Buspirone-what is your experience with it?

[Hopeishealthy]

I've been taking buspirone for about a month now and have become skeptical about long term effects it might have, peoples experiences when they have decided to stop taking it, and any side effects they notice. Thank you everyone!

[mydogs]

I am suffering from gad and acute panic attacks Dr prescribed sertraline and buspirone been on them 15 days and anxiety through the roof churning stomach jitters and nausea,so I have had Sertraline increased to 100 from 50 so I have cut down the buspirone only one a day now,didn’t feel any relief from taking them but everyone is different.

[Hidden]

I took Buspar or buspirone on two separate occasions for anxiety/panic attacks. The first in 2001 when I was diagnosed and began having problems. At that time, when I took the medication, I felt extremely dizzy, sedated, and had issues with focus. I would space out for about an hour. I mean I could talk and interact, but I felt better if I was sitting down and left alone. If you could feel your brain making energy or "melting", this is how I personally felt.

I tried it again about six months ago thinking and hoping maybe it would be different or they made it "better". No. I took one to begin my first dose and was walking around in the store with my daughter. I felt odd, checked out, and got home in time to just sit on the couch. The "brain zaps" came on while I was dizzy and felt weird. I fell asleep for about an hour and felt fine after. I didn't take it again.

Everyone is going to react to a medication differently, so just take my account as what it is. I have tried it and it didn't work for me. I took it at most about a week when I was younger, for one day just last year. I didn't feel any benefits. I felt the side effects within an hour and they were bad enough where had I been in any situation that required focus (driving, etc), I would have pulled over and sat. The "brain zaps" are extremely weird. Our neurons and nervous system work like an electrical system and this is exactly what it felt like....like I could feel all of my neurons discharging the "electricity" to and from the brain...as crazy as that might sound. Lights and sounds were amplified, so it was a bit distressing for me.

Everything I've read is for some people it does absolutely nothing, others have felt like I did, and for some it was the solution. If or when you take it, I would be sure not to have any obligations that have you driving or operating in a safety sensitive environment. Perhaps on a day off with someone around in case you get the side effects I did. If no issues and it works, I'm truly glad. It's easy to be skeptical of all these medications, but this is one of the few where I had a very bad experience to the point I refuse to ever use it again. My own last thoughts on it...I'm glad I can say I at least tried it so I can cross it off the list.