Buspirone and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Jos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was prescribed this drug for anxiety. I took it home and managed to take it for 2 days but immediately noticed severe insomnia that after two days made me stop taking it. On top of the inability to sleep despite feeling tired, I had absolutely zero appetite. In the little over 48 hours, I had only managed to eat a handful of cherries. However, when I was on the drug, I did notice less irritability and increased fatigue, which I attributed to not sleeping or eating."

• Why...
• January 16, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started BuSpar because I was having anxiety with the horrendous pain from gallbladder attacks. I started out at 7.5 for three days and then was supposed to advance to 15 mg. During the week of starting this, I had to have an emergency surgery for my gallbladder. When I was finally able to take this consistently, I found that I suffered from insomnia, felt restless and nervous, dizzy, and downright horrible. I have taken it less than a week, and I have an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow. If I stop taking this, will I have withdrawal symptoms? Or should I do this gradually? My gallbladder symptoms are gone, and my body feels great after the surgery. Any suggestions?"

• Jee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2021

For Anxiety "First, I want to mention that this drug can take from 4 to 6 weeks to have a full effect. With that said, any side effect you may have in the beginning will more than likely disappear or minimize. I have been on it for almost 1 month. The only side effect was a little trouble sleeping for a few days. I started with 5 mg once a day, then moved up to 10 mg a day (5 mg twice a day). This medication has definitely changed my life for the better. It took away my foggy head feeling, my constant, ruminating thoughts, and the stress I felt just driving. I have Hashimoto's/Hypothyroidism. I also have PTSD and CPTSD. This medication has helped me tremendously. I knew I wasn't depressed, so I didn't want to take an SSRI. This is exactly the type of medication that I truly needed to actually start to heal. I know some people get a foggy head, dizziness, or fatigue when first starting. These all should go away as your body just gets used to the medication."

• cas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2022

For Anxiety "Be careful before starting this medication. I have learned this the hard way by not doing my research before starting a new med. This medication is powerful and has terrible side effects that I am still dealing with while trying to wean off of it. Mood swings, severe panic, depression, intrusive thoughts, trouble sleeping, disassociation, and hopelessness. I was put on 60 mg when I started having severe panic that would not go away, and it lasted for weeks before I decided to start weaning myself off of it, and I am still working to get off. Do yourself a favor and do your research before starting with this drug, it's not as innocent as it may seem."

• 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."

• Ano...
• July 30, 2021

For Anxiety "I've been on Buspirone for 3 months for generalized anxiety, and it works well. I'm one of those people who get insomnia from it, probably because I struggle with insomnia anyway. As a result, my psychiatrist now has me taking a single 15 mg dose in the morning only. I feel it kick in about 40 mins after taking it. I start to feel more awake, and I get a 'zap' through my body like very mild dizziness. I have no side effects whatsoever (no more insomnia with morning dosing). My usual racing thoughts, ruminations, and fast heartbeat have quieted down. This is a 'gentle' drug. It takes weeks to build up in your system, though I started to feel calmer in week one. If you're looking for instant relief in a crisis, then this probably won't work because it's not a benzo. I'm also on Mirtazapine 45 mg at night for anxious depression, and that helped a lot with my insomnia. But we added Buspirone because I still had some lingering anxiety on the Mirtazapine alone."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2015

For Anxiety "Was on this for about a month. Went from 5 mg 3 x a day to 30 mg 3 x a day. Saw improvement after about 2 weeks for about 5 days, then anxiety came back strong. Always had sleep issues, but this medication definitely exacerbated them. I had to get off as it was giving me no benefit and my sleep was only getting worse. Also had pretty bad brain zaps the whole time, but probably because I increased the dosage every 5 to 6 days. I also have treatment-resistant anxiety/depression (tried Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Fetzima, and Pristiq. Zoloft helped me mostly, all others didn't work or made me worse), so this might work for others but did not help me."

• Mia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2016

For Anxiety "This is scary. Doctor put me on this 3 weeks ago. Made my depression horrible. I'm extremely mean to my 2-year-old. I have passed out twice, one of which I crashed my car in a field! I have dry mouth, dizziness, shaking, my body will jerk. I have a rash on my neck, constipation, insomnia. I'm exhausted but just can't sleep. And that's all I want is to sleep!!! And I've probably eaten a handful of pretzels in the last week. I feel so sick all the time :( and I'm on a low dose!"

