Needmylifeback: Dr was weaning down Xanax and replacing with buspar; I need off buspar asap!

[Needmylifeback]

Awesome!! Thank you!! And yes that is the problem... He is more worried about meeting his boss ( the actual dr) expectation than he is about me being DEAD.

 

And is he my only option... No.... But leaving a pain clinic is expensive!! And restarting a new one is even MORE costly!! I did this once already bc my first pain clinic repeatedly injected me with a known allergen!!!! He even cried promising he would never do it again.... Then did. Twice within a month. Then when I insisted on reminding him in person before I was sedated.... I was kidnapped while under sedation and brutally thrown around and then pinned and locked in a room. I managed to call 911.... The cops showed up and LEFT when my attacker blamed it all on me without once ever speaking to or seeing me for himself!!! And yes we ended up in court over it.

 

I did recently move.... And could change clinics. But am hoping to be able to avoid that by just getting off everything!! The underlying problem has been all over body inflammation which my new GI dr has addressed with a detox and anti inflammation diet plus I had two chronically septic organs removed inside of ten months. Now my pain in my areas of injury are dropping at dramatic rates!!

 

I have argued from day one that someone needs to stop focusing on the inflammation in their little area while sending me off to other specialists to inject in "their area of expertise" to control inflammation there... And someone needs to find out why I have inflammation everywhere!!!! Now we know.... I have had sepsis that drs ignored for nearly a decade. With the infected organs gone all my other inflammation is falling like a rock.... And my pain is so manageable that the last few days (while flu free) I have forgotten my 45mg morphine midday dose seriously. Not enough pain to notice. Six months ago my morphine wasn't even close to enough to manage the pain I was in. So this is awesome!!

[Needmylifeback]

Well "getting off of everything" won't be happening for a while.

 

With the busyness of catching up to Christmas late and sleeping tons with the flu prior to our delayed Christmas, I missed several of my midday morphine (MS contin- aka MSC) 15mg doses. So I continued not taking that pill.

 

I typically take an MSC 30mg + an MSC 15mg every 8 hrs. My am dose occurs btwn 5-6am; then midday dose is appx 1pm; and pm dose is btwn 9-10pm. My charting notes from most of dec may be in my fiancés car... They are missing from my notebook! I last had them in the car after my clinic Appt last Monday so I likely left them there given how exhausted I was when we returned.

 

I have my week of Dec 2 chart.... MSC taking normally. Very possibly I began to miss/skip the MSC 15mg in the week of Dec 9. I believe I have been not taking the MSC 15mg midday dose for over 2wks. This week of dec 30, I did take my full 45mg midday dose of MSC on the 31st bc I had had such an exhausting day on dec 30th and still had a very gruelling day ahead on the 31st.... Incl dealing with my parents after ceasing all communications with them after their most recent betrayal dec '12 - mar '13.... After spending the day with my children and grandchildren having our christmas, my fiancé were having dinner with my parents to introduce them (they were more casually introduced dec 28th at a larger gathering with my sibs). I knew that day would take a lot out of me so I took my normal midday dose.

 

Then yesterday with my pain levels pretty good (I was still feeling pain in every area of my injuries from may 2008 but not excruciating or anywhere near my typical daily levels). Since I was laying down hoping early interventions would nip this next flu in the bud.... I felt I could risk testing pain levels. So I skipped both my MSC 30mg and 15mg pills. But btwn 3-5pm my pain was too great to bear.... Instead of taking the MSC 30mg alone, this time I took the MSC 15mg alone.

 

I am not as pain free as I had hoped.

 

I woke up today with very familiar pain in the exact areas of my injury. At a level I have not had to deal with in several months. So once more I am learning the value of patience. Hopefully I can still return to taking MSC 30mg at midday alone.

 

I am not looking to make any changes to Xanax at all. For buspar I am at 10mg am and pm doses. And I am not looking to change it for a full four weeks at least to give me time to fully recover from the flu.... And more clearly evaluate if I am having any possible effects of w/d. So far I haven't see any.... Unless some correlated with the flu symptoms and were masked.

 

The reason I went ahead and moved from 12.5mg am/pm (25mg daily dose) so soon was bc I was struggling with making the cuts for the 12.5mg dosage .... Especially while sick. Plus my liver was still swelling within about an hour of taking my buspar dose. My liver is very irritated and causing problems!! I have only been at 10mg for a few days. Liver is sti swollen and pushing against my ribs causing a terrible burning. The itching is improving.... But still there enough that I need scissors to help scratch when it hits. It is just no longer continuous.

 

** increased pain may be related to fierce winds I can hear outside.... Sounds like it's blowing in a storm. Those always spike my pain. Just checked the forecast.... We are expecting a storm today! So hopefully I can get back on top of the pain rapidly when the storm has passed.

[Altostrata]

It's never the perfect time to taper! The idea is to go so gradually, you can continue your normal life.

 

NMLB -- it would help us a lot if you added a signature following these instructions Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

I'm not sure where you are in your Buspar reduction, but if it's causing liver pain, it might be time to reduce again.

[Needmylifeback]

I had a semi clear day the Sunday night before Christmas where I began to go thru journals to recreate my medication histories.... I had it nearly complete when we were hit with the second round of the H1N1. I went to finish it yesterday and add it.... But can't find it!! I stored it in my "notes" of my phone... I thought it did.... I suspect several of my notes have deleted recently since they were important and recently created but I can't find them at all. Not even using a search.

 

It was about five days ago that I dropped buspar from 12.5mg am/pm to 10mg am/pm: still lethargic, still not able to stay asleep once I hit rem cycle, still feel constantly like I just need a good nap to be fine.

 

I made the initial drop from 30-15mg for my am dose only, on dec 11th.... Based on the fact that I had only recently been increased from 15mg to 30mg of my am dose on Nov 23.... And then dropped it to 12.5mg am/ with pm dose staying at 15mg throughout this. My next drop was to take the pm dose down to 12.5mg to match the am dose. And five days ago dropped it to 10mg am/pm. Since I have corrected the most recent increase (nov 23rd- up to 30mg from 15mg) and went back to 15mg am/pm only on Dec 11 .... And in the few weeks since then, I have dropped down to 10mg am/pm .... I was worried I may be risking going too fast.

 

But the liver pain and symptoms were severe btwn Nov 23-Dec11. My liver failed, life threatening failure, for 16 days the second half of July 13. That's why I felt urgent about backing off the 30mg am dose to 15mg asap!! I can't afford for it to shut down again.

 

I don't think I have seen much if any improvement in stress or anxiety since being placed on buspar. But I have had severe itching, swollen liver pushing on my ribs and causing a deep burning, spiking my BP and causing tachycardia, plus the lethargy, loss of cognitive function, inability for deep sleep, etc. More than two dozen symptoms related to buspar! Plus my first dose was in sept.

 

Maybe weaning faster would not be as big of a problem as weaning the Xanax (which I have been on since feb/mar 2011) has been??

 

My priority is to remove the buspar as quickly as is safe! But my pain clinic is all hyped that Xanax has to go immediately ... Regardless of safety or death rate. The faster I can clear the buspar and feel stabilized, the sooner I can work on safely weaning the Xanax... Ahead of my drs push to drop it inside of two weeks.

