Investigation of the abuse liability of buspirone in alcohol-dependent patients.

By use of the Addiction Research Center Inventory, the Amphetamine Self-Rating Scale, the Single-Dose Questionnaire, and selected physiologic measures (blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rates, oral temperature, and pupil diameter), the abuse liability of buspirone (10, 20, and 40 mg) was compared with that of diazepam (10 and 20 mg) and placebo in 19 subjects who were hospitalized for the treatment of alcohol dependency. Each treatment was given as a single dose at intervals of at least three days according to a double-blind, six-period, crossover Latin square design. Neither buspirone nor diazepam had any effect on blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rates, or body temperature.

Buspirone in Parkinson's disease.

Buspirone, an anxiolytic unrelated to benzodiazepines that may act at the presynaptic dopamine receptor, was given to 11 patients with Parkinson's disease in an open label study. Seven patients completed the initial 10 week study achieving doses of 50-70 mg/day without any significant change in their clinical status. Six patients continued for an additional 3-11 weeks with increases in dose to 65-100 mg/day.

The side effect profile of buspirone in comparison to active controls and placebo.

Animal studies and the original study comparing buspirone with diazepam and placebo indicated that sedative-hypnotic side effects and impairment in psychomotor function would be less with buspirone than with diazepam. This was borne out by the present double-blind study in which almost 700 patients received buspirone. Mean daily doses were buspirone, 20 mg; diazepam, 20 mg; and clorazepate, 24 mg.