BuSpar for Panic Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Nat...
• January 22, 2020

"Woke up having the worst panic attack of my life on day 2 of this medication. Not paired with anything else, this is the last day I’ll be taking it. It’s a horrible feeling to wake up feeling like you are having a heart attack and not being able to breathe."

• Stu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2019

"So I also suffer with depression and other major anxiety contributors and disorders. However, BuSpar really helped me and improved a lot. I'm not perfect, but it made me not suicidal anymore, and I'm not locked in my house self-harming. I went on BuSpar for anxiety, which still isn't great, but like it really, really helped me in other ways."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 30, 2019

"BuSpar is one of those drugs that either works for people or doesn't. I gave it a shot for 5 months at various doses, and it didn't help much. At higher doses, it actually made my OCD worse. My one word of advice is to start at the lowest dose possible and slowly titrate up, especially if you're already taking an SSRI."

• J R...
• October 5, 2011

"I take BuSpar 10 mg capsules. I've been on this medication for about two months now for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. This medicine has gotten me through the separation from my mother, school phobia (a real thing: kind of a mix between agoraphobia and truancy), and generalized anxiety. I gave it an 8/10 because it takes about a month before the full potential results kick in. Also, it gives a sedative feeling when you take one, which always relaxes me."

• Pan...
• April 28, 2016

"Took BuSpar for the first time yesterday. My PTSD has been growing into agoraphobia slowly, and it has been debilitating. Started 7.5 mg of the BuSpar, and not even an hour later, I was walking like a drunk, felt like my entire body was being zapped if I moved my neck or head. I was so dizzy I had to take a nap. Decided maybe I'd be better with the nighttime dose. Took it before bed, fell asleep, and woke up every two hours. Ended up wetting the bed (not an issue I've had ever) and still too damned dizzy to get up. I'm in my mid-twenties. This medication doesn't help me, and I'd rather stay on the Clonazepam."

• Tod...
• August 13, 2021

"I have gotten to the point where I felt like I wouldn't survive my anxiety. My doctor put me on 10 mg twice a day. I was hesitant to take it because it's not a benzo, I didn't think it could help my severe anxiety, and I didn't think I could handle the despair from another failed medication. I've been on it for about a week, and I felt relief from day one. So far, there have been no bad side effects. I am able to eat again. I still am not sleeping well, but I am at least able to lie down and relax. Before, I was lying down with my heart pounding, racing thoughts, overwhelmed by fear, just waiting for the sun to rise. BuSpar, in my opinion, works better than benzos because it gets me to a place where I don't need to take them to begin with. I still get mildly triggered, but it goes away as quickly as it starts. I am very surprised at its effectiveness. The only real side effect I've noticed is chronic snacking, which is good for now as I had lost 30 lbs due to my anxiety. Give it a chance."

• Uni...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2022

"I really wanted to like BuSpar, but unfortunately, both times I tried it, it sent my resting heart rate through the roof, 120s and 130s. It only intensified my anxiety and made me sweat a lot. I understand how these medications work and how they take time, but for me personally, BuSpar is not a good fit. I gave it a trial each time at only 2.5 mg twice a day, only half the recommended dose. I'm happy it has helped others, but this medication is not for me."

• Anx...
• September 27, 2016

"My mild anxiety had been building for years when I decided to seek help for it. At that time, I had only experienced one panic attack after a health scare (heart palpitations from over-exercising). It wasn't until I sought help to control my stress that I was prescribed Prozac. I started having panic attacks and was taken off. I started taking BuSpar. The first few weeks were really rough (brain zaps). It kept me from having panic attacks, but I still experienced moderate anxiety every day. After eight weeks, I started to experience depression for no reason and intrusive thoughts. Nothing like I ever experienced before. So I went back down, depressive thoughts came back. I tapered off. Lightheadedness, ear ringing, and brain fog persisted the entire three months I was on it."