[Needmylifeback]

As far as I can tell I have not noticed any symptoms of withdrawal from decreasing buspar. Possibly a headache?? But anytime I DO manage to get back to sleep in the early morning... Or get at least part ways into rem before jerking awake in the afternoon, then my headache is resolved.

 

So I have been of the opinion that the headaches are more a result of poor sleep and illness (flu) than the buspar reductions.

 

My liver is very tender!! Drs ignored my reports of liver problems for many years while they gave me meds for severely painful conditions that contained tylenol. Finally when I was placed with a pain clinic, then I was moved onto roxicodone and morphine.... And no Tylenol add ons! That was early jan/feb 2010. But I have been suffering with all over inflammation throughout my body since may 2008 including my liver.... Since then I have had to sit, lie, stand, walk: all tipped to my left trying to move my ribs off of my tender painfully swollen liver. Gave up on wearing any belts. And no jeans or structured waistbands. Only yoga pants and sweats bc it is far too painful for me to have any pressure on my liver.

 

I am extremely aware of my liver 24/7. When the bile ducts all crystalized and stopped releasing bile into my intestines in July, I was in very bad shape. Drs only played hot potato with it: "not my problem! Call someone else."

 

Buspar is toxic to my liver!! Far worse than Tylenol has ever been.

[Altostrata]

Thanks for giving that a shot. It's still very confusing. However, if it's clear the Buspar is causing liver pain, you may wish to decrease it by small amounts every few days.

 

Your signature can only be 12 lines. We don't need your entire medical history, just your recent drug and withdrawal history.

[Needmylifeback]

I currently take 18meds daily (more prn) and none of that includes my recently D/C meds.... Or the six years the neuro dr kept throwing me on and off anti seizure meds, ssris, tricyclics, etc.... Which left me incontinent and unable to eat and hold food at all! A single bite w/o chewing would set off violent vomitting and diarrhea until I would once more black out... Putting my face through dry wall or breaking solid wood furniture as I went down.... And while aware of the pain inflicted unable to wake up enough to crawl off the floor.

 

Other times I fall asleep and don't wake up for several days. Unless someones home and notices I haven't been awake all day.... Typically my two youngest boys would notice most often and more quickly.... They knew to put candy or food in my mouth and shake and talk to me until I fluttered my eyes. Then they would try to get a spoon of yogurt in my mouth to help me get a bit of protein .... And talk to me until I had pulled out of the fog and could rouse myself again.

 

Whenever I had been unable to even tolerate a bite or two of an apple or yogurt for two weeks or more, they would carry me into the ER.... Super dehydrated (once diarrhea and vomiting begins I need promethazine to stop the vomitting; and d.... Can't recall the name today.... To stop the diarrhea. My body cannot stabilize on it's own anymore). Every ER said "tummy bug" or "food poisoning". One ER looked up the meds neuro had me get at the pharmacy and suggested I could be experiencing withdrawals but offered me no help.... While my BP was spiking simultaneously to severe dehydration (40 needle pokes to start the IV) should have been reversed and no one would address the climbing BP. I didn't understand how it could be withdrawal since it was the dr who ordered which drugs to take and which ones I must stop!?! And why wouldn't anyone address the life threatening symptoms that were ruining my life??

[Needmylifeback]

I am in tears!! I am so frustrated. When I first came down with H1N1 I had just found you and survived our trip to meet my fiancés family by drastically making a cut in my buspar (dropped am dose from 30mg to 15mg). I was incapable of leaving my bed or brushing my teeth or getting dressed. Forget taking a bath!!! Way too many steps to do in order! And I was going back into liver failure.... I could not go thru that again. So I made the cut. And finally could think a little bit.

 

Came home and before I was clear enough to even read the posts here let alone figure out how to attach a signature, I came down with H1N1... Had a second round of the flu hit right as we began to feel as though we had turned the corner. Finally by late in Dec I was over it.... And I figured out how to do the signature!! Finally!! I wrote it up but needed to find some old records to finish it up.... Then I went down sick again.

 

Now I rewrote out my current meds and the best I could of the recent weaning changes.... But now I am too sick to think thru and even open my profile let alone attach my medications!! Btwn the flu and the meds, my mind is so cloudy and muddled for some reason I cant even figure out how to open my profile now. I have been trying for a few hours... Even tried using a different device.... But I still can't find the arrow I need to click

 

If I can't get it to attach, I will break it out in to a less compact format and easier to read and add it here since I can still reply on my phone. My iPad won't open to let me even reply... Only can read on it. Sorry I just frustrated!! I had spent days trying to get this attached the first time... And it didn't work and my copy in my notes vanished along with a few other crucial records I had saved in notes. Now I have a partial typed and I am terrified it will vanish all over again!! And I am way too sick to sort it all out. I am sorry.... I have spent more than a couple of hours on this again.... And I still can't figure it out.

[Meimeiquest]

I am sorry, but I think you really need a new dr. If your liver is that affected, I can't imagine a dr. leaving you on the drug. I would think they would stop the Buspar and cover you with Xanax. I don't mean this at all as medical advice, I am just concerned for your safety. You don't send people home so delirious that they dehydrate themselves from sleeping.

[Needmylifeback]

I told him I would do what I needed to to get off the buspar! And that I was not going further down on Xanax until I had stabilized from that. He would have kept reducing the Xanax while yanking the buspar CT and throwing a new med into the mix!! Which I did not want to do.

 

When I first posted here I saw so many precautions to not go too fast... Even when I mentioned it was feeling very toxic to me and my liver. So I took that to mean that I should be going slow inspite of the liver damage.....maybe not??

 

I took another drop tonight to 7.5mg (the tabs are in scored segments. Both in thirds and in half of 15mg tabs). I have made multiple drops in buspar in less than one month without any noticeable affects.

 

Does this indicate anything??

 

Bc I definitely think it's impact on my liver is worse than any effect I may have from w/d at this point. At 30mg am/15mg pm I could not sit or stand straight bc my liver was pushing so hard on my ribs I had to lean to the left. It was miserable!! And why inspite the concerns to not take such a large drop here, I did. I felt poisoned by buspar. It's not quite that toxic feeling on the lower doses .... But my ribs still burn and my liver still swollen in the early hours after I take each dose.

 

I am taking my doses down in a parallel manner. I typically take the first cut at night.... Then keep that low dose in the morning. But return to the most recent dose the following night for the pm dose (so tonight I took 7.5mg for the first time; then tomorrow am I will take 7.5mg again... But at night I will return the pm dose to 10mg) When I feel sure that I am seeing no changes I go ahead and drop the pm dose to match the am dose. Since in rxing buspar they gave me parallel doses and similarly raised one first and then weeks later the other one was raised to match. My thinking in dropping first a night dose and then the next morning dose.... It gives me a jump start for the new low dose. I have much more energy and clarity!! But.... If I were to have a rough time with a drop, it would be nice to sleep thru the front end of it. So that's been my process.

