Stress and anxieties are present in increasing proportions in our daily lives. Hence, anxiety has become a common response when you encounter a tight situation. Anxieties are of different types – the common ones are when we need to start a conversation with a stranger, speak at a public gathering or an open forum, etc. If you let stresses and anxieties to continue, they may turn into a medical condition called anxiety disorder. Drugs such as buspar are prescribed to treat and bring down anxiety levels. But, before starting your medication plan, it is required to know the likely side effects of this drug.
Anxiety is a relatively common mental condition wherein your mind is crowded and feels overpowered by events of your daily life. Among anxieties experienced, the widely researched and clinically understood types of anxieties are –
#1. Generalized anxiety disorders
This is a condition wherein you may assume unlikely outcomes or unimaginable things to show up in your lives. Under the spell of this condition, you may be in a continued state of stress and tension.
#2. Panic-based disorders
These disorders are known to show up if you are placed in an uncomfortable place or need to participate in an event that can overwhelm you. A typical example is the need to speak in front of a large and unknown audience. This disorder may make you to sweat profusely, turn your heartbeats fast and can also result in a mild or moderate level of pain in the chest.
#3. Phobia
You are experiencing a phobia when you are afraid of attending a particular event or doing to task. Typical examples of phobia include fears experienced while walking in a dark place or scaling tall buildings, speaking to strangers, etc.
#4. Disorders of social anxiety
These disorders can bring about a high level of restlessness. These are associated with your social skills. It is believed that introverts suffer from these disorders more than others. These are basically your inability or unfounded fears to interact with unfamiliar and strange people. In sum, these disorders stem from situations demanding you to become more social and friendly with new people. The root cause is the fear of being seen-by or having to interact with unknown people.
People with these disorders have a high level of self-conscious and hate being rated by unknown people, especially in a large or an unfamiliar gathering.
What triggers anxiety and what are its common signs?
The triggers of this mental condition are largely unknown to medical experts. Specialists consider it to be a result of how your mind functions as well as the nature of a social gathering. A few experts consider your genes to play a big role in triggering anxiety or increase your stress levels.
The most common signs of anxiety are respiratory problems – which may show up as gasping or faster breathing cycles, pain in your chest, sweating profusely, sleeplessness or changes in your sleep patterns, drying of mouth (due to loss of water through sweat or frequent or excessive urination), drowsiness, body pain and other discomforts.
Buspar for treating anxiety
Among medicines used for treating anxiety, buspar is a widely used drug. This drug helps you to relax and decrease your worries. It is known for its capability to lessen irritation levels as well as arrest the signs of anxiety. The signs it helps control include sweating, faster heartbeat as well as sleeping troubles. Buspar falls under a category of medications known as anxiolytics. Its chief function is to influence a few substances – called as neurotransmitters – naturally present in your brain. Buspar is taken without or with food, for a maximum of 3 times per day. You need to adhere to the instructions of your treating doctor on the number of dosages as well as how it needs to be consumed. It is very important to take the medicine at the same time each day; this will enhance the chances of absorption of this drug and can help hasten your recovery from this medical condition.
Side effects of buspar
Most common side effects of buspar are headache, feeling dizzy, being in a state of confusion, blurring of eyesight, weariness, sleep related problems, nausea and other abdominal discomforts. These effects may last only for a short span of time. You will need to keep your doctor informed if these effects last for a longer time.
Some rare side effects
In very rare instances, buspar may trigger a few other side effects; these include stiffening of muscles, shakes or jerks, inability to move your facial muscles, etc. In very remote cases, some of these reactions can turn into a perennial effect. So, if you sense a tightening of facial muscles or if you are unable to control the movements of your hands, legs, mouth, face or tongue – your treating doctor needs to be informed about such effects as soon as possible.
This drug may trigger a few serious allergies in some people. Such allergic effects include itchiness, inflammation, feeling extremely drowsy, respiratory problems, rashes on skin, etc. There are a few more side effects for which you may need to seek immediate medical help. These include gasping for breath, pain in the chest, arrhythmia (faster heartbeats), becoming more vulnerable to bruises and bleeding.
Precautions
You are likely to witness an increased level of confusion and stresses soon after you start taking buspar. However, as you continue taking the medicine, you will experience the benefits of this drug. Always ensure that your treating doctor is aware of all the changes. Your medication plan based on buspar – including its dosage – is based on several factors. The key factors are your age, mental condition as well as how your body responds to this medication. You need to stay away from drinking juice of grapefruit as well as directly eating grapefruit. This is because of the fruit’s ability to worsen the side effects of buspar.
As a precautionary measure, you will need to tell about your existing medical conditions, if any to your treating doctor. Also inform your doctor if you have Parkinson’s disease, mental conditions such as bipolar disorder or mood swings including depression, and other conditions such as hepatic disorders or renal dysfunction.
The side effects mentioned above do not form an entire list. So, it is highly recommended to talk to your treating doctor or pharmacist on the other likely effects and reactions buspar may trigger. If some of these serious allergies or acute side effects do not cease after a short term, you may need to call 911 or FDA if you are living in the US. If you are a resident of Canada, you may need to contact Health Canada or a poison control center located closer to your place.
Buspar may also interact with a few other medications. These include cough relievers or pain killer medications, antifungals of the azole genre, a few types of antidepressants (especially, tricyclic antidepressant drugs as well as a few selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – SSRIs).
In sum, buspar can lead to dizziness. You are advised not to take alcohol (which will only worsen the reactions) or engage in activities that may need a high level of mental alertness or agility. It is not a good practice to drive or operate heavy machinery soon after taking a dose of buspar. Your doctor may tell you to always check with her / him prior to discontinuing the intake of buspar.
If you witness signs of withdrawal of this drug, you need to report the signs to your doctor without any delay. Also, it is not clear how this drug can impact your pregnancy. So, your treating doctor will prescribe this drug only when it is definitely required as part of a treatment plan. Similarly, the effects of this drug on mothers who are breastfeeding infants are not fully evidenced. It is quite likely that the substances in this drug may get passed onto infants. Hence, women nursing their babies need to take needful advice from their doctors about consuming buspar.