Buspar-Induced Brain Injury: My 4-Year Battle

[@shirleyhyland4308]

I’ve lost my entire family. Omg! She’s telling my story. I have no support. Everything she says is true. The guilt,fear,shame, akathesia. Some days I could move across the country, others I couldn’t pack a bag. Sometimes I think about suicide. I’m 80 and alone now. I don’t trust the medical system now.

[@jixie_93]

Me too..I'm 70

[@Richard-yx6ie]

Given buspirone for 2 mos, then diazapan 2 mos & clonazepam for 1mos. Cold turkey 'd for 2wks, reinstated buspar for 2wks, cold turkey'd again 6wks. Terrible headaches & dizziness & panic

[@jixie_93]

​@@shirleyhyland4308 how're you doing now?

[@taperclinic]

I'm so sorry this happened, sadly this is not uncommon and I'm seeing more and more people with these devastating side effects

[@user-xg4dk3ch6y]

Thank you for this 🙏. Yes. Just believe believe believe. I am injured by venlafaxine, Mirtazapine and Buspar and for a short time benzoes. Like Jennie, I do not trust the doctors what so ever anymore (live in Denmark), and are working on my gut health that is totally injured by these medications and hormones. This is undescribable traumatizing. My life and family are destroyed because of this. It will never be the same. We are SO many victims.

[@HeartAliveToday]

@@user-xg4dk3ch6y This is our story as well. 🙏🙏🙏

[@taperclinic]

I'm glad to hear you're working on gut health its so important!

[@Carby.J]

You may not ever be the same, but you can still recover. Don't lose sight of that.

[@breemarierooney3011]

It’s in my purse right now. I’m tapering off of diazepam. My doctor has been pushing and pushing it on me. I said that I don’t want any more drugs. She said it was really necessary and kept pushing even angrily. Now I just tell her that I’m taking it and I don’t. Sucks that I have to lie. I’m trying not to lie in my life, but I catch myself in situations with this benzo taper where I feel like I have to lie to protect myself. 😢

[@theresekirkpatrick3337]

You have every right to take back your rights to decide your health. I told them to stuff it 9 years ago. My body my choice changed to meat heavy keto carbs sugar food additives are the devil. Everything in the USA 🇺🇸 is poison. Im So sorry for everyone suffering this explains a lot.

[@GuteBesserung8]

Stay strong & proud 🌺

[@rachaelhernandez7264]

If there is one thing you are doing right that is not taking anything else. I too tapered off diazepam/valium over 4 years ago and they added an antidepressant because I felt forced. Biggest mistake was taking the AD. It lead to another long horrible taper and now 15 months of withdrawal. Hang in there and keep pushing through…it’ll be over and you will heal.

[@Hollyucinogen]

Benzos aren't supposed to be used for several weeks/months/years at a time. They should know that. They cause physical depence. It's really, really suspicious that they're pushing this on you.

[@anitagrainger429]

@@breemarierooney3011 bless you they made it worse for me as well by interdosing twice through my withdrawal when I ask them not to so I don't think that helped

[@Acetyl53]

The period from 1880 to present has been one of sheer darkness and malevolence.

[@joannek7447]

The scarey part is it doesn’t sound like she told the medicines very long but still experienced neurological damage. Appreciate that she has been willing to share this journey.

[@astrahcat1212]

Im glad she recovered though, many cant

[@Padraigp]

I took an antibiotic. 2 tablets and had a month of horrible side effects. Thankfully. Ot permanent...but yeah drugs are dangerous. When it says I in a million people could die they do mean it.and one person is dead from it. Or 1 in 10k people will be in a wheelchair etc. Thats happening. Thats the risk. They do not always tell you those risks. Also if you have depression or anxiety as a symptom of an underlying problem. And they don't know the underlying problem is there cos they haven't investigated it then that could make it even worse. It also says usually if you have any of these side effects stop taking it and talk to your doctor. She made a choice to continue taking a drug while having side effects. Her doctor didn't tell her to do that. She didn't take the tests her doctor recommended. She should have stopped immediately she felt the side effects.

