Your loved one might try to conceal their addiction from you. You might wonder if it’s drugs or something different, such as a demanding xanax addiction job or a stressful life change. If you’re concerned about this possible side effect, talk to your healthcare provider.
- However, these problems are also possible with lower doses and after taking the drug for a short time.
- Xanax is a prescription medication that’s used to treat anxiety and panic disorder.
- How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication.
- Inpatient programs are residential programs wherein the user will be living in the treatment center for a period that typically ranges from between 30 days and 90 days.
- Ask your doctor or another health professional for a recommendation.
What are the side effects of use?
It’s like your brain is throwing a temper tantrum, demanding the return of its chemical crutch. The duration of withdrawal is about as predictable as the weather in April. Factors like your metabolism, overall health, and even your support system can all influence how long this journey lasts. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon, and pacing yourself is key.
Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)
As your body screams for the drug it’s become dependent on, you might experience everything from heart palpitations to seizures in severe cases. Long-term Xanax abuse is like a slow-motion car crash for your https://ecosoberhouse.com/ body and mind. Cognitive function takes a hit, with memory and concentration becoming collateral damage. Your emotional landscape becomes a barren wasteland, devoid of the highs and lows that make us human.
Benzodiazepine Abuse Causes
By boosting the effect of GABA, Xanax helps reduce nervous tension and feelings of anxiety. How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. When you get Xanax from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. Before approving coverage for Xanax, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug.
Withdrawal symptoms can begin quickly in some people, even after just a week or two of benzodiazepine use. In general benzodiazepines are used to treat a variety of other conditions, such as alcohol use disorder, short-term use in insomnia, as a muscle relaxant (short-term), procedural (conscious) sedation, and seizures. Physical tolerance and addiction are multifactorial processes that involve drug pharmacology, patient factors such as past or current drug use, and social and environmental cues. It is important for a person to stop taking Xanax gradually. If a person is dependent on Xanax, it means that they require it to function and experience symptoms of withdrawal if they stop taking it.
Xanax Addiction: Signs, Effects, and Treatment
- It’s unknown whether Xanax is safe or effective in children.
- Although some people can take benzodiazepines without complications, some individuals may develop dependence, and others may misuse the medication.
- Among older adults, long-term use of Xanax can also lead to cognitive issues that may resemble dementia.
- While this medication can treat many conditions, it’s not without risks.
- For example, a common dose of alprazolam (Xanax) is 0.5 to 1.5 milligrams.
While detox medications are focused on avoiding adverse effects of withdrawal, behavioral therapy is a process that is focused on maintaining recovery. Xanax and other benzodiazepines have sedative effects, which means they can make you feel drowsy and sleepy. However, some people experience sleep problems (insomnia) as a side effect of Xanax.Only take Xanax as prescribed. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing excessive sleepiness or difficulty sleeping.
Signs and Symptoms of Alprazolam Abuse
Trying to go it alone is like attempting to perform surgery on yourself – risky at best, catastrophic at worst. Medical professionals can provide the support, monitoring, and interventions needed to ensure your safety and increase your chances of success. The Xanax addiction rate has been climbing at an alarming pace, with millions of Americans finding themselves caught in its grip.
However, the impairment may resolve after the drug is stopped. Treatment may involve a combination of strategies, including detoxification and various psychotherapeutic and psychosocial approaches. Your doctor can help you find support resources in your area. If you — or your loved one — are ready to get treatment, it may be helpful to reach out to a supportive friend or family member for support. Although an intervention may encourage your loved one to seek treatment, it can also have the opposite effect. Confrontation-style interventions may lead to shame, anger, or social withdrawal.
- Xanax contains the active ingredient alprazolam and belongs to the benzodiazepine drug class.
- You’re more likely to have withdrawal symptoms after stopping Xanax treatment if you’ve been taking the drug for a long time or at a high dose.
Xanax Overdose
To find out how the cost of alprazolam compares to the cost of Xanax, see this article. Xanax and Valium may be used to treat anxiety disorders, although both drugs have other uses that differ. Before taking Xanax, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also, tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use.
Recommended Xanax Rehabilitation-Related Articles
In addition to its pharmacological properties which may contribute to its increased misuse potential, alprazolam uniquely affects the dopaminergic function in the striatum similarly to stimulants. Most drugs involved in misuse or addiction consistently lead to dopamine release in the striatum (Di Chiara and Imperato, 1988; White and Kalivas, 1998; Willuhn et al., 2010; Vander Weele et al., 2014). Xanax is a prescription medication that treats conditions such as anxiety and panic disorder.
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