-
Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Chronic Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety in the elderly
- Aggression in developmentally disabled
- Agitated Dementia
- Emotional behavioral problems in brain injury
- Geriatric Depression
- Adjunctive use with SSRI in Major Depression
- Mixed anxiety and depression
- Enhance Major Depression response to SSRI
- Antidepressant Induced Sexual Dysfunction
-
Alcohol Withdrawal
- Reduces anxiety of "needing" a drink
- Obsessive Compulsive depression
- Use Buspar with Prozac
- Decreases Neuroleptic adverse effects
- Reduces Tardive Dyskinesia
- Reduces Akathisia
- Reduces Parkinsonism
- Start: 7.5 mg PO bid (or 5 mg PO tid)
- Effective dose: 20 to 30 mg per day
- Maximum: 60 mg per day
- Non-addictive
- Less Sedation
- No associated memory Impairment
- No significant withdrawal syndrome
- Minimal Overdose potential
- No Anticholinergic Toxicity
- Well tolerated by elderly patients
- Does not affect GABA levels
- Slow onset of action (takes 2-4 weeks until effect)
- Not useful in Panic Attacks
- No Sedative effect
- Requires repeat dosing 2-3 times per day
- Avoid use in pregnancy and Lactation
- Avoid in hepatic or renal Impairment
-
Dizziness or Light Headedness
- Onset within 30 minutes of ingestion
- Duration less than 20 minutes
- Mild Headache
- Nausea
- Nervousness
- Insomnia
- Low oral Bioavailability (<5%)
- Half-Life: 2 to 3 hours
- Peaks: 0.9 to 1.5 hours after ingestion
- Metabolized by CYP3A4
- MAO Inhibitors
- Haloperidol (Haldol)
- Cyclosporine (Sandimmune)
- Disulfiram (Antabuse)
-
Erythromycin and Itraconazole suppresses p450
- Results in Buspirone levels 5-13 times normal
- Protocol to convert from Benzodiazepine to Buspirone
- Convert short-acting Benzodiazepine to long-acting
- Example: Alprazolam to Clonazepam
- Start Buspirone at above doses
- Taper long-acting Benzodiazepine over 60 to 90 days
- Buspirone Tablet (DailyMed)
- Wilson (2023) Buspirone, StatPearls, Treasure Island, FL
- (1997) Clin Pharmacol Ther, 32:348 [PubMed]
- Cadieux (1996) Am Fam Physician 53(7): 2349-53 [PubMed]