[@danag812]

I've done a lot of reading about antidepressant withdrawal because I have suffered through it myself for over a year. Luckily I recovered fully. Somewhere. I read that even the first dose of an antidepressant changes the architecture of your brain. So I suppose you could be taking it for a few months or for 10 years like I did and still have horrible withdrawal. It's like Russian! Roulette.

[@lisaBinfinity]

I am a nurse and I share the same frustration. Our current medical model is reactive and we only cover symptoms as opposed to finding and treating root causes.

[@HeathenFitness]

Thank you both so much for this exposure. We need this.

[@DP-vz2su]

Please do an interview with someone who had anosognosia during and/or after withdrawal and therefore did not realize how much their personality changed. Thank you

[@nwicconsultants6640]

Interesting....in all the forums I have never heard of anyone speak of anosognosia coming about during the withdrawal stages of tapering. I know of its existence in such persons with dementia and of course schizophrenia but during and/or after withdrawal. Will have to look into this. Thanks for the comment.

[@DP-vz2su]

Yes, anosognosia is a thing in withdrawal for some. Check out Dr. Peter Breggin who expands on this in books and videos.

[@nwicconsultants6640]

@@DP-vz2su Will do that....thank you for the response.

[@shirleyhyland4308]

I feel bad for her. She’s telling my story after quitting Cymbalta.

[@cathysapanski6276]

Iam so thankful that this is getting out there so many people damaged from these medications. People are shamed and made to feel things are their fault. Thank you so much for sharing this! Iam helping my daughter going through this and knowing what she is feeling is so helpful for the caregiver.

[@mobilezeronine2866]

Im in hospital, a lot of peole with health issues taking this drugs, spinal cord and CNS + mental issues while taking 4 clonazepam pills + pregabalin+ tramadol for pain, + and the doctors blaiming the issue that this individual is having "snaps" and calling It bipolar, how you trust in doctors that are like this? I mentioned that i hád an immune response from stopping them, he said, benzodiazepines dont affect the immune system, How to Trust anything regarding your life to such doctors?

[@Benzosuzy]

I had massive face tingling pulling muscles for many years. This lady was lucky.

[@SirSithly]

I have a cannabis use injury, I smoked heavily for about a little over a year, and when i quit I instantly had severe stomach issues for months. Additionally I was profusely sweating and also had some weird head feelings. Although those went away within a month or so. 4 years later I still have stomach issues because of cannabis, granted not as bad, but still an issue. No body ever told me that smoking cannabis would cause these issues. I was never informed that there is indeed withdrawal effects from cannabis.

[@michelleespino9814]

I’m sorry that this happened to you and I hope you recover. My belief is that cannabis should be approached just like any other psyche med: as low and as slow as possible. I believe that adults should be able to use it but know it is a drug and to use with caution. No one would just take a bunch of ssri’s. But I’m not blaming you. I hope it doesn’t come off that way. We just need to change the way we talk about it. We need to talk about using it responsibly and the real risks.

[@colinchappell4973]

The pattern of treating symptoms for profit and managing people for symptoms. Thank you for sharing your story Jennie. Your courage and strength strike me. The gut is key to whole body health.

[@hammersaw3135]

I grew up with and around a lot of mental health issues, and psychiatric patients, was a patient myself in my teens and 20s/ the medicine they prescribe can sometimes create disabilities in the patients who are prescribed them. The diseases are real and painful, but I have seen a lot of times the medicine being worse than the disease. Especially anxiety, the problem is not that we feel anxiety, it is that we have a hard time using the anxiety to motivate us to action. Vigorous activity reduces anxiety

[@Protracted-Withdrawal]

Protracted withdrawal is a misnamer. It's more like neurological injury/disruption. The good thing is that people improve/recover over time. Ketosis helps a lot!

