Xanax Vs. Buspar (Page 4) (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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YOU MUST TAPER OFF OF XANAX SLOWLY! YOU COULD HAVE SEIZURES IF YOU DON'T! BUSPAR NEVER DID A THING FOR ME. HAVE YOUR DOC CHANGE YOU TO: ativan, klonopin, or something in that class of drugs. If you truly suffer with panic attacks, severe social anxiety or GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) then you NEED then you need the medicine, and there is no shame in that!

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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

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I am 33 years old and have been taking Wellbutrin for about 3 months now for depression. Prior to taking them I was angry everyday and all the time and most of the time I didnt know why. My therapist had recommended me taking an anti-depressant to cope with my anger cause apparently that is how I deal with my depression "anger" Anyway recently I found out that my HEP C is reactive and am scared now not only for what is to become of the Hep C but because I have not felt this good in a long time, since taking the wellbutrin. To give you an example as to why I am scared not only does it affect the liver and I will probably have to stop taking it but I am afraid to take anything else because my day starts at 4:30 in the morning and ends at 10pm, i drive about 90 miles a day and work with dual diagnosis and go to school. I need to function and dont have time to adjust to a medication. As I am reading about Buspar I am finding that there are chances that it will cause sleepiness and I cant take Xanax because I am an addict and that also causes increased tiredness. Please someone give me some suggestions before I go see the PSYC because knowing the doctor he will put me on something that causes me to be tired all the time.

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I, myself am doing through the SAME thing. Exept my GAD has been with me since I can remember. It is hard getting treated as an addict or a "seeker" when the people who actually NEED it have difficulty or no success in recieving proper treatment due to the stereo type others have placed on this one particular drug. Luckily I am married to a physician and don't have the problems obtaining my medications like I used to, but if I can give you any useful information at all it would be to keep searching until you find a dr who will actually listen to you. Be as honest with them as you are here. Let them know that you have tried everything and the one thing that does work for you is the drug that has "seeker" attatched to its name. But you are in fact just looking for a doctor who understands anxiety and the effect it ha on someone's life. Like a dr once told me, "it's to the dr's descretion rather or not the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks", (addictive). I told him that that should be MY choice. If I chose to take the risk of being on an addictive medication then that, in my opinion beats the alternative which would be me coming into the dr a year or so from now complaining of anxiety AND aquired heart problems due to the trauma that anxiety has placed on my heart and overall health. One drug, and only one other drug, besides Xanax has helped me tremendously. To the point where I don't even want Xanax anymore (due to the side effects, and this drug has none in my case), is Lorazapam/Atavan. That's the brad and generic names for. If you have not tried this and no dr will help you in your desperate search for help, then let them know you are willing to try this and hopefully, like me, your anxiety will be gone along with your one army fight against the machine. Keep me posted on your situation and I hope this helps!

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Hello, I have monophobia and panic attacks. I have been prescribed xanax for the past 11 yrs. I don't know how to deal with it anymore. I don't know where to begin looking for help.

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I retired from the military with a bad case of PTSD of the kind related to classical conditioned stimulus response. Basically when I hear a phone ringing or a banging noise (including simple knocking on my door), I suffer extreme panic symptoms because my mind connects those simple neutral noises with subsequent exploding IEDs. Buspar worked for me by stopping the chemical reaction which converts sensed stimuli into anxiety in my neurological brain. But I had to start with very low dosage, 5mg daily at bedtime (so I fell asleep before getting dizzy) built up to in my case only 15mg daily but for many months before I could say it was preventing panic attacks when the phone rang or someone knocked on my door. After 2 years I tried to wean myself off Buspar but found that although I was not physically nor psychologically hooked on it, I could not quit without going back to anxiety-prone living. So, I have stayed on buspar for 6 years now; it still works for me but I sometimes wonder about being stuck with it for the rest of my life...still, better than xanax or such, which has the same effect as buspar but much more immediately and has been proven addictive.