 

But absolutely..... As difficult as these type of meds can be, this one in particular is TOXIC for my body!!! And soon after bumping up to 30mg am/15mg pm I could tell my liver was spiraling once again.... I am fragile bc I have been bouncing up against several major organs going in and out of failures. And two small organs being septic and my body being deathly cold and septic for years with drs missing what was happening!!! Changing drs gained me nothing but suspicion. Even surgeons I encountered could not believe my drs were looking at me touching my icy cold body in the heat of July and NOT see that I was walking death!! It's been a long hard road. I just barely had the last (I hope!!) of the septic organs removed in July..... Immediately my liver failed for 16 horrendous days.... Finally finally it miraculously began to drain bile again. So it's only been struggling back to normal function since august. The buspar started in September. With my liver history I should NEVER have been placed on buspar!

 

So if someone here can give me an indication of how I can know if I am safe to keep dropping the buspar even faster?! I would love that!! I just can't to back to gushing diarrhea and violent vomitting ..... After dealing with that for close to a decade I am severely malnourished (I opted a year ago to not be placed on TPN and try an anti inflammatory diet first to see if it would work before placing a central line). So I really cannot risk having those type of w/d symptoms flare back up.... I am too malnourished.... And my body cannot self correct anymore. Once it begins it takes medical intervention to stop the violent symptoms.

[Needmylifeback]

Just as a reminder.... I only began buspar in sept 2013. It's only been a few months. I plan to be back off of it quickly. By late nov I knew something was wrong.... By dec 11th I realized that buspar was causing me serious problems and I began backing my dose back down immediately.

 

For at least a week now I have had a tender painful right kidney. I hope it just the flu. Difficulty starting urination was a symptoms of the buspar.... So maybe it's playing a role in the kidney pain.

 

Since becoming sick with the flu I have had maybe two doses of dayquil, two of nyquil, and maybe 4-5 aspirin total (when the headaches been piercing)..... That's inclusive for the entire last month with a long bout of H1N1 and a second round. Planning to up my fluids back to 2gal/day until kidney improves. (this year I finally was able to get my fluid intake below 3gal/day! And had been consistently maintaining an intake between 1gal/day and 1 1/2gal/day .... My general goal is defn less than 2gal/day and as close to 1gal as possible).

[Needmylifeback]

Crud. New flu symptoms which began at bedtime Jan 1st.... Worse each day. A couple of days ago, the headache went from crushing to a searing pain shooting thru it and passing thru each ear. As of this morning, my sore throat hit a new high. The pain of swallowing woke me up. Checked and left tonsil is angry red and swollen, general redness all over, and blisters on and around my left tonsil and on my uvula.

 

Such symptoms incidate infection.... Not the "flu-like" symptoms of withdrawal.... Is that correct?

[Meimeiquest]

This is just an Internet forum...I think your problems are way, way more complex than that. But if someone had serotonin syndrome, no one would suggest a slow taper. If your liver is actually failing, you have to go by the protocols for people with liver failure. Have they checked your liver function by labwork and ultrasound? These are complex medical questions and there is the need to include the option of increasing Xanax if the Buspar has to be dc'd and you are in uncontrolled withdrawal. I am so very sorry you have been through so much.

[Meimeiquest]

I am not advising this, but I will tell you what I would do if I woke up in your shoes....I would start drinking a quart of homemade fresh vegetable juice a day. Their is a Facebook page on this topic, I think it is called Juicing Vegetables.

[Marie]

NMLB,

 

I'm been reading this thread, and it seems there are complex medical issues going on which I realize that you know this as you have had these for several years.

 

I'm just wondering if you do consult with any liver specialists as that seems to be a prominent concern here. I'm just saying this because Utah does have some very good ones at the University medical center, and at the Intermountain Medical center.

 

And if the pain control clinic you participate in has any "credibility," it would seem to me that monitoring of your liver function would be something they would want to keep an eye on. Well, I just thought I would bring this up as it would seem that the liver involvement you describe would be a paramount concern with any clinic dealing with your sx.

 

Marie

[Altostrata]

No one can predict what will happen if you reduce the Buspar faster. It's a good sign you don't seem to have any ill effects from reducing it so far.

 

You might want to speed up by reducing it a little each day.

 

With 18 meds daily, it's highly likely you're getting toxic drug combinations. Put all your drugs into this interactions checker:

http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

 

It may be your kidney and liver problems (and itching) are entirely due to drug interactions. I suspect you need to fire your doctor and get a new one as soon as possible who will help you minimize your drug burden.

[Needmylifeback]

Has anyone else tried reducing a little bit each day?

 

My original plan, prior to learning about the 10% rule and reading posts here, was to do as I did in the beginning and drop the am dose from 30mg back down to 15mg .... where my dose had been just over 2weeks earlier. And then begin to take smaller cuts every few days. But so many here had such bad repercussions from cutting too quickly.... it scared me that I would end up worse than with a swollen liver shutting down.

 

I believe I need to get the buspar out of my system as rapidly as I can safely remove it.

 

I dropped it to 7.5mg last night and this morning. I would love to keep both the night and morning dose at 7.5mg!!! If I can do it safely.... What I have been doing is taking the initial cut in the bedtime dose. Taking the lower dose again in the morning. But returning my pm dose later that day back to it's most recent level (prior to the new cut). The reason is that I feel so sick and literally toxic when I take the buspar that I need the cut in the morning dose the most!

 

Since I know the clinic will pressure me to stop the Xanax at a dangerous rate, I don't want to be feeling withdrawal from cutting the buspar once they cut the Xanax out from under me.

 

What symptoms do people typically see when they try to withdrawal too quickly??

[Altostrata]

Yes, people do go off drugs by reducing a little each day. This is called microtapering.

 

About withdrawal symptoms http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-antidepressant-withdrawal-syndrome/

Why do you want to stay at 7.5mg buspirone twice a day?

There is every sign it's interacting badly with something else you're taking. Please use that interactions checker.

Principles and Practice of Psychopharmacotherapy 2011 http://books.google.com/books?isbn=1451178778

Even though buspirone is generally safe and well tolerated, it can involve clinically meaningful drug–drug interactions. Buspirone is converted via CYP 3A3/4 to to an active metabolite, 1-phenylpiperazine (1-PP), which is, in turn, dependent on CYP 2D6 for its elimination.

 

 

This means buspirone can block 2 liver enzymes from functioning, causing a backup IN THE LIVER of drugs that need either of those 2 enzymes for metabolism. An overload of any drug in the liver can cause liver damage. (Same with the kidneys.)

 

Please take this seriously. Taking 18 drugs at once is not good for anyone.

 

Tell the clinic you are having a serious drug reaction and to put the Xanax discontinuation on hold. You need someone to sort this out as soon as possible.

[Altostrata]

Buspirone Drug Interactions
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/buspirone.html

A total of 731 drugs (4004 brand and generic names) are known to interact with buspirone.

• 57 major drug interactions (197 brand and generic names)
• 672 moderate drug interactions (3802 brand and generic names)
• 2 minor drug interactions (5 brand and generic names)

 

 

There are 2 disease interactions with buspirone:

Buspirone (Includes Buspirone) ↔ Renal/Liver Disease

Severe Potential Hazard, High plausibility

Applies to: Liver Disease, Renal Dysfunction

Buspirone is primarily metabolized by the liver and subsequently eliminated by the kidney. In one study, steady-state area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of buspirone increased 13-fold in subjects with hepatic impairment and 4-fold in those with renal impairment compared to healthy subjects. Therapy with buspirone is not recommended in the presence of significantly impaired hepatic or renal function.