• DCD...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2016

"I suffer from anxiety/panic disorder, and I was given BuSpar 10 mg twice daily. I felt very lightheaded and like I had a constant head rush. My doctor tried increasing the dose to 20 mg twice daily, and with that, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had to nap for 2 to 3 hours. It was just awful. After nearly 4 weeks of being on this medication, I have insisted that I be taken off of it. I am on 5 mg twice a day for today and tomorrow, and then I'll be done with it, and I hope the side effects go away soon. Just an awful experience."

• Eri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 27, 2023

"I have been taking this medicine now for about 8-9 months. When I started taking it, it took about 4 weeks before it started working. It helped a lot with the anxiety and panic attacks for about 3-4 months, then it just stopped working. I was on 25 mg a day in the end. Tried increasing the dose, but it doesn't help. It's like a sugar pill. I have now tapered off the medicine for almost two months, and I promise that for me it has been worse to stop taking this medicine than with withdrawal from Xanax. I took Xanax for 4-5 months and maybe had withdrawal for 2 weeks. I have had a withdrawal from this buspirone medicine since the day I started tapering it. Withdrawal symptoms like tremors, dizziness, passing out, cold sweat, dissociation, panic attacks, nightmares, flu symptoms, and much more. I am now down to one a day, 5 mg. Hope it gets better soon. Everyone reacts differently to medication and withdrawal. Some get side effects and others don't, this is just my experience."

• Har...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 14, 2019

"Only took half a pill one day and had to go to the hospital because it made me spiral out of control. The next morning, I tried another half as directed to be sure, and it happened again. I have stopped taking it and am still searching for something so I can make it out of my house."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 2, 2018

"BuSpar is a bit of a mixed experience for me. I always get a rapid pulse, restless, and sometimes sweaty for about an hour after each dose, but it is effective the rest of the day at minimizing my panic and anxiety without resorting to benzodiazepines."

• kca...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 15, 2021

"I've been taking buspirone HCL on and off for the last 15 years. Before that, I was taking Valium or Xanax, back in the days when it was easy to get. I really enjoy the benzodiazepines, but admittedly, too much. With BuSpar, I do get lightheaded and a mild mini-anxiety attack about 10 minutes after taking 15 mg twice a day, with possible related weight gain, but it works well. I usually stop after a few months of feeling better and adjusting to life's changes: divorce, wrongful imprisonment, parent's death, and now losing my son. I also took lithium and antidepressants in the past, but to be honest, I don't mind depression, and I kind of enjoy my mania, but shortness of breath, the feeling of impending doom, and now heart palpitations are never pleasant. I take it until the discomfort of the side effects outweighs my current state, and I start up again when the side effects are nothing compared to what I feel. Maybe 3 months at a time, maybe 6. It kicks in right away, for me."

• Car...
• August 19, 2017

"I fell through the ice and drowned (obviously resuscitated) at the age of 17. In college, I started getting terrible panic attacks that had me going to the ER sometimes 2 times a week. I was put on BuSpar, and they might as well have given me a Tic Tac and told me that was a miracle drug, as well as it would have probably been more effective. Prozac, Xanax, Valium all seemed to make it worse. Clonazepam is the only med that has worked, it's been a lifesaver."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 10, 2019

"I also experienced my first asthma attack ever on this medication. I don't see it listed as an official side effect, but I've never encountered anything like it before, and just putting my 2 cents in. I've tried just about every SSRI and SNRI under the sun as well, so while I'm not guaranteeing it's not a coincidence, I'm pretty well past the point of attributing everything that happens to me to my medications. Aside from that, it worked maybe... 10%? But I think the majority of that was the sedation, which wears off as the sedation does. Other side effects for me were worse sleep, anger, nightmares, weight gain, and tiredness."

• Gol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2021

"I struggle from PTSD, Panic Disorder, and Bipolar I Disorder. I am on Prozac and Zyprexa for my other disorders, but continued to have panic attacks. I started BuSpar about a week ago, and so far I do have daily anxiety, but haven't had a panic attack since the second day I was on it. I understand it takes time to build in my system, so I'm excited to continue taking it in hopes it'll continue to improve my quality of life. I highly recommend it, my doctor put me on 10 mg 3x a day."

