Buspirone

This is an anxiolytic agent, that is, a kind of medication that treats the symptoms of anxiety. It shows no potential for dependence compared with other drugs commonly prescribed for anxiety, and has the advantage of being non-sedating. It does not cause withdrawal symptoms when discontinued, so is safe for long-term treatment.

Compared with the benzodiazepines, it has a gradual, relatively slow onset of action and many patients take 2-4 weeks to respond to the treatment. In this respect it is similar to the treatment of anxiety symptoms with antidepressants.

Buspirone is used to treat GAD (generalised anxiety disorder) but is not thought to be helpful in the treatment of other disorders, particularly PD (panic disorder).