Jump to content

Buspar- anyone have experience with this


[La...]

Recommended Posts

Anyone have any experience w/Buspar?

 

We are having major problems with my sister--she's severely depressed throughout the day (wants to die), but from 4-10 pm she's extremely agitated and uncomfortable (says she can't sit)

 

Whatever happens to her from 4-10, it's an extremely uncomfortable state and she wants to go outside and die immediately. When we don't comply, she gets really angry at us and is starting to throw things.  She has a portable CD player w/headphones that she wears to cover up the tinnitus, and now she throws it against the wall b/c she's so angry and she breaks it.  We've gone through tons of these CD players over the course of this w/d.

 

She's very scary from 4-10pm and  we are desperate to find something to calm her now and are wondering if Buspar could help.

 

Right now, we just alternate Vistaril/Benedryl (double dose) and it takes a slight edge off, but it wears of by 8pm, and the last two hours from 8-10 every night are really scary--we are always worried we won't make it  through the night

 

We were hoping that whatever happens from 4-10 would just settle down, but so far it hasn't.

 

If anyone knows anything about Buspar, or any other calming drug (ideally one without withdrawal), please let me know

 

Thanks

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buspar is a very mild anxiolytic.  If anxiety is severe it probably won't do much.  It didn't help me at all.  Actually, I have found that Hydroxyzine had a more calming effect(the couple times that I tried it).

Try searching this site for Buspar.  There are tons of posts.  Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just an FYI... personally Benadryl made me feel worse and enhanced deppresive symptoms. And can also cause rebound anxiety in some people. Like Gravol. You could try Kratom but it has addiction potential and associated withdrawal. Do your research. That being said, there are many people who use it successfully for a lot of different drug withdrawals. You could also, with the guidance of a medical professional, try an AD. I'm currently trying Nortriptyline in its lowest dose for sleep, head pain, and hopefully depression and anxiety benefits. I am however in a very dark place because of the amount of time I have been struggling. If it wasn't for the constant waves, I would never have put another chemical in my body. But I am severely depressed and it just wasn't safe anymore.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take Buspar. It takes 4-6 weeks to build in your system. It helps with my anxiety. It metabolizes quickly so one dose lasts about 6-8 hours. Overall doses between 20-40 are considered mild and 80 is considered a high dose. I am just telling you what I not from my experience and I am NOT a medical professional. Wishing you the best in the care if your sister.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, thanks for everyone's thoughts on this.

 

Not sure what we are going to do.  We definitely have an unmanageable problem from 4-10pm, we're not sure what it is--anxiety? agitation? maybe akathisia, but she doesn't feel the need to compulsively move, she does say "I don't feel well" but can't really describe what's going on.

 

Not sure why vistaril doesn't work--we gave her 100 mg yesterday at 4:30 and it didn't take the edge off or even make her drowsy (not sure what's going on w/her and her biochemistry for it to have no effect)

 

But things are really getting out of hand. She threw furniture tonight. She's just getting really mad at us b/c she's so desperate to die, and we won't take her out in the backyard and kill her (not sure where that idea came from), plus this not being able to sit is driving her crazy.

 

The other issue is that she is no longer cooperative with us (was always cooperative prior to the drugs), so we can't really even get her into a car to get her to an appointment.

 

They only thing we can do is call EMT and get taken to the hospital. But then at the hospital, they will not give us anything, like Buspar or whatever, b/c they will say that they can't give it to us b/c they can't follow us and that we have to go to the doctor.

So, we're kind of caught and don't know how to get out of this.

 

Mid April we went to a crisis center at the hospital (lost our rights, involuntarily committed sister, with mom overnight), they did give her vistaril there (or so they said), and whatever it was, it calmed her down.  My parents managed to go to my sister's PCP without my sister, and she, since she knows us, was willing to give them a prescription for Vistaril (but it didn't work), but I highly doubt she'd be willing to prescribe anything further.

 

So we really feel trapped.  My sister is getting increasingly violent (we're scared of her between 4-10)

 

Well, thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colley-

Thanks for the FYI on the benedryl and depression. Honestly, we haven't seen any changes in anything like that. All the double dose benedryl does is take a slight edge off for about 4 hours (she's slightly less intense)

Now, the whole reason we use benedryl on alternating days is that years ago, we used it for sleep- first night it worked perfectly, but the next night she was completely wired and didn't sleep at all. So we know there's something weird w/her and the benedryl and that we can't use it two days in a row.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions, We are just caught in an impossible situation.  We've made it this far in the w/d process, but this new symptom (really started up late April) is making things impossible

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to give you an idea, I'm taking Gabapentin that is use for neuropathic pain and is use for alcohol and opioid withdrawal also. It is helping tremendously for the withdrawal anxiety, it is not helping much with the nerve pain but at least is easing the anxiety. It is not a controlled substance which  helps in terms of talking to the doctor about getting it prescribed. I had talk with some buddies here that have been taking it during withdrawal and most off them are getting relieve although some had refer withdrawal but at this point if it helps is worth it. I hope that you can research in to it and get a little help. Hoping you sister starts feeling better soon because I can not imagine having special needs and going trough this hell and not being able to express it...

