QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I have been taking 20mg of Prozac for about two years now and would like to start adding BuSpar for anxiety that I am starting to get on a regular basis. How do I dose it at first, and how much should I take? What kind of side effects can I expect taking them together?
Thank you for your assistance.
ANSWER:
For most people the starting dose is BuSpar 7.5mg twice daily x 7 days, then 15mg twice
daily - take with food and avoid grapefruit juice.
Most people have no side effects. The most common ones are a temporary increase in anxiety
and your anxiety symptoms. Some people feel groggy, others wired. If it makes your anxiety
profoundly worse, you likely have PTSD that can be aggravated by BuSpar. Remeron is
usually needed in these situations, and will both control the PTSD and allow you to take
BuSpar without significant side effects. Most patients are able to stop the Remeron after
a few months.