Buspirone for Panic Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• lalaB
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 25, 2013

"I have been on alprazolam at a very low dose for three years as I cannot take any antidepressants for generalized anxiety disorder. I am weaning off of the alprazolam and adding the buspirone. It has been three weeks and I am having nothing but a positive journey. I have nothing bad to say about the alprazolam."

• Anonymous
• October 1, 2018

"Yes I started taking Buspar and I had so many side effects, bad taste in my mouth, dizziness, chest pains unable to make yes or no decisions, fever, unable to do daily tasks, so sick I can't even describe: vomiting, twitching, ears ringing high pitched. Now that I have to wean myself off of this medication that made me literally crazy in the head, where I'm talking to myself and swearing at people my head. I still can't get my head straight on this drug. It is a nightmare. You will be doing things putting soap and conditioner in the freezer, you can't think clearly, you go crazy out of your head. Whoever takes this you'll go nuts. Oh and you'll loose your appetite and won't eat for days and you're walking around talking yourself like one of the crazy people"

• LoveB...
• June 27, 2015

"Ok I've been having panic attacks since I was in middle school and I'm 29 now over time they have gotten worse..It feels like I'm dying and I can't do anything about it. I also freeze it one spot and have some type of seizure that I can move and I don't remember what happens. It's Very Scary!! So I was given xanax to help but it made it worse. When I turned 20 I was given 5mg 2x a day of buspar and it had me in a corner feeling miserable. I wish everyone the best of luck because living like this is hard. Currently my new Dr upped my dose to 15mg every 12hrs I'm not saying it's better but it has been helping. Only problem is I'm starting to feel dizzy when I first take it. Then sleepy. Also detached, alone. Only time will tell"

• AnnaB
• August 15, 2016

"Started to kick in after about 23 days, but no major side effects so yay! For the first week I took 5mg before going to sleep. But each day I would take it earlier. So day 1 @ 10pm, then 9pm, 8pm, and so on. Then on Day 8 I started taking 10mg daily (5mg in the morning and 5mg in the evening). Always with food! Be consistent. For the first ~5 days I would get sleepy about an hour after taking it, then this went away. For the first ~2 weeks my eyes would lag for about an hour after taking it. It's a weird feeling...like when you shift your eyes in different directions you can feel the muscle in your eye pulling. Kind of like it's strained and it takes effort to shift your eyes. This also went away."

• Vic
• October 4, 2019

"This is the 3rd day of taking Buspar. I was instructed to take 5 mg. 3X a day. The first one I took was ok for about 30 min......than the nausea hit, dizziness, severe ringing in my ears and no choice but to go to bed, and then nightmares. So far in 3 days I've only taken three of the 5 mg., and I'm no better. I've taken xanax for a severe panic disorder, 1 mg. 3X a day, and that's the only thing that's ever worked for me. I've been on every antidepressant with no results. I'm wondering if I will get better on the Buspar. Any feedback is certainly appreciated because I really would like to get off xanax, even though it's the only thing that relieves my panic attacks."

• SDGal
• June 8, 2010

BuSpar (buspirone) "I wish BuSpar was the solution I was looking for to help control panic attacks but it wasn't for me! After 10 years of taking Zoloft (an SSRI) which worked to help control panic attacks, I decided to consult my doctor to see if there was an alternative drug safe for pregnant or nursing mommas. He recommended BuSpar and I so wanted it to work but not only did my panic attacks come back in full force, but I also had muscle weakness and these weird "zaps" in my head/ears."

• Panic...
• March 19, 2012

BuSpar (buspirone) "I have had panic attacks for my whole life and tried every med possible. My doctor put me on Buspar to help with it. I took ONE pill in the morning and was supposed to take another at night. Throughout the day I couldn't walk, felt drunk, my eyes were burning, my pupils were twitching and my body was aching. I have a 1 year old and I couldn't take care of her that day. I had to call an on call doctor 4 times that night, call my psychologist, and I was told to skip my night time dose. I took my morning one when I woke up barely able to be coherent and went to my therapy appointment. He sent me straight to my doctor and they took me off it immediately."

• chica...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 11, 2013

"I was having heart issues of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter along with my other medicines. I was giving this to calm me down, when I went into atrial fibrillation or having anxiety, palpitations. It has made life better for me. Before this started I thought I was having panic attacks."

