Buspirone and Dizziness: What Users Say

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• Vet...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 25, 2022

For Panic Disorder "Was prescribed this medication by the VA. I was on it for over a year. It made me feel dizzy and nauseated the entire time. The worst part of this was trying to get off of it. The withdrawal was severe, despite being tapered off of it. My brain felt like it was being electrocuted, I would get intermittent zaps for about 3 weeks after stopping the medication. My heart would race, I experienced sweating, couldn't sleep, and had terrible nightmares."

• Tee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 2, 2022

Buspirone for Anxiety "Horrible! I was started on 14 mg a day. At first, it was okay. I'm like I can work through the side effects. Then bam!!!! I felt weird one night. Like dizzy and like I couldn't sit up straight. I just wanted to lay in bed, but I was at work with a 20 min car ride home!!! So I drank lots of water, and I was able to function. On the drive home, it was rainy, and every puddle I hit I thought it was going to spin off the road. I got home then started worrying about rent so much. I almost cried. It was horrible!!! I have never had such a bad panic attack. It's the day after, and I still feel like I am having it, but not as bad. I had to take a hydroxyzine to help bring me down from it. My advice? Don't get too comfortable with it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2022

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started this drug at 10 mg TID after being on Wellbutrin for 2 years for anxiety and losing effectiveness. I felt fine the first two days, but on day three, I felt very nauseous, dizzy, loss of appetite, and just overall 'off.' On the fourth day, I had the worst panic attack I've ever had, and I haven't had a panic attack in over 5 years. I had full body tremors, palpitations, confusion/difficulty concentrating, unable to focus, photophobia for over 3 hours following the attack, and it happened again the next morning after I hadn't taken the drug in over 12 hours. I will never take this again."

• Rea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2022

For Anxiety "I do not recommend this drug! It did nothing but give me every dang side effect there was, and finally got so bad not being able to breathe and sleep that I had to go to the hospital. Also, this will leave a metallic taste in your mouth, and you won’t be able to taste your food the next day. This made me worse, not better. I am also sensitive to medication and have a drug history from my late teens. So the chemicals in my brain are unbalanced and my tolerance for meds isn’t high. This made my paranoia of taking medicine worse. It affects everyone differently. I was scared to take it and glad I did because now I know it’s not for me. Nausea, dizziness, tiredness, chest pressure, ear ringing, metallic taste, bad dreams (during small brief moments of sleep)."

• Mic...
• October 31, 2021

For Anxiety "I’ve been taking this medication for two months, and I haven’t seen progress, it has worsened my symptoms. I feel dizzy, nauseated, twitching all the time. This medication is not for me. I don’t even feel like myself, I feel like a zombie. I thought this medication was going to help me, but it made me worse. My anxiety, I even lost my hair."

• Mem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "My doctor gave me this on top of my Zoloft to help with increased anxiety. Pros: I’ve never slept so well in my life. Cons: After two days of taking it, I had horrible mood swings and intrusive thoughts. I was lightheaded and dizzy and had multiple panic attacks with heart palpitations and shortness of breath. I’d gladly keep my insomnia if it meant I didn’t have these horrific side effects."

• Dsm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "This was a mistake. Was prescribed this for mild anxiety. Took 10 mg a day for 17 days. The side effects were terrible! Dizziness, nausea, chest pain, increased heart rate, insomnia, fatigue, and more. Have been off 3 weeks and still struggling with withdrawal effects."

• G M...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2021

For Anxiety "Buspar was the first medication I've taken for anxiety. I stayed on it for a steady 4-5 weeks with no noticeable change at all. The only thing that it would do is make me dizzy within 5-10 minutes of ingesting it. Didn't help me for my anxiety, but hey, everybody's body is different. Just my experience with it. Doctor switched me to Sertraline, and I've been on that for 6 months with the best results I've ever had. Good luck to everyone."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "Oh no. I took 1 BuSpar today and will never ever take another one. Within 30 minutes, I was extremely dizzy and felt weird and out of my head. Felt like I was experiencing a bad trip. Never again."

• Gan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2021

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "Buspar is a complete waste of time. I took it for 3 months on all different sorts of doses, 5mg-15mg, and it did NOTHING to help my anxiety/panic. Complete placebo pill. What it did give me was tremors, dizziness, noise sensitivity, dissociation, and made me angry BEYOND belief. Waste of time. If you do want to try to try it, take it 2-3 hours before you actually have to go to work or accomplish something, because it makes you feel like rubbish for that long after you take your dose. Might have worked for some people, but definitely didn't for me."

• smh...
• June 21, 2021

For Anxiety "Took for antenatal anxiety. My OB said it was one of the least likely meds to give side effects. After trying to give it a go, the side effects have gotten out of control, and I can’t do it. I’ve been waking up with intense nightmares and been unable to fall back asleep, which isn’t helping my anxiety. My eyes have been itching nonstop since starting. The GI issues are terrible (nonstop nausea, burping, diarrhea, feeling dehydrated and unable to drink enough water). I’ve been insanely dizzy, exhausted, and foggy-headed to the point where I can’t get anything done or concentrate (also having ADHD, this is making it 10x worse). My chest keeps getting this weird pain shortly after I take it, I have ringing in my ears, and the headaches have been so severe I’ve had to take multiple headache pills every day. I also just feel really out of it and uncomfortable in my own skin. I do feel slightly happier from this medicine, but that slight pro is not worth all the cons."

