Buspirone and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 2)

• CKa...
• August 8, 2019

For Anxiety "Was on a low dose of 5 mg of buspirone twice a day, then increased to 10 mg, I never actually took the 10 mg because my side effects were too bad. First of all, it did nothing for the anxiety, but it did make me more moody and irritable (probably because it made me feel so crappy). Had vivid, terrible lucid dreams at first, but that went away after a week. I had a constant headache that didn't go away, was more tired, very dizzy, nauseous, yet had cravings, had to pee all the time, hot flashes and sweating, insomnia, also felt achy. Doctor wants to prescribe this instead of benzos, but I don't have any of those side effects with benzos, and they actually do something for the anxiety!"

• Mix...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2023

For Anxiety "Buspirone did a good job of controlling my anxiety. I started taking it when I started a new job because I get stress-related anxiety, which results in stomach issues and a lot of procrastination and worrying. The medication eliminated my stomach issues, and I was able to navigate my day much more effectively. However, I did not sleep more than two hours a night. I love that it makes work easier, and I didn't dwell on my job when the workday was done, but I'm struggling with my decision to keep taking buspirone or not."

• Try...
• January 2, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started buspirone 1.5 years ago for GAD. I took myself off of buspirone. My attacks started again 3 months ago. My doctor put me back on buspirone. It started with not sleeping through the night and then heart rates of 111-148 beats per minute. My anxiety and attacks are worse than ever now. I stopped taking buspirone this time for good. I experienced bad dreams almost every night or weird vivid dreams. I thought it was the Ambien, but I haven’t taken Ambien in 2 weeks because I was trying to see which medicine was affecting me the most. When I took Ambien, it was PRN 2-3 times per week on nights that I knew would be difficult. I’ve researched buspirone, and surprisingly, there is nothing out there that talks about why the brand name BuSpar was discontinued, and there is little info about buspirone. Nonetheless, the side effects reported are sleep latency, sleep disturbances, heart palpitations, confusion, etc."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2010

Buspirone for Anxiety "I take this medicine, 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg at night. When I first started it, I had trouble sleeping. I felt like my legs couldn't sit still, and I had tingly fingers, and I would get dizzy. I've been on it for about 5 months, and I still get dizzy after each dose, sometimes I need to lay down. But it has helped tremendously with my anxiety, I can go out and have fun without having the constant worry in my head. Before being on any kind of medicine, I used to throw up and shake a lot from my anxiety attacks. Now it's all gone, and I can live a normal life. I am also on 100 mg of Pristiq and 0.25 mg of Xanax (as needed). I recommend this medicine for anyone who has an anxiety disorder, but just be aware of the dizziness."

• Mea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "Side effects were insomnia, not hungry, lightheaded, and vivid, horrible dreams. Took 5 mg BuSpar in the morning and at night. Never take this med. I was on for 3 weeks and now off for 2 weeks, and I am still feeling the side effects. Still uneasy about leaving my home because of side effects."

• Gra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "For a few weeks, I’ve been dealing with really bothersome anxiety attacks that happen in all sorts of situations. Everything in my life sort of just stacked up and overwhelmed me. I have all sorts of tools I’ve learned from psychotherapy, but I was still getting overwhelmed. This is topped off with sleep problems and related worrying. After a single pill, the difference is significant. It feels like someone turned the volume down on my physical symptoms. The racing, unhelpful thoughts are still there, but I’m much more easily able to redirect them or use meditation to pull myself back to the present moment. Hopefully, this anxiety subsides once I sort things out and I can eventually wean off. For now, BuSpar seems like it’s going to be really helpful."

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

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "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."

• Cyn...
• July 22, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started taking this medication last Monday and was only on it for 4 days before I had to quit. I had so many of the different side effects of this drug, like lack of appetite, stomach upset, extremely worse anxiety than I had before I started, and extreme drowsiness during the day, but insomnia at night. It was an absolute nightmare for me, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work for someone else."

• Ton...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2022

For Panic Disorder "Garbage! The worst medication ever, doesn’t work at all, gives me migraines, restlessness, trouble staying asleep, my glands are swollen and hurting. Shaking as well. Wouldn’t recommend this for anyone, seriously, take anything but this garbage. I was taking Klonopin 1 mg extended release for decades and never had any issues and slept amazingly. I’ve been taking buspirone 15 mg twice a day for about 45 days, and I really want to stop taking buspirone and go back to Klonopin because this is making me go crazy, worrying a lot, and the panic attacks are high. I believe these doctors are creating mental health issues by switching our meds, so be careful. Definitely going back to Klonopin 1 mg, 2 a day…hopefully today I can switch back to Klonopin because honestly, it is hard to live this way and the sad part is, the therapist doesn’t even care. Also, I haven’t slept in 2 days."

