Hope it keeps going well for you.
Well, they say great minds think alike, so maybe great brains are affected by meds in a similar way too! Though I was OK with trazodone, which I think only acts on serotonin. I know there’s a theory that when the noradrenaline effect kicks in, it helps to counterbalance some of the sedating side effects, so maybe that’s a factor. Either way, I’m very pleased to be feeling so much better than I was on the next dose up, and I hope this bodes well for the future!
I am on 45mg have been for about 3 years, the weight gain is getting a bit much so cut myself down to 30mg two days ago, bit nervous and a little anxious, not sure if it the anxiety of just the nerves as I have been very worried about it. Please keep us posted on your progress
Hi Lisa,
I’ve been mirtazapine-free for three months now and my mental health is absolutely fine.
I did have some anxiety on reducing the dose, and I had to find strategies for coping with this, but it sorted itself out. Of course we are all different so I can’t promise the same thing will happen to you, but I’ll cross my fingers for you! My main advice would be don’t reduce the dose too quickly (if you’re planning to reduce it further), take time to adjust at each stage, and keep your doctors informed. I’m loving being off meds and not having to battle the weight gain and sedation any more, but I know it’s not the right step for everyone.
Seeking Myself (now Songs & Sonnets)