linda asked
I have been taking 7.5 mg of buspirone twice a day for two years which has not helped my anxiety and I get bad headaches, nervous and jittery. I want to stop taking them but I have read about withdrawal symptoms. My doctor says to take half of a 7.5 mg tab twice a day for a week and then once a day for a week. Do you think I will have withdrawal symptoms on that plan or I should go longer?
At a glance
- Buspar is not associated with withdrawal symptoms, but if you are concerned with rebound anxiety symptoms, you speak with your doctor about a tapering protocol or alternative medication options.
Answer
Buspar (buspirone), a medication used to treat anxiety, is not known to cause physical or psychological dependence and therefore doesn't need to be slowly tapered in most situations.
The prescribing information for Buspar states the following regarding this:[1]
"In human and animal studies, buspirone has shown no potential for abuse or diversion and there is no evidence that it causes tolerance, or either physical or psychological dependence. Human volunteers with a history of recreational drug or alcohol usage were studied in two double-blind clinical investigations. None of the subjects were able to distinguish between BuSpar and placebo"
Since Buspar is not known to cause withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms, most individuals could theoretically stop the drug 'cold-turkey' and not have any problems.
Even though Buspar is not associated with withdrawal symptoms, there are anecdotal reports of some individuals, who have been taking the drug for an extended period of time, having problems and experiencing symptoms.[2] These may include:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Rebound anxiety
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Fatigue
The biggest concern here, and most likely to happen, would be rebound anxiety. Since Buspar is used to treat anxiety, it certainly makes sense symptoms could come back when you discontinue the medication.
Tapering Buspar
There are no guidelines as it relates to tapering Buspar because it generally is not associated with any sort of dependence.[3]
However, if you are worried about withdrawal symptoms, particularly rebound anxiety (i.e. a recurrence of anxiety symptoms after stopping a medication), you should speak to your doctor about a tapering protocol that works for you. That way you can assess how your anxiety responds to a change in medication dose.
A 'standard' tapering protocol with anti-anxiety medication is to decrease your dose by 25% every week and assess for withdrawal symptoms or anxiety rebound.[4]If any do occur, discuss them with your doctor and consider slowing your taper or trying other medications to manage your anxiety.
