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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Little Mommy on January 2, 2006, at 19:14:30
Please, I am getting very desperate and frustrated. I am trying to get off of remeron, which I had started back in August 2005. I am also on 10 mg of Paxil in the morning. With the remeron, I was on 30 mg but went down to 15 mg due to the side effects (ie. constipation, weight gain, eating machine). I had thought that I had this beat when I was down to spliting the 15 mg in half and taking that, first each night, then every other night and so on. I had a total week with out taking it and not feeling anything but now I am suddenly having anxiety, panic and not sleeping well. I started taking it again just to ease the withdrawal (is that what it is?) and it seems to be working but not entirely. How does one get off this horrible drug without going through what I started taking this for in the first place. Oh, and I was never warned about how hard it would be to get off. I want to read people's success stories and hopefully have one of my own.
Any help or advise will be much appreciated.
Posted by elkat on January 2, 2006, at 20:28:31
In reply to Remeron Withdrawal, posted by Little Mommy on January 2, 2006, at 19:14:30
I just quit 45 mg a few days ag, and I feel a little bit like I have the flu. I'm taking a little bit of klonopin, which I think helps, and some benadryl. I have been feeling betting today, but am pretty tired. I also just quit Wellbutrin, though I did taper that.
> Please, I am getting very desperate and frustrated. I am trying to get off of remeron, which I had started back in August 2005. I am also on 10 mg of Paxil in the morning. With the remeron, I was on 30 mg but went down to 15 mg due to the side effects (ie. constipation, weight gain, eating machine). I had thought that I had this beat when I was down to spliting the 15 mg in half and taking that, first each night, then every other night and so on. I had a total week with out taking it and not feeling anything but now I am suddenly having anxiety, panic and not sleeping well. I started taking it again just to ease the withdrawal (is that what it is?) and it seems to be working but not entirely. How does one get off this horrible drug without going through what I started taking this for in the first place. Oh, and I was never warned about how hard it would be to get off. I want to read people's success stories and hopefully have one of my own.
>
> Any help or advise will be much appreciated.
Posted by Little Mommy on January 3, 2006, at 15:50:33
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by elkat on January 2, 2006, at 20:28:31
Did you just stop cold turkey? 45 mg is a lot. I tried to stop cold turkey back in October and after a couple of days just felt horrible. Anxiety, panic, nausea, etc. I hope you have better luck. What about wellbutrin, why did you stop? I am on Paxil and wonder sometimes if there is something better. I have tried Celexa and Zoloft but the side effects were worse than the affliction.
Thanks
Posted by elkat on January 3, 2006, at 16:50:15
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » elkat, posted by Little Mommy on January 3, 2006, at 15:50:33
I did just stop. I had the last of it Friday, so it's been just a few days. I don't feel that bad, a little bit like I have the flu I guess, not a lot of energy. Kind of nauseated. I was on 45 mgs for eight months.
The Wellbutrin XL, I was on for about the same amount of time. I had gradually increased the dose to 450, which is the high end. It worked well pretty well for awhile, but I started to get very irritable. I tried reducing the dose from 450 to 300, then went back to 450 and had some manic episodes, then dropped to 150, then I just gave up and quit.
These meds, they all have side effects and it's a benefit vs. side effects ratio issue with me also. I couldn't handle Lexapro at all, it gave me akathisia so bad I was climbing the walls.
With the high dose Wellbutrin/Remeron combo my thinking is I was getting too much norepinephrine, so, give it a rest I guess...it's frustrating.
Posted by johnnyj on January 3, 2006, at 21:40:42
In reply to Remeron Withdrawal, posted by Little Mommy on January 2, 2006, at 19:14:30
Hi:
I went from 15-mg to 7.5-mg stayed there for roughly one month. I then cut that in half and was on 3.75 for three days and then stopped. My sleep was very light for 2 days, followed by no sleep for a full night and then back to 4 hours. After 10-12 days I had chest tightness like I had with my stomach when I started remeron. NASUEA was very bad starting at day 10.
I felt much more alive and felt better, but not really very depressed, but had some anxiety. The lack of good sleep was taking a toll and I had to take a trip so I started 7.5 again. I had bad headaches and felt more depressed after re-starting but at least I slept. I am going to try again but I will go to 3.75 and stay on that for a month. I am not sure how but I would like to half that and stay on it for a month. I am wondering if I could take a sol-tab and mix it with water.
Other posters here have said it took them a long time and had a lot of sleep problems.
In my opinion, I think taking 7.5 every other night or some taper to that affect is not a good idea. Up and down seems to cause too many side effects and makes me feel worse. There is a good book called "The Antidepressant Solution" that talks about withdrawal in general and it is helpful. I think you need to taper down, let that stabilize, give a week or so more (maybe two is better) before you lower the dose. Do be aware of the increased histamine effect at lower doses. I think this acutally makes me more depressed. The biggest side effect is the "sponge brain" heavy head I feel and it almost seemed worse when I was weaning off. take care and let us know what is going on.