• pra...
• April 13, 2011

Buspirone for Anxiety "Take 30 mg/day, helped mildly with my GAD. Did nothing for my social anxiety. I continue to take it because it has no side effects and am told it will help with anxiety I may get from taking Wellbutrin. I have to take Xanax or Clonazepam regularly when having moderate/severe anxiety. Only side effects experienced in the first few days were dizziness and insomnia. I was able to increase my dose within 2 weeks. I am considering increasing my dose of BuSpar to see if I just need a higher dose to feel a stronger effect."

• Wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "I always have a lot of anxiety, and was optimistic about BuSpar. Lately, I've been taking 10 mg 4 times a day (as well as Ativan and Seroquel to help the insomnia), and I feel depressed and no less anxious. Last night, I dreamt that one of my cats fainted. I'll be talking with my doctor about getting me off this. I feel no benefit whatsoever."

• DG7...
• March 30, 2016

For Anxiety "I really wanted this to work! Buspar (5 mg twice daily) was added to my Wellbutrin to help with anxiety. Immediately noticed mild insomnia, incredibly vivid and intense dreams when I could sleep. Daily diarrhea, bloating, and bouts of vertigo. I made it 4 weeks without improvement in side effects and was forced to discontinue."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2016

For Anxiety "I am on 5 mg of Buspar 2x a day to start, and I hate it! I feel very nervous, jittery, and wired, like I drank a bunch of coffee. My ears are ringing... actually, it feels like my whole head is buzzing. My throat and skin hurt. I told my doctor this made me feel this way in the past, but she didn't care. I feel worse like this than I do when I have constant panic attacks. I am also on 30 mg Remeron. I can't sleep for more than 3 hours, and I can't eat. I am 5'7'' and under 100 lbs. I have tried Trazodone and ended up in the hospital. I can't handle these drugs. I am going through hell right now because of a life stressor, and I know the doctors are only trying to help, but these drugs are bad for me!"

• Viv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2019

For Anxiety "I would warn you to be very wary of this drug. Started as a way of being able to control anxiety and depression, and so I could lower my dosage of diazepam. It made everything worse. This was at the lowest dose. Insomnia, nausea, groggy, tired. Only tried this as the SNRI did not work either. Use this at your peril."

• Car...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "I get things done on this med and don’t need Ritalin. It’s amazing how many “side projects” were getting completed! I also was more social. I stopped BuSpar due to it making my sleep problems even worse, and I could not afford that. I picked it up 1 1/2 years later, and it made me really angry and down, and sleep problems picked up again. I’m going through menopause, so I suspect that has something to do with the negative moods, so I’ve decided to set it aside again and hope I can find something else to get me through. I did like my productivity on this med though!"

• mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2022

For Anxiety "I've been taking Buspar for a month now, and it's helped me so much. The first couple of weeks, I felt awful. I had brain zaps and anxiety, was pretty foggy-headed, and had some bad insomnia. I'm so glad I stuck with it, though, as it is helping me so much with my anxiety. All the little things that caused anxiety before don't bother me nearly as much anymore. I started out taking 10 mg 2x daily, but I needed it to be in my system longer during the day, so I started taking 5 mg 3x daily, and that did the trick. I'm still struggling somewhat and unable to drive yet, so my doctor raised my dose to 7.5 mg 3x daily. Taking buspirone, along with talking to my counselor, really helps me. The only persistent problem I'm having is a bit of insomnia. It's gradually getting better. This is why I'm giving this med a 9/10. Otherwise, I'm very happy with buspirone."

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2020

"Seemed to help calm my tremors a bit, but causes major insomnia. Never able to sleep at night, only nap during the day for a couple of hours. I have always had trouble with sleep, but this has been the worst I have ever experienced, and I do also take clonazepam for my tremors as well, and that does not help me sleep at all since being on the buspirone."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2021

For Panic Disorder "I'm prescribed 5 mg in the morning and 5 mg in the evening. This medication is not for me. It gives me horrible headaches, horrible insomnia, and a really weird, sort of nauseated, seasick feeling about 2 hours after taking it. Last night, I had to take a Xanax just to sleep from taking the buspirone. That's defeating the purpose. I can't stand these side effects. Done."

• Sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2021

For Panic Disorder "Was successfully taking Xanax for hypertension and panic for 10 years. New doctor said Xanax is no good for panic disorder and refused to refill my prescription. He put me on buspirone. After only a couple of days, I became manic. No sleep. Terror, intense fear, panic. Could not think or eat. Found a new doctor who told me to stop taking it immediately. He put me back on Xanax and my symptoms resolved within a few days. He told me never to take an SSRI or a medication like buspirone as it could cause uncontrolled hypertension and mania in me."

