Xanax Vs. Buspar (Page 2) (Top voted first)

Yes-what is the major difference between these 2 meds? I have taken xanax for several years. I'm thinking abt. changing to Buspar. Can you switch meds like these without tapering off the xanax. Does Buspar help w/ Panic attacks?

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Thank you Chuck! I totally agree with you. It is so hard to get xanax because of all the pill head abusers. I have REAL anxiety and panic attacks I also suffer from agoraphobia there are many days that I can not leave the house. Xanax helps this very much and has gave me a chance at living an actual life. Unfortunately my Dr is against it and has put me on buspar to try once again even though it didn't work before. Antidepressants increase the anxiety. I don't know what I'm going to do she is going to take the xanax away. Ive been suffering with anxiety and severe panic attacks since I was 5yrs old I have been on one med after another & yes even klonopin, xanax is the only med that has worked for me. I'm 42 why can't they just leave me alone and let me have my xanax? I never take more than 1mg 2x a day I don't want to be immune to it so that I can get relief when needed and I am careful with the xanax because I am NOT a drug addict & actually need it for a real problem. I have no sympathy for drug addicts anymore they ruin it for those that really need these meds including people who need pain med but can't get because of all the damn pill heads that play around with this stuff, party with it and get addicted. Boo hoo. I don't feel sorry for them they get no pitty from me not even the dead ones because of them many people have to suffer me being one of them.

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To every woman out there who may be suffering from severe panic attacks, I really encourage you to have your hormone levels checked. I dealt with this issue for months. I tried Xanax, busbar, hipnosis, and my Dr continued to try to get me to take an every day med. I kept telling her that I did not want to surpress the issue, I wanted to fix it. She kept trying to tell me it was a chemical imbalance in my brain and I needed these meds. I am 32 years old and I'd never had this issue so severly until recently, so I knew it wasn't something in my brain. I insisted on having my hormones tested bc I knew there was something different going on inside of my body, and I wanted to fix it bc I wanted to get pregnant soon. She rudely told me that I better not get pregnant any time soon bc no Dr would ever want to touch me then. After much debate, I convinced her to test my hormones, and what do you know? My progesterone level was .06, almost 0, and my testosterone level was low as well. A normal woman should be at a progesterone level of 5! But, in the few weeks while waiting on these results, I noticed that the panic attacks had become fewer and more manageable. Come to find out, I had gotten pregnant. I took another blood test the day I found out, and my progesterone level had risen to 33! From .06 to 33 in 3 weeks! I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel. Low progesterone is very common in women, and it's #1 side effect is panic disorder! Go figure! But for some reason Doctors NEVER think to check this. They think it's best just to throw pills at you and supress it. So PLEASE ladies, have your hormones tested if you are suffering from panic attacks. I wish I would have done this a long time ago!

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IVE BEEN ON VALIUM AND XANAX FOR 40 YEARS. I WAS JUST DETOXED FOR 28 DAYS INPATIENT. ALL THAT TIME I LIVED IN A WILDERNESS OF DRUGS. IVE FOUND THAT XANAX RESULTS IN THE INCREASE OF DEPRESSION FOR ME. I WAS SPENDING MOST OF THE DAY IN BED AND CONTIMPLATING SUICIDE WHEN I WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL. ITS BEEN AN ENLIGHTENING TIME. IF YOU ARE PRONE TO ADDICTION XANAX WILL GRAB YOU. IF YOUR NOT, STILL KEEP AWAY BECAUSE THE BRAIN HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN AND LIKES THAT STUFF. XANAX IS POISON IN MY BOOK BECAUSE IT WORKS SO WELL. I THINK IT SHOULD BE A SCHEDUL 2 MED. IM CURRENTLY ON BUSPAR AND ANTI DEPRESSANTS, NON OF WHICH ARE RE4ALLY ADDICTING. DONT START DOWN THE XANAX ROAD IS MY WARNING TO EVERYONE...JAMES