Cheers
johnnyj
Posted by elkat on January 4, 2006, at 0:48:29
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » Little Mommy, posted by johnnyj on January 3, 2006, at 21:40:42
Remeron is a strange medication. It's funny that the more you take, the more "sedating" it is. Obviously, it's not like taking a smaller dose of a benzio or effexor. Maybe it's not a drug you can really just kind of taper off of. As far as the sleep stuff, I've been taking a couple of benedryls and sleeping OK, but those things usually only work for a few days. We'll see...lots of fun here in chemistry class.
Posted by johnnyj on January 4, 2006, at 17:23:14
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by elkat on January 4, 2006, at 0:48:29
I think you meant the more you take the more sedating it is??
Posted by elkat on January 5, 2006, at 20:21:12
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » elkat, posted by johnnyj on January 4, 2006, at 17:23:14
No, it's the other way around. The less you take the more sedating it is. More antihistimine effect, something like that.
Posted by johnnyj on January 8, 2006, at 10:26:09
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by elkat on January 5, 2006, at 20:21:12
Sorry, my mistake too. I take 7.5-mg and it is MUCH more sedating than 15-mg. I will wean off this med the side effects are really bad.
Posted by elkat on January 8, 2006, at 11:30:20
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » elkat, posted by johnnyj on January 8, 2006, at 10:26:09
I'm about 10 days into this now, the past few days were tough I think because I caught a cold, but I feel like I'm turning the corner now.
Posted by Little Mommy on January 8, 2006, at 18:34:44
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » elkat, posted by johnnyj on January 8, 2006, at 10:26:09
Yes, I am on 7.5 right now as I tried to quit and I started having panic and feeling just yuck. I wish there was more info out there on what to expect when coming off the drug as opposed to starting. I will try to quit again in March after I am finished my temp job (which has been part of the problem in the first place) but I will do it very slowly over a long period of time. At least on 7.5 I am not as hungry and I've actually lost a few pounds.
Posted by johnnyj on January 20, 2006, at 22:32:27
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by Little Mommy on January 8, 2006, at 18:34:44
I think I may go back up to 15-mg. The 7.5-mg side effects are brutal. The heavy head feeling can be so bad. I know at 15-mg this was not near as bad and seemed to relieve the pressure. The only problem is I will go off this drug in May and don't really want to go back up. I do seem more depressed on it now. It is strange that I felt better but did not sleep while weaning off but sleep better and feel worse on 7.5-mg.
Posted by elkat on January 20, 2006, at 23:32:10
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by elkat on January 2, 2006, at 20:28:31
I am 20 days out from my last dose of Remeron. I felt kind of lousy and more depressed than usual until a couple of days ago. I kind of miss the "guaranteed night sleep" I got with that med, and had a couple of bouts of insomnia.
On the good side, no "heavy head" in the morning, I'm not constipated anymore, I've dropped five pounds mainly because I lost my constant craving for carbs and sugar. I'm not putting Remeron down, I think it's a great AD, but I think my body and brain has had enough of it. I went back on Wellbutrin XL after the first week of "quitting all my meds" and I'm finally stabilizing.
When you are feeling crappy and going through withdrawal it seems like it's going to last forever, but it doesn't.
Posted by little mommy on January 21, 2006, at 16:41:10
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by elkat on January 20, 2006, at 23:32:10
I am on 7.5 still. I plan to start going off after the end of February as that is when I am finished my stressful job. I figure now is not the time to try to withdraw and feel crappy while I still am at work. Once I am done I will try again. I know it will take some time and the time will feel endless but I know that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for all the support and info.
Posted by SkeptikSharon on January 25, 2006, at 10:50:01
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by little mommy on January 21, 2006, at 16:41:10
Hello. I am also withdrawing from Remeron and am having a really difficult time. I've been on Remeron for 2 years now, since I was hospitalized and taken off of Zoloft. Once again, I am on a medication that seems to be really difficult to get off of. I am tapering down, but already I am feeling the effects. I just want to be off medication for a while, so that I can find out how I really feel and see what I really need. I've been on many medications during the last 7 years, most of which didn't work. The only things that seemed to work were the Zoloft for a time and then it stopped, and now the Remeron for a while, but I think it has stopped as well. I think the withdrawals are worse than the original problem was.
Posted by elkat on January 25, 2006, at 17:23:38
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by SkeptikSharon on January 25, 2006, at 10:50:01
I didn't taper, I just quit at 45 mg. My opinion, and I am not a doctor, is that tapering off that med just prolongs the misery. I don't think it is dangerous to just stop it, it's not like a benzo or anything like that, but make sure you work with your doctor. I felt kind of lousy for a couple of weeks, but nothing spectacular.
I'm taking Wellbutrin now with some klonopin, and I'm just in a bad mood all the time. I'm going to do something different soon, I'm getting kind of fed up...
