Buspirone
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Mental Health Drugs
- Bupropion
- SNRIs
- SSRIs
- MAOIs
- Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)
- Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS)
- Lithium
- Trazodone
- Buspirone
- Mirtazapine
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
- Zolpidem
- Typical Antipsychotics
- Atypical Antipsychotics
- Lithium (Old)
- Bupropion (Old)
- SNRIs (Old)
- MAOIs (Old)
- Amphetamines (Old)
Summary
Buspirone is a mental health drug that is primarily prescribed to treat anxiety. Importantly, buspirone has a delayed onset of about 2 weeks, so it is not effective for treating acute panic attacks. Buspirone is a great option for chronic treatment of anxiety because it has minimal side effects compared to other anti-anxiety medications.
Key Points
- Mechanism
- Anxiolytic
- Binds to serotonin and dopamine receptors
- Does not act on GABA receptors like benzodiazepines do, meaning it has less sedative effects and a lower risk of dependence
- Slow onset of action (1-2 weeks)
- Not appropriate for panic attacks or PRN use
- Another anxiolytic may be prescribed initially until buspirone has time to take effect
- Instruct patient starting buspirone to take the medication as prescribed, even if they don’t notice a difference at first
- Binds to serotonin and dopamine receptors
- Clinical Use
- Anxiety
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Anxiety-related depression
- Not useful for acute anxiety or panic disorder
- Anxiety
- Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
- Drug Interactions/Toxicity
- Avoid use with grapefruit juice
- Do not take concurrently with MAOIs
- Dizziness, headache
- Restlessness, nervousness, agitation
- GI distress
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Patient can take with food to minimize GI upset
- Drug Interactions/Toxicity
- Anxiolytic