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If this can help even one person, I'd be happy. Please do NOT take Xanax! I was in rehab in April getting detoxed off the med. I was taking .25 for a very long time as needed. As my life changed and I got married, started a career, my anxiety increased as did my dosage and prescription of Xanax. My doctors (family & psychiatrist) put me on 2 mg three times daily, that was it. My body got hooked. I was becoming immune to my 6mg a day, so went up anywhere from 4mg to 12mg a day, trying my best to cut down myself...but could not. It's been 55 days off Xanax and the withdrawals and detox were hell. Literal hell. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through the agony. In the first month and a half I wanted to just die bc the withdrawals were so intense. My brain is messed up. I have high anxiety, agoraphobia, a social phobia, and pains in my entire body, shortness of breath, bloated limbs and the list goes on. I'm not able to work only stay at home where I feel safe. It's the worst hell I could ever imagine. If I would have known, I never would have taken the poison...or never gotten off of it. Everyday is a battle to stay off of it or get back on to feel somewhat normal again. Please please, this is no way to live. Any benzo will do this to you. Ive been on Buspar now (which does not work nor compare to the relaxation of Xanax). Stay away from benzos if you want any life at all. I'm going to get better (I hope) from what my docs say, but being like this is a terrible life. I loved Xanax, it was my coping mech! Now I just suffer from what the poison did to me. I did not taper, I was cold cut and put on anti seizure meds. I hear taper is good, but I didn't get that experience. I couldn't walk normally, talk or think normally for a month! Don't do this to yourself. I'm an educated woman with a masters degree, but I would fail miserably in my line of work now. Xanax is poison. Just don't take it! Thanks for reading! Good luck to us all.

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I feel much the same way , it makes me so upset for anyone just taking for a high and it hurts the person that really needs it. To leah

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i agree, it shows that the general population of doctors don't in fact believe in the very thing they are trained to work with, medicine. xanax was designed to help people in desperate need and to treat their patients as potential druggies is horrific! truly mindful doctors do exist, but unfortunately you never know who you'll get....go see a mental health doctor, even if tout anxiety is caused by hormone imbalance...don't settle for derisive doctors! it's your life you have to survive and want to enjoy, not them!

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Buspar and Xanax are very differnt medications. Xanax is a benzodiazepine and buspar is in a class of its own. To answer your question about going right from xanax to buspar without tapering off the xanax. This is not recomended. after you have taken a benzodiazepine for more than a few weeks, you need to taper it off slowly to avoid withdrawl symptoms. You should always consult with yor physician before making any changes to your meds. What I do know is that Buspar does not provide immediate relief for your anxiety symptoms like xanax does , so your doctor would most likely start you on the buspar while he is tapering off the xanax. The buspar takes up to 2 or 3 weeks to reach its theraputic potential. Unfortuatly as far as I know buspar is not an effective medication for panic attacks. I do know that xanax works well for panic attacks. The only drawback to xanax is that it is habit forming, while buspar is not. I have been on both xanax and buspar and I would recomend as long as you are not an addict or an alcoholic if your looking for a medication to treat your anxiety and panic attacks you ask your Dr about Klonapin. Klonapin is also a benzodiazepine like xanax but it has a longer half life and I have found that taking one millagram of Klonapin twice a day to be the most effective treatment for anxiety and panic disorder. Remember medications effect everyone differntly, this is only a suggestion. I am not a doctor. I do have empathy for you and I hpe whatever changes you make to your medications are for the better.

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This is an update to my quest to be anxiety free...
The zanex didn't work for me. If I took enough to stop the anxiety I would become depressed. I am not a depressed person, just extremely high strung when chemicals are out of balance. So I started taking a low dose of Ativan. It cuts the anxiety to the point I feel almost normal. Also went to a HRT specialist who is a SottoPelle certified GYN. He inserts (after blood test of hormone levels) a custom blend of Estrogen and Testosterone into the hip area so it's in my system 24/7. I immediately felt more productive with this treatment. He also wrote a script for a progesterone made by a compound pharmacy. It's like a green mint placed under the tongue at bedtime. I started taking a good multivitamin with minerals, fish oil, D, C, and B complex to help with suspected adrenal fatigue. Results are... I am functioning at my pre anxiety level, sleep much better, and certainly more positive. However, I am not yet able to get off the Ativan. The anxiety comes back when I don't take it but it doesn't seem as bad. So I don't know exactly what's working but suspect the combination of all. I am hoping to get off the Ativan as soon as possible. Good luck to all suffering with anxiety. It's a terrible disease that makes life almost not worth living. I hope this helps some of you to try new paths of recovery. We are all different so what works for one may not for another.

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Chris wrote on Saturday, 12/3/2011: ""Look if you really need Xanax for anxiety, take it, but be aware its addicting and is said to have worse withdrawals than heroin. Please go in thinking about how your life will be affected. I never once thought i would end up this dependent on Xanax. I get 90 2mg a month and still happen to have an empty bottle on 19 days after my refill. I only came across this post looking up things that would help this anxiety that wont go away.""

