A question to anyone about Buspar

So I’m about 3 years off klonopin and was dealing with some anxiety issues so I very reluctantly tried buspar as an option suggested by my doctor who knows my history with klonopin. I took it for a month at 30mg twice a day, and was noticing improvement then all of a sudden dizziness and terrible cognitive issues started and I stopped taking it immediately. It’s been 3 months and I’m still having difficulties including trouble with sense of direction. Anyone else have any experience with this stuff? I don’t think doctors have a clue in the world what kind of damage these drugs are capable of doing to a person. Memory, confusion, tinnitus along with a struggling sense of direction is brutal for me and it just won’t clear up. Any info is appreciated

Hi B2020,

 

I cant offer much except to say I took Busperone either 10 or 20mg a day for a couple years as a supplement to an SSRI I was taking for anxiety.  My doc would NOT prescribe a benzo, but was willing to prescribe the Buspar.  He felt benzos were too dangerous but that Buspar was safer.  It is also used to help with alcohol withdrawal.  I came off it easily enough as recall with no significant issues ,but we are all different so take that with a grain of salt.  Coming off the SSRI though caused cog fog, dizziness, and other issues though they all cleared in time.

 

Maybe consider seeing an ENT doc just to check?

 

Cheers,

RR

30mg's twice a day is a lot!  I'm pretty sure you were at the max dosage of 60mg/day.  I tried Buspar at 5mg's twice a day and noticed a lot of side effects.  I wouldn't be shocked if that caused some of your problems.  The medical community is very dismissive of withdrawal side effects and dosages for all meds, especially antidepressants. 

 

Maybe try a low dose of the Buspar for a few days to see if you feel better?

 

Good luck!

I took 20 mg buspar for years and cold turkey it a few years ago , no sx except for brain zaps for a few days .

I took Buspar 15 mg twice a day for about 4 years and then 15 mg 3 times a day after cold turkey from clonazepam in 2018. Stopped taking it about 6 months ago and no problems. It did make me dizzy for the first 30 minutes or so after taking it but I got use to that feeling. It did help my anxiety I feel, but I am able to manage it now a lot better without pills.

 

PG