Buspirone
/api/v1/drug/buspironeMechanism of action
Sourced from openFDAMechanism-of-action classes: Serotonin Agonists; Unknown Cellular or Molecular Interaction.
Indications
Sourced from openFDA- Buspirone hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic.
Contraindications
Sourced from openFDA- Buspirone hydrochloride tablets are contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to buspirone hydrochloride. The use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) intended to treat depression with buspirone or within 14 days of stopping treatment with buspirone is contraindicated because of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome and/or elevated blood pressure.contraindicated
Dosage & administration
Sourced from openFDAThe recommended initial dose is 15 mg daily (7.5 mg b.i.d.). To achieve an optimal therapeutic response, at intervals of 2 to 3 days the dosage may be increased 5 mg per day, as needed. The maximum daily dosage should not exceed 60 mg per day. In clinical trials allowing dose titration, divided doses of 20 to 30 mg per day were commonly employed. The bioavailability of buspirone is increased when given with food as compared to the fasted state (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY ). Consequently, patients should take buspirone in a consistent manner with regard to the timing of dosing; either always with or always without food. When buspirone is to be given with a potent inhibitor of CYP3A4, the dosage recommendations described in the PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions section should be followed. Switching a Patient To or From a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) Antidepressant At least 14 days should elapse between discontinuation of an MAOI intended to treat depression and initiation of therapy with buspirone hydrochloride tablets. Conversely, at least 14 days should be allowed after stopping buspirone hydrochloride tablets before starting an MAOI antidepressant (see CONTRAINDICATIONS and DRUG INTERACTIONS ). Use of Buspirone with (Reversible) MAOIs, Such as Linezolid or Methylene Blue Do not start buspirone hydrochloride tablets in a patient who is being treated with a reversible MAOI such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue because there is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome.
Warnings & precautions
Sourced from openFDAThe administration of buspirone hydrochloride tablets to a patient taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) may pose a hazard. There have been reports of the occurrence of elevated blood pressure when buspirone hydrochloride has been added to a regimen including an MAOI. Therefore, it is recommended that buspirone hydrochloride tablets not be used concomitantly with an MAOI. Serotonin Syndrome The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs SSRIs, and other serotonergic drugs, including buspirone, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans), with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, including reversible MAOIs such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue), or with antipsychotics or other dopamine antagonists. Serotonin syndrome symptoms may include mental status changes (e.g., agitation, hallucinations, delirium, and coma), autonomic instability (e.g., tachycardia, labile blood pressure, dizziness, diaphoresis, flushing, hyperthermia), neuromuscular changes (e.g., tremor, rigidity, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, incoordination), seizures, and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Patients should be monitored for emergence of serotonin syndrome. The concomitant use of buspirone with MAOIs intended to treat depression is contraindicated. Buspirone should also not be started in a patient who is being treated with reversible MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue.
Adverse reactions
Sourced from openFDA(See also PRECAUTIONS .) Commonly Observed The more commonly observed untoward events associated with the use of buspirone hydrochloride tablets not seen at an equivalent incidence among placebo-treated patients include dizziness, nausea, headache, nervousness, lightheadedness, and excitement. Associated with Discontinuation of Treatment One guide to the relative clinical importance of adverse events associated with buspirone hydrochloride tablets is provided by the frequency with which they caused drug discontinuation during clinical testing. Approximately 10% of the 2200 anxious patients who participated in the buspirone hydrochloride tablets premarketing clinical efficacy trials in anxiety disorders lasting 3 to 4 weeks discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. The more common events causing discontinuation included: central nervous system disturbances (3.4%), primarily dizziness, insomnia, nervousness, drowsiness, and lightheaded feeling; gastrointestinal disturbances (1.2%), primarily nausea; and miscellaneous disturbances (1.1%), primarily headache and fatigue. In addition, 3.4% of patients had multiple complaints, none of which could be characterized as primary. Incidence in Controlled Clinical Trials The table that follows enumerates adverse events that occurred at a frequency of 1% or more among buspirone hydrochloride patients who participated in 4-week, controlled trials comparing buspirone hydrochloride with placebo. The frequencies were obtained from pooled data for 17 trials.
