Posted by jrbecker on June 8, 2003, at 10:18:44
In reply to Re: How do you know if you're taking too much Buspar?, posted by McPac on June 8, 2003, at 0:15:41
> "Something told me that maybe I should cut back on my SSRI which is known to induce these symptoms, but something ALSO told me that I might NEED the BusPar after all, so I went back to the original 30 mg (15 mg twice a day). The next day, all the agitation related symptoms were gone BUT they returned a few days after that, leading me to conclude it had to be the SSRI (I was on a pretty decent dose of it)".
>
> >>>>Yep, you're right....ssri's can overstimulate the 5HT1-A receptors, which Buspar can block...that's why you felt the anger and anxiety from the ssri when you stopped the buspar and also why when you later added the buspar that those symptoms stopped. SSRI's cause this anger and anxiety for many.
>
>Although SSRIs can definitely be responsible for anger/irritabiity, I put my money on the fact that Buspar's causing the majority of this effect. 3 reasons for this: Buspar has a 1-PP metabolite that antagonizes the alpha-2 adrenoreceptors, thus increasing NE/DA activity. Although this receptor is theorized to have some AD response in itself, it is also known that too much stimulation of this receptor can cause irritability and anger issues in some people - especially bipolars. And this is the main reason why people taking yohimbine, DHEA, pregnenolone, remeron, and wellbutrin most likely experience this effect. Secondly, Buspar also has an affinity for the D2 receptor. Unfortunately, it partly antagonizes this receptor, which is not exactly an AD effect we're looking for. Thirdly, Buspar's partial agonism at the 5HT1A is a very delicate balance of post-synaptic activation (inducement of anxiety-like effects, release of ACTH) and activation of the presynaptic 5HT1A terminal (anxiolytic-like effect). So there's perhaps a little good with the bad in using a 5HT1A partial agonist.
Despite all this, many docs believe Buspar to be as potent as water is as an antidepressant. However, in my many times of taking it, as either an adjunct, monotherapeutically, or as a sexual-side effect augmentor, I definitely registered an anxiolytic effect, but also an underlying irritability effect. Interestingly, this effect did fade somewhat with time in the first month of taking it.
Hope this helpsJB
poster:jrbecker
thread:232166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030604/msgs/232358.html