• Wai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "This medicine has made me so sick, it's given me terrible vertigo for months. The side effects have not stopped until I stopped taking it: weight gain, a very upset stomach, terrible vertigo, and dizziness. I will never take this again, I'd rather have anxiety than this."

• Wai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "This medicine has made me so sick, it's given me terrible vertigo for months. The side effects have not stopped until I stopped taking it: weight gain, a very upset stomach, terrible vertigo, and dizziness. I will never take this again, I'd rather have anxiety than this."

• rod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2021

For Anxiety "Taken for generalized anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, this medicine wasn’t the one for me. Within 2-3 doses, it was very clear to me I was dissociating pretty badly. It was unsettling, and I felt as though people weren’t real or that I was living in a dream. On top of this, I had constant throbbing headaches and dizziness that never went away. I also had some dream disturbances, the dreams became so vivid I would wake up “hungover,” and some were scary enough I was scared to sleep. Many people would say, “you quit too early,” but enduring these side effects, particularly the dissociation, is not something I was prepared to do for a month. Good luck."

• Mil...
• April 28, 2021

For Panic Disorder "I’m a 40 YOF, 103 lbs. Was given this to take twice daily in replacement of 0.5 lorazepam for panic attacks. My lorazepam was a very low dosage and used maybe every couple of months. I used it the day after I had to drive in the metroplex, as that’s a trigger for me! The lorazepam calmed me back to my normal self. Buspirone was prescribed at 0.5 mg twice a day. I’m now on my third dose, haven’t slept, extremely snappy, angry, and jittery, like I have had far too much coffee! Extreme leg pain and dizziness along with diarrhea. Odd pain in my ears! Had to call in to work today due to complete lack of sleep! A terrible headache and a bit of confusion. Now I can explain being confused due to lack of sleep, please explain my desire to now organize everything in my home. I’m already a bit obsessed about organization, I like things in order. If this is the rubbish I will have to work through or deal with to possibly not have a panic attack, I’ll take the panic attack over this nightmare. I will NOT continue this med."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2021

For Panic Disorder "I am 28, female. I was prescribed buspirone for panic attacks and anxiety. The medication worked for about a month with the panic attacks, but once the panic attacks ended and I just had anxiety, this medication went downhill fast! I was experiencing major dizziness and extreme dark thoughts. I would wake up at 2 or 3 AM in pure fright over my thoughts. I called my doctor, and she told me to stop taking the medication. She switched me to Lexapro 5 mg, and I can honestly say 2 to 4 days after getting off of buspirone, the dark horror thoughts went away, and I was able to sleep again. I feel so much better on the Lexapro."

• Kel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2021

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "Wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy. Just wanted to share that I had the worst panic attacks of my life on this medicine. I would shake uncontrollably at random times, get extremely dizzy, and feel brain zaps throughout the day. I was on 5 mg, and this medicine had this much effect on me. Made me extremely depressed, and my doctor didn't even know it was the medicine that was causing these side effects. Please be careful when taking this medicine, it can be very dangerous."

• gam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2021

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "This is medical torture in capsule form. It does not treat panic disorder and chemically isn’t intended to. Had more panic attacks since starting the BuSpar than I did in order to get a prescription for it. The dizziness when you take it could be bearable if it was helpful, but I’ve also had two grand mal seizures since starting, even after almost two months entirely seizure-free before this. Truly miserable."

• Fru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 14, 2021

For Panic Disorder "Was given this to try, despite voicing that I didn’t do well with antihistamines. Gave it a try and had the worst reaction of anything I’ve tried. Sweating, warm body flushes, itchy head, racing heart, paranoia, anxiety, and a nightmare. NP said it would only cause dizziness, but as you can tell by the low rating, that’s not the only side effect. Really bummed this didn’t work, but I know that everyone is different. I was told to take 5 mg 2x a day but only took it 1 time and then threw it away. Not for me!"

• Jon...
• February 7, 2020

For Anxiety "Buspar worked great for about two weeks. Now I feel very spaced out, irritable. I kept having muscle spasms and panic attacks from it. My anxiety got way worse, and mentally and physically I feel awful from this. I didn't take any today and felt 20 times better, although I still have a very weird body high from it. It is making me feel really nauseous, lightheaded, dizzy, made me paranoid, and made my PTSD way worse. I'll never take this stuff again. I just want to feel halfway normal again."

• sun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2020

For Anxiety "I have anxiety to the point where I get chest pain and I can black out. When I went to my last doctor appointment, he was rather shocked and worried that my heart rate was so rapid. I do have other health concerns and issues, however, he agreed that the cause of my increased heart rate was my anxiety. So, in searching for the right preventative medication to calm my heart and mind, we started with buspirone. First off, I tried to take as little as possible, and I STILL got so lightheaded that I had to lie down. I couldn’t see straight. It did absolutely nothing for my anxiety. In fact, it made me basically ADHD and couldn’t sit still or be calm because of how dizzy I was. Everyone is different, but I honestly can say this drug is so not worth it."

• car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2019

For Anxiety "I have acute panic anxiety disorder, which is genetically passed down on my mom's side. I was just started on this med recently at bedtime. (Due to the concern of being on the Xanax and Klonopin that had helped me control my anxiety and lead a normal life.) My anxiety at night is heightened, my heart races, dizziness, and a constant ringing in my ears has started. My doctor prescribed this, telling me it would just make me sleepy. Well, she was wrong, instead, my heart is beating so fast, and I don't want to get up because I'm dizzy, and when I wake up, the ringing is still there. It's driving me crazy, it won't go away. For me, this isn't the med, side effects are too much."