[bradsgirl26]

Hello, I'm a 27 yr old female with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. I've had these conditions for several yrs now. I haven't really wanted to get treatment for them up until the last couple of yrs. I really didn't want to take any medication for any of them. I'm on pristiq for the mdd and buspar for the gad. The pristiq seems to be working great, but the buspar is not helping my gad issues at all. I'm so anxious, nervous, and agitated all of the time. I also go to therapy once a week as well. I'm tired of the conditions running my life. I just want to try and live a normal life. What should I do about the buspar not working? Should I contact my doctor? Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

[MaisieC]

Hi bradsgirl,

I've never taken Buspar myself, so I don't know how long it might take to start working (I also don't know how long you've been on these meds). But if you have been on the Buspar long enough for it to have kicked in, you should certainly call your doctor. (And if you don't know how long it takes to start working, you should ask your doctor about that.) There are lots of different approaches to treating anxiety, and if this one isn't working it might be time to try something else. Don't suffer in silence; ask your doctor for help!

Good luck, and please let us know how you do.

[itsmetoo2]

Yes, tell your doctor. It took me about two years to find the right medicine and I have been happy with the results for over 15 years.
There is hope,
Margaret

[Psyched]

Bradsgirl,
You should definitely let your doc know! It usually takes 2-4 weeks for Buspar to start working so if it's been longer than that, yes tell him/her! Patients have to be their own advocates and docs really appreciate it when patients work with them to find the right treatment. Trust me, your doc will be glad you are letting him know. Remember: docs can only help you when you let them know what's wrong; if you never let them know things are worse or better then they won't know. Good luck!

[bradsgirl26]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I have only been on buspar for about a week. I want to give it a chance, but my anxiety is getting the best of me. I'm to a point where I'm turning down things I enjoy doing and staying inside. I was on vistaril for about one mth for the anxiety and it just put me to sleep, so my doc put me on the buspar last week. She said we would try this before the benzo route. I was on valium and xanax very low dose about 5 yrs ago for my tension and anxiety about 5 yrs ago. I remember the valium working better and the xanax making me more agitated. I stopped taking the medicine because I moved from Louisiana back to Illinois and just never got a new doc for my conditions until last yr. Point being, I want to give the buspar a chance, it's just not helping me for my episodes (which are everyday) right now.

[MaisieC]

Originally Posted by bradsgirl26

Thanks everyone for your responses. I have only been on buspar for about a week. I want to give it a chance, but my anxiety is getting the best of me. I'm to a point where I'm turning down things I enjoy doing and staying inside. I was on vistaril for about one mth for the anxiety and it just put me to sleep, so my doc put me on the buspar last week. She said we would try this before the benzo route. I was on valium and xanax very low dose about 5 yrs ago for my tension and anxiety about 5 yrs ago. I remember the valium working better and the xanax making me more agitated. I stopped taking the medicine because I moved from Louisiana back to Illinois and just never got a new doc for my conditions until last yr. Point being, I want to give the buspar a chance, it's just not helping me for my episodes (which are everyday) right now.

That's a very tough situation, having to go through those episodes waiting to see if the medication is going to kick in. But it seems to me that you're doing the right thing, if Buspar needs 2-4 weeks to work. I know it's hard. I still think you should call your doctor and just talk to her about what's going on, how you're feeling, and what you can expect. Talking to your doctor might be reassuring, and it might help give you more strength for what you're going through. I always found that a good doctor can be a comfort, and being in touch makes you feel cared for, even if you're still having a hard time.

Your doctor sounds very conscientious if she's trying this route before benzos. You've been on benzos before, so you know that they can be complicated to deal with. Please hang in there, and do let us know what the doctor says.

Take good care!

[bradsgirl26]

Thank you for the response. I think I'm going to call my doc tomorrow morning and let her know how I'm feeling. 5 yrs ago, when I was on the benzos, it was only for 6 mths. I was lucky to have not went through any withdrawals from the medicince and was able to stop them altogether. I still had my conditions troubling me, but I just never went back to a doctor until last year.

[bradsgirl26]

Okay, quick question... Should I ask my doctor tomorrow morning for something to help my anxiety for a couple of weeks while the buspar kicks in? I'm seriously considering doing so, because of the extremity of the episodes. Thanks in advance!

[bradsgirl26]

Okay...I made the call to my doctor this morning. They won't get back to me until tomorrow which is fine! I told them the problems over the phone and they said they would try to get back to me, but they probably wouldn't get back to me until tomorrow. Ive started having headaches directly after taking my buspar. Has anyone had headaches while on buspar? Will they go away?

[MaisieC]

Glad you made the call, but it's too bad you couldn't talk to her today. If you don't hear from her by noon tomorrow, I think you should call again!

Not sure about the headaches. Anyone else here know about this drug?

Hang in there, and take care!

[bradsgirl26]

She called me back early this morning. She told me to take a vistaril with my buspar. I told her last week that the vistaril puts me to sleep and she told me only to take it at night then. I will give it a try. I haven't tried it with the vistaril yet, too scared it's going to knock me out. I will take one with my next buspar dose tonight and with tomorrow mornings dose. They scheduled me an appointment for next week, so I don't have to wait until the 18th. I'll just bear with my anxiety and the headaches till then. I'm hoping the vistaril will help and won't knock me out though.