Xanax (alprazolam) is a short-acting benzodiazapene. It is very effective, and because it is so effective as a GABA-receptor agonist, it causes downregulation of the GABA receptors in key areas of the brain's various neurons especially those affecting mood and in the limbic system (fight or flight - panic response) which means it literally causes receptors to be uncoupled and rendered inactive. This is the method by which the drug has less of an effect over time (and which means a greater strength, or dose, is required to achieve the same effect). The benzodiazapene class of drugs is The Fastest in terms of causing tolerance and therefore dependence.
Xanax 2 mg should never be prescribed for regular use, let alone for 6 mg per day. This is a guaranteed way to develop both psychological and physical dependence and eventual addiction (not possible or likely; GUARANTEED) And yes, withdrawal can be lethal and is more dangerous than opiates or opioids including heroin. This is because withdrawal (especially from dosing of 6 mg or more daily and still "running out" before refill time) will lead to what's called "delirium tremens" which is fatal in at least 1/3 of cases when left untreated.
My recommendation for someone on this level of dosage is changing, at least for the short term, to a major tranquilizer such as Risperdal (risperidone) or Seroquel (quetiapine).
A slightly safer benzodiazapene option is Klonopin (clonazepam) or Ativan (lorazepam) which are in the category of "long-acting" benzodiazapenes which mean they take much longer to be metabolized and removed from your system than does Xanax. The therapeutic advantage with these longer-acting drugs are that they will not cause the relatively sudden and severe withdrawal that does Xanax because they more gradually taper off in blood plasma concentration.
Xanax should be used as an emergency abortive for panic attacks only. It is absolutely not intended as a regular and total solution to anxiety.

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Follow up to my post. It's now July24th and my HRT and very low dose of ativan (1/4 of 1mg twice a day) is working great. I am me again. Very productive, active, happy etc. I hope all with anxiety problems find their form of medication, exercise, spirituality, or what ever works. Living live feeling well is better than anything else, except love! But even love doesn't work well with anxiety.

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A short reply to Jeff whose post I copied and pasted below in quotations:

66
Jeff Says:
Thursday, 11/1/2012 12:24:18 PM

"I'm going thru same thing right now. I have done many drugs in my life and have been fortunate I have never been an addict. Xanax works like a charm for me but I have to buy from friends. Went to doc the other day he gave me celexa that made things worse. Went back today told him that and years ago I was on alprazolam generic Xanax and he out me on buspar. So here we go to see if it works. But doubt it"

Hi Jeff,
Xanax and other benzodiazepines are NOT (and should NOT be) the first line of treatment for anxiety; many psychiatrists and physicians in general are now aware of this fact. Benzodiazepines like Xanax have been proven to be just too habit forming, dangerous, and conducive to diversion to people other than to the patients for whom the drug(s) were originally provided; you made an excellent example of this since, as you said (quoted above), you had been buying them "from friends". Friends that are fully aware of the potential medical (and legal!!) repercussions of taking this drug would never provide them to someone else.

Concerning changing rates of drug abuse, overdose, and death in Florida for example , benzodiazepines like Xanax--since 2003--have now been found to be responsible for the #2, HIGHEST, GREATEST, increase in drug overdose DEATHS.

Please refer to the following reputable source to confirm this if you like; it's provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on its “whitehouse.gov†website.

Yes, the truth is Xanax is one of the MOST EFFECTIVE AND POTENT chemical remedies for treating general anxiety, SEVERE anxiety, and panic attacks. Yes, Xanax and the benzodiazepine class of drugs are extremely effective at reducing anxiety compared to other drugs currently available (especially Buspar—generic name: buspirone).
That last statement should answer the question about Buspar vs. Xanax for a lot of you.

Buspar at its maximum therapeutic dose of 15 mg twice daily will have little to NO effect on your anxiety if you have been taking somewhere in the range of 1 – 2 mg of Xanax (generic name: alprazolam) once or twice daily as needed for panic attacks or chronic anxiety. However, if you've taken Xanax yourself, you know from personal experience how short-acting the drug is. You also know how quickly (literally 2 - 3 days for some people) the strength of dose you started on just is NOT working as well as it used to. And this is where it’s very easy to slip up and start a downward spiral into misuse of the drug, or worse—addiction, or even worse. Why? Because at this point when the drug feels much weaker and your mind is yelling, “I need more!â€, the average patient tends to tell his/her doctor that the medication isn’t working like it used to and that, “I need more!†Often in this situation, the doctor will not (and if he’s a responsible doctor, he won’t; I know it sucks, but this is the truth) increase the quantity or the dose. When this happens, it is NOT uncommon for anxiety patients to seek more of the drug through other means (internet pharmacies, foreign 3rd world countries, friends, family, and even the drug peddler at the street corner).