[@DannyD-lr5yg]

(*misnomer)

[@DannyD-lr5yg]

But yet keto can be a game changer!!

[@danag812]

I agree. I suffered through over a year of horrendous withdrawal from paxil and what I could liken it to was a brain injury. I've fully recovered now, but I still wonder about some of the after effects that have lingered such as poor working memory. I'm just glad to be off the drugs. I would have never started them if I knew what the cost would be ultimately

[@taperclinic]

Thank you for your comment! You're right-"neurological injury/disruption" can be a more accurate term. It's encouraging that recovery is possible over time, and ketosis can definitely help support that process. Thanks for sharing!

[@devraabraham642]

Thank you for sharing this story.

[@MikeKaye-d3o]

This is the reason I don't wanna take anymore meds for my mental health

[@cmarkme]

I need to talk with this AMAZING Lady. I am battling the exact same symptoms, and time frame

[@morningforestfog]

I can't stand this. It hurts to see this is so common, yet people close their eyes...

[@Snowflake1374]

I have neurological injury from SSRI. Nerv tingeling in my face and neck. And brain, it moves around. Pressure in my head, ears, eyes.

[@MaddyPup19450]

I also feel my brain moving / tremor / shake. Miserable 😞

[@NikolaiCherepanov]

This is wild to hear about, I took Buspar for anxiety to see if it would help with my depression, since it seems the anxiety onsets the depression. I stopped taking it when I started takin Nortriptyline for migraines. I am thinking about going back on Buspar because it did help greatly take the edge off of the anxiety and make it manageable. When I started taking it, I was very skeptical on if it would work or not. The only "bad" side effect I had was when I took my dose in the morning for 1-2 hours id feel a bit foggy as if I had taken a pain killer. Medication is not for everyone and doctors certinaly over prescribe medications because its easy to numb the symptoms instead of deal with the problems.

[@Travluminatii]

This and Abilify both have the same active metabolites which are known neurotoxins

[@broccoli-dev]

which metabolite of buspirone is neurotoxic?

[@vzvzxvzx]

Yeah...? Name them, and your sources please

[@absoluteauto4]

I went to the doctor years ago, my GP, complaining of anxiety and and she wrote a script for buspar. I filled it and then threw it in the trash.

[@wplants9793]

20:33 the pressure in the chest while going up stairs kind of reminds me of POTS, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. I had it terribly with Lyme disease, which can mess up the blood brain barrier and cause neurological symptoms too. Luckily I got better and the POTS went away. But it was devastating for so long.

[@snotellekS]

I've had many headaches in my life. I took buspar for 1 month. For 3 weeks straight it gave me the most painful headaches i've ever felt. It was as if i smashed my head into a brick wall every day. I wouldn't recommend this medication to my worst enemy.

[@anitagrainger429]

I come off diazepam in May started tapering but ended up jumping going into withdrawal it was sheer hell , never experienced anything so terrifying in my whole life, tremors, sweats, shaking, palpitations tinnitus, the facial spasms and tingling are horrendous was taken in to hospital after I went into paralysis down my left side after a seizure that lasted for 45 minutes, my muscles on my face haven't stopped contracting for 3 months but have slowed down I have lost feeling in my left leg and slightly arm on left side and been diagnosed with FND functional neurological disorder, I still get burning, sweats severe anxiety palpitations and insomnia on top of fatigue, chronic pain, and non-epileptic seizures

[@lindsaygraham9115]

I’m tapering Diazepam and have the FND diagnosis as well. I’ve tried coming off 5 times and failed because I had hellish symptoms like you. I’m afraid mine is permanent damage. 😢

[@breemarierooney3011]

I’m going through that right now 😢

[@Nina_Olivia]

Omg, I’m so sorry to hear this. How much diazepam were you taking before coming off?