[MaisieC]

Glad you got to talk with her and that she's going to see you soon. I hope the vistaril will help!

Take care!

[bradsgirl26]

I'm going to give the combo of the vistaril and buspar a try till I see her next week. Yes, I too hope they will help! Thanks alot!

[MaisieC]

How is it going? I hope the combination is giving you some relief. Please let us know how you're doing!

Take care.

[bradsgirl26]

It's not going so well. It's making me super drowsy as I expected! I couldn't help it at all, I took two 2hr naps today. It made me feel super droggy like on cold medicine, which is all vistaril really is. It's just like benadryl as my doctor said! At least I'm not having any anxiety issues while I'm sleeping! I can't go everyday like though. I'll just tell her about it next week.

[bradsgirl26]

I went to the doctor, well she is only a nurse practioner as I found out last thursday. She upped the dose on my buspar and vistaril to three times a day instead of trying something different. She also gave me a higher dosage in the vistaril, which just makes me drowsy as usual. When I take the vistaril, I just want to go to sleep and sleep forever it seems! She made me an appointment with the doctor on the 28th of this month in hopes of helping me more. Also, I started getting bad chest pains and weird heart palpiltations last monday. I told her about that and she just brushed it off as nothing but anxiety attacks. I'm still having the pains in my chest, but she told me to keep on taking the medicine till I see the doc. I'm scared it's a bad side effect of the buspar! I guess I'll just have to wait till the 28th and see what the doc says.

[melinda7.5]

Originally Posted by bradsgirl26

I went to the doctor, well she is only a nurse practioner as I found out last thursday. She upped the dose on my buspar and vistaril to three times a day instead of trying something different. She also gave me a higher dosage in the vistaril, which just makes me drowsy as usual. When I take the vistaril, I just want to go to sleep and sleep forever it seems! She made me an appointment with the doctor on the 28th of this month in hopes of helping me more. Also, I started getting bad chest pains and weird heart palpiltations last monday. I told her about that and she just brushed it off as nothing but anxiety attacks. I'm still having the pains in my chest, but she told me to keep on taking the medicine till I see the doc. I'm scared it's a bad side effect of the buspar! I guess I'll just have to wait till the 28th and see what the doc says.

Hi bradsgirl
When I used to have panic attacks my heart would have palpitations and I would have chest pain also...My best friend at the time also had panic attacks...we would actually laugh at each other because we would freak out so much...She would go to the ER...she thought she was having a heart attack...but it was just anxiety...
google anxiety and do some reading on it...it will calm your fears allot...
Have a good night...Melinda

[bradsgirl26]

Thanks Melinda. I have been telling myself it was just anxiety so I don't freak myself out even more. I believe it is, but was just scared it was a side effect of one of my medications. Thanks for replying.

[Jitterbug09]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum, but have been reading about Buspar for a few weeks here. I am on Buspar (2 x 15mg per day) and have been taking it for 3.5 weeks now. I do not feel that it is working. In fact, I feel worse than ever. The problem is that I have also been on Lorazepam for about 7 weeks as well and have had to "ween" myself off of it (was up to 4 pills per day), just took my last 1/2 pill today. I really felt great when taking the Lorazepam - slept great, felt fine, no anxiety, but how do you take a drug "as needed" when you "need" it every day??

My current problem is trying to figure out if coming off of the Lorazpem is making my anxiety go through the roof, or what...I am constantly uptight, agitated, an emotional wreck, and I can't sleep more than 4-5 hours straight, then wake up every 5-10 minutes for the rest of my sleeping period. Told my doctor and he gave me Ambien to help me sleep - it does not work either. I can fall asleep, but can't stay asleep for more than 4-5 hours. I am a real mess and just want to get back to "normal". Any ideas?

[Robert_325]

You're in benzo w/d from the lorazepam. Benzo w/d is a drag. If you take any benzo long enough you'll become dependent. Seven weeks is long enough. Not addicted, just dependent but you still feel it when you stop your dose.

Buspar is a pitiful excuse for a medication. It's borderline worthless. I would not waste my insurance co-pay filling a script personally.

The ambien should help with sleep. Just be cautious with the ambien if you haven't used it before. It makes me forget things when I take it, I try to stay away from it if possible.

You haven't been doing this for long. You should begin to feel better soon. Hang in there. Good luck and God bless.

[Jitterbug09]

Thank you so much for your reply, Robert. I had a feeling that Benzo WD was occuring as I think I came off too quickly. I am feeling much better today. I only took 1/2 of a 15mg Buspar this morning instead of a whole one. I agree that Buspar is worthless for someone with true anxiety. I also know that I can't seem to take any usefull drug "as needed". My doctor doesn't help by writing a prescription for any problem I have (got hooked on Norcos when I had a back problem)....Stupid me, when will I learn? A gentleman on another forum stated it perfectly - "if you abuse a drug, it will abuse you"...So true! I'm going to stop all meds to see if I can just get back to being "me". Thanks again!