Buspirone (Includes Buspirone) ↔ Drug Dependence

Moderate Potential Hazard, Low plausibility

Applies to: Drug Abuse/Dependence, Alcoholism

In human and animal studies, buspirone has not shown potential for abuse or diversion, and there is no evidence that it causes tolerance or physical and psychological dependence. However, since it is a CNS-active drug, the manufacturers recommend that therapy with buspirone be administered cautiously in addiction-prone individuals, such as those with a history of alcohol or substance abuse. It may be prudent to refrain from dispensing large quantities of medication to these patients.

 

[Altostrata]

NMLB, I'm extremely concerned about your liver and kidney symptoms. You need to get off buspirone as fast as you think prudent AND get someone to review all the drugs you take IMMEDIATELY.

[Needmylifeback]

Yes.... That is precisely what I read early dec that had me so alarmed about my clinic putting me on buspar at all!

 

I spent four days calling my clinic, playing telephone with whoever answered my subsequent call each day, from Dec 2-5 when I finally got approval to stop dropping the Xanax dose bc I was in dire straits. Then a week later I had read all you just posted about buspar and more.... Another week of trying to reach dr when I gave up and began my own decrease of the buspar.

 

I know many people here felt that dropping from 30mg buspar back to 15mg in my am dose (which was just dropping back to where it had been... I had only been at 30mh from Nov 23-Dec 11th when I cut it back) was dangerously aggressive.... But I could tell my liver did not have six months for me to taper back to 15mg am/pm to where I had been prior to Nov 23rd!! No way. I could feel my body being poisoned. It's why against all advice here I took such a drastic cut back on Dec 11th. I did speak directly w my pharmacist whom I do trust.... And he agreed with the 10% rule BUT also felt that since I had only been up at 30mg for just over 2weeks that my reasoning was sound in dropping back to that level.

 

And thus far, I have done fine with the drop!! Just the complication of catching the flu ... Twice. And with symptoms that are not encompassed in withdrawal symptoms.

 

Since dec 11th, when I dropped back to 15mg am and pm, I have since dropped down to 12.5mg am first then pm soon afterwards. Then when the first flu resolved, I got thru a dreaded interaction with my parents on Dec 28th .... On dec 29th I dropped down to 10mg pm/am.

 

Instead of keeping the pm dose a week or more behind the drop in the morning dosage, this time I kept both am/pm doses at 10mg. Since I have seen no adverse reactions... And if I am since I tend to react more strongly not less... I took that as very reassuring that I could take the risk of lowering both am/pm doses from 12.5mg to 10mg simultaneously.

 

Yes!! From my first postings here my livers health has been my primary concern!! I knew I was in really bad shape. I could not risk going back to where I was in July. And given that my pain clinic was fully briefed on my surgery and post op condition, plus intermittent kidney shut downs for several days to over a week at time since my big injury May 2008... NO WAY he should have ever Rxd buspar for someone with my underlying conditions! I was furious. So yes I have made much more radical drops than is advised here and by many others.... My first cut was to revert back to the dose I had been taking just more than two weeks before. And the other cuts have been btwn 10-20% generally..... But at an expedited rate.

 

In just 3 1/2 weeks I have made: one 50% of am dose (33% cut overall) from 30mg to 15mg, keeping pm dose at 15mg;

another 2.5mg (dropping am dose from 15mg to 12.5mg) cut from 30mg daily totals;

another 2.5mg (dropping pm dose from 15mg to 12.5mg) cut from 27.5mg daily total -to make pm dose equal to am dose;

another 2.5mg cut (dropping from 12.5mg am/pm to 10mg am/pm) first with my pm dose followed by the next mornings dose as well (this was Dec 29th/30th). This is the first drop that I made to am/pm doses simultaneously.

Sunday night Jan 5, 2014- I dropped my pm dose by 2.5mg from 10mg to 7.5mg (was taking 10mg am/pm for a daily total of 20mg/day). This morning I took a matching 7.5mg (down from 10mg as of Dec 29th) This is my second drop of both am/pm doses simultaneously. Making this a 5mg cut from a dose of 20mg/day!!

 

That's what I am concerned about.

 

Last night I made a 25% drop taking me back to the dose I was on four months ago. So I DO believe I had been rather aggressive in my reductions... Far from typical recommendations. But I felt certain that my liver was in dire circumstances that I had not been able to convey to the members here until now I am glad to see people do see how drastic my need was to get off a substances which is clearly toxic for me. And that is why I took such drastic cuts beginning with the day I read it's problems with impairment of kidney and liver clearance rates, on dec 11th.

 

I saw my dr Dec 30th and informed him that I stopped the Xanax cut I made on nov 23 and went back up to 1/4 of a 0.5tab x4/day.... The dose I was on prior to the nov 23 cut.

 

They do pill counts. Any miscommunication that results in a pill count discrepancy means you are forever banned from ALL pain clinics in the united states. Seriously. So making sure we both agree on what pills I am taking and not taking is essential.... And at times impossible when no one connects me to the dr directly nor do they follow thru and complete the delivery of the message the next day! It's a rather delicate situation.

 

Plus his solution is the nightmare many here have faced: CT buspar and Xanax simultaneously and throw other meds at me until I stabilize. I rejected that protocol.

 

Instead said I will continue holding the Xanax stable while I get myself OFF buspar entirely. Then when I have been stable off buspar on the new low dose of Xanax for a couple of months, I will take up the Xanax reduction once more at no more than 10% every 5-6weeks and at times needing to hold still until I am once more stable.

 

He was rushing... But still took time to argue that 10% is too ridiculously slow and that his successive 50% cuts were never dangeous to me. I vehemently disagreed!!! It didn't matter how anyone else handled it, I nearly died. And I would rather be an alive patient. So I know this discussion is not yet over. Which is why I plan to bring him reading material next time. Bc he is profoundly uneducated in this subject.

[Needmylifeback]

I am not attached to remaining at 7.5mg am/pm dose. I only reached that dose last night. My second dose was this morning.

 

Inspite of traveling, the holidays, family in town, and coming down with the flu... Twice.... I still have been taking regular cuts. Typically not going longer than one week btwn dosage drops. If I had not had the emotional ordeal of my parents being in town plus being sick, I would have been more aggressive.

 

But still I have made tremendous progress in 3 1/2 weeks from taking 30mg in the am/15mg in the pm to now taking just 7.5mg bid as of last night and this morning. So inspite of all the other moving parts and factors I have still cut quite aggressively!!

 

But when I am this acutely ill I cannot do the math and the cuts needed for daily micro cuts. I can do what I am doing just barely. So until this flu moves on, I can't see myself being able to keep up with daily changing doses am/pm or with tracking symptoms. I still have all my other underlying medical issues to keep up! And I am very very ill. More sick this time than the flu my fiancé and I both had in dec. My sinuses are now congested, eyes weeping, headache piercing and going thru each ear. I had an infection of my mastoid bone this fall.... And the spot where that infection first set in is in searing pain once again.

 

Once my head clears I can move towards doing the daily tapering.... What rate is recommended for that???