• Goo...
• January 14, 2018

For Anxiety "I took my first Buspar last night. I was told to split it in half the first week. So my prescription was 15 mg, but my first dose was 7.5 mg anyways... 20 min later, I was lying in bed playing a game on my phone when suddenly my vision got blurry, and then five min after that, I started to tremble uncontrollably, and then came the diarrhea. I had a hard time falling asleep too. I went from feeling just 'ok' to a full-blown freak out. Never again will I take this drug."

• Mom...
• October 26, 2019

For Anxiety "I have been taking buspirone for anxiety for probably 3-4 weeks now; at first, it was great! My attitude was better about everything. Instead of getting upset and stressing about everything at home and work (mostly work). But I have noticed this past week, I’m becoming what I call a mess again. As much as I want to control it, I can’t. I have been taking the 5 mg dose. I am afraid to tell my doctor because of a possible increase in dosage. I don’t want a bunch of side effects like weight gain, sweats, not being able to sleep that will make everything worse. :( Thought about taking the 5 mg 2x per day; guess I will have to tell him."

• Kay...
• April 8, 2018

For Anxiety "I have severe social anxiety. I've had it my whole life. I was on Ativan for years, and I wanted to get off them. So my doctor prescribed me Buspirone (busbar). Well, what a nightmare!!! The first few days, I felt like I was going to die. My heart was racing, I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I couldn't sleep, made me speed like crazy. Awful. Scared me so bad. It was so bad, about a week in, I had to go to the ER. It made my anxiety 100 times worse. I had to go to the ER in an ambulance, I couldn't breathe. I only gave this a 1 because I had to put something, otherwise, it would have been 0. If you have bad anxiety, I wouldn't recommend this. But if it works for you, that's great. We are all different, but it was a total nightmare for me."

• pop...
• May 19, 2013

For Anxiety "Put on metoprolol and paroxetine for high blood pressure and insomnia. Paroxetine did not relax for sleep but gave all-night insomnia. Changed to Buspar 8 years ago, and the hair-trigger on anger had a safety put on. If I miss my morning 10 mg, I can feel by mid-day that stressor can blow my cool. Often feel fuzzy for 30 minutes if I have not eaten. Still got stress, but it keeps the launch button cover in place 98% of the time. Emotional (edge of tears) from outside triggers (TV) have evolved, but the doc says handling everything that has been dumped on my plate would bring most men to their knees, and that if I would accept it, he would prescribe something for depression, so I guess I'll try his fluoxetine and see."

• tgc...
• January 31, 2021

For Anxiety "I suffer from PMDD, a debilitating neuroendocrine disease now listed in the ICD-11. It's a genetic defect in the brain that causes an allergic autoimmune response to my own changing hormones. It cripples me during my luteal phase, 14 days every month. Psychological symptoms include paranoia, rage, lethargic exhaustion, mind-numbing brain fog, feeling intensely overwhelmed, uncontrollable crying, obsessive thoughts, suicidal ideation, self-loathing, disassociation, general anxiety and panic attacks, intense food cravings, insomnia, decreased libido, nightmares, etc. I was prescribed Buspar for the anxiety, initially at 5mg twice a day. 2-3 months later raised to 10mg twice a day. And currently at 15mg twice a day. It does nothing for my anxiety. My doctors do not want to take me off it as I'm also on Wellbutrin XL 450mg. They say that the Wellbutrin might increase my anxiety without the Buspar. Anyway, bottom line: Buspar does nothing for me at all. Very disappointing."

• Ele...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2021

Buspirone for Anxiety "If you are a low metabolizer like me, this may not be the medication for you. Many people don't feel any side effects on BuSpar, but my days were filled with exacerbated stress, and nights were filled with insomnia. I went two weeks, maybe I should have waited longer, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to try 6, but the thought of another 4 weeks of this nightmare was making me feel so hopeless."

• Anonymous
• December 2, 2010

For Anxiety "I have been taking Buspar for a week now, and the next day I felt a difference. Actually, the next three to four days I felt a difference. But after that, I started having some anxiety again and irritability. I was concerned that it had stopped working. I went to my doctor, and she told me to keep up with it. That it takes some people 2 months to start working. I said, well, I have been waiting my whole life for something to work, so 2 months is worth the wait. So if you are new to trying this, I recommend waiting. The side effects for me were pretty bad. I had flu-like symptoms, constipation, insomnia, the shakes, muscle spasms, but for the most part, they have started to go away. I have found being very consistent with taking it helps."