Buspirone and Panic Attacks: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2017

Buspirone for Anxiety "I have epilepsy as well as generalized anxiety disorder. I have been taking Klonopin, and my doctor is concerned about addictive behavior, so she put me on Buspar and decreased Klonopin. After the first dose, I had a massive panic attack (which can trigger seizures), so I also had a seizure in which I had to go to the E.R. for. It also made my hands and feet sweaty, I was shaky all over and always anxious. I was very appreciative that my doctor let me get off of Buspirone because it is just awful! I would not recommend it to anyone, especially patients who have epilepsy!"

• Art...
• December 21, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "This drug is awful. My doctor took me off my Klonopin because she was worried about addictive behavior. This drug I only took one time and will not take again. It made me very dizzy, sick to my stomach, my heart was racing. It basically gave me the worst panic attack I've ever had. Odd since this is supposed to be for anxiety. I understand the risk with taking benzos, but it's the only thing that has ever helped me. I would recommend never taking BuSpar."

• Jac...
• November 23, 2016

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "Trying to get off this drug caused brain zaps, extreme dizziness, diminished libido, and panic, which caused me to get back on the original dose. I still don't fully understand what it does."

• Nad...
• September 2, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was prescribed BuSpar for anxiety. If I knew that BuSpar had the side effects that I got, I would never drink it. I drank it for 4 days only, and it almost got me killed. I started having panic attacks, I could hardly breathe, I had electric shocks, brain zaps, horrible medicine. I quit right away. Little did I know that quitting even after 4 days would cause side effects. I could not sleep for 2 weeks afterwards, I thought I was dying. Horrible medicine. I will never drink any antidepressants or anti-anxiety medicine that is not natural!!!"

• Ver...
• June 21, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "Started a 90-day prescription right after I had my daughter, and it was horrible. Gave me anxiety and terrible panic attacks. I had to hop in a cold shower once. I felt as if I was gonna have a heart attack or my chest explode. Just got prescribed Wellbutrin, hoping to have better luck."

• WIn...
• December 19, 2015

Buspirone for Anxiety "After extreme weight gain on SSRIs, I thought BuSpar would be my miracle drug. I was totally wrong. After day two, I had such bad twitches/tremors, and my jaw seemed to lock for short periods of time. Went to emergency due to the side effects causing panic attacks."

• alw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2014

For Anxiety "I had two panic attacks while on this medication. I had not had panic attacks in years. I stopped taking it, and that uncontrollable anxiety got better, more like it originally was, I should say."

• kay...
• March 17, 2009

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was given this in the 1980s for panic attacks and was not taking any benzodiazepines at all with it. I'm glad it has worked so well for others, but for me it was like a very bad trip. I was literally bouncing from wall to wall, couldn't walk or see clearly, even hallucinating. I had a severe reaction to it, but I am extremely sensitive to tricyclics and all SSRIs except Remeron. If you're taking it for the first time, it might be good to have another person around just in case."

• Eri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 27, 2023

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "I have been taking this medicine now for about 8-9 months. When I started taking it, it took about 4 weeks before it started working. It helped a lot with the anxiety and panic attacks for about 3-4 months, then it just stopped working. I was on 25 mg a day in the end. Tried increasing the dose, but it doesn't help. It's like a sugar pill. I have now tapered off the medicine for almost two months, and I promise that for me it has been worse to stop taking this medicine than with withdrawal from Xanax. I took Xanax for 4-5 months and maybe had withdrawal for 2 weeks. I have had a withdrawal from this buspirone medicine since the day I started tapering it. Withdrawal symptoms like tremors, dizziness, passing out, cold sweat, dissociation, panic attacks, nightmares, flu symptoms, and much more. I am now down to one a day, 5 mg. Hope it gets better soon. Everyone reacts differently to medication and withdrawal. Some get side effects and others don't, this is just my experience."

• ANo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 25, 2020

For Anxiety "I was taking Buspirone for general anxiety, and it caused really bad depression, intrusive thoughts, randomly would start crying, and was waking up in the middle of the night in a full panic. The first 2 weeks, I felt really good, and by week 3, I started slowing down, not thinking correctly, and had a very dark cloud over me. I stopped after about 2 months, and the first 2 weeks off of it were really bad. Not everyone is the same, but take this medication with caution!"

