What is buspirone?
Buspirone is a prescription drug used to treat anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and depression. It can also be used to treat schizophrenia and alcohol withdrawal.
What are common side effects of buspirone?
While adverse reactions to buspirone are rare, some patients may experience mild side effects, including dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, nervousness, lightheadedness, restlessness, blurred vision, fatigue, and insomnia.
Rare, more serious adverse events have been known to occur, including rash; hives; itching; swelling of the face, eyes, mouth, throat, tongue, or lips; fast or irregular heartbeat; blurred vision; uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body; and agitation, fever, sweating, dizziness, confusion, fast or irregular heartbeat, shivering, severe muscle stiffness or twitching, seizures, hallucinations, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
This is not a complete list of side effects. To learn more about adverse reactions you may experience while taking buspirone, please visit the National Institutes of Health’s DailyMed webpage.
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Buspirone is a prescription anti-anxiety medication. It is commonly used to treat anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and depression. It can also be used to treat schizophrenia and alcohol withdrawal.
Whether you’re having trouble sleeping, feeling jittery, or experiencing a pounding heartbeat, buspirone acts on chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters to help alleviate a range of symptoms caused by anxiety.
Buspirone is often prescribed to treat generalized anxiety disorder, a condition in which people feel abnormally worried and anxious about nothing in particular. A person who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder may have constant feelings of worry, difficulty concentrating, and an inability to relax.
Buspirone can also be used to treat panic disorder, which is characterized by the sudden onset of intense feelings of fear, which usually lasts 20 to 30 minutes. It can also treat post-traumatic stress disorder, which may include flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety.
Buspirone may additionally be used to treat depression and schizophrenia.
While it is not fully understood how buspirone helps alleviate anxiety, researchers believe that buspirone works by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical used to communicate information to the brain) that regulates mood, appetite, and sleep. By increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain, buspirone is believed to alleviate symptoms of anxiety.
While there are some common side effects associated with buspirone, it is important to remember that your doctor prescribed it because they believe its ability to manage and alleviate your anxiety symptoms outweighs any adverse effects it may cause.
Some common side effects that you may experience while taking buspirone include:
Rare but serious side effects may include tremors, muscle stiffness, and other movement difficulties. These could be signs of a rare condition known as tardive dyskinesia. If you experience any of these symptoms - as well as easy bleeding, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, or shortness of breath - contact your doctor immediately.
This is not a complete list of side effects associated with buspirone. To learn more about adverse reactions you may experience, visit the National Institutes of Health’s DailyMed webpage.
Buspirone is not aspirin or albuterol - you can’t expect relief within 20 or 30 minutes of taking your prescribed dose. Anxiety is a complicated condition caused by complex bodily functions; to get to the bottom of it takes time - even for effective medications like buspirone.
Most patients begin to feel better within 3 to 4 weeks of starting buspirone. Buspirone must be taken on a daily basis as prescribed - it will not work if you are not consistent.
There are no clinical trials determining the optimal dose for buspirone. Your doctor will determine the optimal dose that’s right for you. Many doctors start their patients with 15 mg a day of buspirone, taken in two doses.
Buspirone is currently only available via prescription. This means the use of this drug must be authorized by a licensed health care provider.
Looking for a prescription? Good news! Providers on Sesame can write a prescription – or refill an existing one – during a virtual or in-person visit. Depending on the medication, you can arrange for same-day pickup at a pharmacy near you or order the medication to be delivered to your door for just $5. Book an online consultation with a real, licensed provider on Sesame today to determine whether or not buspirone is right for you.
Note that all prescriptions are at the discretion of your health care provider. Providers on Sesame cannot prescribe controlled substances.
Yes! Sesame offers a fully integrated prescription service, which means you can get the medication you need delivered right to your door, starting at just $5 a month.
Talk to a provider on Sesame and get your online doctor prescription or refill ordered right away for fast and convenient pickup from a pharmacy of your choice.
Note that all prescriptions are at the discretion of your clinician.
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