• Kin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 17, 2020

Buspirone for Anxiety "After reading all the negative reviews, I feel relieved to know I'm not alone. A few days ago was the three-month mark of when I started BuSpar for anxiety. I've been on Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and prescribed Lexapro, and that was a big no (I didn't even take it after reading reviews). All SSRIs affected my mind in weird ways, and I never knew if my feelings were my own or from the drugs. I stopped everything except Xanax, as it works miracles. However, it's hard to get a hold of Xanax anymore. I started BuSpar, and the last three months I have not slept once unless I had a drink or smoked. I would not even sleep for 10 minutes on days on end. My anxiety was worse, barely felt any emotions, had no motivation for anything, and was always tired with a foggy mind (feeling of not being present). I just stopped cold turkey, so I'm hoping BuSpar was the cause and things go back to normal. I recommend finding a psychiatrist who will prescribe Xanax."

• Iro...
• June 29, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "This medication did not work for my anxiety. BuSpar actually allowed my anxiety to increase with severe insomnia and vivid dreams. It also caused severe stomach and intestinal problems. I also experienced dizziness, irritability, and incoordination. There are other symptoms from BuSpar, these are the main ones that caused me to stop taking the drug."

• Chr...
• September 18, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "Took buspirone for 2 days. It definitely helped me stay calm, but made me drowsy during the day and gave me the worst insomnia I've ever experienced at night. I know trialing it 2 days is nothing for a med, but I have a family and a demanding job where I cannot afford to not get at least a couple hours of sleep a day. The severe insomnia alone is enough for me to stop taking it. I also got insomnia from the two antidepressants I took (generic Paxil and Zoloft), so I am very sensitive to meds. I will say this though, it did seem to keep my calm and better able to focus. It works in those terms. I would recommend anyone who hasn't had success using antidepressants to try buspar/buspirone for anxiety. It just might be your golden ticket."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2015

Buspirone for Anxiety "Have been on a few SSRIs (Paxil, Lexapro, and Zoloft). Zoloft pulled me out of a dark hole of severe anxiety and insomnia and kept my head above water for about a year, but I never felt great on it, just able to cope with life plus I still needed Ativan for sleep, which I didn't like, but it helped. Decided to try BuSpar. Was fairly easy to get on, minimal side effects, a lot of brain zaps, though. Mood improved after about 2 weeks for about a week, then it just stopped working and anxiety came back hard. Also, I had bad insomnia the whole time on it, even before, but this didn't help in any way. Had pretty disturbing nightmares when I did sleep. Insomnia and decline in mood forced me to get off. Took it for a month. Was at 30 mg 3 x day."

• PTS...
• March 27, 2018

Buspirone for Anxiety "Makes my anxiety tremendously worse, even after months of use! Don't believe the fake big pharma comments. This is not a replacement for any benzo, in any way! It is only 'known' to be 'effective' in general anxiety disorder. After my switch, I couldn't sleep for a week, dehydrated, thought I was going to die, so then they gave me Zoloft in conjunction with the BuSpar that I was already on for 2 months! The Zoloft made it even worse, I am surprised to be alive and writing this today."

• Bus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2019

For Anxiety "I’ve been taking Buspar for nearly 4 weeks now, and I will admit that my fear and anxiety towards certain situations have gotten a lot better. However, the other side effects were not worth continuing the medications. Trouble sleeping - insomnia, constant headaches especially when waking up, pain in head when sneezing, coughing, or “pushing,” moments of extreme crying for no reason, getting sick after eating (although could be contributed to my diabetes), spacing out, slurred speech, sudden vaginal bleeding (haven’t had a period for months), body tremors. I have decided to stop using this medication on behalf of everything else being affected by it."

• hoo...
• October 20, 2020

For Anxiety "A year ago, my doctor prescribed buspirone along with doxepin to treat my insomnia, which suddenly developed, and she thought might be stress-related. I was taking 7.5 mg 2x a day. My new doctor told me to discontinue the doxepin and cut buspirone back to one a day. My insomnia is worse. I fall asleep fine but wake in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep. I'm also taking 5 mg melatonin, which helps. On a message board, I found similar comments on buspirone causing insomnia. I've talked to pharmacists and get conflicting views over whether or not the buspirone is causing this or whether the insomnia is a sign of discontinuation effect. The label says not to discontinue without doctor supervision, but the doctor who originally prescribed is retired, as I mentioned. I'm weaning myself off and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. As I said, I was not prescribed this for anxiety primarily, but with the idea that a bit of anxiety was affecting my sleep."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2019

For Anxiety "Took buspar for 6 days at 5 mg three times a day. I stopped taking it because it made me feel 4x worse. The medication made me feel suicidal, dizzy, light-headed, it ruined my appetite, gave me insomnia, and hallucinations. 7 weeks later I’m still feeling some of these symptoms! This medication has ruined my life, stay away."

