Buspirone Anxiety - Your experiences please

[Kathleen Ann Trees]

Greetings gals,

I'm working with a new therapist who, so far, has been very nice and helpful. As many of you know, working with a therapist is a complicated topic and I won't go into the whole thing, other than to say we are working on self acceptance and being at peace with who I am.

Today, following some research on her part, she came across the anxiety medication, Buspirone (Busper) as it has some success with cross dressing anxiety.

So my question is, has anyone tried it and what are your experiences? Good or bad.

My default position is to avoid medication, again for a hostess of complicated reasons. But I also don't want to completely shut the door on some potentially helpful relief.

As always, thanks for your help.
Happy day
Kathleen Ann

[Lorileah]

cross dressing anxiety. I am not sure what that means. Is it different than any anxiety? Does that mean you want to stop dressing or thinking of dressing or that you want to accept the dressing and learn to live with it?

As you stated it is an anti-anxiety drug that works on serotonin receptors. It has less side effects than other anxiety drugs. It is just a general anxiety drug, not specific for any certain disorder and is often used for short term control or relief. The advantage is it does not cause sedation like other drugs. But it is also not always successful. But again I don't know what your doctor is trying to accomplish. It will give you a better sense of well being and take away some stress and tension but it won't make you quit dressing or push you toward dressing. It just makes you more at ease.

[Cheryl T]

The only anxiety I have about dressing is what to wear today!!
I gave up all that baggage and accepted this part of myself years ago. Now I just enjoy being me.

[sometimes_miss]

What in blazes is a "hostess of complicated reasons"???? Sounds like my hyper ex wife.

[LelaK]

Nutrition works much better than drugs and has virtually no side effects, whereas drugs always have side effects, especially doing damage to the liver and kidneys, which have to get rid of the junk, as long as they're functioning well enough. (If they didn't have side effects, they wouldn't be called drugs; they'd be called nutrients.) Drugs are promoted only because they provide the most profit, IMO. I believe medical schools are largely owned by drug companies. Dr. Mercola talks about such things a lot.

[Stephenie S]

cross dressing anxiety. I am not sure what that means. Is it different than any anxiety? Does that mean you want to stop dressing or thinking of dressing or that you want to accept the dressing and learn to live with it?

As you stated it is an anti-anxiety drug that works on serotonin receptors. It has less side effects than other anxiety drugs. It is just a general anxiety drug, not specific for any certain disorder and is often used for short term control or relief. The advantage is it does not cause sedation like other drugs. But it is also not always successful. But again I don't know what your doctor is trying to accomplish. It will give you a better sense of well being and take away some stress and tension but it won't make you quit dressing or push you toward dressing. It just makes you more at ease.

Lorileah is right. Buspar (not busper) is an anti-psychotic medication. It has nothing to do with crossdressing. It might reduce your anxiety. It will not do much to reduce your crossdressing. It's not an anti-crossdressing drug. There is no such thing. And for goodness sake, why would one want such a thing anyway?

S

[Mikaela]

My ex-wife took it for her anxiety. Made her hostile as all hell.

[kimdl93]

I'm not a clinician....that being said, I hope than anyone contemplating the use of anti anxiety and anti depressant meds will think long and hard before doing so. Do some research. You'll find that for mild to moderate depression, for example, antidepressants are no better than placebos. However, each of these drugs has significant side effects. If you are plagued by anxiety consider counseling first.

[Stephanie47]

Kathleen, I went back and saw from a post in 2007 that you are married and your wife has bought you your own makeup. I also see you're 53 years old. What kind of things make you anxious? I am not a proponent of taking medications without knowing what the problems are and what the goals may be. If your wife is at least not hostile, and, it sounds as if she is somewhat accepting, then I really do not see the need for anti anxiety medications. I am not a therapist, but, I am in a support group for issues that are not at all related to cross dressing. I have seen too many people over medicated to the extent they do not even know what the issues are any more.

If you and your wife have private time, and, you are able to express yourself at home, then maybe sipping a glass of wine is enough to relax you. Cook a small meal. Hug your wife. Watch some light television, no crappy political crap. Take a soaking bath. Just unwind.

[Amy A]

I'm not a clinician....that being said, I hope than anyone contemplating the use of anti anxiety and anti depressant meds will think long and hard before doing so. Do some research. You'll find that for mild to moderate depression, for example, antidepressants are no better than placebos. However, each of these drugs has significant side effects. If you are plagued by anxiety consider counseling first.

I am on anti depressants, I was quite resistant to the idea of going on them, but it came to the point whereby I had to try something. I'm only going to be taking them for a short time longer, but whilst I have been on them, they've taken the edge of the worst of my moods. I'm not saying they are for everyone and they shouldn't be handed out lightly (and needs to be in tandem with proper counselling), but in my darker days my thinking alters to the point whereby I can't see any way forward, it's really terrifying and feeling dizzy for a week was a small price to pay for avoiding those spells.

That being said, research and being clued up is always a good way to go.

[Laura912]

Anxiety can stem from a myriad of reasons, hence the term cross dressing anxiety. Lorileah is correct that there is not specific diagnosis of cross dressing anxiety. Buspar will act as a general anti-anxiety medication against any anxiety regardless of its etiology. Yes, there are variable side effects which you should discuss with the therapist, who if they are not an MD probably cannot prescribe the drug in most states. If you are dealing with things fairly well with the help of the therapist, seriously consider avoiding the psychotropic drugs. Relevant to another post about depression: that is an entire different situation and frequently requires medication either short or long term.

[Karren H]

My ex-wife took it for her anxiety. Made her hostile as all hell.

friends don't let friends crossdressing angry!

