In a drive system and method for operating a drive system, in which the drive systems includes an electromagnetically operable brake, an electric motor, e.g., a three-phase motor, and an electronic circuit, the brake has an energizable coil, e.g., a brake coil, the electronic circuit has a rectifier, an upper controllable semiconductor switch, a freewheeling diode, and a varistor, a direct voltage provided by a rectifier is able to be made available by closing or by a pulse-width-modulated actuation of an upper controllable semiconductor switch of the coil, and by opening the upper controllable semiconductor switch, a current driven by the coil in the de-excitation of the coil is freewheeling and/or flowing through the freewheeling diode and the varistor or through a component connected in parallel with the varistor.