Buspirone User Reviews & Ratings

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 6, 2025

Buspirone for Anxiety "Started at 5 mg for 10 days and then 10 mg for 12 days. The whole time I was on it, I felt quite ill. Nervousness, anxiety, and depression became worse, and I did not have one good moment. I couldn’t handle the side effects, and today I decided to stop cold turkey. So for me, it made me feel worse."

• Mea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2025

For Anxiety "I was prescribed 10 mg twice daily for GAD and panic disorder. Unfortunately, I had a terrible response to the drug almost immediately. My anxiety was significantly worsened, and I had severe insomnia. The first night I was awake until 3:00 am, then 5:00 am every night after that. I had to discontinue after five days out of concern for my safety."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 12, 2025

For Anxiety "I have been on 5 mg twice a day for about 6 weeks. I am having involuntary movements. I try to use my mouse at work and my hand shakes. I am driving and I can feel my toes moving in my shoes. I have constant muscle spasms from my toes to my mouth. My symptoms have been worse the longer I stay on it. I also have constant nausea (which I had before and that is the reason my doctor thought I had anxiety). Of course, I can't get into the doctor, so I will start to lower my dose. I can lay down without getting muscle twitches all over. I have tried a couple of others like Zoloft and was very angry after just 1 pill. I thought everyone was looking at me and I was very argumentative. I need to try something natural and not chemical."

• Jak...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2023

For Anxiety "Started for GAD. Worsened my paranoia, made me incredibly dizzy and exhausted constantly, all while making me unable to stay asleep at night. Took for two weeks before having a psychotic episode and quitting. Felt better within 48 hours. Not a good medication if you also experience depression, delusions, or psychosis."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "BuSpar is causing me to experience insomnia and nightmares. I have noticed no reduction in panic attacks."

• UA9...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "I wish it worked for me. I felt tired on any dose - from 5 mg to 60 mg/day. Just tiredness, nothing else. Still have anxiety, fears, running thoughts, avoid people, etc. This medicine is not for me."

• kei...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 30, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "BuSpar is one of the most dangerous drugs to ever be prescribed. This drug caused my body to lock up. It made me grind my teeth. It's like I was outside of my body doing weird things. I am still recovering from the residual effects, which include involuntary moments, repetitive moves, extrapyramidal moments, and fluid to the brain. Beware."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 24, 2023

For Anxiety "For me, buspirone made my heart pound so much, it felt like my anxiety was worse. It didn't help. Once I went off of it, I started feeling better."

• Jen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2023

For Anxiety "This medicine caused me to have tremors, increased anxiety, insomnia, and worsening depression with suicidal ideation. Never. Freaking. Again."

• mis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 13, 2023

For Anxiety "I was one of the ones where this one didn't work at all, and I am now working my way off slowly by 5 mg increments, and I am down to 5 mg three times a day. I have been removing drugs in an attempt to see which meds have been causing me to feel panicky and nervous. As I eliminated, I thought buspirone would be one of the easier ones to be rid of since it didn't work. Unfortunately, I removed an SSRI that hid the majority of issues with buspirone. I am now having panic attacks several times a day (each time I take them) and have entered mania several times, especially around my cycle. Going off them is supposed to be easy as they have a short half-life and should be out of your system in 2-3 days...but for me, I get really bad side effects even after weeks of dropping. I get brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, and depersonalization. I don't want to prevent someone from trying it as it does work for some, but just keep in mind what you may have to go through if you have to quit and taper."

• Sab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2023

For Panic Disorder "Absolutely horrible!! Only took this for 4 days, and I’m immediately stopping it. I was only prescribed 5 mg too. The first 2 days I didn’t feel anything, but the next days I felt horrible around 15 min after taking it. I felt extremely disassociated, stressed, and sad out of the blue. It led me to have an anxiety attack, which is crazy because it’s supposed to help with anxiety. I personally would not recommend this and would never take it ever again. I felt horrible, and I’m glad I’m finally feeling myself since I stopped it."

• afr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "Had a really bad existential crisis that led to a severe panic attack and landed me in the hospital. I was prescribed 15 mg daily of BuSpar. Upon leaving the hospital before taking my first dose, the panic had subsided already, and I felt perfectly fine but decided I should take the medication anyhow to prevent another attack. This made my anxiety fifty times worse. I would wake up five times a night in absolute panic, I couldn't leave the house at all for three weeks. It sent my mind into a spiral of overthinking, which caused crazy anxiety and depersonalization. I would finally calm myself down only to be unable to remember what I thought to calm myself down and re-panic. I legit felt like I was losing my mind. If you want to know what hell feels like, then take buspirone."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2023

Buspirone for Anxiety "Started slowly on BuSpar, 5 mg morning and 5 mg nights. After a few weeks, went to 10 mg morning and 10 mg a night. By the time I had increased to 20 mg a day, I wasn't sleeping much at all. My anxiety doubled. Tingling, tight chest, odd breathing, nausea, shaky, crying, and more. Ended up back at the doctor, with elevated blood pressure (never have had that), and all the other side effects, and he took me off it completely cold turkey. I could not recommend this. Also, during the 6 weeks I was on it, I didn't feel ANY relief whatsoever from my anxiety. Actually, I think it made it way worse. I was so hoping it would work, but not for me."

