Buspirone 10mg Once Daily for 8 Weeks: Tapering Not Required
Buspirone 10mg once daily for 8 weeks does not require tapering and can be discontinued abruptly without risk of withdrawal syndrome. 1
Evidence for Abrupt Discontinuation
A multicenter international safety study specifically evaluated abrupt discontinuation of buspirone after more than 6 months of continuous therapy and found no evidence of withdrawal syndrome or unusual events when the medication was stopped suddenly 1
Since your treatment duration is only 8 weeks (substantially shorter than the 6+ months studied), the risk of withdrawal is even lower 1
A controlled comparison study of buspirone versus lorazepam after 8 weeks of treatment demonstrated that abrupt discontinuation of buspirone produced no withdrawal phenomena on standardized anxiety scales, though minimal changes were detected on specialized withdrawal scales that were not clinically significant 2
Why Buspirone Differs from Other Anxiolytics
Unlike benzodiazepines (which require tapering due to physical dependence), buspirone has a fundamentally different mechanism of action, working primarily through serotonin receptors rather than GABA receptors 3
Buspirone has a very short elimination half-life of approximately 2.5 hours with no accumulation after multiple doses, meaning the drug clears rapidly from the system without prolonged receptor occupancy 3
The pharmacokinetic profile of buspirone is linear and predictable, with no evidence of tolerance development or rebound anxiety upon discontinuation 1, 2
Clinical Monitoring Recommendation
While tapering is not medically necessary, monitor for return of original anxiety symptoms (which represents recurrence of the underlying condition, not withdrawal) over the 1-2 weeks following discontinuation 1
If anxiety symptoms re-emerge, this indicates the underlying anxiety disorder may require continued treatment rather than representing a withdrawal phenomenon 2