Clomazapam olanzapine and mirtazapine

[Detecting74]

Hi everyone, my son is currently in the hospital his Dr supported him going voluntary admission to get a medication review as he'ss on mirtazapine and had a bad reaction do was supposedly going in there to come off the mirtazapine and be given some advice about what to try nxt. He suffers from OCD /BDD and it did get worse him going up on the mirtazapine. He saw the Dr for his review it took 5minutes and was prescribed olanzapine and clomazapam on top of the mirtazapine. Did this help anyone my SONS OCD got worse on mirtazapine. When my son asked the Dr can i come off the mirtazapine and try something else he said there's no point they all do the same thing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated the good and the bad.

[Mrspjsmom]

My husband likes to say doctors are like mechanics. If you don't like them you can fire them. I take Effexor and mirtazipine. I tried many medications in the same class as the Effexor before I found one that worked for me. So the doctor is wrong. They don't all do the same thing. I truly hope your son can find a better doctor.

[Detecting74 in reply to Mrspjsmom]

Mrspjsmom thank you for replying,It's so hard as everyone is different my son suffers from OCD and has a fear of meds because of bad reaction going up on mirtazapine and bad reaction going up on them it's hard to say if the terrible fear is part of the OCD also because I saw what it did to him going up in his medication. I've read Effexor is hard to come off what are your thoughts on this? I'm asking because I know everyone wants to find the right meds to help them but then it seems most want to come off them and then are faced with another problem.

It really is not easy I was on 30 mg mirtazapine I never read anything about withdrawals and I came down to 15mg for about a yr and then just stopped taking the 15 mg I felt great my old self then 4 wks later I got restless legs had one horrible vivid dream lost a stone in weight because I was never hungry and it dawned on me these are the withdrawals from coming off the mirtazapine, they lasted about 10 days to two wks although it wasn't a nice experience it didnt last long and I still feel good.

[Mrspjsmom in reply to Detecting74]

I started on the lowest dose of Effexor and worked my way up over many years. Unfortunately because of the conditions I have I will need to be on medication the rest of my life. I do have some leeway on what I take. If needed I can take more mirtazipine if I am having trouble sleeping. I also have an extra anti anxiety pill each day if I need it. And some days I take two Effexor instead of three. I am lucky to have an amazing doctor and only take what I need to each day. I hope you and your son find a great doctor too.

[Detecting74 in reply to Mrspjsmom]

You sound like you know yourself very well and have found a good balance Thank you mrspjsmom for your kind words.

[Mrspjsmom in reply to Detecting74]

Happy to share what I've learned.

[ElephantsHear]

Hi, your doctor’s statement really isn’t valid. Speak to a pharmacist, but ask as a general question I.e. If a patient fails to control their symptoms of ocd on this drug would another drug in the same class possibly work better? Research ocd treatments/ maybe another class of drug could work better. Your doctor is perhaps going by his own experience with his other patients or perhaps even research data. Good luck. It’s a difficult call to move to another doctor and doctors often respond to dissent as “challenging their medical expertise”. Best wishes to your son.

[Bea61]

My experience is limited to mirtazapine as it gave me restless legs and was always planning what next to eat, which are common side effects so have weaned off it as already overweight. Only on it for 4mths and now am prescribed sertaline. Hope your son's health improves!

[Detecting74 in reply to Bea61]

Hi Bea61, Yes I was also on mirtazapine for a couple of yrs 30mg to 15mg, it numbed things, also I felt I wasn't as nice I would say things and not be bothered even though I new that wasn't me, I just thought what is it doing for me. I just stopped taking it, I have to say I felt great my vocabulary my improved were the right words to say popped into my head I felt more confident in myself stronger and more supportive to people around me. It was literally like switching a button no side affects for a month then restless legs a horrible vivid dream I wasn't hungry had a few headaches it wasn't nice but not bad and only lasted a few wks and nothings changed either I'm still better I feel like this is me. I know everyone is different.

I did come off the mirtazapine before for one day and cried the morning after I hadn't taken it so thought it's going to be hard to come off these I started taking them again straight away probably for another 3 months before stoping them again. Ive seen someone else post that they had no withdrawals until 4wks after stopping them and they also had restless legs vivid dreams and no appetite for around a month. We are definitely all different how these meds react differently in us all.

I hope the sirtraline works better for you Bea61 you so much for your reply.

[CandiceRW]

Hi there, I responded to your son's post from yesterday and then saw this post from you and thought, why not...

This is a post I wrote the other night to my other support group. I think you may be able to relate. My son has Pure O, some repetitive tics and the need to have things feel"just right". As well as medication avoidance.

"As I'm sitting in my bedroom listening to my 17yr old son completely lose his mind for the third straight hour looking for reassurances from his father, in the living room, something has occurred to me.

We should have just put him in residential when he was 16.

I say this because we are dangerously close to the 18th year and soon won't be able to do anything.

We have never "made him" do anything. Take meds, do continuous therapy, ect... It's been an 8 year battle to get him help. Good, appropriate OCD help.

We know we can't force him to get help. That you can't get help unless you're ready. You have to want to get better and put in the work.

But, if we had sent him away to an OCD facility, even if at first he didn't participate, he at least would have been exposed to others like himself. Maybe absorbed some information. And maybe it would have broken down a wall.

The "what it's and maybes" are horrible...

His OCD is so severe, but even more so is the depression, anger and hopelessness that he feels about having OCD.

We try to do all the right things. Provide him with information so he can learn about his condition, provide stories of others journeys, so he knows he's not alone. Provide access to meds and therapist that will help...

But he doesn't care enough to engage in any of it and it's killing me, us.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family all have our own issues and continue our struggles, both mental and physical, trying not to fall down the rabbit hole with him.

We exemplify what hard work and perseverance, even in the most difficult of situations and circumstances, can do.

Yet he just doesn't get it...

Everybody needs help sometimes... And you do have to put in the work to get better.

Why would he rather suffer?

I remember being his age and feeling that same way. Why bother? I'll just suffer. It's not worth all the work.

I guess maybe, with age comes wisdom. By the time I was 21, I did see the reason why to put in the work and not just suffer through life.

That is really my only hope at this time. Hopefully, that will happen for him before it's too late.

Thanks for listening...

Candice"

I realize your son is open to help and that is amazing! But he needs the right kind of help. An OCD therapist, trained in ERP. They are so hard to find. I finally found one and we are # 600 on the waitlist. My son finally did go inpatient, but at a hospital not specific for OCD and the experience messed him up even more. Especially putting him on olanzapine which can be so bad for OCD, unless your also on an SSRI, which he was not.

My son unfortunately is meds resistant. He suffers with the thought it will permanently change him as a person. So trying him on different meds is almost impossible. When he is rational enough to know he needs it, he doesn't take it long enough to know if it is working or not. Such a frustrating, neverending battle for all of us.

I read your other post about the Dr. not trying another med because there all basically the same. He's ignorant. They all work differently on different people. That's why you keep trying different ones until you find one that works for you. And you have to try them long enough to see if they are working. Never give up hope of finding one, no matter how many you try. But kudos to your son for trying! Please try to switch doctors. Hopefully someone educated on OCD.

Sorry this was so long, I just really felt the need to share. It sounds like your son needs to find some OCD specific care. And you sound like a very loving, supportive mom. So kudos to you too. Don't give up the hope!

Best of luck. My heart and prayers are with you and your family.

Candice