What Is the Safest Way to Quit an SSRI (Remeron — Mirtazapine)?

Hi all,

As some of you know that I have my tinnitus from glutamate storm which was caused by quitting a benzo so now I'm afraid of quitting Remeron (Mirtazapine) if I may worsen my tinnitus which is already severe.

I know many of you think mirtazapine is safe for us tinnitus sufferers but I know a couple of cases where their tinnitus were caused by this drug. I have been taking it for 4 1/2 months and I want to stop taking it when I finish my last box of it. I will taper this time but I'm still afraid of getting withdrawal symptoms. So how can I hinder glutamate storm while tapering an SSRI?

Thank you for listening to me
Take care

 

I'm still on Mirtazapine. I'm tapering Xanax first and than see where I get with tapering Mirtazapine. I guess this has to be done very slowly. You should ask your doctor. How much are your on now? Mirtazapine is not a SSRI.

 

I think it is a SSRI when you use it 30 mg like I use. If you use it 15 or less it is more like a sleeping pill. I know I have to take it sooooo slow but I many people got w/d sxs even they are tapering very slowly. So I'm asking if I need to take any supplements or drugs to wean off it.

 

I don't think there is any kind of drug to make tapering Mirtazapine easier. Maybe you could use some, natural sleep remedies. For me Mirtazapine started being a sleeping pill at 30mg. 15 mg wasn't enough.

 

Hi there @Cityjohn

Do you have any idea if taking vitamin C when tapering an SSRI would be good for prevent glutamate storm?

 

Vitamin C seems to protect against all glutamate excess in the neurons so yes. But it has to be a lot every day. About 250mg, 4 times a day. Your body quickly gets rid of it. Whenever someone would feel withdrawal effects taking more would be wise.
However I don't seem to be able to find any clear connection between SSRI's and glutamate per say, so I don't know if it damages the auditory system through glutamate excess or some other way.

 

Do you have a source for this information? I would like to look into it more. Thanks!

 

@JasonP

 

I took 15mg mirtazapine daily for about 10 days. For the first two days it sent me to sleep well, then it stopped working. I stopped taking them without tapering. A day or two later I noticed mucscle spasms in my left leg and in other areas of my body. I'm still having them some 4 days after stopping mirtazapine. One confusing factor is that I started taking a herbal concoction with black cohosh in it. at the same time I stopped mirtazapine.
Was I taking mirtazapine long enough for it to cause withdrawal symptoms going cold turkey?

 

I am trying to get off after starting at 30 mg for 2 weeks. Already strange side effects, muscle spams in head and neck as well as full body tremors. Will let you know how it goes