Bupropion vs Buspirone for anxiety
Short answer: For anxiety, more users report improvement with Buspirone — 76% of 33 reports, versus 15% of 34 for Bupropion.
Bupropion has 411 meta-analyses and 617 randomized trials on PubMed; Buspirone has 68 and 240.
Based on 444 reports about Bupropion and 66 about Buspirone. Not medical advice.
| Bupropion Medication | Buspirone Medication | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 41%helped271 reports · high confidence | 53%helped34 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 411 / 617 | 68 / 240 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 70% (172) | 80% (5) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 15% (34) | 76% (33) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 71% (62) | — |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 81% (57) | — |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 76% (34) | 100% (4) |
| Common side effects | anxiety, insomnia, irritability, tinnitus | dizziness, headache, heart palpitations, panic attacks |
| Typical dose reported | Not listed | Not listed |
Our findings represent the most comprehensive available evidence base to inform patients, families, clinicians, guideline developers, and policymakers on the choice of ADHD medications across age groups. Taking into account both efficacy and safety, evidence from this meta-analysis supports methylphenidate in children and adolescents, and amphetamines in adults, as preferred first-choice medications for the short-term treatment of ADHD. New research should be funded urgently to assess long-term effects of these drugs.
Lancet Psychiatry, 2018 ↗“It really helped. I went from being suicidal to having hope and motivation within 3 days of starting the medication.”
To our knowledge, this is the largest contemporary review of pharmacological agents for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder by use of network analysis. There are several effective treatment choices for generalised anxiety disorder across classes of medication. The failure of initial pharmacological therapy might not be a reason to abandon a pharmacological treatment strategy.
Lancet, 2019 ↗“I’ve been taking the buspar these last couple days and it seems to handle my level of anxiety quite well.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate