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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
Hi , I wish somebody can tell me something about this drug . Is this drug new?? wich family of drugs belong to?
Does anybody have had good results??
Tell me all you know please , good or bad experiences
Thanks
Tep
Posted by Snoozy on May 26, 2003, at 0:42:53
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
Hi -
Buspar is an anti-anxiety medication, but it is not a benzo. I think it's an "only child" so to speak, i.e. it doesn't have a family, broadly speaking. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can set me straight on that. It's been around for quite a while. I was on it in '94 or '95, but I'm not sure when it came on the market, I think in the '80s perhaps.
It takes several weeks of taking it daily for it to work, unlike a benzo. It's not generally regarded as very effective, although some people do have a good response to it. Janelle, in the post just above, is one.
And here's something really important: the sample comes in this really cool package :)
> Hi , I wish somebody can tell me something about this drug . Is this drug new?? wich family of drugs belong to?
> Does anybody have had good results??
> Tell me all you know please , good or bad experiences
> Thanks
> Tep
Posted by Snoozy on May 26, 2003, at 0:46:42
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
Here are some links to the medline pages on Buspar:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202100.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a688005.html
Posted by Janelle on May 26, 2003, at 1:11:39
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
Funny you should ask about Buspar at this particular time because a few short weeks ago I'd have told you it's nothing, mild, like a placebo because I was taking it 3 times a day and when I missed my noon dose, which was OFTEN! I felt no different than when I remembered it.
Well, my pdoc who's trying to reduce the boatload of meds I'm on decided to discontinue Buspar first - BIG MISTAKE. After just a few days off it I began to go downhill in terms of anxiety and agitation. I called, made a big stink and got back on it pronto. And what a difference, I'm calmer in a subtle type way. I LOVE BUSPAR!!
It's so ironic because I had a low opinion of it for so long, thinking I was taking something useless to me, only to find out that for ME, it works very nicely!
I have heard that it is kind of extreme - either it does wonders or it does nothing at all!
It's not a benzo, you do have to titrate up on it, you cannot exceed 60mg/day and you cannot, absolutely cannot eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice, nothing with grapefruit in it (I don't know why) - for me this was a sacrifice cuz I love anything grapefruit! Anyway, that's my story of Buspar and I'm sticking to it (literally!) Good luck 2 U.
Posted by froggyanna on May 26, 2003, at 13:59:00
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
Hi Tep,
My psychiatrist has prescribed Buspar for me for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea! He gave me a paper that he wrote, in which he says, "I wish to report that I have had excellent results (in about 120 out of 200 cases) using Buspar (buspirone) for the treatment of snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and/or nocturnal bruxism (grinding of teeth) in children, adolescents, and adults, with resulting improved ability for my patients to awaken refreshed, clear-headed, with better concentration, and--in many cases--improved impulse control. In a general psychiatry outpatient practice, I suspect that many cases of depression are in fact the manifestation of a primary sleep disorder." -- Dale B. Mortimer, M.D., P.C.
He also writes: "Buspirone is a novel, nonaddictive, psychotropic medication first approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in 1986 for the indications of anxiety and anxious depression. Case reports suggest that buspirone is occasionally effective (frequently in combination with other psychoactive medications) in the treatment of such conditions as: generalized anxiety disorder, refractory depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, tobacco craving, alcohol craving, aggressive behavior in those with organic brain disorders, symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, migraine headaches, transvestic fetishism, and autism. Buspirone is a partial agonist of serotonin 5-HT1A central nervous system receptors. In addition to its effects on serotonin receptors, its major metabolite stimulates noradrenergic receptors and blocks presynaptic dopamine receptors. Buspirone's mode of action in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, and bruxism is unknown."