• Kate
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2019

"Absolutely useless medication. Started on buspirone 5 mg 2x daily and moved dose up to 20mg 2x daily for over a month. Absolutely no change in anxiety or anxiety symptoms. No side effects. Nothing. I feel like I was given a sugar pill."

• CaerR...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2013

"I was put on this after having a very bad panic attack that sent me to the hospital. I have been on it for about a month or so now at 15mg a day two times a day. I think the absolute worst thing for me is the "brain zaps" and the dizziness. Sometimes it feels like the Buspar isn't working and I have to take some ativan to calm me down- especially in public. However, the anxiety has decreased for me substantially when it comes to being home alone (which used to be a huge source of anxiety for me); now if I can just get rid of the dizziness and the brain zaps."

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

BuSpar (buspirone) "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."

• Rachel
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 27, 2022

"This drug ruined my life. I was on 15mg 3 times a day with lexapro 10mg for 5 years no problem. Then my dr wanted to up the buspar to 30mg twice a day. Wound up in the ER with serotonin syndrome which was misdiagnosed as a panic attack. They told me to take more ativan. I went back down to 15 mg and now it kept happening every time I take it. Rigid, stiff muscles, super high blood pressure severe confusion, insane intense fear, headache lasting for 4 hours every time I take it now. My doctor said he didn't know what to do and needed a week to reassess my situation. He upped my ativan again, which I didn't take because I didn't want to mask whatever was happening. After a week of not being able to function I called the pharmacist to see if there was a recall of buspar. She said no and asked my symptoms, I told her my symptoms and she says thats serotonin syndrome. So I call my doctor to let him know and he said yeah lexapro and buspar shouldn't be taken together. What!"

• M Im ...
• November 10, 2020

"Suffered first panic attack today. Went to doctor I was truly scared. Gave me Buspirone. After reading the reviews am now truly afraid to take this medication. Have never taken medicine such as these before. Thanks for your reviews"

• Jamrom
• March 7, 2015

BuSpar (buspirone) "I was on Buspirone with my Paxil. It worked well with the Paxil. However, it did not work at all by itself. I had to quit taking Paxil, due to an interaction with my seizure medicine. The Buspirone made me have anxiety, and everytime I took it, I felt like my brain was getting shocked with electricity."

• amma
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2023

BuSpar (buspirone) "I was just taking Buspar to treat my panic attacks 3 months ago as needed. I started taking it every day like 2 weeks ago. I get so mad at little things that I just disappear into myself. I don't talk, see, or move. I feel like I am living in a low-key manic episode. I don't know when I will break. I always feel it in me waiting to come out. It is exhausting. I take meds for most of the symptoms already. I don't think that this is helping. I would rather deal with the anxiety. The feeling of a person about to explode is too much. Not to mention my anxiety level has increased to the point that I am having back spasms, dropping stuff, and having neck stiffness. It is all too much. Going to make an appointment with my new doctor to see what she says. This is no way to live."

• Ellen...
• August 17, 2011

BuSpar (buspirone) "I used to take Paxil and I hated the side effects, and the withdrawal effects, like brain zaps. Because of this, I don't want to try another SSRI. So my doctor had me try Buspar. I was hopeful at first. I knew it affected serotonin, but without the withdrawal effects. Well. The first 5 mg dose I took brought on a gigantic round on brain zaps for 1.5 hours, the same kind that I'd had in Paxil withdrawal, but much worse. It was so bad that I could barely walk. Every time I moved my head or neck, I'd get a bunch of zaps in a row. Very disorienting. I gave it a week and a half to see if the zaps would dissipate, and they didn't. My doctor said to stop the Buspar because if the zaps haven't stopped by now, they probably won't."

• Mzago...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2023

"When I first started taking buspirone, I was having major panic disorder. I remember trying to balance hormones and didn't know where else to turn. My doctor prescribed buspirone along with fluoxetine, and it completely saved my life. I've been on it for over a year now. I take 15 mg in the morning with no food every day. The very first day I took it, I remember feeling so weird. I didn't know if I was mad at my husband or if I just needed him to hold me and squeeze me. And the answer was, I just needed to be held. On the first day, you don't know what to do. On the second day, I took it exactly the same way and did not feel how I did the very first day. My recommendation is to take it at home the first time when you have nowhere else to be. Other than that, I will try to stay on it for as long as I possibly can. I love it!"

• Buspar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2018

"I have had the worst experience when I took this drug. I don’t recommend anyone to take this drug. I started having disturbing images and dreams in my head when I was on it. I was only on half a pill at 7.5mg."

