Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
deleted_user
Yeah, this should probably be posted under treatments but I know I almost never read that thread, so maybe more responses here.
I also generally hate asking questions about meds because everyone is different and I would really not want someone else's experience with a drug to weigh on my mind when talking about going on it with pdoc. With that said...
If you have been put on buspirone and it has WORKED for you, how long did it take before you started feeling a difference and how long til you felt the significant difference that stayed consistent at a higher level?
Did it help more with deprsesion or anxiety or both even?
Both my anxiety and depression are miserable and through the roof now, I know the benzos are not going to help the underlying issue (and can't take enough during the day to keep me better off) and my pdoc thinks buspar is what would work best for ME with depression. And the GAD.
He also said it takes about 4 weeks to really kick into effect. So, I guess I dont really care if you took this and hated it, just looking for people who had some success and seeing what kind of timeline and potency buspar had.
For those who respond, thanks.
I also generally hate asking questions about meds because everyone is different and I would really not want someone else's experience with a drug to weigh on my mind when talking about going on it with pdoc. With that said...
If you have been put on buspirone and it has WORKED for you, how long did it take before you started feeling a difference and how long til you felt the significant difference that stayed consistent at a higher level?
Did it help more with deprsesion or anxiety or both even?
Both my anxiety and depression are miserable and through the roof now, I know the benzos are not going to help the underlying issue (and can't take enough during the day to keep me better off) and my pdoc thinks buspar is what would work best for ME with depression. And the GAD.
He also said it takes about 4 weeks to really kick into effect. So, I guess I dont really care if you took this and hated it, just looking for people who had some success and seeing what kind of timeline and potency buspar had.
For those who respond, thanks.
deleted_user
I hated Buspar. I was put on it in the ER when I first had my nervous breakdown and had yet to get back to Houston and get a shrink. My shrink immediately took me off of it. He's not a fan but that's my doc and not yours. He put me on Paxil and Xanax. This was when I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Panic Disorder. It was a year before I was rediagnosed as Bipolar with Panic Disorder. So, I don't know about your doc, but mine doesn't like Buspar and he doesn't prescribe it in most cases. He doesn't think it's what's best for anxiety. Like I said, that's my doc and not yours. Just my 2 cents.
lostmyselfsomewhere
I had very limited success of Buspar. I was not on it three months before I said enough is enough. I needed RELIEF now and did not want to spend forever finding a combo that worked. My doc went old school on me. Not one of the new SSRI's worked. I went on a regime of nortryptyline, Klonopin and abilify. Stayed on it for years quite well.
deleted_user
Sam, hey, I know you like to help others out and give your perspective, but I really tried to point out that I wanted to hear from people who had success with this drug and what the time line was like, when they felt a difference, and so on. I believe I specified that this was a drug my doc felt was best for ME, of course everyone is different and every doctor is different. I normally hate asking medication related questions because everyone is different so it's rather useless. I guess it was my fault for posting this. I just don't have much use for which cocktails are best for everyone, I know there will be those who don't like a med (buspar) but I was just looking for that subgroup who did well with it. Again, my fault for even posting this.
beckyp
My pdoc put me on it to help with depression. I also take Wellbutrin XL and abilify and he said the combo is what works. It did relieve some of the depression. I take klonopin for anxiety.
deleted_user
Hey becky good to know, sounds like a combo my pdoc would like too. Had a bad experience w/abilify so not for me. I just talked with my pdoc and he put me on buspar for the anxiety, klonopin for the same (my anxiety right now is unbearable, need all the helpI can get) and upped my seroquel. He's also spoken highly of Wellbutrin but gotta wait to see how these new changes work first. It really is hard to compare notes on meds though. I just hope everything works for yall and for me.
Cammiecat
It's really strange. When I first went on BuSpar, I didn't think that it worked. Then not too long ago, I ran out of it. My anxiety went through the roof. So, for me, there is improvement of anxiety while on BuSpar but the improvement was so gradual that I didn't notice it until it dropped off. I am like Beckyp in that I also take Wellbutrin, abilify and Klonopin for depression and anxiety. So personally, I wouldn't stop the benzos all together. The BuSpar keeps the anxiety at a steady level and the benzos cover the times when the anxiety spikes to a new level. Hope that helps.
deleted_user
Thanks Cammie, that's kind of exactly what I was looking for. Your last line about the buspar keeping it steady and the benzos for flare ups is what I hoped was the case. Though I do think of klonopin as closer to buspar, though it's PRN because it lasts longer than the other benzos - ativan and xanax. I 'outgrew' ativan a long time ago and have been on xanax (and klonipin before). The xanax kicks in quickerand feels stronger than the klonpin which stays in your system longer but I don't know if it has the potency in say, a case of a panic attack. It's good to know that although buspar may take a while to kick in and isn't blatant in its calming abilities, it keeps you steady. I am all for anything that brings me stability. Much thanks. :)
deleted_user
thanks a lot for that most recent response. It reinforces for me to not post questions about meds on the BP board. Especially when I asked for those who had good experiences with it. Something could be a miracle drug for "a lot of people" and could lead someone else into hell. I would like to think if it truly increases anxiety enough for a user on DS to report that, many many intelligent medical professionals would not be prescribing it, especially for people like me who are in a very very bad spot. I'm sorry said medication didn't work for you and I'm sorry for posting such a stupid topic.
deleted_user
Realityis your question wasn't stupid at all. I just misread it. I'm sorry about that and I hope this med works for you. You trust your doctor and that's what matters. Docs do want what's best for us. They want us well. So good luck and sorry I misread. My bad.
deleted_user
Just a quick clarifying comment, bupropion/wellbutrin are a different drug than Buspar.
Cammiecat
@capmbarbosa: Bupropion is Wellbutrin. BuSpirone is BuSpar. They are not the same thing.
deleted_user
haha. Great minds think alike, Cammie!
deleted_user
Thanks Cammie & Harriet, yeah, I knew the difference. I was talking about Buspar/Buspirone all along. Though I see Wellbutrin sometime in my future...
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