My own experience is that buspirone is not doing much, if anything, for my sleep apnea. I was told by a surgeon, who was evaluating me for possible surgery for the apnea, that I have an unusually narrow air passage, so that might be the reason. I am already at a higher dose than my psychiatrist normally decides is the point to conclude that it is not working. I see him next Thursday, so we'll talk about it then. I am also participating in a sleep study tonight (Monday), which should make it clear just how changed my results are (I've been using a CPAP machine to sleep at night for years). As for any other reasons for taking that drug, one of the first questions he asked me was if I grind my teeth at night. I don't think that I do. I don't wake up with pain in my jaw, for instance, and my husband has never mentioned that he's heard me do that. I've never been diagnosed with any kind of anxiety disorder. However, I almost certainly would have been diagnosed as a teenager with social phobia if they knew about it then (I'm 51). I don't believe that I have social phobia now, but I overcame it through years of hard, deep psychological work, and meditation. But I was certainly a classic case -- the pathological shyness and blushing, etc., and the tendency for it to reduce and hamper my opportunities in life. I accomplished a LOT without drugs!
So it's hard for me to tell at this point if the buspirone is doing anything else for me, since I was not cognizant of anxiety symtoms when I started taking it (April 29). Maybe like Janelle, I won't notice if it's doing anything for me until I STOP!
I hope this information has been useful to you. Not only do people respond differently to different drugs, but the REASONS for taking a drug in the first place have a lot to do with results. Has Buspar been prescribed for you, and if so, for what diagnosis?
(Oh, by the way, I have ADD, and the psychiatrist said that I should try buspirone first to see if an improvement in my sleep would create an improvement in the ADD symptoms. At this point, I don't think that will happen.)
froggyanna
Posted by Mimi on May 27, 2003, at 7:04:51
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
> Hi , I wish somebody can tell me something about this drug . Is this drug new?? wich family of drugs belong to?
> Does anybody have had good results??
> Tell me all you know please , good or bad experiences
> Thanks
> TepTep,
I've been taking Buspar for about 9 months. Great drug!! I used to have great social anxiety and now I have none. I take 15mg two or three times a day. Have experienced virtually no side effects, except that it makes you a wee bit tired, which I counteract with sleep and tea.
MIMI
Posted by Tony P on May 27, 2003, at 20:25:34
In reply to Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie, posted by Tepiaca on May 25, 2003, at 23:46:53
I have used Buspar for 8 yr. or more. Its effects seem to vary a lot from person to person - some will say it's a nothing drug, others (like me) have found it very helpful.
I started taking it as an A/D supplement (to Serzone) before that had become a recognized use. Just on a hunch based on a brief earlier experience with it I suggested it to my MD. The Serzone managed my endogenous depression and sleep problems, while the Buspar (20-30mg/day) had both an energizing effect and helped reduce stress - especially, stopped me having unreasonable anger explosions and going into reactive depressive spirals. The Serzone/Buspar combo has mostly worked well for me since - maybe some poopout on the Serzone, but the Buspar seems to still work OK.
My experience is that I had an _immediate_ benefit in stress reduction followed by a gradual improvement over a few days in overall mood and stability that was real but a little harder to self-evaulate. When I take my 10 mg dose I feel slightly "doped" for an hour or so, then that wears off and I feel normal but energized and better able to tackle daily living. It's important (for me) to keep active and not doze off in that initial hour, otherwise I can get into hypersomnia and lose some of the potential benefit. The activation effect can make me more aggressive (good for me if properly channelled, but I have to be careful of my driving!) but also less overall anger build-up by end of the day.
Posted by Tony P on May 27, 2003, at 20:38:15
In reply to Re: Buspar? what kind of drug is this?any good experie » Tepiaca, posted by Janelle on May 26, 2003, at 1:11:39
> ... you cannot exceed 60mg/day and you cannot, absolutely cannot eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice, nothing with grapefruit in it (I don't know why) - for me this was a sacrifice cuz I love anything grapefruit!
On the question of grapefruit / juice, my pharmacist puts the warning on but he says it's low risk - more a precautionary label than a prohibition. Grapefruit either improves absorption or reduces metabolism (I forget which), so you could get more effects including SE than you expected. Being perversely experimental, I have taken my Buspar with grapefruit juice and found little difference in effect - maybe faster onset. Taking it WITH food (but not on a full stomach) also improves absorption. My Scottish ancestry makes me feel I'm getting better value that way!
I DO NOT recommend anyone else follow my self-research example without checking with your doc &/or pharmacist first. YMMV, and some other medications (e.g. heart meds) can definitely be dangerous with grapefruit.
This is the end of the thread.
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