Buspirone for Panic Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• hap...
• April 22, 2015

"Currently on week 2, and it made me feel like myself again. Anxiety/panic attacks have ruined my life in the last 2 years. My first panic attack was purely physical (POUNDING heart, I thought I was dying). My roommate took me to the ER. The next week, I was prescribed metoprolol and saw a cardiologist who suggested it was anxiety, as I didn't believe it was. Eventually, the anxiety took over my life and manifested mentally as well (panicking in grocery lines, skipping work, etc.). I'm a little distracted here, but all in all, buspirone is a lifesaver. I forgot what it felt like to be ME again. I now mentally feel amazing, the depression that stemmed from the anxiety made me a shell of myself. I can honestly say buspirone saved me from myself."

• dia...
• February 1, 2012

Buspirone "I know it may sound a little over the top, because I have only taken BuSpar for 2 days and I am already seeing the benefits. I am not a big medicine advocate because I just don't like the side effects of most like Seroquel (ugh) which gave me chills. I have had BIPOLAR, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, PANIC AND ANXIETY DISORDER since I was very young. I have tried so many medicines and none have given me benefits like this one. I take 7.5 twice a day and I can go on with my daily functions on the normal level now. At first it made me a little reluctant due to the fact that I panic. It gave me a small euphoric moment but I was able to concentrate on my homework assignment which I could not do before."

• Mat...
• November 4, 2013

Buspirone "I have anxiety issues ever since my teenage years. And I have noticed as I get older, my anxiety has gotten much worse. I have gone back into the USAR as of 2009. And my MDD, Panic Disorder, and GAD (Social Anxiety) have shown their ugly horns. I have missed taking an airplane for Annual Training, or have had numerous Panic Attacks while at the range. I was on Paxil 60mg for 3 months. The brain zaps didn't help, but I still had debilitating Panic Attacks. So I have been on Lexapro 20mg and Xanax 1mg, which have greatly helped, but I still had racing thoughts and couldn't go to sleep. So, for 5 days, while being on 15mg of Buspar taken at night before bed, has greatly helped me with sleep. No harsh side effects. I take the Lexapro, Buspar, and Xanax everyday."

• Lin...
• February 15, 2013

"I had been suffering from anxiety/panic disorder for over a year. I could not do any of the SSRIs at all. My Dr. put me on (BuSpar) Buspirone 15 mg twice a day. No side effects at all. I feel like a brand new person. I feel so calm and relaxed. I sleep peacefully, soundly, and wonderfully every night and have great dreams. I also have noticed it gives me energy during the day, and I have no appetite for food. If you're thinking of switching to (BuSpar) Buspirone, please talk to your Dr. about putting you on it. You will be glad you did."

• Sho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 19, 2019

"It took 2 months before buspirone actually started working for me. I’m so much more calm, and I can go out in public without fear of a panic attack. I say this works better than any benzodiazepines I’ve ever been prescribed!"

• Oi ...
• July 5, 2013

"I was on this medicine at 5 mg (3x daily) for a total of 15 mg. I then began to take 20 mg and stayed on that for an entire year. It helped me tremendously with my physical symptoms of anxiety and decreased my racing thoughts. My sex life was better than ever. Long story short, I quit taking it (thinking I was better) and I could tell a difference 3 weeks later and decided to start taking it again. This medication has helped me so much and I probably will be on it forever."

• Nat...
• January 22, 2020

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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."

• Sab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2023

"Absolutely horrible!! Only took this for 4 days, and I’m immediately stopping it. I was only prescribed 5 mg too. The first 2 days I didn’t feel anything, but the next days I felt horrible around 15 min after taking it. I felt extremely disassociated, stressed, and sad out of the blue. It led me to have an anxiety attack, which is crazy because it’s supposed to help with anxiety. I personally would not recommend this and would never take it ever again. I felt horrible, and I’m glad I’m finally feeling myself since I stopped it."

• Sig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2018

"Takes a long time to work. Give it 2 months before you make judgment. I can't tolerate SSRIs or SNRIs. Lots of startup side effects when you start on Buspar, but these will fade. Titrate slowly if you are getting increased anxiety. If it increases your anxiety, there is a high chance it will work very well for you, as it's clearly hitting your 5-HT receptors. With time, these receptors will downregulate, and relief will come."

• Pan...
• April 28, 2016

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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."

• sky...
• July 2, 2013

"I took the wrong dosage of a different medicine (forgot which). It never did help me with my anxiety attacks. I went to my doctor about it, and he recommended buspirone. I tried it for 2 weeks, and it helped me a lot, and I was happy, but when I stopped automatically, I was upset all the time. I got back on it, and I was happy again. Buspar has helped me a lot."

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

Buspirone "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."

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

Buspirone "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."

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

Buspirone "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

Buspirone "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."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2020

"Been on this medication for almost 2 weeks for GAD and panic disorder. The first couple days I experienced side effects like migraines and sharp stomach pains, but it was tolerable. After the first week, I found it was definitely helping with my anxiety levels and reducing my panic attacks, and the side effects from earlier had disappeared. Unfortunately, in week two, I found myself becoming very depressed and even having violent thoughts, and I believe the medication is causing it. Most likely, I will be switching to an SSRI from Prozac or Lexapro to see if that works better."

• RJa...
• July 20, 2018

"I am 40 years old and went through a divorce a couple of years ago. Soon after, I started getting severe panic attacks. I went to the hospital twice thinking they were heart attacks. The doctors informed me it was panic attacks and that I should take something for them. Well, I try to be a tough guy and just deal with it, but after the attacks increased and became more frequent, I gave in. The doctor prescribed buspirone. Initially, I didn't think it worked, but it turns out it takes a couple of weeks to get into your system. The big surprise was the increased sexual drive. The doctor did not inform me of that part. I started to think there was something wrong with me, then did research and found out it was a side effect. A very pleasant one. Long story short, my panic attacks are under control and my girlfriend is happy."

• Car...
• August 19, 2017

Buspirone "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."