# Continue with Buspar or switch over to Effexor XR?



## dbeck (May 13, 2011)

Hello All!

For the past 6 years, I have been dealing with intense Depersonalization/Derealization, GAD, panic attacks, mild OCD (constantly grabbing things, fidgeting, hands in pockets, ,etc) and mild depression. I have been on both Celexa and Lexapro in the past, and while they have both "worked" for me, I was never fully "cured" and have always ended up tapering off (3 cycles over the past 6 years). I have also been taking 0.5mg of Klonopin daily, however, I feel like this small dose is no longer working and I am hesitant to tier up to 1mg. Recently, the depersonalization/anxiety has been getting worse and is almost unmanageable in its current state. I recently saw a new psychiatrist who prescribed me Buspar 10mg 3 times per-day; I have been on this med for 10 days now (5 days at 10mgx3; tapered up), however, I feel like it is making my symptoms worse. I know it can take up to 3-6 weeks for the drug to "kick-in", however, from what I have gathered on here and other parts of the web, Buspar is not known to be the most effective drug. My Pdoc said that if the Buspar was ineffective or made my symptoms worse, he would transition me over to Effexor XR (75mg for 1 week and then 150mg indefinitely). I am wondering if I should stop the Buspar now and transition over to the Effexor, as my own independent research leads me to believe that the Effexor will have a greater effect on my symptoms (intense panic and anxiety). On the other hand, I am thinking about returning to Lexapro, as it did "work" in the past, despite the side effects.

TLDR; currently on Buspar 10mg 3 times daily, not working/potentially making symptoms worse. Wait it out for another 2 weeks or make the switch to Effexor XR or back to Lexapro?


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## downthehall (Jan 11, 2017)

First I want to say I am not a doctor, so See your doctor!!!

I saw one of top 50 psychiatrists in the country for a while; he prescribed me Buspar with the disclaimer it works for about 5% of people who take it; he basically said it was a placebo, sugar-pill.

Nevertheless, if you are on Buspar you could continue it until your serum-levels are at the proper levels for the particular drug to start "working"; I am very tentative to use the word "working".

Get off Buspar IMO.

So saying all that, I always seem to go back to the compounds that I think are usually better.

[Keep in mind I don't even have a bachelor's degree please.]

To start, daily:

Lexapro 10mg, Wellbutrin XL 150mg, Klonopin 1mg

With Klonopin, there is always the tolerance factor. It is a very safe drug though IMHO.

Let me put this in perspective: $30 of Tylenol taken at one time will wipe out your kidneys and you will probably die, at least within the next 10 years if not than much sooner.

It would cost ~$200,000 in Klonopin to kill 50% of people who take that respective dosage to price (~180,000mg's).

Nevertheless Klonopin is quite addictive [especially seen upon withdrawing when on large daily doses (that of 3mg and over)].

You have to consider other issues that you might have that we didn't discuss: diet, sleep, past addiction issues, perhaps maybe anhedonia etc.


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## forestx5 (Aug 29, 2008)

I took buspar and I think it is garbage. I took .5 klonopin sparingly and I never became adjusted to it so it always worked when needed. I took effexo xr for a decade. I tolerated the sexual side effects because I had nothing better until I tried Lexapro. I take 35mg of Lexapro for several years now and have zero side effects. I had ECT in 2014. As a result, I no longer have anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks or intrusive thoughts. I still have occasional ocular migraines, and my EEG is abnormal showing "significant pathology" in my temporal lobe. There is no cure, so you have to go with what works best.


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## downthehall (Jan 11, 2017)

*Guys! (Admins)*

Look at my last post in this thread. Now look at forestx5's post. .... Hard to not post mine and post forestx5's.

He is on the equivalent to 70mg of Celexa. That's a high high dose. 98% of good neuropsychiatrists/psychopharmacologists would not give over 40mg of Celexa.

This is not something I would suggest. Maybe dbeck is taking it as a suggestion.

To give 35mg Lexapro is pretty fkn rare. Imagine the brain zaps coming off that, might be worse than getting off Klonopin tbh having gone off both of these drugs myself in the past. You are almost guaranteed to be on Lexapro for life with that dose.

Lexapro is 2x the potency of Celexa. Lexapro and Celexa are sister-drugs.


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## downthehall (Jan 11, 2017)

dbeck would be better getting on 40mg of Celexa as it is a tad bit more euphoric, and less likely to give you a huge fkn headache at 35mg of Lexapro.


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## b7wagon (Jan 2, 2017)

I was on effexor for maybe three years. The most annoying side effect was the profuse sweating, forehead always had a bead of sweat on it.


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