And, most of all, you are aware of how strongly you feel you WANT and NEED this medication; you will be willing to do many things to get it, behaviors and actions that you would normally never allow yourself to do just so you can, “feel OK again, like my normal self.†If you get to this point in, yes—addiction, you need to find help ASAP, because you are at a point where you almost physically and mentally CANNOT resolve your situation on your own.

Going back to alternatives to the benzodiazepines… Yes, there are the SSRI/SNRI drugs like CELEXA—as I think Jeff said (generic: citalopram). These drugs however are known to cause severe panic attacks, manic episodes, and much worse anxiety in SOME patients ESPECIALLY in those who have more of an anxiety issue than a depression issue.
Regardless, doctors like to try this category (SSRI/SNRI) of medication first because it’s virtually impossible to overdose on, you will not develop the INTENSE SEVERITY of DEPENDENCE on it, and the potential RISKS associated with suddenly being cut off (or ripped off) the drug with no gradual tapering are neither nearly as torture-like, nor as life-threatening, as being forced into withdrawal from a benzodiazepine like Xanax.

Now, about Buspar (buspirone):
This drug does decrease anxiety by using the same “controls†in the brain as do Xanax and the benzodiazepine family of drugs. The truth of the matter is, doctors and researchers (even those that came across the discovery of this substance), are NOT exactly sure how it works. It is THOUGHT to reduce anxiety by manipulating the serotonin and/or norepinephrine pathways in the brain IN A SIMILAR MANNER AS DO THE NEWER ANTIDEPRESSANTS.

However, there is one resounding, unfortunate truth about Buspar, and this is that the drug is virtually ALWAYS much weaker in effect than a benzodiazepine. It is still worth giving it a shot though. It is also a much safer alternative to the benzodiazepine class of drugs.

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One thing I did not mention in my reply to Jeff (and other posts too) is another tool in the toolbox that just might work for you while not having the disadvantages that the benzodiazepines do. Still, they do carry their own risks and side effects of course.

First, the older class of antidepressants which are referred to as the tri-cyclic antidepressants (TCA’s), can help with not only depression issues, but also calm you down and reduce anxiety without having to experience the stimulant-like effects of the newer SSRI/SNRI drugs like, say, Prozac, Lexapro, or Celexa. One very successful example of the TCA’s for reducing anxiety is a drug called, Anafranil (generic: clomipramine). It’s designated as an excellent tool for treatment-resistant (what we call, refractory) depression AND behaviors that fall under the category of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It tends to have a more sedating effect on patients that take it (which is why it is usually taken at night), whereas the new line of antidepressants (Prozac and newer) tend to have a more stimulating effect on patients—which naturally leads to increased anxiety, or even panic.

SO! If you are having a hard, frustrating time finding a medication that is both safe AND not so quickly causing tolerance and dependence like the benzodiazepines, in addition to your having already tried one of the newer antidepressants like Celexa, Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Lexapro (and so on…), one of the TCA medications—like Anafranil—may be that one, ideal medication that will work very, very well for you!

Second, you and your doctor may also try using a low-potency, very low dose of one of the newer (also referred to as 2nd generation, or “atypicalâ€) antipsychotics such as Seroquel (generic: quetiapine). This specific drug is known for being one of the lowest potency antipsychotics (which would be a big plus if you’re only trying to address anxiety), while at the same time being known for being one of the most sedating drugs in its class, thereby making it an excellent candidate for treatment-resistant anxiety. This medication is also a relatively safer alternative compared to a benzodiazepine in treating anxiety for the long-term.

Well that’s all I’ve got! I hope this helps!!

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I have been taking buspar for about 6 weeks after tapering off of xanax, which I took twice a day for a little over 2 years. InitiallyI was extremely afraid of getting off the xanax. Now that I have been off of it totally for about 5 weeks, I feel like a new person! I didnt realize what the xanax was doing to me, how bad it controlled my life. I took my bottle out of my purse 2 days ago because I never want to take it again. Buspar gave me my life back. Give it a chance. I have no anxiety or moodiness and irritability any longer!

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Asgrub, your contribution is your own personal experience and surely welcome. I do not believe anyone who contributes THEIR own experience is wrong. Nor is the use of xanax completely wrong. I have weaned myself from 3-4mg/day when I was working and under stress, down to .75mg per day. I will continue to lower use until I take no more. I use Buspar to help me. I am a recovering alcoholic, sober for over 10 years. I had a very successful corporate career. Without the use of xanax, it would have been incredibly difficult if not impossible to do. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you criticize. That way you are a mile away and have their shoes - Peace.

