Effectiveness of Buspirone in Treating Anxiety & its Side Effects

Buspirone is used as an anti-anxiety agent affecting chemicals produced in the brain which are not balanced due to alteration in their metabolism in people suffering from anxiety.

Buspirone is utilized to alleviate signs and symptoms of anxiety like tension, fear, irritability, pounding heartbeats, dizziness and other symptoms etc. It is not a drug which is used for anti-psychotic purpose so it can’t be used to cure mental disorders such as psychosis.

Buspirone must not be taken if you are also using MAO inhibitors or used them at least 14 days ago. By using this, a severe drug interaction can occur. MAO inhibitors comprise methylene blue injection, linezolid, rasagiline, phenelzine, tranylcypromine and selegiline etc…

Certified data is not present of how Buspirone acts but it is expected that it alters the configuration of serotonin as well as other various neurotransmitter receptors like dopamine receptors thus resulting in its anti-anxiety effects.

Buspirone is taken in order to treat anxiety disorders or to relief anxiety on a short-term basis. Buspirone can be less anesthetizing as compared to other drugs used to treatment anxiety; however, variation in the response of individuals to buspirone is present. It may not seem to cause dependence or tolerance and it is not related to abuse; but individuals having past of drug abuse ought to be strictly monitored.

• Buspirone should be used consistently; either always without or with food.
• While using this, avoid use of grapefruit juices.
• Driving should be avoided or doing activity of any sort requiring full attention lest it is sure how Buspirone impacts you.
• Reaction and Effectiveness
• Peak effects occur in 40-90 minutes after ingestion of dose.

Use Buspirone as prescribed by your doctor. Strictly follow all the instructions written on the prescription label. However, if your doctor changes the dose to acquire better results, do not panic and follow him as he says. Don’t use it in amounts different from amount advised by doctor or use it for a longer duration than recommended.

• Buspirone can be taken with or in absence of food but once you take it then take the following doses in exactly the same way as the first dose.
• Some of these tablet are scored so that they can broken in pieces and then taken them accordingly as prescribed by the doctor. Do not use it if is not broken equally.
• Being switched from some other anti-anxiety drug to buspirone, you have to slowly reduce the dose of other drugs instead of suddenly stopping them. Some of the anti-anxiety drugs can lead to symptoms of withdrawal when after using them for a longer duration, they are suddenly stopped being used.
• Buspirone can also show false positive results for some diagnostic tests, so stop using this drug for a minimum of 48 hours prior to the test.
• Store it at 25°C away from heat, moisture and rays of light.

Conditions under Which Buspirone Should Not Be Used:

You cannot use buspirone in case of an allergic response towards it.

• It cannot be taken if you have used an MAO inhibitor at least 14 days ago. A fatal drug reaction can occur. MAO inhibitors are phenelzine, methylene blue injection, tranylcypromine and selegiline. linezolid, rasagiline etc…
• To ensure its safe, you should narrate your doctor in case any of the following conditions: Renal disease, Hepatic disease.
• Buspirone is suspected to harm fetus. So do visit the doctor in case you are expecting to become pregnant or are pregnant during treatment.
• It is also suspected that buspirone permits into women’s milk and harms baby fed on mother milk. So your doctor should also know that you are feeding your milk to a baby while prescribing this medicine.
• It should not be recommended to anyone having age below 18 years.

Starting Dose: Amount of 7.5 mg is taken orally two times every 24 hours or 5 mg thrice in a day.

Dose of Maintenance: The regular dose can be enhanced by increasing 5 mg after every 2 to 3 days till 20-60 mg a day in distributed doses.

Extreme Dose: Amount of 60 mg is taken orally every 24 hours.

Between 6-18 years:

Starting Dose: Amount of 2.5 to 10 mg is given orally regularly.

Dose of Maintenance: The regular dose is raised by 2.5 mg increase after every 2 to 3 days till 15 to 60 mg/day is used in 2 distributed doses.

The use of Buspirone is safe, in subjects lying under age range of 18-60, who are taking no other medicine or having no other complications.

Most common side effects of Buspirone are following:

• Dizziness, headache, light-headedness, excitement and nausea etc are some of the commonly experienced side effects of Buspirone.
• Buspirone can also cause side effects of drowsiness, although lesser risks of this compared to other drugs taken for anxiety. Prevent alcohol because it aggravate this and be vigilant while doing some activity requiring full attention
• It can also react with grapefruit as well as products made by this.

Buspirone is taken in order to effectively treat anxiety and it is less possible to result into sedation as compared to other drugs used to treat anxiety.