• SFr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2023

For Borderline Personality Disorder "The first couple of weeks, I dealt with foggy-headedness and fatigue after taking it. After two weeks, I began feeling agitated. This only got worse as PMS started. I was filled with so much panic, and everything was irritating me. I also felt lethargic and empty inside. I discontinued and started feeling better."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2023

For Anxiety "My doctor prescribed 5 mg to take as needed as I was physically feeling symptoms from anxiety for the first time ever. I had never taken an anxiety medicine or anything similar prior. The first time taking it, I was drowsy and rested a lot. The second and third time, I felt a bit more mellow. By the seventh and eighth time (within a two-week span), I had scary thoughts of, “I don’t want to end up in a psych hospital.” It was mentally depressing me and making me feel and think things that were untrue of myself, causing an even worse anxiety. I decided to stop taking that day, and for the next three days, I was dry heaving every day several times a day. It has created a deep fear in me of taking or trying anything more for my anxiety, as those thoughts were so terrifying to me. I didn’t like the way I felt at all."

• Sur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2022

For Anxiety "Unfortunately for me, buspirone messes with my blood pressure too much. Initially, I was put on Prozac and Buspar. My eyes were frequently bloodshot, and it felt strange looking in the mirror at them. I was so symptomatic back then that it's hard to tell how effective it was, but I was only on it for 2 months. This combination of drugs made me feel like I was on LSD. I was going through post-traumatic stress, and they were trying me on different things. Buspar was one of the meds I felt better when I quit taking it. I was on citalopram at the time also. I had a reaction from taking citalopram during this time. But citalopram was so effective I continued it regardless of the reaction. I discontinued Buspar. I'm not sure how effective it would have been if I would have continued it, but I didn't feel the need to, especially after I was switched to Paxil. The effect from those drugs was immediate, whereas I didn't feel any positive effects when starting Buspar, I only felt negative effects."

• Bus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2022

For Panic Disorder "I wanted to treat my general anxiety/panic disorder, and I had friends who took buspirone and considered it a mild drug. I’ve learned my lesson — this was the worst. My doctor prescribed me 10 mg (two 5 mg doses a day), and I started on just 5 mg at first. After a week, I felt okay, not better, not worse, so I upped it to 10 mg. That’s when things took a downturn. Never in my life could I relate to someone who experiences ADD/ADHD/mania until I took this drug. My brain was a stream of constant thoughts that didn’t connect to one another. I was literally buzzing around half-starting tasks and then getting distracted by another task. I was in a constant state of panic. I had the worst insomnia of my life. I couldn’t eat. My heart was racing. Once I stopped the med, my symptoms were gone. Doc wrote it down as an intolerance for me."

• 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."

• nat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2022

Buspirone for Anxiety "Second time trying BuSpar and it's still awful. My doctor is convinced I didn't give it a fair shot. This doctor didn't listen to what I said happened, only assumed. So here I am again, taking it 10 days straight and am having awful attacks. Taking one 15 mg tab every night before bed, still I couldn't fall asleep, it wired me. I am just stuck awake with worse anxiety than ever. I was told it 'would help with panic attacks, anxiety, and my sleep issues.' Instead, this makes my head feel like a balloon and makes my thoughts go into overload, resulting in more anxiety and panic attacks. I can't believe my doctor would make me try this crud again. I have called them explaining it's making me feel worse, and they say, 'got to give it time.' I just told them, look, I'm done. 10 days and previous trial. I don't want nasty side effects. You said call if I have issues, I did. I need a med that relieves panic attacks, not one increasing them!?' I'm going to find a real doctor or go to Mexico."

• Aug...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2022

Buspirone for Anxiety "Thirty minutes after taking a dose, BuSpar gave me brain zaps and tingling in my fingers. It was the same feeling one might have after going off the SNRI Effexor. BuSpar also upset my stomach. It made me feel dizzy, yet drowsy without the ability to sleep. Dosed at 5 mg twice a day. For me, there were no benefits to this medication whatsoever."

• Psl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2022

For Anxiety "Why do these doctors prescribe this garbage? Doctors have a whole list of medications that work instantly and work very well for anxiety and panic attacks. It's like treating a diabetic, instead of insulin, the doctor prescribes medication for stomach ulcers! What is going on with these doctors these days? Are they really that stupid? I guess they are, because that's exactly what they are doing. Someone is having a massive allergic reaction and is swelling up and can't breathe, and instead of using an EpiPen, they say, 'Here, take these pills for diarrhea.' What's next, treating cancer patients with Parkinson's disease medication? This medication does NOTHING FOR ANXIETY OR PANIC ATTACKS!"

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2022

"My side effects were that I developed numb wrists and ankles, had major muscle pain and weakness, neuropathy in my hands and feet, my nails changed colors, I had shriveled fingertips and got bruises covering my legs. I would not write this if it wasn't true. I am still traumatized, and the pain is still not gone after a year. I've gone through so many tests since I took it to determine what happened or what is wrong, and still nothing. I have no autoimmune markers or CRP, sed, had a complete heart workup, MRI and EEG, countless blood tests for everything. It had to be the drug, and it was about 2 hours after taking it that I first developed weakness. I took it a second time the next day, not knowing it could be the drug, that's when everything intensified. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone 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."

• BuS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2022

For Anxiety "I started taking buspirone for anxiety, and within a few days, started experiencing worse anxiety attacks, dark existential thoughts, and feelings of impending doom. I genuinely felt that the world was ending, and intrusive thoughts about death took over my mind. I would cry for hours, have panic attacks, and would wake up multiple times a night in extreme panic and fear. I stopped taking buspirone after a week and started taking lamotrigine. These feelings went away about three weeks after discontinuing the medicine. It has been two years since, and I have continued to have less anxiety with lamotrigine. However, I still fear that I will have the same awful experience when I take any new medications. I know lots of people have positive experiences on the medicine, so this review is not meant to scare you, but rather to share my experience with those who felt similarly on this medicine."

• Kas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2022

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "Absolutely trash. After 1 week, I started having a tremor on my left side. 3 days off and it still hasn't gone away."