Buspirone and Lightheadedness: What Users Say

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 1, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "My new doctor wouldn't prescribe my usual combo of Prozac with Xanax 'as needed.' I was mad but gave BuSpar for anxiety a try, and it works out to be THE BEST COMBO EVER!! I actually felt euphoria and a bit lightheaded the first few days. Then in the first few months when I had alcohol in addition to wine one night, I got EXTREMELY SICK. But as a social drinker, I decided to 'try again' but only with wine. Everything has been fine since. I can even have margaritas, etc., again. (But I can't stress enough how scary and extreme that sickness was in the beginning, so drinkers, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL.) My family says they have never seen me so happy in all my 46 years. I am sure that I've never had such an easygoing attitude. Things I used to take personally have no effect on me now. I take two 5mg tablets at night before bed. This works for me even though it isn't what is recommended (i.e., 2 or 3 times daily doses). No more obsessive worries, thin skin reactions, or depression!!"

• Hea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2018

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "I was initially started on BuSpar 5mg twice a day for panic disorder and PTSD as my therapist said I could not stay on Klonopin at her practice. I tried the 5mg twice a day for 2 weeks, then she increased it to 10mg twice a day, which I took for a month. I ended up with severe heart palpitations, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and feeling like I was going to pass out, in addition to my blood pressure being raised. I ended up on a heart monitor, seeing a cardiologist, in addition to other heart-related tests all because my therapist is dead set on taking me off Klonopin. I've been on 1mg of Klonopin since 2008 and take it only as needed, mostly once a panic attack begins. I will never take BuSpar again, as I have been off of it now for about a week after all those symptoms and they are almost all gone now. Just wanted to share some of my side effects in case anyone else out there is having the same because I had a difficult time finding someone with the same side effects."

• mim...
• June 9, 2014

Buspirone for Anxiety "I just started taking BuSpar, and at first, I was scared because I hate bad side effects and don't like to take pills at all. So I finally took my pill, 10mg. I felt good at first, then came the side effects: lightheadedness, sweating, and dizziness. But after 20 to 30 minutes later, it was over. I felt fine, went out to socialize, and I couldn't believe it - didn't have a panic attack or anxiety attack. They work for me."

• Whi...
• February 15, 2015

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started on Effexor, that medicine made me sick and nauseated. My doctor decided to put me on Buspar instead. This medicine made my anxiety so much better! And the side effects are very minimal, I only get a little lightheaded for a short time, but that's so much better than being sick to my stomach. This stuff has really helped me get through a rough time."

• All...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2020

Buspirone for Anxiety "Doctor prescribed this BuSpar to me for my anxiety. I got which worsened with Wellbutrin XL (I take that for depression). I used to take Xanax but decided to discontinue the use of it. My doctor prescribed me this and told me to take it when needed or every day, whichever I prefer. I have zero complaints about this medication. When I first took it, I got super dizzy and light-headed. But other than that, it does calm me and make me feel much better."

• Ann...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2020

Buspirone for Anxiety "BuSpar should be classified as a hallucinogenic drug! I took it for one day (15 mg) with Zoloft to get off Ativan. It made me lightheaded, nauseous, nervous, speedy, and when I tried to sleep, I saw terrible images moving around in my head. I couldn't sleep at all! These awful hallucinations gave me panic attacks. I was so scared! I also had some uncontrolled jerky movements of my limbs when lying down. I called the nurse line for help because I could not reach my psychiatrist. This experience was a nightmare! I also read an FDA report that stated that BuSpar can cause Tardive Dyskinesia, uncontrolled involuntary jerking movements of the face and body. Who wants that? Do not take it!"

• Cha...
• December 18, 2015

Buspirone for Anxiety "I've been on this medication for 8 months now & really like it. I take a combination of Buspirone & Mirtazapine which keeps me level with no anxiety. My racing thoughts are gone. I was waking up all night every hour with racing thoughts. Now I'm able to sleep & have a calm mind both while waking & sleeping. One thing I do notice is that it gives me the munchies for sweets. I'm working to curb that with healthy snacks instead. Sometimes it does make me slightly light-headed, but to me, that's a relaxing feeling that helps me stay calm. I'm able to stay focused and am doing better on my job & in my personal life than ever before. I really love this medication & give it a thumbs up for anxiety!"

