Buspirone and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Mea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "Side effects were insomnia, not hungry, lightheaded, and vivid, horrible dreams. Took 5 mg BuSpar in the morning and at night. Never take this med. I was on for 3 weeks and now off for 2 weeks, and I am still feeling the side effects. Still uneasy about leaving my home because of side effects."

• Tri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 2, 2018

Buspirone for Anxiety "It took away my ability to sleep. I didn’t notice anything more."

• Cyn...
• July 22, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started taking this medication last Monday and was only on it for 4 days before I had to quit. I had so many of the different side effects of this drug, like lack of appetite, stomach upset, extremely worse anxiety than I had before I started, and extreme drowsiness during the day, but insomnia at night. It was an absolute nightmare for me, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work for someone else."

• 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."

• Snh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 3, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "I've been on Buspirone (10 mg twice a day) for about 2 weeks now, and I have seen no improvement. My sleep is jacked up from it, from either interrupted sleep or vivid dreams. I don't think I'm going to continue to use it. Xanax seemed to be the only thing that has helped me so far."

• 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."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2017

For Anxiety "Thought this was a miracle drug for me. At first, I was taking 5 mg a day, twice a day, with no side effects. NO SIDE EFFECTS, it was a dream! Since I tried all the SSRIs with no luck, due to intolerable side effects, I had very high hopes. Once day six came around, I started to feel the drug working more. That night, I came home after working two 12-hour shifts back to back, and I had the worst insomnia of my life. I have NEVER EVER had trouble sleeping after my twelve-hour shifts. I was up for almost 24 hours, it was so bad, and I was absolutely exhausted and miserable. Needless to say, I deemed the insomnia not worth taking this drug."

• Her...
• December 31, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "I'm a 32-year-old male, and I've been taking BuSpar for about 10 months. At first, it did nothing but make my anxiety worse. I would wake up with full-blown panic attacks and have the worst nightmares ever. However, I'm now taking 40 mg of citalopram a day mixed with the BuSpar 15 mg and 1 mg of Xanax twice a day. And Xanax! I have insomnia mixed with deep anxiety issues. The problem that I have is the BuSpar makes me so fat! I'm literally considering stopping taking it and just see if the other meds can help. BuSpar alone is no substitution for an anxiety drug and wouldn't recommend it..."

• 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."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2015

Buspirone for Anxiety "Have been on a few SSRIs (Paxil, Lexapro, and Zoloft). Zoloft pulled me out of a dark hole of severe anxiety and insomnia and kept my head above water for about a year, but I never felt great on it, just able to cope with life plus I still needed Ativan for sleep, which I didn't like, but it helped. Decided to try BuSpar. Was fairly easy to get on, minimal side effects, a lot of brain zaps, though. Mood improved after about 2 weeks for about a week, then it just stopped working and anxiety came back hard. Also, I had bad insomnia the whole time on it, even before, but this didn't help in any way. Had pretty disturbing nightmares when I did sleep. Insomnia and decline in mood forced me to get off. Took it for a month. Was at 30 mg 3 x day."

• Mad...
• February 19, 2020

For Anxiety "Not going to lie, I had this about a year, almost 2. I noticed when I am on this, I am more irritable, I have restless nights where I don't fall asleep or stay asleep. I noticed that my mindset has completely changed negatively, and it doesn't keep me calm or relaxed. I feel more nervous or anxious. I noticed if I am off of them, I get more emotional. I am telling you, this is not the medication for you, especially if you take half. I think it messes with my breathing too. I am more tired and low energy when I take this."

• Bus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2019

For Anxiety "I’ve been taking Buspar for nearly 4 weeks now, and I will admit that my fear and anxiety towards certain situations have gotten a lot better. However, the other side effects were not worth continuing the medications. Trouble sleeping - insomnia, constant headaches especially when waking up, pain in head when sneezing, coughing, or “pushing,” moments of extreme crying for no reason, getting sick after eating (although could be contributed to my diabetes), spacing out, slurred speech, sudden vaginal bleeding (haven’t had a period for months), body tremors. I have decided to stop using this medication on behalf of everything else being affected by it."

• 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."

• 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."

• Con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2018

For Anxiety "Feeling angry and still have lots of anxiety. Trouble sleeping taking 10 mg in the morning and late afternoon. It's been almost 4 months and still anxious. Started Lamictal 3 weeks ago. Not sure if there is an interaction."

• 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."

• Ecf...
• September 13, 2016

For Anxiety "I am taking an SSRI to help me deal with my job and daily life stressors. I switched from Zoloft to buspirone approximately three weeks ago, due to side effects. I have sleep issues due to being a night shift person and probably anxiety, so I'm on Ambien as well. Lately, I'm having worse sleep problems and having weird dreams. I've read that buspirone can cause insomnia. Planning on taking my dose all at once during my waking hours. Anyone taking it just once a day? And what's your experience?"

• Ecf...
• September 13, 2016

For Anxiety "I am taking an SSRI to help me deal with my job and daily life stressors. I switched from Zoloft to buspirone approximately three weeks ago, due to side effects. I have sleep issues due to being a night shift person and probably anxiety, so I'm on Ambien as well. Lately, I'm having worse sleep problems and having weird dreams. I've read that buspirone can cause insomnia. Planning on taking my dose all at once during my waking hours. Anyone taking it just once a day? And what's your experience?"

• 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!"

• Suz...
• November 28, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "Taking 15 mgs twice a day caused insomnia for 1 week, now I have broken sleep, only 2-3 hrs a night, with hypnic jerking that jars me out of even falling asleep. I cut down to 7.5 mg twice a day, so we will see how that works."

• Chr...
• September 18, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "Took buspirone for 2 days. It definitely helped me stay calm, but made me drowsy during the day and gave me the worst insomnia I've ever experienced at night. I know trialing it 2 days is nothing for a med, but I have a family and a demanding job where I cannot afford to not get at least a couple hours of sleep a day. The severe insomnia alone is enough for me to stop taking it. I also got insomnia from the two antidepressants I took (generic Paxil and Zoloft), so I am very sensitive to meds. I will say this though, it did seem to keep my calm and better able to focus. It works in those terms. I would recommend anyone who hasn't had success using antidepressants to try buspar/buspirone for anxiety. It just might be your golden ticket."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2010

Buspirone for Anxiety "I take this medicine, 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg at night. When I first started it, I had trouble sleeping. I felt like my legs couldn't sit still, and I had tingly fingers, and I would get dizzy. I've been on it for about 5 months, and I still get dizzy after each dose, sometimes I need to lay down. But it has helped tremendously with my anxiety, I can go out and have fun without having the constant worry in my head. Before being on any kind of medicine, I used to throw up and shake a lot from my anxiety attacks. Now it's all gone, and I can live a normal life. I am also on 100 mg of Pristiq and 0.25 mg of Xanax (as needed). I recommend this medicine for anyone who has an anxiety disorder, but just be aware of the dizziness."

• Mix...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2023

For Anxiety "Buspirone did a good job of controlling my anxiety. I started taking it when I started a new job because I get stress-related anxiety, which results in stomach issues and a lot of procrastination and worrying. The medication eliminated my stomach issues, and I was able to navigate my day much more effectively. However, I did not sleep more than two hours a night. I love that it makes work easier, and I didn't dwell on my job when the workday was done, but I'm struggling with my decision to keep taking buspirone or not."