[@anitagrainger429]

@@Nina_Olivia at my worse 60mg a day maybe 80mg I got it down to 20mg then to 10mg a day over a year with help that is when I started to get problems, palpitations first then BP went down was rushed into hospital and diagnosed with tachycardia, stopped alcohol the stress didn't help drug counselling stopped, I upped to 30mg and had to start again

[@anitagrainger429]

@@lindsaygraham9115 all I can say is never give up x its horrendous but keep battling

[@GenericPast]

I didn't take it long but I do remember Buspar made me feel like a zombie, not feeling like I was existing on Earth and watching the ceiling shimmer. That whole day was a slice of hell

[@vzvzxvzx]

You wouldn't even feel 1 pill of buspar if taken for the first time. Doesn't work like that. Placebo effect.

[@MaddyPup19450]

I find myself questioning the logic of these extended tapers in cases where the person has only been taking a medication for a short period of time (less than 3 months). I can understand the logic of an extended taper if the person has been on a medication for a long time (like more than a year), but I have now seen it happen a few times where someone will have an adverse reaction to a drug, like within the first week(s) or month, and stay on the drug or a similar drug for a months long taper? If it's readily apparent the drug is injurious / toxic etc. then why prolong staying on it for months? How do you know you aren't just making the "injury" worse?

[@TheDavveponken]

@29:00 Had exactly this from my ritalin injury. I think it is symptoms of the autonomic dysfunction affecting vascular health cerebrally and thus nerves. If I look at the nerves in the face and scalp the tingling are almost always at the nerve ends. And before that numbness.

[@Idrinklight44]

Tried it, gave me bad headache and dizziness

[@rickeyjones8459]

I understand her saying she's mad about taking those drugs. I am too . Mostly, I'm mad at the practice of psychiatry and I wonder if its even a legit science. 😡

[@HeartAliveToday]

Completely agree. Psychiatry is pure evil imo. There is a reason pharmacia means SORCERY.

[@rickeyjones8459]

@@HeartAliveToday You are correct. I've never even connected the two, however, in Strong's complete concordance of the bible it states that same thing.

[@kathryn7739]

This is a crazy scam. Too many people injured and not helped.

[@rickeyjones8459]

@@kathryn7739 Because it's not about helping patients or clients. It's about big pharma and dollars. It was big pharma that started the lie about clinical depression being a chemical imbalance. Its been proven since then there is no such thing.

[@rickeyjones8459]

@@kathryn7739 You do know antidepressants are one of the most prescribed medications on the market right? I'll add antipsychotics to that list . Big pharma at work with their minions psychiatrist bringing in the dollars.

[@datuda923]

Oh my god I was on the max daily dose of this. I tolerated it relatively well until my dose was doubled. It gave me terrible night sweats which soaked the bed and episodes of muscle twitching especially in my shoulders and legs. I only took it for ~3 days until I went back to my old dose but it didn't help. I had to taper off completely.

[@chas1819]

Yes facial numbness stoke symptoms …. No motor all sensory … scary …. Post benzo injury …

[@claireh.7605]

I had a helpful CBT therapist, then my next one was a cult leader group therapist who was a literal psychopath or malignant narcissist who changed my brain into something bad and antisocial. Then I did the Lexapro and I am just.. a way different person. I lost the ability to talk to family and just respond with sadism and aggression and being short tempered thanks to the psychopath therapist training me to be antisocial and the Lexapro ruining my nervous system. I feel stupid too now especially around people.

[@vzvzxvzx]

Blame. Blame. Blame. Take some accountability. Despite being given shitty advice, a) you cannot diagnose people as I am positive you are not a medical professional b) at the end of the day it is YOUR responsibility to overcome your trauma. I feel your pain as I had a narcotic addiction, but at the end of the day, you'll eventually need to point the finger at yourself. You will never change otherwise

[@claireh.7605]

@ true. passivity avoidance and negativity are an easy way out of taking responsibility. I do have an rn bsn though. So I am a healthcare worker

[@danag812]

The scary thing is that more and more kids are being put in these drugs!! Parents are clueless as to the actual dangers. 😢

[@lindsaygraham9115]

I tried taking Buspar while tapering Diazepam. It made me crawl out of my skin!!