 

I had asked here about being able to go faster bc my liver was at risk but don't recall seeing an answer.... But again I had the flu .... And many days could not read let alone write anything. I did know I had to break protocol and get down lower much faster than is typical. And I have....

 

But I have not been able to tell the difference btwn what people are describing as symptoms from w/d too quickly vs protracted w/d syndrome??

 

I am trying to discern if my years incontinent with violent vomiting and diarrhea, sweaty, cold, clammy, shaking, prolonged blackouts, etc.... may have been a result of the neurologist I saw from 2002-08 throwing this exact category of drugs at me and ripping them back without any tapering at all?? If those are the symptoms of protracted withdrawal, I need to be cautious! Bc I only since august have been holding down food and not having those symptoms round the clock non stop. I really need to know the difference btwn w/d too quickly vs a protracted w/d syndrome.

 

Also with the daily microtapering, what percentage do you use?? Does that remain constant day to day?? Or does it change with every day you spend at the lower dose?

 

I realize the concern for the number of meds I take. I wrote last month that in May 2008 I had a significant injury which left me with major broken bones for over 2 1/2yrs and left me with a traumatic brain injury. Most of my meds are to support body functions I no longer can organically produce. I am far worse without them. Including basic things like absorbing nutrients and cell reproduction.

 

Without these meds I have brain stem function. Everything else is externally supported. Think of an adult having shaken baby syndrome after being thrown against concrete. Yes it's a lot. Bc it's an incredibly rare and complicated injury. Luckily my endocrinologist is the dr who wrote the textbook and course for medical schools to learn to recognize, dx, and treat patients like me.

 

Since I began reading up on withdrawal and Xanax and buspar specifically, I have become terrified of going back to the hell I just barely emerged from this past august. Has anyone here written about their experience with dropping doses daily??

[Needmylifeback]

Oh no!!! I just accidentally deleted a long post.... Thanking you for understanding the urgency of my need to be off what has been a toxic medication for me! And explaining why you can be assured.... But it deleted and I am way too exhausted to retype it all. I am sorry.

 

My flu has moved into sinus congestion and blisters on my throat and piercing pain thru my ears and head.... Plus I still need to draw up shots and finishing charting today.

 

I had wanted to reassure you that we have tried to get labs done through my cardio drs ... Stupid glitches, care of inexperienced staff.... Then sick all over again with my only method of transportation is back to work. While my left kidney has now joined my achey right kidney.... Both kidneys and liver are doing better than they have most months since 2008. I am making pale yellow urine... Although reduced in amount, I am still producing it. And while my liver is still very irritated, it is far better than it was all Summer or even btwn Nov 23-Dec10th. It's even better than it had been from May of 2008-jan 2013.

 

So please be assured.... I have been far worse. And I know how urgent it is to remove this toxin from my liver. It is why I have been asking about any faster methods to d/c use of a medication apart from the 10%. I realize everyone wants off these meds! But for me, this is critical to staying alive. I don't have the luxury of taking it so slowly. Maybe if my liver weren't still so tender from this summer.... Maybe I would have some flexibility. But it was very very sick in July. It can't handle a drug like buspar this soon!!

[Needmylifeback]

I thought of a few critical points that may help:

 

*I have enormous flexibility in titrating (or even rxing) meds from cardio, endocrine, and the new GI clinic.

 

*pain clinic is under FEDL rules and the only flex I have there is to take less than what they give.

 

*I d/c lexapro myself this past summer. Moved terribly fast compared to what I am now learning... Wish I had known sooner!

 

*I pay close attn to all my body symptoms and systems and adjust many of my meds daily! I mentioned some of the spans of what I take in my signature..... So when my itching from liver dysfunction is too severe, I can up the benadryl to control the itching the morphine causes. Or I can tweak any one of several thyroid meds if a new manufacturers injection sends my symptoms spiraling!!! I recently went thru a change exact like that and as a result I am taking 1/2 as much T3 than what I had been taking just this fall.

 

*I don't take anything that is not essential. Even the benadryl is a lesser of other evils type choice. And I use that plus benadrl to avoid stronger more complicating drugs like ambien.

 

*this past three weeks I have taken zinc and vitamin C to combat flu viruses.

[Altostrata]

I am trying to discern if my years incontinent with violent vomiting and diarrhea, sweaty, cold, clammy, shaking, prolonged blackouts, etc.... may have been a result of the neurologist I saw from 2002-08 throwing this exact category of drugs at me and ripping them back without any tapering at all?? If those are the symptoms of protracted withdrawal, I need to be cautious! Bc I only since august have been holding down food and not having those symptoms round the clock non stop. I really need to know the difference btwn w/d too quickly vs a protracted w/d syndrome.

 

Also with the daily microtapering, what percentage do you use?? Does that remain constant day to day?? Or does it change with every day you spend at the lower dose?

 

 

Yes, it is possible many of your symptoms have been one form or another of adverse drug reaction.

 

If one has a medical emergency -- which you do -- you don't need to stick to a 10% taper plan. You can go as fast as you think you need to. Liver and kidney failure are more serious risks than withdrawal syndrome. You need to get off buspirone quickly but, if possible, avoid withdrawal symptoms.

 

However, Buspar is only the latest problem. Perhaps you can get your cardiologist to review ALL your drugs. Somebody has to. Taken as a whole, it's highly likely they are putting undue stress on your liver and kidneys.

 

Do you have a gastroenterologist? This person can review all your drugs. See this person right away. Say you have an emergency.

 

If not, this is what you can do:

 

1) Put all the drugs you take every day into a plastic bag.

2) Put all the drugs you take occasionally in another plastic bag.

3) Go to the smartest pharmacist you know and ask that person to review potential drug interactions among the everyday drugs. Take notes.

4) Then, ask the pharmacist to look at drug interactions among the occasional drugs and with the everyday drugs. Take notes.

5) Take your drugs in the 2 bags to the most responsible specialist you see -- maybe the cardiologist, although this is an internist's or gastroenterologist's job -- and tell that person you need to minimize your drug burden.

 

If you don't have a specialist, take your notes and 2 bags to the clinic and make them listen.

[Needmylifeback]

That's good information!! Thank you!

 

I never had an underlying anxiety disorder or depression. I had two major injuries that dovetailed.... And life that was moving faster than most people ever see. I was breaking. That is why the Xanax was Rxd so that I could talk and manage my life w/o crying nonstop. My symptoms were secondary to my circumstances.

 

Yes my cardio dr and my newest dr, who managed to find a way for me to eat again for the first time in years, have recently reveiwed all my meds. My own background is in biochem as well as being the primary caregiver and advocate for my four chronically ill children..... My youngest died before her fourth bday- needing five major organs transplanted. I know kidney and liver failure intimately!! And have been offered a free education by multiple depts at PCMC and the UofU if I would just agree to work for them... Including teaching parents how to do home dialysis. But my own health spiraled soon after my Childs death.

 

My meds fall into two primary categories- temporary and permanent. Temporary are related to my injury sites. Permanent are related to permanent damage from my injuries or underlying diseases (ei: glaucoma and idiopathic primary hypertension).

 

Temporary: morphine, Roxi, Xanax, buspar.

Permanent meds related to: glaucoma, hypertension, severed pituitary stem.

