[sunrise]

I took Buspar for 3 months for anxiety and recently stopped taking it. My first month on Buspar was great. I can't say it helped my anxiety but it made me feel wonderful. Very energized and alert, less shy, more talkative, very productive--kind of like taking a stimulant. I really liked it, even though this was not how I expected to feel, and even though I was frequently too wired to sleep well.

After the first month, I stopped feeling like this. The "high" and elated feeling disappeared, and I really seemed to feel no effect of taking the drug. It was like taking sugar pills. I can't say I really detected a decline in anxiety, but I did OK--but my life calmed down some too during this period of drug "ineffectiveness".

I went to my doctor (PCP), told her the Buspar wasn't working, and she said you should discontinue it and try Lexapro, an anti-depressant that is very effective against anxiety. So I stopped taking the Buspar about 2 weeks ago (but haven't begun Lexapro). The last 2 weeks have been really, really difficult for me. Lots of awful stuff going on in my life and I am really stressed out. My emotions are really close to the surface and ready to bust out at the least provocation. I am irritable and am getting annoyed and angry at the drop of a hat. Usually, I am not an angry person but there have been times recently, I have been unable to contain it. I am not sleeping well and sometimes have resorted to taking Xanax at night to allow myself to sleep. I'm just really stressed out!

Do you think that it could be because of dropping the Buspar that I am feeling so much more stressed out and anxious? I had felt it was because of all these stressful events that coincidentally have occurred lately, but then I wondered, maybe in part I am not handling the stress well because I stopped the Buspar. Could it be the Buspar was indeed helping me with anxiety and I didn't even know it? That its effects were so subtle, I missed them?

Has anyone ever had a drug actually be helping them but not know it?

I can't decide if maybe the Buspar was helping me and I should restart it.

Tangent:
About the Lexapro--I went to get my prescription filled the other day and it cost $76 for a month's supply, so I decided to skip it. That is just too expensive. I don't want to get started on something so expensive. I could use the money I'd save in a year's time for 8 sessions or so with my therapist. The pharmacy told me I could save money by getting a prescription for another anti-depressant in my insurance's formulary, but I'm not getting Lexapro for depression, I was getting it for anxiety, so that wasn't too helpful of a suggestion. Plus, several of the ADs they suggested (paxil, prozac) often cause weight gain, and I don't want that as I am already overweight. Lexapro is supposed to be "weight neutral" and that is one reason my doctor chose it for me, as well as its anti-anxiety property. I must admit I was kind of relieved when they told me how much the Lexapro cost so I had a good excuse for declining it. (That made me realize I didn't really want to take an anti-depressant--I'm not depressed).

sorry this is not more concise!

[devgurl00]

I think a drug can be helpful and you don't realize it. if you're going along taking the Buspar and you felt better -- not anxious or ready to climb the walls -- then i would tend to say that it was working for you. *disclaimer: i am not a doctor nor a psychologist so take what i say with a grain of salt, please*

i think that's the reason so many of us (me included) stop taking our meds even when we shouldn't is because we feel better so we stop taking them, then things get worse.

you may want to call your doctor and talk about it, but this is my 2cents, in a nutshell.

[Direction]

I'm personally not a big fan of Lexapro...though it is very effective for some...after the ramp up period

I have taken buspar before and moved on to Klonpin for my anxiety...I would think since Lexapro is not cost effective for you that you contact you pdoc for something else...