• aar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2019

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Started this to manage the anxiety symptoms, as really that's all I could expect from it. I have a profound distrust of SSRIs from severe side effects, mainly brain fog. I've tried many SSRIs for my depressive symptoms. I started taking 5 mg of buspirone 3 times a day. While it did make me feel a little light-headed and brain fogged to begin with, it was nothing like the reactions I get with SSRIs. After 2 weeks, my anxiety made huge improvements, and it was weird to notice the absence of stress and worry. As I continued with the drug, the side effects got better, unlike when being on an SSRI. I have only good things to say about buspirone, as it's the first drug to work for me that helped my anxiety. That's not even mentioning the lack of side effects, and while I'm not everyone and others might not have the same experience, all I can say is give it a good run, and it might work."

• soy...
• February 24, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I have been on BuSpar for a few months, and I like it a lot! It has made severe and paralyzing anxiety lift to a manageable level, even while taking a low dosage of 10 mg daily. My doctor told me that I can increase the dosage, since taking so little doesn't rid me of anxiety completely (no medication can). But I noticed that when I upped my dose, my appetite came back more than I would have liked. Essentially, I think it works to strengthen my SSRI (sertraline); and I did have dizziness when I first started and felt pretty bad, but that's common for anti-anxiety medications and usually goes away as your body gets used to it. I do still find, however, after I take my morning dose (usually) with coffee, I feel a bit woozy, but it usually wears off quickly."

• Rel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was on this medication for two weeks and noticed absolutely no positive effect. However, within those two weeks, I gained 8 pounds, had an erratic heartbeat, and about 20-30 minutes after taking a pill, I got extremely dizzy and lightheaded to the point I couldn’t even drive. This is just my experience and my body chemistry, but my ultimate opinion is it’s just another failed attempt to prevent prescribing Benzos. Hope any of this helps."

• Sti...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "It didn't help at all with the panic attacks and actually made my anxiety worse. The first few weeks, it would just put me to sleep. After four weeks, I became very depressed and had suicidal thoughts constantly throughout the day. It gave me horrible headaches, it made me really dizzy all the time, and I felt lightheaded and nauseous often. After four weeks, I could not sleep at all, and my anxiety increased along with the panic attacks. I don't recommend this medicine for anyone who has suffered PTSD or who has had high anxiety levels for a long time. It just makes things worse. After five weeks, I stopped taking this medication, I could no longer handle the side effects."

• 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."

• 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."

• Aan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 16, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was given BuSpar for anxiety. I started taking 5 mg once a day, then I eventually tried to go up to 10 mg a day. NEVER AGAIN. I don’t think it did anything for my anxiety except make it worse. Every time I took the pill, I felt super sedated, and I would fall asleep and then have nightmares. I took it for almost 3 weeks, hoping side effects would pass, but it only got worse. Lightheaded, dizziness, my skin was so itchy I couldn’t hardly stand it. I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin. I couldn’t go outside and be in the sun because I got hot within 5 seconds and felt sick. I stopped taking it abruptly, I didn’t notice any withdrawal symptoms at all. This med was not for me."

• Mat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 18, 2018

Buspirone for Anxiety "Taken for: GAD, potential panic disorder. Did not help me. Side effects - strong. Immediate light-headedness, would need to lay down for 30 mins to an hour. Slightly reduced in intensity, but did not subside for me, even after 3 months. Did not effectively treat anxiety (GAD)."

• Anx...
• September 27, 2016

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "My mild anxiety had been building for years when I decided to seek help for it. At that time, I had only experienced one panic attack after a health scare (heart palpitations from over-exercising). It wasn't until I sought help to control my stress that I was prescribed Prozac. I started having panic attacks and was taken off. I started taking BuSpar. The first few weeks were really rough (brain zaps). It kept me from having panic attacks, but I still experienced moderate anxiety every day. After eight weeks, I started to experience depression for no reason and intrusive thoughts. Nothing like I ever experienced before. So I went back down, depressive thoughts came back. I tapered off. Lightheadedness, ear ringing, and brain fog persisted the entire three months I was on it."

• Mer...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 23, 2025

Buspirone for Anxiety "Initially, I was placed on 5 mg after I was hospitalized in mid-2024. Over time, I was titrated up to 45 mg (15 mg 3x daily), but unfortunately, it didn't work for my anxiety and racing thoughts. The only side effect I experienced was some lightheadedness for the first few days after being raised from 10 mg to 30 mg, but it luckily subsided and wasn't a big issue for me."

