can Buspar help ease beginning Zoloft anxiety?

[SaySomething]

I have depression & anxiety, and last week I started a Zoloft prescription---5 days at 25mg, and 50mg for 3 days now.  It's been giving me that panicky/anxious feeling that makes it hard to concentrate on anything, which seems to be common for people struggling through the beginning stages of an SSRI like Zoloft.

I also have a left-over bottle of Buspar (10mg, as needed) which I was previously prescribed for anxiety, and which generally worked when taken alone.  I stopped taking it when I realized it was interacting with my marijuana habit to make me more nervous.  But a couple months ago I stopped smoking marijuana, and that's when depression came to the forefront ahead of the anxiety.  Now that I've started taking the Zoloft, anxiety has nudged its way back ahead of the depression over the past several days.  What fun! :)

So my question is, does anyone have experience with taking Buspar in addition to Zoloft to help with anxiety, at least for the beginning stages of getting used to Zoloft?  I'll ask my doctor as well when I get a chance, but I just wanted to hear from people who have 1st-hand experience.

Will Buspar disrupt the Zoloft's effects, or could it be effective to help take the anxious edge off the Zoloft?  Should I wait until I'm further into my Zoloft regimen before trying to add Buspar to the mix?   Could it actually increase the anxiety, like Buspar seems to do with marijuana?  

I see there's the potential for Seratonin Syndrome, but I also see many people online saying they take both medications, even at higher dosages than the ones I've been prescribed, so I'm thinking it's safe, but not sure.   Any help & advice is appreciated!

[Paxiled]

I don't think the pot gave you the anxiety disorder -- at least that's my opinion.  You'll find a ton of people have posted on here who got their first anxiety experience while stoned, and you can count me on that list as well.  I think we were prone to the anxiety and the pot brought it out as we got older when this stuff usually breaks out.  But that's just my theory.

[SaySomething]

Yes, I think the marijuana was increasing my anxiety, but I used it so often that it sort of gradually built over the years without me really realizing it.  When I wouldn't smoke for a few days, I would crave the marijuana and the Buspar seemed to help calm me.  But then when I would smoke and take Buspar in the same day, the anxiety was more acute & panicky.  So it made me wonder if Buspar might react to the Zoloft in the same way, but Buspar does seem to be prescribed in conjunction with SSRIs, so maybe it will do the trick.

I'm hesitant to try a benzo like Ativan, due to its addictive potential and possible "rebound anxiety."

I'm just hoping that the anxiety from the Zoloft tapers off as my body adjusts to it, because that's one of the reasons I'm taking it, of course!  Seems so counter-intuitive that it increases a symptom that you're wanting it to decrease!  Part of me wonders if I gave myself a worse panic disorder from years of smoking pot, but I think this might be a sort of depressive/anxious/OCD over-thinking that hopefully the Zoloft will eventually help.

[Paxiled]

I don't think you have anything to fear from serotonin syndrome.  That's extremely rare and the two drugs are commonly prescribed together.  It's also much more likely marijuana brought the anxiety out of you then the buspar brought it out of you -- this is really common with marijuana.  I'd check with your psychiatrist, but the fact is, buspar worked for you (and it hardly works for anyone, so that's something), and it's only recognized use now is in conjunction with an antidepressant, so why not try it (after checking with your psychiatrist, of course).  The only reason I can see is that you might not know if the Zoloft stopped having this effect on you until you stop the buspar, assuming the buspar works, and by then it will be harder to stop taking the Zoloft, but it's a safer alternative generally to using a benzo for this purpose.

[LRon]

I can tell you that Ativan is commonly used for the purpose you describe (helping cope with increased anxiety while adjusting to an SSRI. I wouldn't try Buspar without getting the OK from your doc first.