• And...
• February 3, 2020

For Anxiety "I’ve been on this for two weeks, and it’s gotten worse. What sucks is I could tell it was helping my panic disorder, but my anxiety got way worse. I tried cutting it down to 1 a day, and the side effects got so bad that it made me have a horrible panic attack. I also could barely sleep unless I could take a Xanax. The side effects for this just aren’t worth it."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 20, 2019

For Anxiety "I was put on 10 mg of Buspirone twice a day for breakthrough anxiety. I used it only as needed, but my doctor told me that in order for it to help, I had to take it as prescribed. I started taking it twice a day, and at some point thought that it was making me feel worse. About 10 days ago, after a couple of weeks on this dosage, I experienced crippling anxiety, stiff muscles, urinary problems, jerky movements in my arms and legs, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and finally full-blown panic attacks, which I had never had before. From Wednesday to Saturday, I had 3 hours of sleep, no appetite, and my right knee became swollen, red, painful, and I couldn't bend it or my fingers. This was one of the worst experiences I've ever had and the worst reaction to medication: angry outbursts, nausea, and confusion. I think some people can safely take Buspar and others have side effects that are unbearable."

• Wor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2018

Buspirone for Anxiety "I started the medication for my anxiety and bipolar. The first dose was not bad, but the second dose took me 2 hours before I could get up, I was so dizzy and lightheaded. It made my panic attacks worse and I felt so spaced out. I have a terrible headache that keeps coming and going."

• Jki...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 21, 2018

For Anxiety "So far, it hasn't done anything other than decrease my anxiety by about 10%. I'm still having almost constant anxiety mixed with common occurrences of panic attacks."

• Ugh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2018

For Anxiety "I went on buspirone Jan 10, it is now the 30th. 20 days of half being good, but the last week I have had the worst panic attacks ever in my life being on this stuff. 7.5 mg x 2 twice a day. Heart palps, panic attacks, coldness, dizziness, tired eyes, back and chest muscles are tight, especially in between doses, yet everyone said wait the 3 weeks, no thank you! Today is the last day. Anxiety hasn't improved, and a massive panic attack almost sent me to the E.R. tonight, they were more constant on this stuff! I have had 4 attacks in my life, this week it's been 4/5 per day, every other day. Idk, tonight I thought I was going to lose my mind after I took them. The ending point was I could feel the meds kick in, but this last attack was so severe, it scared me. I know it was a weird reaction to these meds, 'cause now that it is out of my system, I feel fine. This drug is horrible."

• buc...
• September 13, 2017

For Anxiety "Taking Buspar 4 or 5 days, 4x a day, 30 mgs all told. It didn't work very well, added 0.5 mg Klonopin, told to break pill in half, take 2x a day. Last night took Buspar at bedtime, woke up after 3 hours shaking, panic attack. I took Xanax, hadn't picked up Klonopin yet. I waited 2 hours, took Buspar. Still no help 1 hour later, panic attack off the charts. Why am I taking Buspar? It only lasts maybe 3 hours or so. I'm 72, why can't he just prescribe Xanax, which helps me? I'm confused about what these doctors are thinking. He said he wants to see me in a month."

• Car...
• August 19, 2017

Buspirone for Panic Disorder "I fell through the ice and drowned (obviously resuscitated) at the age of 17. In college, I started getting terrible panic attacks that had me going to the ER sometimes 2 times a week. I was put on BuSpar, and they might as well have given me a Tic Tac and told me that was a miracle drug, as well as it would have probably been more effective. Prozac, Xanax, Valium all seemed to make it worse. Clonazepam is the only med that has worked, it's been a lifesaver."

