Help--question for my sister--xanax w/d with Buspirone ?

My sister is on multiple meds for PTSD including Xanax as needed.  She says she is taking 1mg/day.  The new doc is having her drop .25/week and has added Buspirone 15mg  2xs/day.  We are not clear why and I am freaked out about adding more meds to the mix.

She is also adding Nuvigil 250mg to help her get up.  She is presently on Cymbalta and the Dr just told her to discontinue her Abilify 5mg and Ritalin 5mg.  Seems like a crazy mess to me.....

Anyone have any experience with Buspirone.  I was hoping the doc was moving toward removing meds but I am skeptical now.

Shellmac

That's an interesting combo going there.  I was put on Buspirone.  It's okay.  I can only seem to take the night dosage.  The day dose seems to make me dizzy and nauseated.  Even with just the night dose, it made the 'I'm going to jump out of my skin' feeling go away.  If I take my morning dose,  I'm not such a hater at work.  It does not help with w/d but I needed extra help with my GAD. 

I also take Provigil.  Nuvigil is the newer one.  It's great stuff.  They give it to narcoleps.  It takes away unwanted sleepiness.  It can give you a headache.  It helps you concentrate.  It's also good for ADD.  A few people, including me, experience a depression when coming off it.  The depression symptom is wicked so I take Provigil if absolutely necessary.

So it sounds like your sisters doctor wants her on a non-benzo for her anxiety, and a/d, and some Nuvigil.  I hope she handles the changes pretty well. 

Back to Buspirone.  It's relatively okay except for the dizziness and stomach upset.  Hopefully she doesn't experience any of that. 

Wow Ploofy,

That was so helpful!!  Thank you for responding.  I am worried that my sisters doc is reducing the Xanax too fast... I hope she gets lucky.  Best wishes on  your taper...it looks like you have come a long way!

Thank you again

Shellmac

Hi shellmac,

That could be a little fast to reduce Xanax by .25 a week, if she starts having problems she may want to slow it down especially towards the end of the doses. With the other drugs involved though it may be tough to know what is doing what. I wish you luck and I hope your sister gets to feeling better soon.

Star

Star

It is amazing that we can so clearly see what all the psychs shes gone to clearly miss....there is NO way to tell what is going on and why because she is on too many meds.  I finally thought I found a doc that would take her off the meds, only to find that for every one that is removed, another is added.  My sister has been on more than 20 different pills--up to 7 at a time and has seen 3 different pdocs and spent 3 weeks in an outpt treatment program--all for a life trauma, not a brain based illness. To her current ,docs credit...she is worried to take my sis off this stuff because she still isnt sleeping and has bad anxiety.  I think she is trying to taper the really addictive stuff and then will worry about the other stuff later.  I did caution my sister about the Nuvigil and I hope she elects not to take it. 

I really think the .25 reduction per week is ridiculously fast, but she is sick anyway and I will keep an eye on it, ask that we slow it down at .5 and ask about a cross over to Valium (I know this doc prefers Klonopin)  The doc says my sis probably wont have any trouble with a fast taper because she handled all the drug changes fine....but no one ever took her off a drug without giving her another in the same category.  I am also holding my breath that dropping 5mg of Abilify doesnt cause a problem.

Thanks for you comments!

Shellmc