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If you've been taking Xanax for an extended period of time ,DO NOT switch to Buspar. If you feel you MUST ,you must taper off the xanax slowly before changing or you will experience HORRIBLE withdrawal symptoms. I was on xanax 2mg twice a day along with Prozac 20mg for G.a.d. ( anxiety ) for 3 1/2 yrs when my Dr retired and I changed. The "new" Dr changed my whole regimen taking me off the xanax and Prozac and putting me on paxil and Buspar. After only the first 2 days I started feeling very strange and by the fourth day I was in full blown withdrawal. I thought maybe it was my body adjusting to the new medicine so I had my mom to call the doctor to report these symptoms ( I was too sick to call myself) I was sweating,vomiting, shaking,sleeping maybe 1 hr a night, crying spells, could not eat anything nor did I want too.My mother told the drs nurse that she had a strong feeling I was having withdrawals from being just yanked off my xanax like that and the nurse said quote "that's a very strong possibility but we don't prescribe xanax for anxiety" and made an appt to see me 4 days later!! (That really chapped my ass) That night I was sleeping at my moms house on the couch at around 5:30 am my mom said she heard a very loud pitched sound that she described as a loud cat fight and when she came in I was having a full blown seizure. my mom called 911 and I was taken to the hospital where my mom told them what had happened with the medication suddenly being switched (by this time it had been 6 days) the docs did a full neuro and cardio workup and immediately diagnosed it as a " benzodiazipine withdrawal seizure" He was also FURIOUS with the Dr. who just took me off of it saying this is what happens when you do. He gave me an inj. of something (I think Ativan) another med that's a benzodiazipine and wrote me an Rx for 21 1mg xanax tablets...the seizure left me confused, like I could answer things like my name and bday but not the presidents name.. left me EXTREMELY exhausted, and scared. I went to the Dr who gave me the BUSPAR crap and brought all my paperwork with me explaining the misery it caused me.He actually had the nerve to look me in the eye and say "sorry but I don't prescribe benzodiazipines... I can give you something to prevent the seizures" WTF? I LEFT and never went back..I went to my PCP and even he said that should not have been done like that.you NEVER go cold turkey off ANY benzo. He wrote me a months script of my original xanax dose and lexapro 20mg w/ 5 refills on each... I still see him to this day for ALL my medical needs.

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I'm going through the exact same thing. Hereditary n I can't focus on one thing. He my doctor has prescribed just about everything but xanax. And I know that is the only thing that will help me I'm also 50 n I don't care if I get addicted at least it makes me slow down n function.

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Nate, I take amphetamine and zanax almost every working day, and have for a long time. I am fairly certain I am better educated on the subject than you are and so are 3 different doctors that had no problem prescribing both meds at the same time. Your stupid opinion does nothing to help people who have ADD and are anxious about their work performance, or a million other things. exercise and talk therapy are best but some folks need to stop a tail spin and others need a life long maintenance dose. If you cant handle it, don't take them. It's not a ying yang thing.

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I stressed my self with worry and other things. A few years ago, I started noticing myself getting extremely shaking and throwing up when I was nervous. Next thing I knew about six months I was having panic attacks and bouts of depression; scared me to death because I had no idea what was going on with myself. They put me on Xanax, which I did not react well with because I had such bad nightmares or the dose wasn't strong enough to help my anxiety. Anyway, I went to therapy and I ask to be put on a drug that didn't make me sleepy because I didn't want to be falling a sleep on my little angel. He put me Buspar. But I have been noticing, that I get aggravated and irritated easily. Then after getting aggravated and start to feel bad because I knew it was no reason. I get really sad and cry. I was wondering if anyone else has mood swings with Buspar. I just want to find something to help my anxiety not all this drama crap with it. I have hurt my dear husband's feelings so much and I am so afraid to I might 'bark' at my baby for nothing. I think I going make an appointment tomorrow with my therapist to change my medicine so also does anyone have a good suggestion?

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This is the best advice you will ever get. Listen to the Dr. Seek treatment there is some type of event in your life that you may have blocked out probably in childhood. Use medication with therapy and eventually you won't need the meds. I know all this from experience.

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You are not alone in your thinking,it's been my experience as well.I've suffered from GAD my whole life and only recently became educated about what it is.I self medicated with everything I could get my hands on,never getting much relief,only hell from the side effects,until I was given zanax to be able to get on the airplane home from a trip to Fl I made.It worked unlike any drug I had ever taken,but good luck in getting a script,with my drug past,they won't give me one.I too am in my late 50's and don't care about being dependent.It sux the way things are,I don't have any good answers.

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