Use in specific populations
Sourced from openFDAPregnancy: Teratogenic Effects Pregnancy Category B No fertility impairment or fetal damage was observed in reproduction studies performed in rats and rabbits at buspirone doses of approximately 30 times the maximum recommended human dose. In humans, however, adequate and well-controlled studies during pregnancy have not been performed. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Overdosage
Sourced from openFDASigns and Symptoms In clinical pharmacology trials, doses as high as 375 mg/day were administered to healthy male volunteers. As this dose was approached, the following symptoms were observed: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, miosis, and gastric distress. A few cases of overdosage have been reported, with complete recovery as the usual outcome. No deaths have been reported following overdosage with buspirone hydrochloride tablets alone. Rare cases of intentional overdosage with a fatal outcome were invariably associated with ingestion of multiple drugs and/or alcohol, and a causal relationship to buspirone could not be determined. Toxicology studies of buspirone yielded the following LD 50 values: mice, 655 mg/kg; rats, 196 mg/kg; dogs, 586 mg/kg; and monkeys, 356 mg/kg. These dosages are 160 to 550 times the recommended human daily dose. Recommended Overdose Treatment General symptomatic and supportive measures should be used along with immediate gastric lavage. Respiration, pulse, and blood pressure should be monitored as in all cases of drug overdosage. No specific antidote is known to buspirone, and dialyzability of buspirone has not been determined.
Approval history
Sourced from openFDA- Jun 28, 2001ANDAANDA076008Mylan
- Feb 28, 2002ANDAANDA075022Teva
- Mar 19, 2002ANDAANDA075413Rising
- Apr 5, 2002ANDAANDA075521Rubicon Research
- May 9, 2002ANDAANDA075388Oxford Pharms
- Dec 17, 2007ANDAANDA078302Oxford Pharms
- Feb 27, 2009ANDAANDA078246Aurobindo Pharma Ltd
- Feb 7, 2014ANDAANDA078888Zydus Pharms
FAERS reports
- 1Fatigue7807.4%
- 2Nausea7687.3%
- 3Headache6946.6%
- 4Anxiety6576.2%
- 5Drug Ineffective6466.1%
- 6Pain5565.3%
- 7Dyspnoea5455.1%
- 8Depression4934.7%
- 9Dizziness4854.6%
- 10Diarrhoea4834.6%
- 11Product Dose Omission Issue4614.4%
- 12Fall4023.8%
- 13Off Label Use3513.3%
- 14Vomiting3443.2%
- 15Malaise3313.1%
Literature
Recent PubMed references pinned to Buspirone as a MeSH major topic. Citations link to pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Rational design of a chitosan-coated cobalt ferrite nanozyme coupled with a molecularly imprinted polymer for trace analysis of buspirone in complex matrices: application in spiked human plasma and environmental water samples.Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications · 2026 · Nazim VS, El-Sayed GM, Amer SM, et al.PMID 41770722DOI 10.1039/d6ay00091f
- Adverse events related to buspirone: a real-world pharmacovigilance study using the FAERS database.Journal of affective disorders · 2026 · Wen Z, Liu X, Guo P, et al.PMID 41628752DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121240
- A bedside-savior for insomnia and anxiety disorders: melatonin/buspirone hydrochloride compound oral fast-dissolving film.European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V · 2026 · Liu X, Chu C, Lu Q, et al.PMID 41218725DOI 10.1016/j.ejpb.2025.114930
- Regional neurochemical profile following co-administration of apomorphine and buspirone in an animal model of addiction.Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2025 · Ikram H, Jabeen Haleem DPMID 41139266DOI 10.36721/PJPS.2025.38.6.REG.12693.1
- Buspirone regulates cortico-striatal gamma oscillations to ameliorate dyskinesia.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2025 · Liu H, Wang R, Xu Y, et al.PMID 41055918DOI 10.1177/1877718X251380196
- Simultaneous Determination of Buspirone, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Diazepam, and Lorazepam by LC-MS/MS: Evaluation of Greenness Using AGREE Tool.Biomedical chromatography : BMC · 2025 · Kul A, Al S, Dincel D, et al.PMID 40555676DOI 10.1002/bmc.70155
- The behavioural effects of the serotonin 1A receptor agonist buspirone on cognition and emotional processing in healthy volunteers.Psychopharmacology · 2025 · Smith ALW, Hamilton S, Murphy SE, et al.PMID 40087174DOI 10.1007/s00213-025-06770-6
- A novel synthetic approach for the piperazynyl pyrimidine intermediate: focus on the cost cutting of buspirone drug at commercial level.Drug development and industrial pharmacy · 2025 · Nayak AK, Tripathy DB, Pendharkar D, et al.PMID 40032494DOI 10.1080/03639045.2025.2473505
Clinical trials
The 10 most recently updated of 72 ClinicalTrials.gov registrations naming Buspirone as an intervention. Registration is not evidence of efficacy or safety — reference crosswalk only.