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My elderly father has been taking Xanax which is a God send - the only thing that stops horrible panic attacks but medicare has decided they wont pay for them anymore.
Is ther anything non prescription that comes close?

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Hey I'm 22 and I have server depression and anxiety my baby brother passed in 04 then mom in 05 and my home just burnt and my daddy passed I am having a really hard time my doc put.me on buspar and I can't stand it it makes me sick and I hurt all over what should I do?

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TERBY, I WAS HOOKED ON XANAX AND VALIUM FOR OVER 30 YEARS. A GOOD DUAL DIAGNOSIS ORIENTED IN PATIENT TREATMENT CENTER CAN GET YOU OFF THE MEDS IN 2 WEEKS. WEKIVA IN JACKSONVILLE FL IS ONE. THE VA SENT ME AND PICKED UP THE WHOLE TAB....JAMES

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Buspar was originally developed to treat depression, but it proved better at treating anxiety. Just goes to show that they invent s*** that they don't even know what will do. I went to see a new psychiatrist and ask to be put on a lower dose of Xanax, which evidently I'm the only person in the history of the world to do that. Well, she misunderstood and put me on 1/2 mil twice a day, from 2 mil twice a day. Needless to say that severe drop in dose caused havoc. Yesterday I had to fight with her to get back to my original dose and originally she refused, so I asked her to read my record for once. She finally relented and put me on 3 mi. trice a day, still a long way from 6 mil, but better. I don't take the Xanax like that, I only take it when I need it. She also insisted I take Busbar, 5 mg 3 times a day. Now I ask you, I asked for less drugs and come out with an additional prescription. How is this good?

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I've been diagnosed & misdiagnosed since I was 12 yrs old. The sum of it all is nervousness & anxiety also lacking the ability to stay focused or concentrate..which brings on an anger "issue". I'm 26yrs now. I have been prescribed Xanax,Lamictal&prozac for the most part of 6 yrs...my dr. Has to have all her patients off narcotics of any kind bc of some new enforced rules for all Johnson mental health branches.. I was taking 1mg twice daily& last month she lowered it to 1mg split in hlf daily,(it didn't really work out)at all! So, this month I'm supposed to only take .5 mg a day plus she added buspar 5mg. Nxt month , ill get 15 Xanax .5 then it's the buspar and the other 2 meds ( not to mention the lamictal & Prozac have not been at all beneficial)... I'm all for getting off Xanax bc it's a hassle just thinking of all the negative baggage it comes with but if this buspar doesn't work with the horrific withdrawals from Xanax then what? I can't just lay in the bed & sweat,cry,scream& carry on bc I'm married with a family w kids to care for all their needs... I need some honest advice! Seriously some advice from someone who has been through this & speaks bluntly from experience.. I can do without all the sugar coating just some advice on how I should handle this as far as the length of time I'm looking at and the amount of Xanax she has perscribed& I'm saying I do not want to do dealings otherwise. Please help me somebody if possible??

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Thank you chris for your up front and precise info. 90 2mg gone in 19 days. I understand you son.. I know. It's awful getting off, getting on etc etc the benzo merry go round. All the new people taking this medication.. It's what I call a creeper drug... Yes it works.. The addiction creeps up on you and before you know it.. You take them just to feel normal... Very hard family of medication...the PAM family. The young sister Valium (diazepam) sure she helped for a while, then I met her older sister lorazepam.. She seemed to understand me a bit better and then came her older brother Al (xanax) he knew his stuff... You know where I'm going with this... Big big family and I've dined with them all.. Hardest substance to divorce yourself from. They serve a purpose, this should be monitored... It takes years to recover... Good luck to all those that are a clog in the benzo wheel.. Approach with extreme caution.

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I've been on first one anti-depressant than 2 different kinds. Switching brands until one combination seems to be working somewhat. I have taken the Xanax as needed once in a great while but am afraid of the addiction.
The Dr. Prescribed buspar for me and I give started it last nite for twice a day & will increase til we feel I hit the right dose. She said it works good along with an antidepressant so I'm hoping for the best. I am pleased to hear it is not addictive. Ill sign in , in about a month to give it a chance & let you know how this works. And also if you do or do not gain weight with it.

