Buspar

[tokyopaul]

New Psychiatrist said that rather than repeat Paxil and Luvox, which I took before, since I have more of severe anxiety over vocal chord disorder (fear I will not be able to teach), I should try Buspar.


Am on Lorazepram 0.5 as needed (3-4 times a day) and will gradually decrease that as Buspar works, or use something else if Buapar is not the best.

Could you  clear up something for me.  First---> old advice in THIS forum claims it does not work for anxiety (1999)--->

"Buspar has limited if any benefit in treating anxiety".
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/mentalhealth/archive/965.html

Later posts sat it does work for anxiety-->
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/MentalHealth/messages/33406.html

This is very confusing.  I assumed that is the main target of Buspar.

Also, many sites repeat that Buspar has not been shown to work for more than a few weeks (which is only a little longer than it takes to get the effect FROM it.) If so, why prescribe it?

http://www.social-anxiety-disorder-resources.com/buspar.html
"The effectiveness of Buspar in long-term use, that is, for more than 3 to 4 weeks, has not been demonstrated in controlled trials. "'

So the question is, why get this drug at all?

I stopped the luvox because I did not like the old psychiatrist (and had some minor sexual dysfunction). I have a feeling that had I stayed on the Luvox I would not have the anxiety I have now after the vocal cord disorder, which came a month after stoppping the Lovox, but still the new psychiatrist recommends Buspar.  

(By the way, I know websites are filled with rants and rave against this or that drug, sometimes with good reason because big phrama is out to make big bucks, but in all honesty I never had any of the side effects from Paxil and Luvox that the anti-psychiatry people go on and on about,  I think one has to take things with a grain of salt. Anyway, I was ok enough on Luvox. Hope the Buspar will help. I got rid of one job to allow myself resting the voice, and that alone has decreased the stress.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Buspar is commonly prescribed by most psychiatrist I know for anxiety and it works for some but not for others.  AS I have said before, there is a lot of trial and error in the prescription of antidepressants as well as anxiolytics, that is why I usually recommend those that are known to work consistently, like the ones you are  taking, so if you want, you should continue with buspar and see if it helps.

[flicka250]

As a prescriber I had to get over my predjudice from the conventional wisdom that says Buspar doesn't work. Like any med it doesn't work for everyone, but I can say that I've seen some very good results from it. You need to give it time and make sure you're on a high enough dose. If you start at a nice low dose you can increase it as tolerated. If you have any side effects like drowsiness or nausea, sit at that dose until the side effects go away and then keep increasing as tolerated until you get to the target dose that your doctor or NP prescribed. Most people find it helps best when you take it twice a day, I have many patients who take it three times a day. I usually shoot for a target dose of 15mg twice a day but I have some patients on less and some patients on more.

When it works well, I see a natural and gradual reduction in the use of meds like xanax, ativan, and klonopin.

If the buspar doesn't do what you hoped and Luvox worked for you in the past, is there a reason not to take Luvox again?