Formulary
Buspirone hydrochloride: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Buspirone hydrochloride clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Buspirone hydrochloride: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Buspirone hydrochloride clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
Indications and dose
**Anxiety (short-term use)**
- **Adult** (By Mouth): 5 mg 2-3 times a day, increased if necessary up to 45 mg daily, dose to be increased at intervals of 2-3 days; usual dose 15-30 mg daily in divided doses.
Cautions
Angle-closure glaucoma; does not alleviate symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal; myasthenia gravis Cautions, further information Manufacturer advises a patient taking a benzodiazepine still needs to have the benzodiazepine withdrawn gradually; it is advisable to do this before starting buspirone.
Contraindications
Epilepsy
Side effects
Common or very common Abdominal pain; anger; anxiety; chest pain; cold sweat; concentration impaired; confusion; constipation; depression; diarrhoea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; fatigue; headache; laryngeal pain; movement disorders; musculoskeletal pain; nasal congestion; nausea; paraesthesia; skin reactions; sleep disorders; tachycardia; tinnitus; tremor; vision disorders; vomiting Rare or very rare Depersonalisation; emotional lability; galactorrhoea; hallucination; memory loss; parkinsonism; psychotic disorder; seizure; serotonin syndrome; syncope; urinary retention
Interactions
**Severe interactions:**
- Nefazodone: The co-administration of buspirone (2.5 or 5 mg twice daily) and nefazodone (250 mg twice daily) to healthy volunteers resulted in marked increases in plasma buspirone concentrations...
- Diazepam : After addition of buspirone to the diazepam dose regimen, no statistically significant differences in the steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, AUC, and Cmin) were observed for...
**Other interactions (25):**
- Erythromycin: Concomitant administration of buspirone (10 mg as single dose) and erythromycin (1.5 g once daily for four days) in healthy volunteers increased the plasma concentrations of buspirone...
- If buspirone and erythromycin are to be used in combination, a low dose of buspirone (e.g., 2.5 mg twice daily) is recommended.
- Itraconazole: Concomitant administration of buspirone (10 mg as single dose) and itraconazole (200 mg once daily for four days) in healthy volunteers increased the plasma concentrations of buspirone...
- If buspirone and itraconazole are to be used in combination, a low dose of buspirone (e.g., 2.5 mg once daily) is recommended.
- Verapamil: Concomitant administration of buspirone (10 mg as single dose) and verapamil (80 mg three times daily) in healthy volunteers increased the plasma concentrations of buspirone (C max and...
- Rifampicin : Rifampicin induces the metabolism of buspirone via CYP3A4.
Pregnancy
Avoid.
Breast feeding
Avoid.
Hepatic impairment
Manufacturer advises caution; avoid in severe hepatic failure. Dose adjustments Manufacturer advises titrate individual dose carefully in cirrhosis-consult product literature.
Renal impairment
Avoid if eGFR less than 20 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . Dose adjustments Reduce dose.
Medicinal forms
Solution
Clinical governance
**Author:** MedNext Clinical Team. **Clinical reviewer:** Dr Shameer Deen, MBBS, MS, MRCS. **Sources:** BNF, Indian Pharmacopoeia, CIMS India. **Correction:** Report errors at support@mednext.academy.
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