Posted by JerryPharmStudent on July 5, 2006, at 20:05:17
HI all! It's me "jerrympls" - I've changed my username because I'm in school studying pharmcy. I hope my name change won't confuse you too much!
Anyway - I'm wondering why I don't read more posts about people being on or having tried BuSpar - either as a mono-treatment for anxiety/social anxiety/OCD or as an augmentor for SSRIs, etc - for depression w/GAD or OCD?
I've been treatment-resistant for 14 years and lately my anxeity has been out of control - even tho I'm on 4mg Klonopin/day + 45mg Remeron + 20mg Lexapro. I started taking mabnesium supplements in April which have helped A LOT! However, I still have this underlying anxiety!
So, I convinced my doctor to let me try BuSpar - the one med I've never been on! He wanted to go with an atypical anti-psychotic - however, I refused saying that it was unnecessary overkill. Anyway, last week I started BuSpar 15mg 2x daily and WOW. It's been amazing. I'ts helping my anxiety (mostly the anticipatory kind) and my depression AND my sleep. I have experienced very few side effects - maybe some slight drowsiness.
I don't know why this med isn't used more often. I've done some research and found that it's been useful in treating GAD, social anxiety/social phobia and OCD. It seems to be especially helpful for those who cannot tolerate SSRIs.
I've also read that it can help potentiate the effects of stimulants - like Adderall and dexedrine - which is useful for those who have ADD + Depression w/GAD.
It seems to work mainly on the 5-HT1 receptor - which is the one associated with anxiety. It also has a very slight affinity for dopamine receptors.
Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience. While BuSpar may not give someone immediate relief from anxiety symptoms - it seems to work rather quickly - within a week - at least for me.
Jerry
poster:JerryPharmStudent
thread:664294
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060701/msgs/664294.html