• DGa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2019

Buspirone for Anxiety "Was hesitant to take this pill after reading all the reviews and then finally decided to give it a try. HUGE mistake. My mind felt like it was getting electrocuted. I felt dizzy, lightheaded, and it was extremely unpleasant. I called my doctor immediately! I ended up forcing myself to take a nap, and when I woke up, thankfully they had subsided. It’s been about an hour since I awoke, and I feel extremely tired and exhausted! I do not recommend this if you are highly sensitive to medication!"

• 40s...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2013

For Anxiety "This is my second day on Buspirone, 10 mg, twice a day (one every 12 hours), and already it has calmed my anxiety tremendously! I plan on continuing with Buspirone on a 'need-to' basis, like when a major event arises in my life. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder with high blood pressure, so when major events occur in my life, my mind runs 80 miles an hour trying to plan and manage everything down to the last detail. Then, I find myself overwhelmed, and I have anxiety attacks simply because I can't do it all by myself! Thanks to Buspirone, I'm calm and collected, and I can think more thoroughly and more effectively. My main side effects so far would be light-headedness and sleepiness, which is way better than anxiety attacks!"

• DCD...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2016

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "I suffer from anxiety/panic disorder, and I was given BuSpar 10 mg twice daily. I felt very lightheaded and like I had a constant head rush. My doctor tried increasing the dose to 20 mg twice daily, and with that, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had to nap for 2 to 3 hours. It was just awful. After nearly 4 weeks of being on this medication, I have insisted that I be taken off of it. I am on 5 mg twice a day for today and tomorrow, and then I'll be done with it, and I hope the side effects go away soon. Just an awful experience."

• 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."

• kca...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 15, 2021

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "I've been taking buspirone HCL on and off for the last 15 years. Before that, I was taking Valium or Xanax, back in the days when it was easy to get. I really enjoy the benzodiazepines, but admittedly, too much. With BuSpar, I do get lightheaded and a mild mini-anxiety attack about 10 minutes after taking 15 mg twice a day, with possible related weight gain, but it works well. I usually stop after a few months of feeling better and adjusting to life's changes: divorce, wrongful imprisonment, parent's death, and now losing my son. I also took lithium and antidepressants in the past, but to be honest, I don't mind depression, and I kind of enjoy my mania, but shortness of breath, the feeling of impending doom, and now heart palpitations are never pleasant. I take it until the discomfort of the side effects outweighs my current state, and I start up again when the side effects are nothing compared to what I feel. Maybe 3 months at a time, maybe 6. It kicks in right away, for me."

• Win...
• December 19, 2016

For Anxiety "I started buspirone last week. Prescribed to take one 7.5 mg twice a day. I'm not big on pill taking, so with my doctor's consent, have only taken them when needed. The first day was... a unique one. I was extremely lightheaded and dizzy, as if the entire room was spinning, but at the same time, I had this unbelievable sense of relief from my anxiety. There are no words for the sense of relief and calm that I felt. With each day I've taken them, the dizzy spells have gotten weaker and weaker. I do have a dull headache afterward, but it passes with time and Tylenol. I'm hoping that goes away as well. But if I have to choose between minor dizziness and a slight headache over the chest-pounding, agonizingly severe panic attack... I choose the buspirone."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2021

For Anxiety "I've had GAD for many years. I was previously prescribed benzos and SSRIs. The benzos, while effective, turned me into a zombie. The SSRIs caused sexual dysfunction. For the last few years, I just tried to manage my GAD without medication with poor results. I decided to ask my doctor about buspirone, figuring I had nothing to lose. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I started on 7.5 mg twice a day. Within a week, the obsessive overthinking in my brain was reduced. By 1 month, I feel like a new person. It's almost like it turned a switch in my brain off. Am I 100% perfect now? No, not quite. But my anxiety, which was peaking at around an 8 on a scale of 1-10 when I started the medication, is now down to around a 2 or 3. I continue on 15 mg per day. I'm thinking of asking my doctor if increasing the dosage might make it work even better, but for now I'm happy with the results at a low dosage. Side effects? I haven't had anything major. A little lightheadedness the first week."

• 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."