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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sdb on April 23, 2005, at 6:15:32
Hi!
When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in (dosage/daily)?
Is it possible to have first contrary action (increased anxiety)? Does somebody take buspirone alone?Thanks for every response
Posted by Phillipa on April 23, 2005, at 18:18:42
In reply to When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in?, posted by sdb on April 23, 2005, at 6:15:32
I heard that if you have taken benzos that it won't work. But I'm no med expert. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by cache-monkey on April 23, 2005, at 21:05:21
In reply to When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in?, posted by sdb on April 23, 2005, at 6:15:32
Hello,
When I first started taking (and then with each dose increase) BuSpar, I definitely felt really wound up and agitated. (I think it's called "akathisia".) That ended up settling down substantially after about a week or so.
For me after that setting-down period, the low dose I was on (5-10 mg/day) *might* have lowered my cognitive anxiety. But it seemed to increase my physical symptoms of anxiety more. The latter was probably due to a drug metabolism issue (I'm weak in one of the important liver enzymes for BuSpar.)
A pdoc once told me that he thinks there's just a group of people for whom BuSpar works and works well. Then there's a second group for whom it just doesn't work at all, i.e. no partial response. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell before you try it. Anyway, here's hoping you're part of the first group...
Best,
cache-monkey> Hi!
>
> When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in (dosage/daily)?
> Is it possible to have first contrary action (increased anxiety)? Does somebody take buspirone alone?
>
> Thanks for every response
>
Posted by cache-monkey on April 23, 2005, at 21:45:51
In reply to Re: When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in? » sdb, posted by Phillipa on April 23, 2005, at 18:18:42
Hi Phillipa,
I'd head a different different spin on the same idea: that BuSpar doesn't seem to work as well, by comparison, for people with experience on benzos.
I think this is probably because a) BuSpar take a while to kick in; and b) it is generally a much milder anxiolytic. If a person has been on a benzo in the past, chances are their anxiety is pretty bad. They're used to getting it knocked away completely and immediately. By comparison, BuSpar might seem weak and take forever to kick in.
I think, though, there are some people for whom BuSpar works well, regardless of past benzo use. Others it just doesn't work for.
~cache-monkey
> I heard that if you have taken benzos that it won't work. But I'm no med expert. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by zeugma on April 24, 2005, at 0:12:15
In reply to Re: When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in? » Phillipa, posted by cache-monkey on April 23, 2005, at 21:45:51
>> there are some people for whom BuSpar works well, regardless of past benzo use. Others it just doesn't work for.>>
Past AND present benzo use. I take 30 mg buspirone and 1 mg clonazepam. There is no similarity, biochemically or in terms of psychotropic effect, between the two drugs. Strattera and Ritalin feel more alike than Buspar and clonazepam.
The benzos are among the most reliable meds out there, and buspar is among the least reliable. And that d*mmed word 'anxiolytic.' I would apply this term without hesitation to clonazepam. I suppose buspar is anxiolytic, and so is my TCA. But a category that includes buspar, clonazepam and nortriptyline is a pretty artificial one.
I know that when I was on buspar alone (with nortriptyline), I could barely answer the phone, but I woke up in a good mood. That's why I take it now. Cache-monkey may be right that there is a group for which it works well, and another group that it doesn't work at all for. It works well for me, but it does nothing for social phobia.
Buspirone kicked in immediately for me. It's considered a slow-acting drug, so my response may be unusual. it took weeks at a high dose for Ritalin to do anything for me, while the supposedly non-stimulant-like Strattera jolted me awake immediately.
-z
Posted by sdb on April 24, 2005, at 4:17:40
In reply to Re: When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in?, posted by zeugma on April 24, 2005, at 0:12:15
i also dont like the word "anxiolytic" especially connected with ssris....Anxiolytic means it would "solubilise" anxiety. I am sceptical if some drugs with so called "anxiolytic" properties do that. It seems to be too simple. It let the doctor think that anxiety is like an on/off thing.
Of course, drug selling companies use the word "anxiolytic" overmuch.regards
sdb
Posted by sdb on April 24, 2005, at 4:46:55
In reply to Re: When does the buspirone (Buspar) kick in?, posted by sdb on April 24, 2005, at 4:17:40
And the second myth of buspirone:
Does somebody have prosexual effects from the buspirone (alone or in combination)?
regards
sdb
This is the end of the thread.
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