Buspar and Side Effects

[Beckyw]

I have been taking buspar (5mg 2x a day) for almost 2 weeks now and I seem to be having some side effects. I have been feeling tired (due to trouble sleeping) and having headaches as well. I am also having trouble sleeping. I know that it could take a while for this med to kick in but I am still worried about the side effects. Has anyone ever taken this med and is there any advice you can give me? Oh, and I am still having panic attacks, but they are not as bad and I am not having many as I had before.

[Beckyw]

She started me on such a low dose because I am sensative to meds. I don't take any meds unless i really have to. I believe that doctors tend to over medicate people when it is not needed and she knows this. The body has its own way of healing and medication just interupts that process (thats what I think). I chose Buspar because it is the mildest form of medication for this disorder (GAD) and I needed something to help me get trough this semester. I plan on stopping Buspar when I get a handle on my panic attacks. Thank you for your response.

[RubyWitch]

Hi Becky!
I've never taken BuSpar, but I'm certain there are many folks on the forum who have and hopefully they will wade in with some support for what you're going through. You say you are taking 5mg bid....the usual dose is 5mg tid, do you know why your doc started you out on a less frequent regime?
It takes anywhere from one to two weeks for BuSpar to reach it's therapeutic effect, so you're almost there. I would suggest you hang on for at least another week to see if some of these side effects begin to diminish.
We all worry about side effects and unfortunately, most of these kinds of meds come with a boat load! Insomnia and headaches are two of the most common with BuSpar, which you state you are experiencing. Unless they get increasingly severe and begin to disrupt your "ADL's" (activities of daily living) then I think you just have to wait them out. They should begin to ease up soon as your body begins to adjust to the medication.
You have said that even tho you are still having some panic attacks, they are less frequent and not as bad. Take this as a very positive sign that the med is working for you. If you still have concerns, then I urge you to contact your doctor and discuss this with him/her.

[Beckyw]

Thank you for responding. It does seem to be helping. I started having panic attacks about a month ago. They were so bad that I started missing class (college) and work. I am in A&P II and missing one day of class is like missing a month so I was really worried that I would fail. I started taking buspar 2 weeks after the attacks started and now I am able to sit in class, and the attacks are not as bad. I had one in the middle of my exam and still managed to make an A, so I am thinking that Buspar is working to some degree. I think I will stick with it for a while longer.

[mystruggle]

hey becky,

if the side effects are not that bad, then stick with it for another 2 weeks, it seems to be helping some.

most people claim buspar doesn't help them at all. so if it is helping let it help you. it's not a benzo and not an SSRI. if you found any good use for it, i'd stick with it and see what happens.