Hoping for the best, keep us posted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wisclo

 

Thanks for your thoughts on Gabapentin--I'm keeping it our list of options, along w/Buspar, Seroqual, Remeron.  Though we are terrified of new drugs, b/c she has such vulnerable biochemistry and  history of bad reactions, we are starting to feel we have no choice--we are really hanging by a thread. 

 

We still don't even know how to get her to a freaking doctor (she used to be the most cooperative person in the world, but not since the drugs)

 

And, you are so right--getting off these drugs is a trip through physical and emotional hell. It's hard enough for normal IQ people, with normal coping skills.  But my sister is MR, she doesn't even understand what is happening to her.  She understands the concept of drug side effects, b/c she knows Tamiflu messed up her gut and gave her SIBO/IBS, but when it comes to the idea of a drug affecting her emotions, she just doesn't understand it--she doesn't understand that the severe depression, scared feelings are all due to the drug--she just thinks this is who she is and she no longer believes that she will ever feel better.

 

Anyway, thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gabapentin did help me a lot with sleep/anxiety. But to me BusPar was worthless as it didn't do a thing for me but that is one easy drug to come off.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I would stay away from Benadryl. It has a ton of side effects, and can cause dehydration and worsen depression. It can also cause a paradoxical stimulant effect, and it can cause delirium in higher doses. In high doses it can cause heart issues, psychosis, delirium. It also lowers the seizure threshold. There are safer antihistamines than Benadryl. It is a much more dangerous med than most people think.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine

 

Yes, Buspar is a pretty mild anxiolytic, but it can be helpful. I personally find it helpful. It is normally to be taken every day, but I'd start from the lowest dose as it can be very sleep inducing in higher dose

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LorazepamFree2015-

 

Thanks for your thoughts on our situation. 

 

Can you just name other antihistamines you have heard are safer? I guess we can run that by the doctor.

 

And thanks for your thoughts on Buspar--seems like it works for some and not for others (just like everything else I suppose)

 

 

Benzogirl- thanks for sharing what works for you--I have hear that some have gotten help by using Gabapentin

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I am not sure which antihistamines are safer or not. I've talked to a guy on a mental health peer support line and he said that he stopped his ativan use by taking Benadryl, but then I went and thoroughly researched Benadryl, and wasn't really too pleased with what I read.

 

Yes, Buspar may do nothing at all for a lot of people, too, so it's really hard to tell.

 

I personally took about 25mg Benadryl as a sleep aid for several months before ever taking ativan. I do believe I might have reached some sort of tolerance on it, because I just stopped it and then had some elevated anxiety symptoms that I couldn't explain. So if your sister has been taking Benadryl for a while, depending on the dose, she may not be able to just stop. I keep wondering if it has to be tapered. But personally, I've never gone over 50mg Benadryl, and have read on many sites that 100mg is when this OTC med stops being just and allergy med or an OTC sleep med and starts causing more unexplained side-effects. I may be personally a bit scared of it because it might have been contributor in me getting an ativan prescription, so I definitely don't see it as something to use to come off of Ativan. But then, I am a bit prejudiced by my own experiences. I do have to say that I felt a bit depressed while I was taking benadryl, but it was very minor compared to the benzodiazepine induced depression. But then again, I have no idea how it may affect someone who is off of benzodiazepines.

 

But then again, I will never know, because that year (2010) when I'd taken benadryl for sleep, I'd done some long train commutes to work, and was working in a very demanding job and practically had no life, and it is possible that I was just getting mentally and physically exhausted as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lorazepamfree- thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this. This definitely gives us something to think about.

 

This is such an absolute nightmare.  I can't believe we are here all b/c we went to a doctor. We are just trying to find a way to lower the intensity of her suffering.  We are hoping that the CBD oil can help. We just started it, and I've heard it takes 2-3 weeks

 

If we have to get involved with more drugs, it seems like Buspar is the safest option to try.  We are honestly very nervous about doing anything--it just seems like her brain and biochemistry is very sensitive and vulnerable

Thanks again for your thoughts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, it sounds like an antipsychotic would be a better choice. Buspar is mild and can take up to 12 weeks for full affect. Doesn't sound like Anxiety is her problem, sounds like either an antipsychotic or mood stabilizer or perhaps both. I'm not big on adding meds but, as a medical professional for over 30 years, I would call this a serious issue that warrants immediate medical attention. JMO....

Mellowplease

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, it sounds like an antipsychotic would be a better choice. Buspar is mild and can take up to 12 weeks for full affect. Doesn't sound like Anxiety is her problem, sounds like either an antipsychotic or mood stabilizer or perhaps both. I'm not big on adding meds but, as a medical professional for over 30 years, I would call this a serious issue that warrants immediate medical attention. JMO....

Mellowplease

 

I wish to God I never took one.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vistaril and Benadryl can be helpful but their anticholinergic effects are not great for long term effects on the brain but for a period of months, could be helpful. Vistaril aka Atarax seem to be best. Benadryl can occasionally have the opposite effect of what your looking for.

Best wishes

Mellowplease

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...