Posted by anahata31 on April 17, 2006, at 11:28:21
In reply to Re: mirtazapine/remeron updates? » anahata31, posted by johnnyj on April 16, 2006, at 21:49:42
Hi Johnny
> Do you think remeron is better than a sleeping pill? I am on the same 7.5mg dose as you. I will start to wean off in a week or so. Not sure if I should quit cold turkey or taper. The reason being is remeron is more sedating at lower doese so I wonder if the "sponge brain" stuff will be worse? Don't know for sure what to do.
For me, Remeron was better than any other sleeping pills, and I tried many of them. Restoril 30 mg helped me sleep for a while, but tolerance builded up pretty fast, and then it was really hard to stop. My doctor thought that low-dose remeron would help me make the transition, and also give me back my appetite. It did, and I never slept this good, with no need to up the dose. But the "sponge-brain stuff", as you said, is the side-effect I don't want to deal with anymore.
I've been lowering my dose for the last few days, down to about 3 mg. I still sleep well, and I don't feel any more sedated during the day than on 7.5 mg, but I know that remeron has a long half-life, so I have to wait and see... I believe that at such a low dose (my pharmacist says that it's pretty much homeopathic at this point, but for me it sure ain't), the sedation doesn't increase, as it does from going to 30 mg to 15 mg. I plan to stay on 3 mg for another 2 weeks, then off it entirely.
> I will have some sleep meds for a back up when I go off.
I think this is a good idea - but I suggest staying away from benzodiazepines, as tolerance builds up fast, and they are hard to kick off. Zopiclone (imovane, etc) may work for you, but it didn't help me much. And over-the-counter medicine like nyquil make me feel incredibly restless, but a lot of people find it useful to help them sleep.
Jules said - and thanks for your post -
>i don't think i really felt like it changed my personality but my >mood has been definitely different since i stopped taking it - >and i'm curious to see how things will even out eventually.I wish you the best of luck... which changes did you notice in your mood that you found the hardest to manage? So far, my mood is good, as I find some sort of natural high from my decision to bite the bullet, so to speak. Also, I've been doing a lot of walking, dancing, reading, and I find it helps a lot. A side-effect of remeron that I am happy about, and that I know will stay with me even after I stop, is that I used to be non-interested in food and quite picky, but I got into many new foods and recipes while my appetite was at an all-time high, and I plan to continue making healthy food choices, which I am certain will help dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Also, I will try to always keep in mind a very simple thing, but to me the most important one : the nausea, the insomnia, all of these symptoms, they WILL improve, day after day.
Sorry if my english is a bit shaky at times! and best wishes.
Nathalie
poster:anahata31
thread:613132
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060412/msgs/634121.html