Posted by Jasmine Neroli on November 2, 2003, at 0:49:55
In reply to Re: DL-phenylalanine and blood pressure -ASV All » Jasmine Neroli, posted by Franz on October 29, 2003, at 11:52:20
Hey Franz:
Well, for my BuSpar history: 2months ago I started on 10mg ( 2x 5mg)per day and slowly titrated up to 30mg per day, all in split doses, over a course of 4 weeks, since I have a history of sensitivity to Serotonergic drugs. No side effects at all, until I started taking the 10mg tabs twice per day, when I became extremely dizzy about 20 mins after taking. This lasted about 45 mins. I then felt a little "flat & fatigued" for a couple of hours. I also got slight transient nausea. None of these effects were a big deal and could be worked around. However, I was receiving ZERO anxiety relief and often had to use Klonopin PRN, for bad days. My Pdoc increased the dose to 30mg (2x15mg) and this is when a whole host of side effects kicked in.....more dizziness that lasted about an hour, similar fatigue, headache, freezing cold hands (!!! really!!!), weight gain, extreme nausea upon waking in the am, apathy and "breakthrough" menstrual bleeding. I did start to feel a bit better in the anxiety relief area though.
Just went to the Pdoc last week..he agrees that all side effects are possible from BuSpar and outweigh the minimal benefits I was getting.
So I'm back on Klonopin only (.5 - 1mg per day).
I don't want to put you off the BuSpar, because a lot of my side effects are uncommon. The dizziness and tiredness are the most likely. It is actually one of the safest drugs, which is why my doc prescribed it instead of Klonopin or others. If it works for you, it's a great med.
I'm happy to be back on just Klonopin...at .5mg I get absolutely no sedation, just a lifting of the physical anxiety effects and some mood lifting. I do find 1mg a bit sedating though. When I originally started taking it however, I did feel sedated at .5mg for about 2 weeks.
I have been taking 500mg DLPA all week, with perhaps a little effect, so now I'm going to increase it to 1000mg (unfortunately I only have 500mg caps). I do take mag/calc. each day. And my Pdoc actually suggested supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acids ( I was so surprised!).
Hope my experience helps with your decision making. Best of luck!
poster:Jasmine Neroli
thread:273304
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031023/msgs/275672.html