ACUTE NONPATHOLOGICAL BLOOD-PRESSURE CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH BUSPIRONE USE IN PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS

1. Buspirone is one member of a class of novel azapirone drugs recentl y introduced to treat anxiety, a disorder frequently associated with i ncreased adrenal corticosteroid secretion in man. 2. The effects of bu spirone on systolic and diastolic blood pressure were studied followin g acute administration to 20 psychiatric inpatients with a variety of diagnoses. The findings indicated that by the second day of buspirone therapy, non-pathologic increases and decreases in blood pressure coul d be detected. The direction of these changes appeared to be associate d with diagnostic class rather than age, dose, or coexisting medicatio n. 3. The majority of the changes in blood pressure during the initial stage of buspirone therapy were transient, reverting to baseline by t he fourth day of buspirone therapy.