[@deirdregeldenhuys2639]

Dr Josef please can you give me your opinion on psilocybin for protracted withdrawal especially for Anti depressants and benzos? I have been involved in a trial mostly for chronic PTSD, and my suicidal ideation is gone completely and anxiety levels have literally dropped by half. Brain fog has mostly disappeared and a small improvement in memory. My eyesight where i have blurred vision and see halos from lights in the distance now is better on some days (which doesn't make sense to me) l'm dreading the day the trail stops and everything comes back '''full swing'' again.

[@ruthanneluvsvacuuming6653]

It’s shocking how many of the ads that pop up during the duration of your videos are ads for medications. I know you don’t have any control over that but youtubes ads suck. Advertising psych meds and many other meds on a channel talking about the harm done by medication and over prescribing

[@Mnichols374]

About a year out from ct of zoloft after 16 years poly drugged and put on a benzo for 6 months im still really servere don't know how to do this anymore havemt seen any improvements the whole right side of my head is completely numb alot of burning tearing neck pain eye pain just on the right side. I also have aka and really bad dpdr i feel so drugged out of my mind im so afraid.

[@prayforthejewishpeople]

😢 try keto diet, en try to sport daily (cardio and weightlifting), it wil bring some relieve from the withdrawals. God bless.

[@Snowflake1374]

Same. 1 year off, 17 year use and CT. We've talked before. Brain pain, mostly on the right side. No improvements. Are you also neurologically dysregulated? Upper body, spine, neck muscle tightness and pain. Can you move around a lot? I feel disabled.

[@Mnichols374]

@Snowflake1374 i have the same to the t I cant believe this how it just goes and goes no windows yet u?

[@Snowflake1374]

⁠@@Mnichols374 Thanks for answering. Dont understand how it can be this severe either. No windows. Its goes and goes, same every day. Its damage. The question is whether it can improve and heal…

[@Mnichols374]

@Snowflake1374 it has to i would think cant just stay this way I hear the first year is the worse im trying to just hold onto that and keep going idk what else to do I would take a pill if I knew it wouldn't hurt me more.

[@SK-wc3hs]

I think that saying it will not have withdrawals is complite bs. Of course it's nothing compared to mirtazapine or ssris. I was using buspirone for ptsd that was at that time. It helped me. Right now when i am better i am tapering all of the drugs. I have found that mirtazapine was the worst with withdrawal sympthoms.

[@astrahcat1212]

Ive had a lung condition and been just as bad physiologically (not able to even walk for months) and I was told by a pulmonologist (lung doctor) that I should go see a psychiatrist before a second one actually diagnosed what was really wrong after doing the proper testing. I will never go to a psychiatrist, the psychiatry industry is absolutely out of control, and then finding out what these psychiatric medications do, they cause real physiological neurological disease/problems, NOT mental conditions which are nothing compared to real physical problems.

[@staceyloeffler6795]

Do benzodiazipines affect serotonin levels? Antidepressant withdrawl is treated with benzos?????

[@geekalicious8725]

How long does a person have to take buspar before experiencing neurological damage? Is there clinical data regarding other anti anxiolytics like Zanax causing neurological damage?

[@sbocaj22]

Yes! The fda added an addendum to all benzo prescribing liturature in September 2020 to include lasting neurological damage and long term ongoing withdrawal from getting off benzos.

[@theresekirkpatrick3337]

The studies are paid for and run by the drug manufacturers who bury the negative trials and reports of side effects. 😢👺👺👺

[@geekalicious8725]

@@sbocaj22 thanks for the info

[@TheOracle4444]

Oh dear...my 18yo just got prescribed to this

[@mobilezeronine2866]

Thats How It goes, they will Ruin his life and your life. There are non psychiatric pesticides that work for depression and anxiety, tudca, bromantane, 4pba are examples.