• Cic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 4, 2020

For Anxiety "About 2-3 years into taking buspirone, I started to experience weird side effects. My judgment was clouded. Very impulsive. My sex drive exploded and wanted to be naked all the time. Anxiety was horrible, I was experiencing panic attacks regularly. It all culminated in me losing 25 lbs and taking a trip to the ER because I simply couldn't eat. I kept getting nauseated all the time! I was also in a mild depression. This lasted until I finally withdrew from it. (Spent 12 days in a behavioral health unit) from trying to manage the withdrawal. It even prompted my septum to deviate, which I'm dealing with now. (Extremely frustrating.) I'm off all psychiatric medication now. I'm the happiest I've ever been, my appetite is the best it's ever been, and my weight is normalizing. My anxiety is normal. I've learned to manage my feelings through sleeping, eating well, and being sociable. This stuff is highly dangerous, it's at the point now where I'm considering a lawsuit over emotional pain and suffering."

• Tim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2020

For Anxiety "This medication buspirone was recommended to me for anxiety after taking Lamictal for around 6 months. During that time my depression got better but anxiety got worse. To combat this, my doctor put me on 10mg twice a day. Unfortunately, my anxiety appears to have gotten even worse, and the side effects have been terrible even after 2 months. Sensations of dizziness, headache, disorientation, and disassociation occurred daily. Almost always twice a day, but sometimes up to 4 times lasting 30-45 minutes but at most 2 hours. Abdominal pains, loss of appetite also. Physiological panic attacks have occurred daily as well. I don't act anxious but my body is seething. Heart rate, heated flushedness, agitation, fear, uncontrollable inner narrative, etc. I feel awful on it and fear after quarantine this side effects will be detrimental for my job in commercial electric work with large machinery and power tools."

• 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..."

• 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."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2021

For Anxiety "I took buspirone for two weeks for GAD. I experienced some constriction of my pupils in my eyes periodically soon after taking it, but it did help me to be calmer overall. After the first week of taking it, I started to have panic attacks, which I hadn’t had in months, and issues with my breathing, which exacerbated the panic. They were getting worse, and I told my doctor, who promptly told me to stop them, which was around two weeks after I started. It is now three days since I stopped, and the panic and breathing issues have gone away, but I am experiencing some depression, irritability, and sensitivity."

• Guy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2016

Buspirone for Anxiety "I was taking Ativan from a friend for my slight anxiety issue. It was 1 mg. I stopped it for two weeks, started getting weird feelings in my head. Then had a panic attack for the first time. Turns out I'm addicted to the Ativan. My doctor gave me 0.5 Ativan, it didn't stop the attacks and couldn't function right. I had to take a full 1 mg to function. Whenever I don't take it, I get a panic attack. Well, my PCP gave me BuSpar, and I've been doing better. I've been on it two days, he wants me to take 15 mg four times a day, but that's too much. I take 7.5 and feel normal. Taking a full 15 mg is a no-no. But at the right dosage, it works. Hopefully soon to kick the Ativan out. I've missed work because of this Ativan problem. I don't suggest taking any benzodiazepines."

• Sou...
• December 26, 2019

For Anxiety "I've been taking buspirone for over a year and a half. The first 6 weeks were a nightmare. I was going to quit taking them many times. But I invested so much time on the side effects that I stuck through it. I got constant headaches, nauseous, confusion. I had night terrors. But I stuck through it. I had severe anxiety and panic attacks. But I'd have to say it was worth it. I still get anxiety, but not as much. I can go to work now, and I go to therapy. It's not a miracle drug. But it does help a lot. I'm glad I didn't stop taking it. I started off with 15 mg a day. But now I take 30 mg a day. One in the am and one at night. I do get dizzy and nauseous still after I take them sometimes. So I lay down after I take them, and after an hour, I'm fine. I get little confusion every now and then. My advice is stick it out for a while, and hopefully it helps you like it helped me."

• oe_...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2018

Buspirone for Anxiety "Definitely curbs my generalized anxiety and helps with my social anxiety, it’s not a cure-all, as I still have insomnia, but it has definitely improved my quality of life. SSRIs never worked for me because I felt like my depression was rooted in anxiety and not the other way around. Plus, SSRIs gave me panic attacks, and so did trazodone after two weeks. I take 1/2 of a 7.5 as soon as I wake up, and then I take another half again a couple of hours later, then a whole one a couple of hours before bed. The first two or three days, it made me feel slightly funny, but it’s definitely beginning to level off, and I’m definitely much more content, less rumination, and a general feeling of well-being this far..."