• Vet...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 25, 2022

For Panic Disorder "Was prescribed this medication by the VA. I was on it for over a year. It made me feel dizzy and nauseated the entire time. The worst part of this was trying to get off of it. The withdrawal was severe, despite being tapered off of it. My brain felt like it was being electrocuted, I would get intermittent zaps for about 3 weeks after stopping the medication. My heart would race, I experienced sweating, couldn't sleep, and had terrible nightmares."

• npb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "Started BuSpar at 5 mg a month ago for GAD and mood swings. I have been feeling much better since starting. For the first two weeks, I suffered from terrible insomnia and vivid dreams. I decided to add XR 3 mg of melatonin daily at night to combat this. By week 3, I was sleeping without difficulty. I do have occasional dizziness, but nothing too intense that would make me choose to stop it. I feel now that after 4 weeks, I can consider increasing the dose to 10 mg daily since lately my anxiety has been increasing again. I would recommend giving it a try for at least 4 weeks. It has a low-risk profile compared to other medications. Find what works best for you!"

• Her...
• December 31, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "I'm a 32-year-old male, and I've been taking BuSpar for about 10 months. At first, it did nothing but make my anxiety worse. I would wake up with full-blown panic attacks and have the worst nightmares ever. However, I'm now taking 40 mg of citalopram a day mixed with the BuSpar 15 mg and 1 mg of Xanax twice a day. And Xanax! I have insomnia mixed with deep anxiety issues. The problem that I have is the BuSpar makes me so fat! I'm literally considering stopping taking it and just see if the other meds can help. BuSpar alone is no substitution for an anxiety drug and wouldn't recommend it..."

• Anx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2013

For Anxiety "Was diagnosed recently with generalized anxiety disorder. It has manifested itself differently through the years...mostly irritable bowel syndrome. My symptoms now being terrible brain fog and jitters. Went through numerous blood tests, stress tests, etc...and came to this 'anxiety' conclusion. I decided to try Buspar, as my mom had been on it off and on and had good results. I was worried about weight gain mostly, and this one was touted as not having this effect. After 2 weeks into the medicine, taking 15 mg/day, I feel pretty good! Starting to feel back to my old self again. The first couple of days were a little weird, felt more anxious than ever but tried to keep busy, and it passed. A little trouble sleeping at night but take melatonin to help for now."

• Jud...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 15, 2022

For Anxiety "I was experiencing tremendous anxiety attacks, panic attacks, social anxiety. I was put on buspirone. Started at 5 mg twice a day. It got increased up to 10.5 mg twice a day before I experienced any relief. I had been on it for quite some time. It now is no longer helping me. I'm back to feeling the way I was - some social anxiety, fear, insomnia. Evidently, it's played out its usefulness. I can say right now I do not recommend it."

• I A...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2016

For Panic Disorder "I had tried about 20 different psychiatric medications before Buspar, all of which were, at best, minimally effective. Buspar has been the one medicine that has made a positive change. I feel alive again. I am not in such a dark place anymore, and my panic has gotten better. Although I still have a bit of anxiety, it feels much more manageable. And I have only had to take 5 mg twice daily! It has given me a little bit of insomnia, but it is well worth it."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2015

For Anxiety "I've been taking it for about 6 weeks now. We started with 5 mg 3 times a day then went up to 20 mg 3 times a day. I have so many different stressors in my life, I was having episodes that would last a couple of days at a time. Strange behavior, feeling really strange, couldn't concentrate or finish tasks, etc. So my Dr. started me on Effexor at first. It had terrible sexual side effects, so we went with buspirone. I haven't had any of those spells since I've been on it. I think my 3rd dose needs to be taken with dinner, for the past couple of weeks, I've been taking it at bedtime, and I think it's adding to my insomnia. Overall, it's been good."

• Suz...
• November 28, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "Taking 15 mgs twice a day caused insomnia for 1 week, now I have broken sleep, only 2-3 hrs a night, with hypnic jerking that jars me out of even falling asleep. I cut down to 7.5 mg twice a day, so we will see how that works."