buspirone Side Effects
Also known as: BuSpar
Analysis of 10,228 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 2003 to 2025.
Total Reports
10,228
Death-Related
694
6.8% of reports
Hospitalizations
2,354
23.0% of reports
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 694 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| COMPLETED SUICIDE | 244 |
| DEATH | 211 |
| TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS | 83 |
| CARDIAC ARREST | 53 |
| CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST | 46 |
| RESPIRATORY ARREST | 40 |
| DYSPNOEA | 33 |
| OVERDOSE | 33 |
| NAUSEA | 28 |
| DRUG ABUSE | 27 |
| POISONING | 25 |
| ANXIETY | 21 |
| FALL | 18 |
| DIARRHOEA | 16 |
| PNEUMONIA | 16 |
| RENAL FAILURE | 16 |
| ASTHENIA | 15 |
| DRUG INTERACTION | 15 |
| PULMONARY OEDEMA | 15 |
| FATIGUE | 14 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 2,354 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DYSPNOEA | 223 |
| NAUSEA | 209 |
| FALL | 204 |
| PNEUMONIA | 199 |
| FATIGUE | 191 |
| PAIN | 176 |
| HEADACHE | 172 |
| ANXIETY | 162 |
| DIZZINESS | 149 |
| HOSPITALISATION | 143 |
| DIARRHOEA | 139 |
| VOMITING | 136 |
| PRODUCT DOSE OMISSION ISSUE | 132 |
| URINARY TRACT INFECTION | 131 |
| DEPRESSION | 115 |
| DRUG INEFFECTIVE | 104 |
| WEIGHT INCREASED | 100 |
| MALAISE | 99 |
| ASTHENIA | 98 |
| BACK PAIN | 95 |
Nearby — Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About buspirone Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 10,228 voluntary reports linked to buspirone and its brand equivalents (BuSpar), spanning 2003 through 2025. Of those, 694 (6.8%) listed death as an outcome and 2,354 (23.0%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 75% were female and 25% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 2,197 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is fatigue with 759 submissions, followed by nausea and headache.
FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice — speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.