• Avens...
• February 12, 2016

"I started getting anxiety in 2012 and have avoided taking medication. I went to therapy and my symptoms stopped for a couple years, then they came back I went to Urgent Care because I couldn't breathe. Turns out I was hyperventilating. I didn't take any BusPar right away, but a year later I took half a pill when I had a panic attack. It calmed me down in less than an hour and I felt at ease. Since then I have taken it two or three more times, so I use it in emergencies only. Tonight I used it because I have hyperglycemia and anorexia problems, which trigger my panic attacks in the first place. I took half a pill 1.5 hours before my shift and felt "normal" 30 minutes later. It's a safe drug and non-addictive."

• Bhaskar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 5, 2016

"I just took 2 dosages 5mg .. in night and in morning. It has made tightness in chest as if I would collapse. Short to breath and so tight in head that I couldn't continue although that went away in about an hour both the times. I know it's effects come in long time.. but what I was feeling was unbearable."

• Macca
• November 4, 2019

"I recently had a head injury and suffered some brain trauma. I’ve never been depressed or had anxiety before but since my accident I suffer really badly now. The doctor gave me Amitriptyline to help me sleep but I still suffer anxiety during the day? I was asked if I would like to try an anti depressant? I declined so the doctor gave me buspirone to try. I took two 10 mg tablets before my usual dosage of Amitriptyline. Later that night I started freaking out no idea why? I felt like I was on a trip and I was going insane!! Eventually it calmed down after me making insane calls to my friends telling them I was loosing it! I haven’t taken a single pill since, I still take Amitriptyline for sleep but I’d rather be anxious than go through that night of insanity again"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 6, 2022

"This past weekend I was really petrified.. I was going thru one of my major bouts with anxiety, panic and wanting to simply die.. Although I take klonopin for sleep, I know it does not work for that particular episode.. I had a bottle of BuSpar 5mg and quickly took one.. I swear to you, I couldn’t believe what this pill did for me within a short period of time.. The fear and sound of my heartbeat were normal along with the intrusive thoughts that I could not control.. For me this is a drug ( and I’ve taken many ) that saved my life.. I suppose , however, our brains are wired, it’s worth a try to alleviate pain!!"

• Buspa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2022

"I wanted to treat my general anxiety / panic disorder and I had friends who took buspirone and considered it a mild drug. I’ve learned my lesson — this was the worst. My doctor prescribed me 10mg (two 5mg doses a day) and I started on just 5mg at first. After a week I felt ok, not better not worse, so I upped it to 10mg. That’s when things took a down turn. Never in my life could I relate to someone who experiences ADD / ADHD / mania until I took this drug. My brain was a stream of constant thoughts that didn’t connect to one another. I was literally buzzing around half-starting tasks and then getting distracted by another task. I was in a constant state of panic. I had the worst insomnia of my life. I couldn’t eat. My heart was racing. Once I stopped the med, my symptoms were gone. Doc wrote it down as an intolerance for me."

• Halle
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 20, 2023

BuSpar (buspirone) "I have been on this for almost a year and it helps but not enough. I am on 10 mg three times a day. It honestly helps for maybe an hour tops and then I feel the same again. I seriously hate having to take it three times a day. It really doesn't help that much either maybe if I was on a higher dosage it would. It also makes me feel tired and groggy sort of like I have taken Benadryl or something. I might as well just take dramamine or benadryl for the same exact effect. It's really not convenient having to take it three times a day either. I have severe anxiety and it just doesn't do it for me. However, if you have mild anxiety I think this might work great."

• CBI
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 24, 2021

BuSpar (buspirone) "Buspar holds a really special place in my heart. It was the first psych med I tried that worked for my anxiety and didn’t give horrendous side effects like all the antidepressants I tried. I took buspar for several months after my first bipolar depressive breakdown and it held me over while docs figured out my diagnosis and got me on mood stabilizers, which took many months. I was on the highest dose, split into 3 or 4x a day. The fact that it helped hold me over while I cycled through manic and depressive episodes says a lot. It started working almost immediately. It definitely was a bandaid medicine and I was still pretty rocky with my mood swings, but I’m grateful. It calmed me down and lifted the depression a bit. Only downside is that the effects wore off every 4 hours. I was able to stop taking it once my bipolar meds got figured out but if I ever hit a rough patch with anxiety I'd go back on it in a heart beat."