Good luck and be careful!
Mark
Posted by johnnyj on February 5, 2006, at 11:16:16
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » SkeptikSharon, posted by elkat on January 25, 2006, at 17:23:38
Well, the heavy head would not go away on 7.5-mg. I felt that I needed to go down or go back up. Due to some work pressures I cannot go off until sometime in late April. I finally meet with my doc and decided to go back up. I am feeling more depressed now. Headaches, nausea and just not feeling well in the morning.
When I was off remeron around Thanksgiving I did not sleep very well but my head felt better and I was motivated. Since returning to remeron I feel more depressed but sleep better. However, after resuming remeron my sleep is not like it had been. Some other side effects are:
1. Sensitive to sounds.
2. Easily startled.
3. Confused thinking and getting "stuck" on one thought.
4. I catch myself with my mouth open at times. Just kind of spaced out I guess.I talked to my pdoc about weaning off and asked asked about mixing the sol-tabs in water and drinking a portion of it at a time. I was told to ask a pharmacist.
The lack of taper by elkat is something I have wondered about as lowering the dose of remeron is so sedating. I wonder if going to a dose of say 3.75 is less sedating than 7.5-mg?? What I mean is that from 15 to 7.5 we know it is more sedating but after you go down to a certain dose does the sedation peak and then lessen the heavy head??
Posted by johnnyj on February 5, 2006, at 11:17:22
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal, posted by SkeptikSharon on January 25, 2006, at 10:50:01
What are you withdrawal symptoms?
Posted by johnnyj on February 5, 2006, at 11:20:45
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal » SkeptikSharon, posted by elkat on January 25, 2006, at 17:23:38
What are the withdrawal symptoms that you all have had?
My biggest was insomnia. I also had an increase in sex drive and just felt more alive. I was scared I was manic.
Side Effects:
HEAVY head, and deep headache. I hope this drug doesn't cause brain damage.
Please post so we all can get a reference on what to expect.
Thank you.
Posted by elkat on February 5, 2006, at 22:57:23
In reply to Remeron Withdrawal/Side effects, posted by johnnyj on February 5, 2006, at 11:20:45
I've been off a month now, and I feel a lot better. The withdrawal was certainly there, now that I look back on it. Discomfort, depression, feeling out of it. I think that went on for a couple of weeks. But it wasn't really a big deal.
Now, I'm sleeping less, and I kind of miss that, otherwise I feel really a lot better than I have in a long time.
I'm taking Wellbutrin XL 300 mg and 1 mg of klonopin 2X a day. That combination seems to be doing the trick for me. The remeron had to go.
Posted by little mommy on February 6, 2006, at 22:39:33
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal/Side effects » johnnyj, posted by elkat on February 5, 2006, at 22:57:23
Well, just to recap, I am taking 7.5 and sleeping so so. Some good nights, others just waking up in a 'start' and heart pounding like I woke up from a bad dream feeling. Also, still experiencing the 'munchies' I have gained 15 pounds since the summer. I can't wait to get off this stuff. I wish they told you the side effects of coming off the stuff when they tell you the side effects going on. I would have never started. I am on 10 mg of paxil in the morning and that seems to be working.
Posted by elkat on February 6, 2006, at 23:33:24
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal/Side effects, posted by little mommy on February 6, 2006, at 22:39:33
I saw my Pdoc today and she asked me how I was doing off the remeron. I said I had lost 8 pounds in a month and cut my sugar/carbo intake in half. I told her I was feeling better than I had in six months. She said we won't be using that medication anymore.
I still think that taking any of it, even those really small doses you are doing is prolonging your torture. It's not good for you. Again, I still think it's a good AD med, but if it quits working and is bothering you the way it was bothering me, hang it up.
Posted by johnnyj on February 8, 2006, at 9:02:32
In reply to Re: Remeron Withdrawal/Side effects, posted by little mommy on February 6, 2006, at 22:39:33
I had to go back down to 7.5. 15 was making me more depressed and the "sponge brain" was worse. I am sleeping better but I will go off this med.
I have the same heart pounding and startled responses on this med too. I remember when I started this med I had big time heart pounding and weird thoughts. I am not as irritable on 7.5 either and my thinking is clearer. I can't wait for April 21 as that is the day I will wean off.
Posted by little mommy on February 12, 2006, at 1:35:17
In reply to Thanks for the update, posted by johnnyj on February 8, 2006, at 9:02:32
> I had to go back down to 7.5. 15 was making me more depressed and the "sponge brain" was worse. I am sleeping better but I will go off this med.
>
> I have the same heart pounding and startled responses on this med too. I remember when I started this med I had big time heart pounding and weird thoughts. I am not as irritable on 7.5 either and my thinking is clearer. I can't wait for April 21 as that is the day I will wean off.
Good for you. All the best. I will be trying to go off on March 1. Wish me luck, too.Little Mommy
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