DOSE:	150 mg	oral	Pharms - Bupropion	(daily)
	10 - 15 mg	oral	Pharms - Buspirone	(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

Bupropion + Buspirone Report

After 3 years of heavy drug use and abuse, combined with ever worsening anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia, I finally decided that I’d had enough and went to talk to a psychiatrist (and therapist, which comes into play later). I’ll spare you all the details of my conditions. I'm anti-SNRI/SSRI/tricyclic. All you really need to know is the anxiety/agoraphobia made me a hermit incapable of holding down even the most basic of jobs, and that the depression made it virtually impossible to focus on anything for any serious length of time. Each substance gets its own section.

Bupropion (150mg of bupropion XL taken 1x a day)

Day 1: Extremely bloated and gassy. Immediately cleared up the next day.

Days 4-14: Annoying insomnia. Attempting to fall asleep was met with roughly 45 minutes to an hour of tossing and turning. Once asleep I stayed asleep, but it was pretty frustrating having to lay in bed for an hour just staring at the ceiling. After 2 weeks my sleep returned to normal.

Some time during week 4: I finally feel the effects. I was able to concentrate on a school assignment for about an hour and a half. The focus was very natural without feeling robotic. Not a laser focus like amphetamine would give, but a genuine interest in whatever I was working on.

Ever since: The same. I can focus, I have a desire to get out of bed in the morning, just all around not depressed. I’m enjoying school again, I can play video games for an extended period of time (might be a negative to some but I like it), I’m basically a fully functioning person.

Side effects:
• My leg shaking/nail biting has gotten worse. I’ve always done them but they’re noticeable more severe. Sitting completely still only really happens when I sleep.
• I’m a bit more irritable, especially when driving. I noticed it pretty quickly and I think I’m getting it under control, but still definitely worth noting.
• My libido has spiked quite a bit. Prior to the medication I would feel the urge to masturbate maybe twice a week. Now it’s every day. I don’t mind it I guess, but such a drastic increase makes it feel like a chore now sometimes. Also, thanks to the extra focus and NDRI properties of the drug, sessions are now a minimum of 20 minutes, where before that would be the absolute maximum. Again, I don’t really feel one way or the other about it.

That’s really it.

Buspirone (15mg total, 7.5mg taken 2x a day)

First 4 weeks: No noticeable effects or side effects. The first 4 weeks I was only taking 10mg a day. My next psychiatrist appointment I was bumped up to 15mg. I’d like to note that the dose increase wasn’t pushed on me (only suggested) and that I thought it would be genuinely beneficial.

Day 42 (so exact start of week 6): I had an abnormal amount of interaction with strangers and after the fact noticed that my heart rate didn’t spike. I hadn’t started sweating or felt like I was going to die either.

Side effects: I don’t think any to be honest. I did gain 5lbs in the first 4 weeks which I wasn’t too pleased with but if that’s the worst that happens I’ll gladly accept it. It didn't lower libido as anti-depressants tend to do but I think the bupropion counteracts that (and then some).

That’s really all I can say about the buspirone. I don’t feel zombified which is something that I was very scared of, so that’s a huge plus. I still struggle in conversations with people I don’t know but that’s only because I’m garbage at interacting with others thanks to a lifetime of anxiety. I should mention that I also started going to therapy at the same time as my first psychiatrist appointment and I am astonished at how quickly it helped me. I think just the buspirone would have still gotten rid of my anxiety but in combination with consistent therapy I’m making huge strides in learning how to be around others. Certainly a case of two separate courses of treatment equaling more than the sum of their parts.

I mentioned that I’m very anti-SSRI so some of you might be wondering why I was cool with starting the buspirone regimen, as it works on serotonin receptors. What this boils down to is that if I want to at some point, I can quit the buspirone cold turkey and only get minimal withdrawals. I’ve abused enough MDMA and 3-MMC to know that I never want to get brain zaps again, which is all but guaranteed with regular SSRIs.

All in all, these 2 medications, along with regularly attending therapy has literally turned my life around.

Exp Year: 2018	ExpID: 112059
Gender: Not Specified
Age at time of experience: 21
Published: Feb 18, 2022	Views: 1,488
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Pharms - Bupropion (87), Pharms - Buspirone (155) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Medical Use (47), Various (28)