[@broccoli-dev]

buspirone quite literally saved my life and the only side effect is i get mildly dizzy for about 10 minutes after taking it. so YMMV.

[@mobilezeronine2866]

@@broccoli-dev you're the same as the thousands that hád no issues when starting and in the first few years taking the substance, how many months are you taking It, 9? 2 years? You Will hit a wall, bê sure of that

[@Rene-uz3eb]

Supplemental Niacinamide Mitigates Anxiety Symptoms: Three Case Reports, 2005. Pretty much the only paper I found, I can only conclude the psych care community is even more rabid to prevent things that work getting known, vs general health sector. Btw niacin is better than niacinamide.

[@sarahpearsall2248]

Have you healed yet Jennifer?

[@rileymaestro]

so is the pressure angina?

[@stephss]

Jordon Peterson went into a self induced coma, to get off his dependency. These drugs have long term lasting effects. We need proper treatment..not pharmaceuticals.

[@user-cb3qr9dt2k]

Stop Medicating everyone. Teach them how to adjust and accept what different. Learn how to live with it. Stop throwing drugs at every thing.

[@SaraJean85]

I was in prison and they put me on this and I would go numb like she describes and tingling but instead of needing to move I would stretch and it made me feel like I needed to stretch longer and deeper for a long time compared to a normal good stretch after u wake up or after a nap.. it was the strangest thing well I said something and they just took me off without a taper and it made me dream like the realest thing and night terrors and now I still have bad anxiety issues and I would normally walk around the yard in circles so maybe I had the pacing but wouldn't know cus I was already caged. Crazy I was later told I needed dialectical behavioral therapy or whatever... idk what that was for but I figure they were all doing more damage then help and stopped dealing with them.

[@RealJonzuk]

some people will take this stuff for recreational purposes, can't imagine how bad it is for them when its already so severe for someone taking it as intended, I've had zapping feelings in my nerves when I took it for 2 weeks than suddenly stopped and insane anxiety, it felt like my nicotine vape wasnt even doing anything and my weed it was the worst... It took me 1-2 years to feel back to normal just from 2 weeks

[@sarahpearsall2248]

These comments are not showing up on the tv.

[@rickeyjones8459]

They will, you have to give it a few minutes.

[@sarahpearsall2248]

Can you function again? Are you still tapering your benzo?

[@ca2751]

I had many of her symptoms after taking Activan 1 mg for a few weeks twice a day . I stopped taking it when I realized what kind of med it was . I had not idea at the moment what was going on with me . I went through hell. ...got almost all better after 8 months 4 years later only a noise that sound like an electric staticity remains in my brain .. It started as tinitus. Supplements like magnesium increase the noise .

[@broccoli-dev]

buspirone (buspar) saved my life! great drug!

[@pinkpugginz]

Wellbutrin messed me up. Made me go bald

[@staceyloeffler6795]

I've been taking Wellbutrin to stop smoking, and noticed that my hair is getting very thin!

[@pinkpugginz]

@@staceyloeffler6795 Yes I lost about 50% of my hair and had extreme stomach bloating...i looked pregnant it was BAD

[@anthonykarnes6804]

Benzos never will be good for brains

[@TE-7302-]

I hope WittD is picking up on severe side effects and how psychiatrists “trial” many meds and decide someone is “treatment resistant” when its side effects. It sounds like adding Benzos was a huge mistake.

[@RealJonzuk]

You should interview Chris Soloman about microdosing salvia for these types of problems people take opiates,anti-depressants,anxiety meds for. It worked better than anything else in the world for me with a huge lack of side effects

[@staceyloeffler6795]

Hard to look at my screen with all the glare behind the woman, coming from the window.

[@germainedenon311]

shes not that bad