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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BuSpar (generic name: buspirone) isn&amp;amp;#39;t considered a first-line medication for &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-bipolar-disorder-378707&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;bipol&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-bipolar-disorder-378707&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;ar disorder&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; \u2014 it&amp;amp;#39;s more commonly used to treat anxiety and depression. However, in some cases, your psychiatrist may prescribe BuSpar to control &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/is-it-normal-anxiety-or-an-anxiety-disorder-2584401&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;anxiety&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; related to your bipolar disorder.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Generally, BuSpar isn&amp;amp;#39;t considered a very powerful anti-anxiety medication, since it isn&amp;amp;#39;t a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-are-tranquilizers-22501&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;tranquilizer&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; like the barbiturates or the benzodiazepines. Instead, it appears to affect the chemicals in your body that determine whether you&amp;amp;#39;re anxious or calm, and tends to have a mild effect.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BuSpar also doesn&amp;amp;#39;t work right away to calm your anxiety (the way a benzo would) \u2014 you have to take it regularly\u00A0so that it builds up in your system. And there are a few reports in the medical literature that BuSpar can cause &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/symptoms-of-mania-380311&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;mania&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; in those with bipolar, especially if it&amp;amp;#39;s combined with other medications.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Use of BuSpar in Anxiety&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved BuSpar to treat anxiety disorders. The drug has been tested in people who had symptoms of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/generalized-anxiety-disorder-symptoms-and-treatments-2795568&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Generalized Anxiety Disorder&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; for between one month and one year. These symptoms can include: shakiness/jitters, dizziness, sweating and dry mouth, unreasonable anxiety and fear, difficulty concentrating, and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-acute-insomnia-3014757&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;insomnia&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The drug hasn&amp;amp;#39;t been shown to relieve anxiety for longer than one month in clinical trials, but one study of long-term use showed it&amp;amp;#39;s safe for up to one year. The FDA recommends that doctors who want to use BuSpar long-term in their patients continually check to make sure it&amp;amp;#39;s still having the desired effect.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;BuSpar in Bipolar Disorder - Yes or No?&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It&amp;amp;#39;s not clear how many psychiatrists prescribe BuSpar for their bipolar patients, and there&amp;amp;#39;s little research on the drug&amp;amp;#39;s effectiveness in bipolar disorder. Bipolar patient reports indicate it does work for a few people, but others say it has little effect on their anxiety symptoms.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some psychiatrists who have tried it have found it&amp;amp;#39;s more effective when combined with an &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-are-the-major-classes-of-antidepressants-1065086&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;anti-depressant medication&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, such as Prozac. It may be an option for people who are at risk of becoming dependent on the more powerful anti-anxiety medications.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The medical research that does exist on BuSpar in bipolar disorder is mainly a series of case reports on a handful of people who experienced mania when they began taking BuSpar for anxiety related to their bipolar.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Common side effects of BuSpar include:\u00A0 dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, nausea, restlessness, nervousness or unusual excitement. Less common side effects include: blurred vision, sweating, poor concentration, diarrhea, drowsiness (more common with higher doses), dry mouth, muscle pain, spasms or cramps, ringing in the ears, insomnia/&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/does-bipolar-disorder-affect-dreams-380570&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;nightmares&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;/vivid dreams, and unusual tiredness or weakness.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Rare side effects can include chest pain, confusion, a fast or pounding heartbeat, fever, lack of coordination, depression, muscle weakness (especially weakness or stiffness in your hands or feet), &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/best-treatment-for-hives-83237&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;hives&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, sore throat or uncontrolled movements. If any of these occur, notify your doctor immediately.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Food and Drug Administration BuSpar information sheet. Accessed Jan. 3, 2016.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Liegghio NE et al. Buspirone-induced hypomania: a case report. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1988 Jun;8(3):226-7.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;McDaniel JS et al. Possible induction of mania by buspirone. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1990 Jan;147(1):125-6.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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