UK Buspirone availability

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I have recently been diagnosed as being on the spectrum, after 20+ years of cyclical anxiety and depression.

It is quite possible I have other things going on as well, for example ADD or Borderline. I also have Type 1 Diabetes.

I've been on many different anti-depression / anxiety tablets over the years, most of which either did nothing or made me feel worse. In addition many of them mimicked my diabetes warning signs (thirst, shakiness, sweat attacks) which wasn't very helpful at all.

HOWEVER about 10 years ago a specialist put me on a low dose of Buspirone, on the proviso it was only to be taken when I felt I really needed it. This did actually seem to help, and had no side effects (at least on the dose I was on). It wasn't an all-encompassing miracle cure by any means, but it took the edge off the anxiety enough that I could then take other measures to make things better for myself.

About 6 years ago I went through a seriously down period. I started taking the Buspirone again but after a month I was still struggling, so I went to my GPs to ask about increasing the dose. Instead they took me off it completely, with immediate effect, and gave me something else which took a fortnight to kick in. By the end of that period I was suicidal and when the new drug did start to act, it made it worse. So what should have been a minor blip ended up taking about 2 years to sort out, and I never have fully recovered.

I never had a satisfactory answer from my GP's Surgery about why I was taken off the Buspirone in such a rush. It is non-addictive and most of the warnings associated with it relate to long term use, whereas I was using it "as required" (and no, that wasn't all the time). There were no warnings about it being incompatible with my diabetes, or diabetes meds.

The last word from the Surgery was that it was "banned". But it still appears on the NHS website as an available medication, and indeed it was relicensed for UK use in 2018. When I queried this, the response was that it was "banned by the local healthcare trust". Which leads me to suspect this actually has more to do with availability / cost than anything else. They then added that it can be used in exceptional circumstances. When I suggested the fact it's the only med proven to work for me might be just such a circumstance, they were unwilling to consider this.

Does anyone else on WP from the UK use Buspirone? And have you had any difficulties obtaining it?

It seems to me that my Surgery are reluctant to admit liability for my sudden deterioration in health 6 years ago, which was partly down to being taken off this medication in haste. If they provide it again now, it proves they could have continued to provide it then. Either that or it is pure childish petulance for being called out on it. In that respect it is an own-goal, as the more they make excuses the more determined I become.

Sounds like you need to get in touch with the specialist again. GP's can be hit or miss regarding mental health issues. Asking for a medication from a GP can make you look like a drug seeker and they don't look past this.

I started taking Buspar about 8/9 years ago after a lot of self reflection over screwing up my 2nd relationship due in part to my BAD anxiety which also caused me to screw up my 1st & I did a bit of research on anxiety meds. I had tried a bit of psych meds during a 5 year period where I was seeing a psychiatrist for psychotic depression. Looking back I think my anxiety contributed to developing the psychotic depression. During that 5 year period I was on different antidepressants, different antipsychotics, Lithium, the benzo Klonopin, & the beta-blocker Inderal/Propranolol.

Anyways when I decided to try Buspar I was no longer seeing my psych & no longer taking any meds. I had also recently lost health insurance & felt better being off all those psych meds. My health insurance that I had didn't cover mental health but it covered the meds. I decided to try ordering Buspar online cuz I thought it would be easier & cheaper than seeing my GP. Buspar is not a restricted med here in the US & our health care SUX so med cost are high here without prescription insurance coverage.

The site I got Buspar from had it for fairly cheap but it was a lower dose. I found it started helping my anxiety a bit within a few days of taking it. The only side-effect I noticed was that I bruised easily. I was kinda concerned about my bruising so I very slowly increased my dosage till I was taking 15mg 2wice a day which is half the max. I qualified for Medicare & the state Medicaid after being without health insurance for a year so I saw my GP again. I asked him to prescribe me Buspar by saying I've been on it before & it helped. Technically that was true but he just automatically assumed my psych had put me on it at one point so I didn't exactly lie in my book.

Shortly after I moved across the country to be with my current girlfriend & I switched docs & state Medicaids but I kept my Medicare. My new doc started prescribing Buspar & my other meds. A couple years ago she increased Buspar to the max dose which is 30mg 2wice a day. There was some life stuff going on that increased my anxiety & another med I've been on might also have been contributing to my anxiety. The increase helped a little but I also noticed my bruising got worse for a bit. That is still the only side-effect I know is from Buspar. For some reason my insurance required prier authorization to cover the 30mg pills but they had no problem covering the 15mg ones. I got a one month supply of the 30s while my doc worked with my health insurance to officially cover the 30s. Shortly before the one month supply was supposed to run out, my pharmacy filled a 3 month supply of the 30s & I got a paper from my insurance that they will cover my 30s for now on. I do not know why I needed prior authorization to have the 30s covered because no other meds I have been on since I moved to Vermont have needed prior authorization & I've been on various meds including some other psych meds in addition to my Buspar.

My 1st suggestion for getting Buspar is for you to get a 2nd opinion, try seeing another GP or psych.
You might could try ordering it online if you cant get it prescribed to you but I would highly recommend researching the med importation laws for your area 1st. I would also highly recommend researching the site you order from. The site I ordered Buspar from went down shortly after I started getting it prescribed. I order some meds from another site sometimes & I just checked & they sell Buspar. The worst deal on price is a hundred of 10mg pills at 63 cents(US corrancy) a pill. They have lager quantities than a hundred & they have 5mg pills. They have reviews on their site now & one of the reviews that popped up when I went there is someone from the UK. However we can not be sure that review is legit & there are no details about their importation there other than it taking 7 weeks cuz of Covid19. Maybe that person has a prescription or some kinda special circumstances exception given. Like I said, do your research 1st "If" you decide to go that route. Considering the price on that site, it makes NO bloody sense why cost would be an issue with getting Buspar prescribed to you.

I've been taking buspirone for over a decade so if there are long term effects I need to worry about I want to know what they are. I live in the US where prices for these things are generally higher but Medicare is paying for most of it.