Seizures associated with buspirone overdose: case report and literature review

Buspirone is a novel anxiolytic agent that is commonly used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Many studies have found it to be equal in efficacy to the benzodiazepines in the treatment of this illness. Its use has gained favor over the past few years because of its relatively mild and tolerable side-effect profile. The authors report a case of buspirone overdose that resulted in a generalized tonic clonic seizure approximately 36 hours after ingestion. Although there have been no previous cases of seizure induction by buspirone in humans, there are animal models of this phenomenon. The authors describe the case, review the literature regarding buspirone overdose and toxicity, and discuss treatment recommendations.