If you’re experiencing anxiety from time to time for no apparent reason, you’re not alone. Poor quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality rates are associated with untreated anxiety. Anxiety can really impact your mental health and make you dependent on alcohol and illicit drugs. Buspirone can be your solution.
Anxiety can be treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), counselling, and medications. You might have heard about Buspirone, which is very effective in relieving anxiety. But what makes Buspirone a better anti-anxiety drug than other medications? Let’s find out how Buspirone may be an answer to your anxiety.
Buspirone can be your ultimate treatment option for relieving anxiety and improving overall health. Buspirone is an anxiolytic drug with decreased side-effects profile and comes as a generic drug, which costs you less. Besides treating anxiety, Buspirone, being a nonbenzodiazepine, can help you worry less, stay focused, and think clearly. (1)
If you are a patient of generalized anxiety disorder, you probably have experienced:
When you start taking Buspirone, you’ll notice it is a good option.
Buspirone works by restoring the balance of chemicals in the brain that are causing anxiety symptoms. Buspirone produces its major clinical effects when it acts as a partial agonist to bind with serotonin 5HT1a receptors. However, it does not work on D2 dopamine autoreceptors. (3)
The recommended dose for Buspirone is 15mg, 10mg, 7mg, 5mg, and 30mg, taken by mouth. Your doctor increases the dose gradually until you experience the desired clinical effects of Buspirone.
Usually, SNRIs and SSRIs are recommended for a variety of anxiety disorders. When you cannot tolerate the side effects of SSRIs, or your body does not respond to them, this is where Buspirone comes in. Compared to SSRIs and other antidepressants, Buspirone is considered to be the best alternative for treating anxiety. (4)
Buspirone comes with minimal or no side effects. Some individuals notice the results of Buspirone very quickly. As Buspirone is a prescribed synthetic medication, it relieves you from anxiety by working on dopamine and serotonin receptors. Unlike other anxiety medications, Buspirone alters the chemical messages by stimulating type 1A receptors of serotonin.
Other medications, belonging to the benzodiazepine family, cause dizziness, drowsiness, and sedation. But Buspirone has no sedative properties. Therefore, Buspirone is considered a safe medicine. (5)
Buspirone can also be used to treat Depression:
The possible use of Buspirone has also been studied to treat depression. Many studies were conducted by researchers to confirm whether Buspirone is as effective as or better than SSRIs and SNRIs for treating depression. (6)
According to a study of 3 participants, 1 out of 3 individuals benefitted from Buspirone after trying an SSRI which was not helpful in treating depression at all.
Buspirone should be taken two to three times daily with or without food. Do not take Buspirone with alcohol because this combination can make you sleep and sedated.
Your healthcare provider can give you the best advice if you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant. If you wish to get pregnant, but at the same time, you're facing anxiety issues, it can be challenging for your health as well as your baby's health. Therefore, it is essential to discuss it with your caregiver or doctor. (7)
Buspirone can cause minor after-effects contained in the table below. Not every individual experience its side effects. If these side effects continue to persist, speak with your pharmacist or doctor.
| Common After Effects Related to Buspirone | What can you do if you experience any of them? |
| Dry mouth | Try sucking sugar-free sweets or chewing sugar-free gum. |
| Feeling sick (vomiting, nausea, indigestion, loose or watery stools, abdominal pain) | Eat simple foods. Do not eat spicy or fatty food. |
| Feeling sleepy or dizzy. | Do not use any tools or machines. Do not drive. |
| Headache | Speak with your doctor to prescribe some effective pain killers. Drink plenty of water. |
| Sexual problems, restlessness, changes in appetite, sweating, yawning, unusual dreams, tingling feelings | If you experience any of these symptoms, you should speak with your doctor as soon as possible. |