- Buspirone and Melatonin for Depression Following Traumatic Brain InjuryRecruiting · Phase 4 · Interventional · 10 enrolled · Massachusetts General HospitalNCT04400266updated 2026-05-06
- Evaluating Buspirone to Treat Opioid WithdrawalRecruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 100 enrolled · University of Maryland, BaltimoreNCT05511909updated 2026-05-01
- Transformation of Paralysis to SteppingActive not recruiting · Early phase 1 · Interventional · 15 enrolled · University of LouisvilleNCT04105114updated 2026-03-13
- Central Sleep Apnea : Physiologic Mechanisms to Inform TreatmentRecruiting · Phase 4 · Interventional · 200 enrolled · VA Office of Research and DevelopmentNCT04118387updated 2026-03-13
- Hybrid Functional Electrical Stimulation Exercise to Prevent Cardiopulmonary Declines in High-level Spinal Cord InjuryActive not recruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 70 enrolled · Spaulding Rehabilitation HospitalNCT04458324updated 2026-03-05
- Buspirone for Anxiety in Autistic YouthNot yet recruiting · Phase 4 · Interventional · 20 enrolled · Massachusetts General HospitalNCT07439042updated 2026-02-27
- Buspirone for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Irritability and AggressionCompleted · Phase 4 · Interventional · 81 enrolled · Indiana UniversityNCT01821690updated 2026-02-24
- Measurement of the Hippocampal Theta Rhythm From the Outer Ear CanalRecruiting · Interventional · 42 enrolled · University of ManitobaNCT03954483updated 2026-02-18
- Spinal Cord Neuromodulation for Spinal Cord InjuryActive not recruiting · Phase 1 · Phase 2 · Interventional · 12 enrolled · University of California, Los AngelesNCT02313194updated 2026-02-13
- Improving Ventilatory Capacity in Those With Chronic High Level SCICompleted · Phase 2 · Interventional · 13 enrolled · Spaulding Rehabilitation HospitalNCT05041322updated 2025-09-18
Frequently asked questions
- How does Buspirone work?
- Mechanism-of-action classes: Serotonin Agonists; Unknown Cellular or Molecular Interaction.
- What is Buspirone used for?
- According to FDA labeling, Buspirone carries indications including: Buspirone hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic.. This is a reference summary of labeled uses, not medical advice or a treatment recommendation.
- What class of drug is Buspirone?
- Buspirone is classified as Azaspirodecanedione derivatives, Serotonin Agonists, Unknown Cellular or Molecular Interaction, Increased Serotonin Activity.
- What are the brand names for Buspirone?
- Buspirone is marketed under brand names including Bucapsol, Buspar.
- What are the contraindications for Buspirone?
- Buspirone labeling lists contraindications including: Buspirone hydrochloride tablets are contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to buspirone hydrochloride. The use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) intended to treat depression with buspirone or within 14 days of stopping treatment with buspirone is contraindicated because of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome and/or elevated blood pressure.. Always consult the full prescribing information and a clinician.
buspirone is illustrative MVP content compiled from public sources. pharmacopeia is for educational and informational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.