Buspirone oral tablet interactions: A detailed guide

This article describes possible interactions with buspirone oral tablet. Interactions can cause a drug to have a different effect on the body than expected. Interactions can occur due to medications, alcohol, or certain health conditions.

To find coupon options for buspirone and to learn more about the drug, including its uses, see this article.

Other drugs and buspirone

Before taking buspirone oral tablet, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Doing so may help prevent possible interactions. If you’re concerned about possible interactions, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Drugs that may interact with buspirone oral tablet are listed below. This article doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with buspirone.

Drugs that may interact with buspirone oral tablet include:

• certain benzodiazepines:
  • drug examples: alprazolam (Xanax) and midazolam (Nayzilam, Seizalam)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of respiratory depression (shallow or slow breathing) or sleepiness
• certain antipsychotics:
  • drug examples: haloperidol (Haldol) and aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, others)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of long QT syndrome (a kind of irregular heart rhythm) or serotonin syndrome (high level of the chemical serotonin in your body)
• certain calcium channel blockers:
  • drug examples: verapamil (Verelan, Verelan PM) and diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac, others)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of side effects from buspirone
• certain antifungals:
  • drug examples: itraconazole (Sporanox, Tolsura) and ketoconazole
  • what might happen: an increased risk of side effects from buspirone
• certain antibiotics:
  • drug examples: ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and clarithromycin
  • what might happen: an increased risk of side effects from buspirone
• certain seizure drugs:
  • drug examples: carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, others) and phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
  • what might happen: buspirone may be less effective for your condition
• tricyclic antidepressants:
  • drug examples: amitriptyline and nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of serotonin syndrome
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors:
  • drug examples: sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of serotonin syndrome
• serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors:
  • drug examples: venlafaxine (Effexor XR) and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of serotonin syndrome
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors:*
  • drug examples: phenelzine (Nardil) and methylene blue (ProvayBlue)
  • what might happen: an increased risk of high blood pressure and serotonin syndrome

* For details about this interaction, see the “When to avoid buspirone” section below.

Questions about buspirone and interactions

Here you’ll find answers to some common questions about buspirone and possible interactions.

How do interactions of buspirone vs. Xanax compare?

Buspirone oral tablet and Xanax have some of the same interactions. But these medications have different interactions as well.

For example, both buspirone and Xanax may interact with certain antifungals, antibiotics, and seizure drugs. But Xanax may also interact with birth control pills and other drugs that buspirone isn’t known to interact with.

Similar to buspirone, Xanax is prescribed to treat anxiety. It’s the brand-name version of alprazolam.

To learn more about how the interactions of buspirone compare with those of Xanax, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Is there a buspirone and magnesium interaction I should know about?

No, there isn’t a known interaction between buspirone oral tablet and magnesium.

Buspirone is prescribed to treat anxiety. Magnesium supplements may be used to help ease anxiety symptoms for some people. But you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking buspirone with magnesium. They can recommend whether magnesium may be helpful for your condition.

When to avoid buspirone

Certain health conditions or other factors could increase some risks with buspirone oral tablet. Because of this, doctors may not prescribe buspirone in these cases. These health conditions or other factors are called contraindications.

Here’s a list of contraindications for buspirone oral tablet:

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). If you take an MAOI, taking buspirone oral tablet may cause high blood pressure or serotonin syndrome. (With serotonin syndrome, you have a high level of the chemical serotonin in your body.) These side effects may occur if you take buspirone with an MAOI or within 14 days of stopping an MAOI.
• Past allergic reaction to buspirone. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to buspirone oral tablet in the past, taking buspirone oral tablet may cause another allergic reaction.

Before starting treatment with buspirone, tell your doctor if anything listed above relates to you. They can recommend whether you should take buspirone.

Alcohol and buspirone

Buspirone oral tablet is not known to interact with alcohol.

However, buspirone’s drugmaker recommends avoiding alcohol while taking this drug. This is because drinking alcohol with buspirone may worsen certain side effects of the drug, such as sleepiness and dizziness. To find out more about buspirone’s side effects, see this article.

If you drink alcohol and have concerns about avoiding it during buspirone oral tablet treatment, talk with your doctor.

Other interactions and buspirone

Interactions can occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, and some lab tests. Below you can learn whether buspirone oral tablet has these interactions.

The information below doesn’t include all other possible interactions with buspirone.

Buspirone and supplements

Before taking buspirone oral tablet, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. Doing so may help you avoid possible interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Buspirone interactions with herbs

Buspirone oral tablet isn’t known to interact with any herbs. But this doesn’t mean interactions with herbs can’t happen or won’t be identified later.

Because of this, you should ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products during treatment with buspirone oral tablet.

Buspirone interactions with vitamins

Buspirone oral tablet isn’t known to interact with any vitamins. But this doesn’t mean interactions with vitamins can’t happen or won’t be identified later.

Because of this, you should ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products during treatment with buspirone oral tablet.

Buspirone and food

Buspirone oral tablet may interact with grapefruit products. Consuming large amounts of grapefruit or grapefruit juice with buspirone can raise the level of buspirone in your system. This can lead to side effects from the drug, such as dizziness, headache, and nausea. To find out more about buspirone’s side effects, see this article.

Because of this, your doctor or pharmacist may advise you to limit or avoid grapefruit products during treatment with buspirone oral tablet.

Buspirone isn’t known to interact with other foods. But you should consistently take the drug either with food or without it. To learn more about how to take buspirone, see this article.

If you have questions about this, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Buspirone and vaccines

Buspirone oral tablet isn’t known to interact with any vaccines. But this doesn’t mean interactions with vaccines can’t happen or won’t be identified later.

Because of this, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before receiving any vaccines during treatment with buspirone oral tablet.

Buspirone and lab tests

Buspirone oral tablet may interact with a catecholamine urine test. This test is used to check for specific conditions, such as a type of tumor in the adrenal glands.

Taking buspirone oral tablet and having this test may lead to a false positive result for certain tumors or other conditions. A false positive result happens when a test gives a positive result for a condition that isn’t present.

Because of this, you should talk with your doctor before having a catecholamine urine test during treatment with buspirone oral tablet. They can talk with you about your options for checking for tumors or other conditions that use this test.

Buspirone and cannabis or CBD

In studies, cannabis (commonly called marijuana) and cannabis products have been shown to interact with buspirone. Cannabidiol (CBD) is an example of a cannabis product.

Taking buspirone oral tablet with cannabis may lead to side effects from buspirone. Or it could make buspirone less effective for your condition.

Before you take buspirone, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you use cannabis. Doing so may help prevent possible interactions.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Health factors and buspirone

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may increase the risk of interactions with buspirone oral tablet. Before taking buspirone, tell your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether buspirone is right for you.

Here’s a list of health conditions or other factors that might interact with buspirone oral tablet:

• kidney problems, such as kidney failure
• liver problems, such as liver failure
• pregnancy or breastfeeding
• past allergic reaction to buspirone

Preventing buspirone interactions

You may be able to help avoid certain interactions with buspirone oral tablet. Before taking this drug, you may want to discuss possible interactions with your doctor and pharmacist.

Things to consider include:

• Whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
• What to do if you’re prescribed a new drug during your buspirone oral tablet treatment.

Taking buspirone exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

What to ask your doctor

If you have questions about buspirone and possible interactions, talk with your doctor.

Questions you may want to ask your doctor include:

• Is my risk of interactions higher if I take buspirone and have a kidney or liver problem?
• Do other medications used for anxiety have similar interactions to buspirone?
• Does my risk of interactions depend on my buspirone dosage?

Disclaimer: Optum Perks has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.