 

I have at times been over three dozen meds. Plus I currently still receive various injections for uncontrolled inflammatory processes throughout my body and have a number of prn meds. Bc I am aware of the many ways in which drugs interact and cause side effects, I am constantly cutting back anywhere I can... Just trying to keep my med list at the barest minimum. There is nothing that can be cut further at the moment.

 

Most of my meds come from two sources: endocrine and cardio. I have the flexibility to titrate all of those meds as needed.

[Needmylifeback]

Background info from May 2008-Jan 2014

 

 

 

Prior to taking ANY of these meds, but after the six years with the horrible neurologist (spring 2002-spring 2008), I was having intermittent kidney failure and significant liver distress. Endocrine had hoped most of all these would be improved by treated the traumatic brain injury from the accident May 2008 (a severed pituitary stem). Last feb he realized I have not improved hardly at all in several areas ....and he apologized for failing me  

 

Cardio checks all my meds everytime and prints off our visit for my records. She has caught half a dozen major illnesses that my drs and ERs have missed.... Sending me home saying "it's a tummy bug. Eat the brat diet" .... every one of them ignoring the fact that I had not been able to consume as much food as the BRAT diet for five to ten years!!

 

The new dr, who has enabled my gut to function again, also has given me some vital info on thyroid!!  Last feb my thyroid was as always out of whack... So I had an urgent visit with them and asked them to do a full thyroid panel, not just an overall thyroid level. They did. And it showed that my overall T4 was sky high and my T3 was in the basement. I was told to adjust my synthroid down (I experimented and found the right level was 1/6th my prior dose) and adjusted my HCG down to half of what it had been and we added a compounded T3. These three meds have to be tightly titrated to one another.  

 

My growth hormone.... I cannot heal anything nor can I replicate ANY cells... Which we al do round the clock.  Well without it I laid in bed with a broken pelvis and back and shattered hip socket (that had to fuse in order to get my hip replacement at 44yo!!) and NOTHING even began to heal after laying there for 2 1/2 yrs!!!  

 

I laid in bed with my two teen sons bathing me, toileting me, feeding, dressing, and caring for my every need for two years being given only 3 lortab 7.5mg/day.  I cold turkey off of fentanyl patches two months after my hip was shattered.  Ortho Never replaced the loss of that level of pain meds. Everytime they placed me back inpatient, they had me on fentanyl and IV morphine and lortab for break through .... But sent me home alone to suffer on three lortab a day.  And they sent me home with no cast, no brace, no external support for the broken bones.... And one home health visit for teaching and one aide came one time to bathe me. In the entire three years my hip was broken in more than 100 pieces. 

 

Ortho also kept me on lortab (w Tylenol) even though I told him the I, my sibs, and more than half of my children cannot tolerate Tylenol bc of a genetic mutation that does not allow our livers to metabolize it... And even though I repeatedly reported that I carried scissors everywhere for the itching... My liver was so swollen and my ribs burning and I was constantly leaning to the left trying to relieve the pressure on my liver.  He kept rxing lortab with Tylenol no matter how often I begged him to stop!  

 

Cardio was livid!!!  She was going to lose me to a stroke, bc he refused to address my pain levels: BP >300/185  on six meds for hypertension. And my BP continued to worsen. I finally succeeded in getting a follow up MRI 20mons after my hip was shattered... Ortho did it to "shut me up" and "just walk!"   MRI report said:  NO CHANGE. I was as broken as I had been back in may 2008 when I was wheeled into the ER. Ortho told me he didn't know why I wasn't healing... But I should be walking by now!! So walk!! And he stormed out after setting me up to do PT. 

 

I had been to that PT after the 2002 car accident.  He saw me struggling to perform w tears running down my face and came over.... Asked me to remind him of my injury. Then asked if we knew the bones had healed??  I said last month I finally got an MRI and proved to ortho my bones had NOT healed. He was furious!!  Legally he can't work on anyone with broken bones!  I know... Now would you please inform ortho?!  He did. Ortho was even more angry at me for not healing. 

 

Meanwhile, cardio who is my hero!!!  She saw the MRI and was ecstatic!  NOW ortho will have to deal with my uncontrolled pain levels. She was in utter disbelief when she learned he just shrugged and yelled he didn't know why I wasn't healing... But I should be walking by now... So WALK!! Now she was willing to go over his head (he's one of the oldest most est physicians in this group which encompasses all the main speciality groups in my part of this county. Locals refer to these specialists and our local IHC hospital as the local vet clinics. It's bad). She intervened and sent me to a pain clinic. After several months of retelling all my symptoms incl major broken bones which had not healed in over two years, finally the pain clinics PA overheard me begging the resident to just ASK other drs to see if anyone recognized it!!  My dr clearly had never asked bc the head of the pain clinic had had very similar symptoms. Luckily the PA overheard me and told me about the head of the clinics experience.  The pain clinic PA sent me to endocrine. 

 

Endocrine recognized my syndrome immediately. He began meds that first day after drawing the blood for testing... He was right. The results came in. He said he has never had a patient as sick as I am. My injury was so severe it was permanently and completely severed. There is no cure or surgery. I am medically dependent the rest of my life due to this injury. 

 

Also during this same time frame may 2008-summer 2013, I have spent most of that time with intermittent sepsis that most drs missed in spite of me presenting at ERs and drs appts with severe symptoms. Cardio and my surgeon were the only ones who recognized how dangerously ill I was .... But since it was outside of their area they kept pushing me back to my pcp who repeatedly failed to investigate further. Btwn sept 2012 and July 2013 we removed two septic organs from my abdomen. 

[Needmylifeback]

So if I am not needing to hold to the 10% rule.... Can I keep dropping the 2.5mg every few days??

 

I do understand that this shifts the magnitude of the drop (drop%:: total Mg daily). I have been making 2.5mg drops since Dec

 

Buspar

Nov 23- Dec 10: 30mg am/15mg pm

Dec 11: 15mg am/pm

Dec 17: 12.5mg pm; then it looks like I did a few different things until....

Dec 20: 12.5mg both am/pm

Dec 29: 10mg am/pm

Jan 5: 7.5mg am/pm

 

So far I have done this while also being sick with the flu 2wks in dec and again since jan 1. I am not seeing any symptoms or side effects. They may show up later but the improvement to my liver is the most prominent feature. And that will likely outweigh any negative side effects until the buspar has cleared my liver entirely.

 

I just cannot risk going back to years of violent vomiting/diarrhea!!! I have no resiliency left.

 

So while I want to come off the buspar as aggressively as possible, I cannot risk setting off that type of reaction either.

 

I have been making cuts of 2.5mg. The nature of the tablets makes this cut very simple to do.... Even when down sick and feeling like crud. I have an excellent digital scale!! But have no idea WHERE since most of my belongings are in the garage in boxes or in boxes in the house which I was trying to unpack and process before christmas (until buspar disabled my brain and body in oct).

 

I realize keeping my cut at 2.5mg means a skyrocketing percentage of the total daily dosage. But since it's most important to clear my liver of buspar, do I need to be concerned about keeping the percentage of the cut stable??