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I understand ur frustration I take that and 10 roxicodones everyday and Valium and xyrem every day due to narcolepsy panic attacks and intercystial cystitis everything I was takin oxycontin and lost my insurance and can't afford it by the way if anybody knows of a way for non insurance patients to afford it please let me know but it's gotten to a point where sick people are all addicts and that is so not true

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I have trouble sleeping because of shoulder and neck damage ant the fact that the hydrocodone that I am prescribed wires me up so I tried passionflower pills that my mother gave me and viola , I sleep very well and little to no groggyness in the a.m. . I take two at night before bed... passionflower , its an herbal . who would've thunk it!!!

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I understand & agree 100%....I to am in my 50's, and was put on Buspar today. I have been taking Xanax for many years for anxiety/panic attacks. After several years of experimenting with what works best for me, Xanax worked best. Seeing that it has worked the best for me, they must change it out of the blue. Panic disorders run in my family. If their problem with giving me what helps is about the addition part of it....why didn't they take me off 20 years ago? I don't drink alcohol, so there is no problem there. I simply have a panic disorder that is hard to deal with. I wish my brain produced whatever Xanax has in it that controls these attacks when they come on. Had no trama growing up whatsoever. So, what is the problem with giving people who honestly need this medication?? Other than younger people who use this with alcohol to intensify the affects just to get a bigger buzz, or high from the alcohol?? Not fair for those who don't do that who really need it.....People sell xanax on the street all the time to make money to do whatever with...Real people who need it go through a Dr.'s office visit and get treated like a common street druggie......Makes me sick.....

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I went to a doctor some years ago thinking I had cancer in my throat, Could not swallow properly. He figured out that it was just stress and anxiety. He put me on Valium for the short term and Buspar for the long term. It takes up to 6 weeks for the Buspar to kick in, but it is not addictive. The Valium helps in the meantime. I took the Buspar for a few months, and after I removed myself from the stressful situation I was dealing with, I found that I did not need it anymore. It is not like Xanax, where you end up feeling sick because you stop taking it. You actually have to go through a horrible withdraw period with Xanax. I heard that the only two things that you can die from if you withdraw is alcohol and Xanax. You can withdraw from H and no one will care. It will not kill you. So pick your anti-anxiety drug as you wish, but I can tell you Buspar will fix your problem if you just give it some time. Then, change your life...get out of the situation that is making you so stressed. Don't use Xanax unless you don't care if you become a drug addict

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Good feedback,...it's a slippery slope with addictive substances,...it's a rare individual that get's involved and doesn't get hooked.It's a shame too cuz they often work,...but I've never found a pill that takes care of a bad situation,which often is the cause of anxiety/depression.Suffering can get so sever though,I don't think I'd be here had I not self medicated most of my 58 years.I've quit everything now,tobacco,caffeine,even detoxed off of a 8 year,860 mgs a day Oxycontin habit Dr's were giving me for chronic pain,...only finding out life to be a misery trip.My daily routine was destroyed,I lived on Ensure for 8 years,...and although there's been a lot of improvement,it's obvious I suffer from anxiety disorder.I find Xanax works really well,but no way do I want to go through or add to what I've been going through since 2001 when they started detoxing me.I still take 4 mgs of Suboxone a day,otherwise drug free.It's been a unbearable journey to get here,with no turning back,...but I often feel I need some relief,an escape from the anxiety/stress that is overwhelming most of the time.

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Bluebird do you know where you heard that about Xanax? I almost died during a cold turkey withdrawal. While I was never able to kick the medication, my usage has always been under control. It just has a way of knocking you on your ass when attempting to discontinue. I thought the Hospital wouldn't help. When you fail all the tests they even ask you to stay!

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I have quite a few friends prescribed to klonopins and they r addicted to them...from an addicts point of view (now clean)...tell ur doctor u want something non addictive...will not only help u in the long run but your doctor will see u r smart.

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