 a psychiatrist on buspar for panic attacks
Often patients are prescribed Buspar for Panic Disorder: is it a useful agent? Is it a safe agent?
Often patients are prescribed Buspar for Panic Disorder: is it a useful agent?
Buspar is a medication that is often prescribed for anxiety. It is not a SSRI, but it does increase serotonin at the level of the synapse. It was thought to have relatively few side effects compared to the SSRI's, but as time passes it is becoming clear that Buspar does have roughly the same side effects as the SSRI's but to a lesser extent.
Buspar is reported to reverse SSRI sexual dysfunction in the literature, although this is strictly anecdotal. Some people find Buspar to be useful when stopping smoking. It is increasingly being used to "augment" SSRI's in the treatment of depression and anxiety. This is probably a bad idea since it can theoretically cause excess seritonin in the blood leading to cardiac problems similar to Redux. In conjunction with a SSRI it can also cause seritonin syndrome.
Buspar will not stop or prevent panic attacks. Buspar seems most useful for excessive worry or
non-panic anxiety. This has not been shown to be an effective antipanic agent, and clinically it does not seem to do much when given with a benzodiazepine. Bottom line: it is not a useful agent for panic disorder.
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