Buspirone is a medication prescribed to treat anxiety. It pays to know a little bit more about this medication, including how long it stays in your system.
Basic Information
Mean effective half-life: 2 to 3 hours
Time to steady-state: 40 to 90 minutes
Terminal phase half-life: 2 to 3 hours
Buspirone has an oral bioavailability of roughly 5 percent or lower due to first pass metabolism. This means that a very low percentage of the medication gets to the systemic circulation in an unchanged state. Buspirone is rapidly absorbed when taken, and bioavailability changes depending on whether or not it is taken with food. Individuals should either take this medication with food or without food consistently to maintain the same bioavailability. Buspirone is excreted through urine mainly as metabolites, as well as through feces.
FAQ
What is the half-life of buspirone?
Buspirone has a short half-life of roughly 2 to 3 hours. This half-life may be longer in those who have hepatic or renal impairment.
How long does buspirone stay in your system?
Buspirone is detectable in your system for the following time frames:
- Your blood for N/A.
- Your saliva for N/A.
- Your urine for several hours or more until it is excreted. You might need to stop taking this medication 48 hours before having a urine drug test done to reduce the risk of a false positive.
- Your hair for N/A.
What happens when you stop taking buspirone? Can I just stop buspirone?
When you stop taking buspirone suddenly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches. If you need to stop taking this medication, you should avoid doing so abruptly. Instead, talk to your doctor about slowly decreasing the dosage, which helps lower the risk of having withdrawal symptoms.
Does buspirone work immediately?
Buspirone typically takes a couple of weeks to begin working after taking the initial dose. This medication usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks to become fully effective.
Disclaimer: this article does not constitute or replace medical advice. If you have an emergency or a serious medical question, please contact a medical professional or call 911 immediately. To see our full medical disclaimer, visit our Terms of Use page.