 

I have now taken four doses at 7.5mg (sun pm, mon am/pm, Tues am). Can I drop to 5mg?? Since I have moved from 15mg to 7.5mg from dec 11-jan 5th.... That's a 50% overall cut in just 4 weeks.... After having just taken a 50% cut from my am dose in one day.... From dec 10 to dec 11... Can I just keep dropping 2.5mg every few days??

 

Where do I go from here... I am just trying to get an idea of how much I can cut?? Am I safer taking smaller (less accurate) cuts every day.... Or doing 2.5mg (accurately) every few days.... Or is there not much of a difference to my body??

 

MY BIGGEST FEAR:

I read the posts here of people who did great!! And then 5-8months later suffer terribly! I really cannot go back to not holding down food again. I had been strong and healthy and carrying a greater load than any ten people I know all put together. So I was healthy last time when my gut shut down.... My body had reserves of nutrients to coast on then. Now I am seriously depleted. I don't have the reserves I had back in 2002. I will be in bad shape if I have that happen again .... And the medical care here is hardly top notch.... All but TWO drs thought I had a "tummy bug" and sent me home w/instructions to eat the BRAT diet for more than a decade!!! completely ignoring the fact that I had not been capable of eating as MUCH FOOD as the BRAT diet allows for Years I would have been thrilled to eat as much food as the BRAT diet recommends.

 

I had barely begun eating again.... for a few weeks, I was able to eat once a day at most when I was hit with my thyroid being out of whack.... Then went a few more weeks eating once a day at best when I had another move, resulting in 2 1/2 weeks of blacking out non stop.... Then a few more weeks of eating once a day at most when I crashed big time with a septic appendix.... Sent home from the hospital after a few days (for yet another typical outpatient surgery) a week later I went thru 16days of liver shutting down and swelling beyond belief!! ..... A few days later I was supervising sub-contractors prior to moving into a home my fiancé had bought for me.... And I began being able to eat about once a day again the rest of august and most of sept.... Even eating twice a day sometimes!!! Woot!!! Then by oct, buspar was causing severe anorexia. I could no longer force myself to eat. Back in feb my endocrinologist ran a massive test to check for nutritional levels on a cellular level. He was white with shock from the results. He was surprised I was still alive. So I do not have any reserves left. I can't coast another ten years w/o food.

 

**As important as a functioning liver is, I know I am in as much danger of having my gut shut down again.**

 

That is the only withdrawal symptom I am afraid of. Btdt and cannot afford to go back there. This problem impacts my repeated organ failures of heart, kidneys, and liver. So while liver is important, keeping my gut functional is imperative!!! Since it negatively impacts my liver and my heart and my kidneys and my ability to metabolize nutrients and to perform all biochemical processes.

 

So the uncontrollable vomitting and diarrhea is something I can NOT afford to have triggered again.

 

That's why I am asking about the risk analysis of cutting daily vs cutting 2.5mg every few days..... Are there any experiences or recommendations for this type of rapid cutting?? And is there anything that I can do or not do to protect myself from having my gut shut down once more?!

 

This IS the primary reason I am cautious about going too quickly.... Bc what I have been thru with my gut unable to process any foods for years is something I just barely survived!! If I knew stopping the buspar CT would NOT result in that One thing?? I would CT immediately. The only reason I am tapering at all is to avoid going back to where my gut could not hold or tolerate any food.

 

Hopefully that info helps..... That I am wanting to prevent having my gut shut down causing me to lose the ability to eat for years again.....

[Needmylifeback]

Sorry for the duplicate post!

[Meimeiquest]

Sorry so short, but if your liver is not processing normally, I think you could have a giant lag between a drop and any withdrawal symptoms. But you have not always had tough withdrawals, so maybe that is irrelevant. You have been through so much, you definitely deserve and need a good doctor!

[Needmylifeback]

I would love one really great dr to coordinate and oversee my condition! But it doesn't exist. And the adults in my family have left this all on me and the young shoulders of my children to manage.

 

See.... That is exactly my concern too!! I am fairly certain that buspar is backed up in my liver .... And that at any moment it could do a major dump into my gut. I won't have any control over how fast/slow that will occur.

 

But I think it's not going to be good.

 

If it could at least be quick.... I can do almost anything if it's for a short period of time ~relatively short... I can endure some pretty rough things for five years standing on my head

 

I am thinking of doing another 2.5mg drop tonight.... Taking me to 5mg .... Maybe keeping the pm dose at 7.5mg for a couple of days?? Then dropping the pm dose to 5mg also. Wait a few more days, then take another dose down another 2.5mg.... Leaving me with a 2.5mg am dose and a 5mg dose pm.

 

Since my liver is struggling so much anyways, buspar is basically toxic to someone like me with an impaired liver, maybe it doesn't matter?? I think it feels "blocked".... I know it's congested. So I think buspar is likely backlogged in it. I am starting to think that my tapering is somewhat blocked by this backlog. I may be receiving some protection by tapering.... But it will be mitigated by how congested the buspar is in my liver.

 

Is it safe to keep tapering at 2.5mg now that that will be cuts of >33%, and increasing up to 50% rather quickly, of the current dose??

[Needmylifeback]

Oh dang!!! I just remembered that I have one more med that belongs in my signature.... Its a previously prn med that I moved up to be one of my regular meds.

 

I use flector transdermal patches.

 

I can't take NSAIDs any more since my 2008 injury bc I now have a rare profound side effect to NSAIDs (all three subcategories) due to it setting off my autoimmune system to go haywire.

 

Flector patches allow me to have NSAID anti inflammatory meds directly into my trochanteric bursa!! So while I cannot tolerate any NSAIDs in my blood stream.... Using transdermal patches does not create problems for me.... And I can still have the benefit of the anti inflammatory meds.

 

Sorry I didn't remember sooner!! I blame my Swiss cheese brain.

[Needmylifeback]

Today my flu symptoms are hitting a new level and lows.... I feel lousy!! And I sound like Darth Vader and Kathleen Turners love child

 

Which I told my fiancé.... But when he gave me his usual "on my way home" post work call, he burst out laughing when he hear me answer!! I don't even sound Human. Which is fair since I don't feel human either.

 

But my liver irritation is higher today. I do often have increased liver congestion and swellings and tenderness when I am very sick. I have taken one aspirin today.... Maybe three or four total since Jan 1 (no other sources at all).

 

Plus my sinuses began bleeding today..... Eyes and sinuse weeping still.... Ears and head still piercing.... Counting down the days!! Literally. I recount how many days I have been sick with this second infection.... Just trying to hang in there!! Knowing that by 10-14days I will either be free and clear healthy again.... Or on an abx. But either way it will be better!!!

 

I have been able to keep my tender spot in my rt ear draining (the same area that lead to an infection of my mastoid bone this fall) until today.... It's too tender, too painful to touch let alone be sure it's draining.... So tomorrow I will dig thru some boxes and try to find some H2O2. At least, I can keep it chemically clean even if I can't physically keep it clear. I am hoping that will at least prevent a return of that infection.

 

One of my prn meds is hydrocortisone cream.... For the usual things.

Something I ate Dec 31turned my chest to sand paper!!! Upper arms and elbows have it now too...... I thought It was likely one new type of dairy I tried triggered it initially.... But what the heck?!? I stopped eating the offending item abd began steroid creams...... Plus I use an oral steroid daily. But it's worsened and spread!

 

At least it's winter and all my rough rashy areas are covered!!!

[Needmylifeback]

I AM actually seeing something from my cuts in the buspar!!!  It seems consistent with w/d .... And I have been so sick the past 5days, I had not connected the dots... Until last night (Jan 7th). 

 

Ever since they upped my dose to 15mg am/pm, I have been blacking out. Light headed and fainting and then going down hard.... At least 5-6 times a day which is a lot considering the buspar had me pretty well laid up... Since I couldn't remember the steps to tie my shoes. When they increased my dose further to 30mg am/15mg pm, these symptoms became debilitating all on their own!

 

Since I quickly dropped both doses down to 10mg am/pm and then to 7.5mg am/pm ... I have had a marked increase in pressure headaches (these "squeezing" type) and light headedness, fainting and blacking out. Last night I took my dose from 7.5mg down to 5mg.... And about 1/2 an hour later I walked maybe four feet to my bathroom for some mucinex.... And down I went!!!  Shaking hard!!  Incoherent, slumped over, and not able to shake it off and become more fully conscious right away. Scared my poor fiancé to death.... He quickly grabbed me on my way down!!!  Protecting me from slamming my head on the tile.... carried me back to my bed and now is very worried he needs to do Something to take care of me.  But I think it's the effects of the buspar.

 

  I also remembered tonight that I had these *squeezing type headaches when I first went on buspar fall 2013. Since these are such a unique type of headache I made notes about their arrival, intensity, and duration when they began this fall.  I need to do some checking to find those....

 

It's possible I have had these *squeezing type headaches for several days in the last week.... And the head pain from the flu just masked it....  A few times I recall feeling that dry, shriveled, squeezing headache recently.... Before I could decide what to make of it, the searing shooting pain of my flu-related headache would overwhelm it. 

 

With such a strong consistent reaction to buspar (both increasing the dose and now from decreasing the dose!)  I am considering either holding at the 5mg, which I just barely moved to last night and using it for both am/pm..... Or should I take this harsh reaction as an indicator to spend a little more time at 7.5mg???  Maybe I just keep the am dose at 5mg.... While taking the pm dose back up to 7.5mg??  The last option would follow the pattern I have kept through out my weaning of buspar. 

 

It's odd that my squeezing head pressure and the blacking out is so strong now!! when my dose is so low.... They had all but vanished when I first made the drastic 50% am dose cut Dec 11th! It confirmed to me it was a reaction to buspar as my head cleared further with my other early cuts. But here I am now making much larger % cuts in a more rapid time frame and Wham!! Back to being the same intensity of "squeezing" my brain type headaches (or maybe even greater) as I did on my earlier doses of buspar back in late sept/early oct.... when my dr first increased my dose from 7.5mg bid to 15mg bid. The squeezing headaches I have now are even stronger and more consistently here on 5mg bid than they ever were at 7.5mg bid.... And stronger than they were at 15mg bid.  They are similar in frequency and intensity to when we increased my dose to 30mg am. It's so strange that they just showed up the last few days when I went much faster in my taper. And that they are starting out so strong!

 

*squeezing headaches: when these first began, I thought this type of headache was weird to be having...  Since I only have felt similar type squeezing headaches when I took drugs like imitrex or zomig.  Those are vasoconstrictors used for common types of migraines and complicated migraines.  I would describe it as if my brain were a wet heavy sea sponge.... Which felt like the water was squeezed and wrung out of it... and my brain was left shriveled and dry... Causing these horrible "squeezing" type headaches. They are focused on my frontal lobe and top of my skull.

 

 Apparently I have a similar reaction to buspar!  Something I thought would vanish when the drug was gone. But now I am having strong reactions from the amount of the drug decreasing.  Dang.

 

 

It's odd that my squeezing head pressure and blacking out is so strong again!!  Back when I began at 7.5mg bid in early sept, I didn't notice, or at least didnt record, anything remarkabble. By oct I was having these squeezing my brain type headache intermittently.... But distinctively.  When I increased dose in late Nov, these squeezing type headaches were pronounced and frequent. By early Dec I discovered this is a common side effect of people who have bad reactions to buspar.  

 

Recently I dropped down from 10mg bid to 7.5mg. I had taken only four doses at 7.5mg (sun pm-tues am dose) when I dropped to 5mg ....and I now have taken two 5mg doses (last night and this morning).... Maybe the drops were too fast and too large?? 

[Needmylifeback]

(no need to read.... This is just to update my flu symptoms where I can easily see where they coincide with my w/d and taper schedule)

 

Second round of flu beginning Jan 1, had increased congestion in head, sinuses, and chest. Sharp sore throat... Slightly worse than first round in dec... and glands in neck and behind ears (esp rt ear) are more swollen and sore... Left tonsil prominently red and swollen rt tonsil less swollen/red but still swollen, sore, and red.... For several days have had blisters on back of throat, both tonsils, uvula.... Today (1/8) a few white patches appeared.

 

Yesterday bleeding from sinuses. But mucous remained thin and clear from both chest and sinuses. Today excretions are profoundly thickened, dk-yellow- orangish (poss from blood?) to green. Definitive signs of a sinus infection. Piercing headaches and ear pain still present since onset... 2002 neck injury flaring... Difficulty getting neck to stretch and allowing atlas to release.... Contributing to headache and tender neck pain.

 

Continuing hot liquids, hot packs to face, airborne, zinc lozenges, mucinex (straight guafenesine), not restricting fluids (>2gal/day), holding both water pills for a couple of days (sporadically held Hctz from Jan 1.. Yesterday held both hctz and spironolactone... Bc of kidney pain. Pain in both kidneys for a couple of days now, but pain is not increasing), Vit C, and aspirin several times this round of flu- most frequently taken jan 7/8th (maybe 6-7 since Jan 2. Took two on Jan 7; have had two since 4am this morning Jan 8th). Fever yesterday and today... Can't locate thermometer. Night chills have been pronounced and increased since friday night jan 3rd. Hip pain increased with all over body aches and pains high.

 

Sleeping a lot... Dose off while reading or writing.... Feel heavy and groggy.... But awake often throughout the night. Even during day often jerk awake the minute my body "let's go" enough to relax into sleep.... Jerking awake w a rush of adrenaline. Other times laying in bed unable to let go enough to fall asleep.... But hear sounds in the house, worried I need to check on the source of sounds (sometimes voices or footsteps) awake, can even lift eyelids sometimes, but paralyzed- unable to lift/turn head, unable to move arms/legs, unable to even move fingers... I feel "sedated" like when you go under for surgery.... It's terrifying.

[Altostrata]

Aspirin is not good for the liver, either.

 

NMLB, thank you for all the detail but there is no one here who is qualified to analyze your medical history and tell you what's wrong or what drugs to take.

 

I'm trying to make my concern clear. Your problem is not just Buspar. It's all the other drugs that are stressing your liver. The blackouts might not even be related to Buspar but to other drugs. When there's a drug traffic jam in your liver or kidneys, there can be elevated levels of several drugs in your body -- plus toxic damage to your liver and kidneys.

 

You absolutely must get your drugs evaluated!!! Please take them to a  pharmacist immediately.

 

As for the Buspar, I would try reducing by 1mg per day.