Meds - Buspar For Anxiety?

[Lion]

Hi all,
Newbie here posting a question for anyone that has been taking Buspar for anxiety related to PTSD...how has it worked for you and what is the maximum amount you are taking? My Pdoc has me at 40 mg daily which is a medium dose and from what I've learned you can go up to, and over 60 mg.

Reason I'm going this route-I've been through CBT, Group therapy, Consultation and about anything else I can try to find the one thing that works for me. So far this has become a moot point.
Really don't know at my age if I can get some relief, but I keep trying since I'm a hard headed survivor. Guess going on 50 soon makes me think that way.

I really want to fix myself so I'm onto the med ride since nothing else is, or has totally alleviated the flashback that keeps coming into my brain and affecting me personally and physically. SSRI's bring up the BP, so that's an out. Benzos and anti convulsive meds are a quick fix but I turn into a space brain. Buspar has done great with the anxiety that PTSD brings out but I think it's easing up. I'm having recurrent flashbacks, more than I am used to.
I'm starting to dwell on issues that should have been resolved many years ago, and this is making me feel like I'm back at step 1.
Thanks for the ear guys and gals...

 

[void]

Lion, I took Buspar and it had no apparent effect on my anxiety. Hope something will help yours.:smile:

Void

 

[morgan]

I take buspar now and it doesn't seem to help my anxiety either. I have to take Klonopin for that.

 

[Lion]

Thanks for the replies, I had a very long session with my Pdoc and we're going to try something else to ease my issues. Fingers crossed :smile:

 

[rallynut78]

Thanks for the replies, I had a very long session with my Pdoc and we're going to try something else to ease my issues. Fingers crossed :smile:

I asked my Psychiatrist about buspar and zyprexa last week because they were recommended to me by a therapist. he said that the side effects for both were severe for both. so instead he put me on seroquel (which is anti phycotic but being used for anxiety too) he said it will be 2 weeks before we can tell if it works or not. too early to tell right now.

 

[Lion]

Thanks for the info rallynut78. My Pdoc placed me on a small dose of Trazodone, and it's working for insomnia and the reoccurring daily flashbacks that I have been dealing with these last few months.

 

[rallynut78]

Good deal.

It occurs to me that the side effect of the drugs I asked about (especially roserum and lunesta) have the "side effect" of being too expensive for the VA to give me. Only the very best for us vets.

 

[Lion]

I would not sweat the Rozerem, the only good thing about that med is the commercial. It works for some but in my case it did not do anything for insomnia the few times I tried it.

 

[trapped]

I just started buspar this week. I'm going to give it another week or so to see if the side effects go away, if not I'm going to stop taking it. Question: do you take it in the morning or at night? My doc said to take it in the morning, but I may try to switch to taking it at night and see how that goes. My only big issue with it is that it makes me SEVERELY out of it and makes it hard to function.

 

[Lion]

Hey Trapped,
Mine is split up 3 times a day, 10 mg at a time. It takes a while to soak in, that's one reason so many people discontinue it as you don't get an immediate effect like you do with other anxiolytics.

My Pdoc said it would take 2-3 weeks but I started feeling some relief from the anxiety after 2 weeks of stepping up the starter dose from 5mg to 20. Everyone reacts differently to meds so what works for one might not for another.

 

[trapped]

Thanks Lion. I was told I can split it up into 3 times a day if that works better for me- my doc said that's what a lot of people do, but with my ADHD he's worried I won't remember, or will accidentally take too much of it, and he knows already it's a lot safer to have me take something just once a day in the morning when I take my ADHD meds (which are still difficult to remember- ESPECIALLY when I had a cat who I trained as a service animal and she'd make sure I took my meds, but I had to put her down this week, so it's learning to adjust and do it on my own all over again).

So my doc started me out on 15mg per day. I can take as little as 5mg at a time if I split it into 3 times a day I suppose. The 15mg at once makes me feel (and act like!) I just took a hefty dose of sedative or something, just gets me really sleepy and feeling drugged and unable to focus. Maybe the 15mg at once just causes more side effects than if I were to split it up into more times a day.

 

[Acer]

I was put on Buspar a few days ago to supplement the Effexor. I am feeling the effects of Effexor but not for the depression (and I have a lower libido). The doc uses Buspar to up the anti depressive effects of Effexor and the libido issues.

I have had no side effects that I know of yet. He told me to take two thirds at night and one third in the morning but if I find myself too drowsy during the day to just take it all at night. I have no had any problems so far.

We shall see.