Posted by Racer on February 1, 2008, at 0:55:47
In reply to Re: Has Buspar ever helped anybody with anxiety? » Racer, posted by 4WD on January 31, 2008, at 18:02:07
> Do you think the Buspar has a chance of helping me reduce my need for Klonopin? But I've read that if you've been on a benzo for a long time that Buspar doesn't help.
I've read that too, but I don't think it's true. Actually, I tried to address my thinking on that issue in my last post. I think that people who are used to that strong benzo feeling, that sort of drowsy ease, aren't aware of the effects of BuSpar. BuSpar is a bit more subtle in its effects: it's not something I took PRN, because it doesn't have the immediate effect on anxiety that a benzo would have. It's something I took regularly, and it eased my baseline anxiety, which lowered the reaction of any greater anxieties. Does that make sense? You may find that you still need to have benzos as an option, for anxiety attacks, but the BuSpar addresses the baseline tensions that can lead into panic.
>
> Were you on another anxiolytic at the time you were taking Buspar?
>I was not taking another anxiolytic while taking Buspar. I had taken benzos in the past -- but I have a paradoxical reaction to them. If I take a benzo while having any sort of anxiety attack, I get worse -- often, it includes partial blackouts, too. So, while I had experience with benzos, it was very mixed -- fine for small stuff, that I probably could have gotten through without anything; disastrous for anything that I really needed something for.
Speaking of which, I took two Ativan before an emergency meeting of the homeowners association board, so that I wouldn't do or say anything I would regret, and it's left me apparently unable to ocmmunicate coherently... I'll stop trying now...
Bottom line of what I am trying to say is that BuSpar can still be helpful, even if you've taken benzos. It's very different, so if you modify your expectations, you'll have better luck with it. It's kinda like getting a dog when you're used to cats: dogs make lousy cats, but they're pretty darn fuzzy in their own right, you know?
poster:Racer
thread:809785
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080124/msgs/810012.html