My doctor just prescribed me buspirone 7.5mg (1 and 1/2 5mg pills) 2x daily, and Xanax .5 mg as needed (I can only tolerate about a quarter of one of the Xanax if I wish to stay awake.) I am very underweight, (which we are also working on) so medications, particularly psychiatric meds, tend to hit me very hard. What should I expect the first time I take this buspirone? I am at home w/ 4 small children, so I need to know if I'm going to be too exhausted to function or something! Considering taking a smaller dose and building up to that in a couple weeks. Any advice is appreciated, as I'm extremely nervous.
First time taking buspirone, what should I expect?
Question posted by Stayathomebomb on 8 Dec 2018
Last updated on 18 February 2019
Answers
Pic25
9 Dec 2018
Hi, I was also anxious to take this because I have 5 kids st home. It has done wonders for me really! I didn’t tolerate a few SSRI’s but the Buspirone did not have that effect on me. It actually started helping almost right away and at around 6-8 weeks I felt a lot better! I started out on 10mg 2x a day, then went to 10mg 3x a day and now I’m on 15 mg 3x a day. This has been good for me. I’ve been on it about 3 months. I also was having anxiety trying to fall asleep and I was prescribed Clonazepam. But I’m weaning off that. Although it helped me so much with my insomnia. Good luck to you! I know what it’s like to have anxiety and panic and have to take care of your littles!
Inactive
12 Dec 2018
Hi Pic: Great news! Thanks for sharing your personal experience here. We are here to support and help each other. No one else understands how debilitating anxiety can be except for another anxiety-laden person, like us folks here. I think you will find that buspirone will improve your sleep patterns. Good luck to you!
Inactive
8 Dec 2018
Hi: Since you are new to these medications, I think you should start them exactly as your doctor has prescribed. Buspirone should not make you sleepy, but if you feel out of sorts in any way, you could ask your doctor if you could start at a lower dose, like maybe 5mgs twice a day. You should start to notice improvement in the very first week, but it takes a few weeks to reach its full potential. Buspirone is a wonderful medication for treating anxiety for so many people. I am one of those people who does better at lower doses. Anxious people often worry about how a medication will work, causing someone to be even more anxious at first, at least that was my experience. But I've taken it successfully for over three years to keep my anxiety at bay. I think you will really like it...
Stayathomebomb
12 Dec 2018
Thank you for pointing out it was my anxiety getting in the way of me just starting the med and helping my anxiety lol. As silly as it sounds that made me go "Ok he's got a point, just take it." Lol. I also tend to do better with lower doses so I'm always afraid it's going to be too much. I didn't have any negative effects at all, and I have been taking 3 or 4 days now and already feel significantly better! Thanks again!
Inactive
12 Dec 2018
HI Stay: I was so happy to hear the great news! I know exactly how my anxiety can put me into a state of worry that a new med might cause me problems, and in the past, I have ruminated over this, but pushed through and took my medication... finally! It was the best thing that ever happened to me - it helped so much and minimized my rumination and loop thinking. Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. I am really happy that you have tried it after all! Yay!
Specht13
18 Feb 2019
I am in the same place. I have tried 4 different ssris and 1 snri. I have had bad experiences with all of them. Now I'm afraid to take the buspar. But I cant live like I am now either. Please Any words of encouragement? I take very small doses of klonopin but it makes me cry alot.
Related topics
post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, buspirone, prescription, stay awake
Further information
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.