Buspar/Buspirone for ASD?

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Hello again to everyone! Recently, a friend started a new medication for anxiety called Buspirone, which is the generic for Buspar. She asked me to look up some information on it as the shape of the pills looked similar to another anxiety med that she had taken in the past and didn't like.

While doing some research on it, I found that it not only seems to help with things like Generalized Anxiety Dissorder(GAD), but it also seems to help reduce the severity of certain traits associated with ASD like stimming.

I suppose I'm just curious to see if anyone has had any experience with Buspar/Buspirone for traits associated with their Autism. If so, what effects if any did you notice?

It helped me handle stress more. It reduced my symptoms because of less stress and it helped me handle situations better. They are not highly effective because you don't experience any withdrawal if you miss a dose nor do you experience any side affects if you take them too late past your normal time you take them.

I have a prescription for Buspar. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference when I take it versus when I don’t.

Buspirone is one of my current daily meds (along with Duloxetine for depression—generic Cymbalta). I take Buspirone for anxiety & have for a few years now. Without it, my anxiety is unmanageable. I’ve found it very beneficial to my overall well-being.

I was prescribed Buspar / Buspirone about 12 years ago by a Consultant.

It definitely helped a lot with my anxiety. Worth noting, however, that in the UK it is only recommended for short term use. So basically take it only when you absolutely need it, rather than all the time. If you need it all the time you need to find another med!

About 6 years ago, having changed GP surgeries, I was having a rough time and asked my Doctors if I could increase my dose (which was the bare minimum). Instead they took me off it with immediate effect and no proper explanation. The timing of this was disasterous as my anxiety had already been spiralling, and I ended up in hospital.

The GPs tried to claim it was "banned". It isn't banned, it is still approved for use by the NHS. They've now changed their story to say it can only be issued by Consultants, not GPs. So I've suggested that means they should never have taken me off it, as presumably they didn't have the authority to do that either.

So now I'm stuck in a situation where the only drug I know to be helpful is unavailable to me because my Doctors decided to change something they shouldn't have changed, and now they can't change it back. As I'm not currently seeing a Consultant I'm stuck in a bureaucratic Catch-22.

So if you're on Buspar, don't let anyone take you off it unless you're absolutely sure you'll never want to take it again!

I'm on it for anxiety, it seems to serve that purpose adequately, but I haven't noticed any other changes. Though if it helps with anxiety and anxiety is at least part of why someone stims a lot, I can see how that would lead to decreased stimming.

I have never taken buspirone for any reason. I take clonazepam for my anxiety.

I take Buspirone for anxiety; I'd say it helps *marginally*, mostly because I believe my anxiety comes from a difficulty coping with things so I have difficulty seeing how a medication can help me with catastrophizing thought patterns. Anyhow, I have been on it for months (most of this year) and I have not noticed any decrease in my stimming. Some of that could be because not all of my stimming results from anxiety. But I still stim from anxiety so...IDK. Most of my stimming is handflapping, some kind of hand movement/hitting against each other or my legs/knees. Overall, that has not decreased at all.

Buspirone has leterally saved me from going bonkers.
What I love about it is that it doesn't alter your mindset, not even the way natural relaxants do. I am still the same person (sensitivities are there and character traits to work on) and I very much give a sh, but the overwhelming humming swarm of anxiety mosquitos is gone. Does it make me happier? I get to decide myself.

I took it for a while when I was in junior high and I remember it helped a lot for a while. The only problem I remember was that once it stopped working and my psychiatrist wanted to switch me to something else, I had a lot of bad withdrawal symptoms but eventually things got better and I was able to switch over to another medication. It definitely made a difference for me, however anxiety/GAD is what I would say is what I struggle with more than anything else and I've never really stimmed much in my lifetime, so I don't think there was any difference there.

I used to take it as needed for anxiety. It only worked at the very lowest dosage, which is true of most meds for me.

Anything higher and I experienced loud electrical brain zap noises.

I think it worked just as well as Lorazepam.

I can't take the pams (Lorazepam / Clonazepam) as they cause me to have grievous emotional meltdowns a couple of days later when they leave my system. I learned the hard way not to even try them anymore. 2020 was a disaster for me because of the pams. To anyone who got caught in the tsunami, I'm sorry.