[JamieQ]

We are studying all of these "drugs" now in nursing school. I agree, all drugs have side effects, but sometimes the benefit outweighs that. CD anxiety? I am confused what that means. I am taking a different antidepressant, Bupropion (Wellbrutin) which seems to be working, I think. For me crossdressing (and more) is the greatest thing to relieve anxiety...it puts me in a state of calm...like every part of the mind, nerves, muscles, bones and even sexual urges just purely relax. I have never ever felt any better...but then life circumstances force me to go back to guy mode, yuck!

[sandra-leigh]

Anxiety drugs are also given for panic; I don't have all that much anxiety as such, but I did have tons of panic. I would have to sit on the toilet for hours at a time, ever day, because my panic mostly manifested as gastro-intestinal disorders (which is the most common symptom.) The panic was a side effect of my biochemical depression: my brain was not able to handle the stimulus of "outside" and the brain signalling would go into self-reinforcing reaction (much like audio feedback) as it got to time to go outside.

Unfortunately, having a hot bath and a warm glass of milk were not sufficient tactics for me: they might have calmed me from any particular attack, but I would have been back in the same boat as soon as I tried to go outside again. The anti-anxiety/ anti-panic medication was crucial in helping to normalize my life to help my body repair.

[Meghan]

I have been treated for anxiety as well. I was prescribed Xanax, though, and I only really took it when I was convinced that pain in my chest was a heart attack.

The Xanax itself didn't help much, just made me really sleepy.

However, since I have come out to my wife, I have not had a panic attack. In fact, I am as organized as I have ever been. It's as if opening up Meghan unleashed this organized and focused being that was never there for very long...before now.

Meghan

[daviolin]

Nutrition works much better than drugs and has virtually no side effects, whereas drugs always have side effects, especially doing damage to the liver and kidneys, which have to get rid of the junk, as long as they're functioning well enough. (If they didn't have side effects, they wouldn't be called drugs; they'd be called nutrients.) Drugs are promoted only because they provide the most profit, IMO. I believe medical schools are largely owned by drug companies. Dr. Mercola talks about such things a lot.

You hit the nail on the head with your statement. Daviolin

[Lorileah]

I am as organized as I have ever been. It's as if opening up Meghan unleashed this organized and focused being that was never there for very long...before now.

And I have become just the opposite...I am a scatter brain

[Beverley Sims]

If you can condition yourself to have a strong mind and will, and reduce the anxiety you can avoid medication.

[sandra-leigh]

If you can condition yourself to have a strong mind and will, and reduce the anxiety you can avoid medication.

And that has been clinically proven?? Sounds like one of those religions that believes that if you just believe firmly enough, you will be healed.

[StephanieH]

All that positive thinking and nutrition stuff never worked for me - tried just about everything, none of that "feel good" stuff worked. Xanax does! Been on it for almost twenty years for anxiety attacks - LONG family history of anxiety attacks in my family. Last year, got (finally) diagnosed with an esophagus condition known as "nutcracker esophagus" - have them check for that. It mimics the effects of a heart attack, strikes whenever it wants to for no good reason, and it was the cause of most of my anxiety. I'm still on Xanax and probably will be for life, but at least I now know what's caused most of the problems. As for Buspar - BAD stuff - didn't have a good experience with it. It's an SSRI, and those mess with the way the juices are flowing in your brain. SSRI's generally trigger panic and anxiety attacks if people are already prone to those, and that's what Buspar did for me. Bigger problem with Buspar is that it takes three to five days to work its way out of your system, so even if you only take it a couple of days, you might have effects from it for a week. Good luck, and go get your esophagus checked out! ;-)

[sandra-leigh]

A strong mind and will doesn't seem to help my esophagus condition either (not the same one as Randi's). The muscle in my throat that has a problem is not under individual voluntary control. Medication such as dihydrous monooxide is much more efficient at solving the problem than firmly instructing my throat to swallow the food.

[Samantha_Smile]

Anti-psychotics and antidepressants are found to be less effective than cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in 80% of cases from a study in 2005.
I don't know why Ive remembered that except I recently went through some anxiety depression and my counciller dropped that in the chat for me.
Im now undergoing CBT, and after 2 hours I already feel better than 30 days of fluoxetine (prozac)

[sandra-leigh]

Anti-psychotics and antidepressants are found to be less effective than cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in 80% of cases from a study in 2005.

The studies I looked at said that using both together had the highest success rate.

It must be remembered that this is all highly variable. Some people do not benefit at all from anti-depressants. Some people only benefit from one family of anti-depressants. Some only benefit from very specific anti-depressants, and sometimes not even from their "generic" formulations (or only from the generic and not from the brand name.) Some people benefit only from CBT. Some people benefit from the combination but do not benefit from either alone. Keep in mind that even if only 1 person in 10 benefits from a particular anti-depressant, if that is the one that works for you then you become very glad to find it.

[Anna Talyn]

I resisted the idea of medications for a very long time and tried many other things. I talked to my doctor and tried buspirone for anxiety. It took several Weeks to level out. I soon realized I had beenfighting GAD my whole life. It allowed me to make decisions better. I don't procrastinate add much and I am generally just feel better. It freed some mental energy up allowing to start focussing on other items.

I am very glad I tried it. It did not reduce my cross dress feelings but I was able to deal with them in a healthier way and I began to accept myself more. I had less anger and frustrations.

For sure out is not right for everyone but I am so glad I tried it. Not everything is evil.
Good luck in your journey. Not taking actions just creates more anxiety.

[sandra-leigh]

I soon realized I had beenfighting GAD my whole life.

Anna, considering the context, I am guessing you are referring to "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" ?