• cla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2012

"I was given this for panic disorder with agoraphobia. It made me so dizzy every time I took it that I couldn't even read a book because it felt like I was in a washing machine being twirled around. I took it at night before bed, and I had to make sure I was in bed when I took it, and I could not be walking around or doing anything because I was afraid I'd stumble or fall down. I took it for eight days, and it didn't get any better, so finally, I stopped taking it. It had no noticeable improvement on my anxiety anyway, and I didn't see the point in taking something that made me feel like I was on a merry-go-round."

• Ann...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 1, 2018

"Doc gave me this in addition to Ativan for panic attacks. Did NOTHING for my panic attacks! Still felt tense in class and wanted to run out of the classroom on a daily basis. When told to increase my dose, the drug increased my anxiety. Although it didn't do anything for my panic attacks, it sure lifted my depression."

• Avo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 23, 2022

"15 mg twice a day, have been on this medication for about 3 years. I do agree that it does work for the anxiety, but the side effects for me are personally not worth it. I started seeing shadows, had really bad anger outbursts, and really bad heart problems. Not to mention the brain fog whenever I would take a dosage. It was just too much to handle. Probably one of the worst meds I've ever taken."

• Kel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2021

"Wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy. Just wanted to share that I had the worst panic attacks of my life on this medicine. I would shake uncontrollably at random times, get extremely dizzy, and feel brain zaps throughout the day. I was on 5 mg, and this medicine had this much effect on me. Made me extremely depressed, and my doctor didn't even know it was the medicine that was causing these side effects. Please be careful when taking this medicine, it can be very dangerous."

• Gan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2021

"Buspar is a complete waste of time. I took it for 3 months on all different sorts of doses, 5mg-15mg, and it did NOTHING to help my anxiety/panic. Complete placebo pill. What it did give me was tremors, dizziness, noise sensitivity, dissociation, and made me angry BEYOND belief. Waste of time. If you do want to try to try it, take it 2-3 hours before you actually have to go to work or accomplish something, because it makes you feel like rubbish for that long after you take your dose. Might have worked for some people, but definitely didn't for me."

• Anonymous
• May 16, 2011

"I have only been on it for three days, and I am already debating whether or not to stop. It makes me feel like I'm drunk without the happy feeling. I hope it gets better because I really need something to help stop my anxiety and panic attacks."

• Fem...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2017

"Drug is prescribed for the 18-64 age bracket. Seniors experience drugs differently, just like teens. I tried BuSpar to replace Xanax. BuSpar builds in the system. The first month, I noticed a slight calm effect. My NP was getting me off another SSRI, also not good for seniors. During the last two weeks, I have noticed shortness of breath, which has increased. That increased my anxiety and hyperventilation. I know it is early, but I already feel better this evening, not having taken my three 5 mg doses. Xanax has a 6-hour shelf life and works better for me, and I have learned to regulate the doses. I will wean off on the 2.5 half tabs of BuSpar. My system is just like it used to be."

• Mic...
• February 13, 2015

"My panic disorder started very gradually. At first, it was a slight panic that lasted for a min or two when I was driving, then it slowly intruded into my life. At some worst points, I was unable to sleep for a week. I might be able to doze off for an hour or two, and then I'd wake up with a racing heart. BuSpar helped at first, I was only on 5 mg for five months, never went up in dose. After about 5 months, stressful events like job interviews pretty much made this med ineffective for me. I really liked this med as it had no side effects for me. No dizziness or nausea or 'brain zaps.' My doctor put me on Paxil instead. Just started it, but it seems to be working. My pulse is still about 20 beats above my normal rate, but it doesn't bother me."

• gam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2021

"This is medical torture in capsule form. It does not treat panic disorder and chemically isn’t intended to. Had more panic attacks since starting the BuSpar than I did in order to get a prescription for it. The dizziness when you take it could be bearable if it was helpful, but I’ve also had two grand mal seizures since starting, even after almost two months entirely seizure-free before this. Truly miserable."