The first benzodiazepines were developed in the 1930s, but they were not introduced as prescription drugs to the public until 1957. By the 1980s, benzodiazepines including Valium and Librium were among the most prescribed drugs in the United States. When a person is dependent, they cannot stop using a drug without experiencing withdrawal.

What are Xanax Overdose Symptoms?

As an intermediate-duration drug, Xanax stays in a person’s system for 12 to 15 hours. Because Xanax is a CNS Depressant, common effects of the drug include slurred speech, loss of coordination, and anxiety. Due to these risks, the FDA issued a boxed warning in 2016 against the concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids. The potential for addiction is higher with Xanax than with lower-potency benzodiazepines like Librium (chlordiazepoxide).

What are Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms?

Alprazolam is relatively more toxic than other benzodiazepines in overdose. Alprazolam has been consistently found to approximate the magnitude of anxiolytic effect of other comparable benzodiazepines. In another study of patients with panic disorder, neither anxiolytic tolerance nor daily dose increase was observed after 8 weeks of alprazolam treatment, with continued efficacy at 6 months (Schweizer et al., 1993).

Alleviating Symptoms of Breakthrough Withdrawal

You may benefit from one or more of these types of behavioral therapy. Upon leaving the treatment center, many people will pursue a 12-step recovery program to maintain abstinence or stabilization and maintenance. In the treatment of Xanax addiction, abstinence is often a goal. This means discontinuing the drug after supervised decreases by a medical provider. The process of reaching abstinence may involve detoxification (often referred to as “detox”) and behavioral therapies. Even if a person tries to stop taking Xanax, the fear of withdrawal and rebound can be so strong that the adverse consequences of stopping seem to outweigh the benefits.

Instead, addiction is defined as a behavioral condition involving compulsive consumption of drugs or compulsive behaviors that release dopamine, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters. With such widespread availability, benzodiazepines were also widely abused, and this sedative https://ecosoberhouse.com/ addiction was finally addressed by the medical community. A person might not take the drug daily, but a pattern starts to develop during this stage. People either take the drug at a certain time of the day, a specific day of the week or as a reaction to a negative feeling.

• When someone takes a drug—as a prescription medication including opioids or Xanax—on a regular schedule, the medication will adjust the user’s brain chemistry.
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA) groups symptoms of addiction into four major categories.
• Alprazolam is biotransformed by hepatic microsomal oxidation, yielding 4 and α-hydroxyalprazolam as its principal metabolites, and is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 (Greenblatt and Wright, 1993).
• Research shows that most stable, healthy adults will achieve long-term abstinence after completing a taper.
• Even prescription users who adhere to a recommended dosing schedule can end up addicted to Xanax though.

• If a person has an addiction to Xanax, they are unable to stop taking it, despite negative consequences.
• Selling or giving away this Xanax may harm others, and is against the law.
• The President’s Unity Agenda is operationalized through the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy, the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration, and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
• Effective treatment for Xanax addiction must address both the addiction and any underlying mental health conditions simultaneously.
• Most drugs involved in misuse or addiction frequently lead to dopamine release.
• Xanax belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, and it is a Schedule IV controlled substance, meaning it is considered to have a low potential for abuse.
• Some people may be better suited for a harm reduction approach, in which the taper leads to a maintenance dose rather than abstinence.

Xanax abuse and addiction has become a major problem in the U.S., with many people taking it recreationally and sometimes in combination with other drugs. If you or someone you care about is struggling with an addiction to Xanax, you don’t have to fight the battle alone. Treatment centers provide those suffering from xanax addiction the support they need to find and maintain recovery. No one is exempt from drug dependence, but there are certain demographics that are more prone to it.

What Does Adderall Addiction and Abuse Look Like?

Withdrawal from long-term Xanax addiction can last for up to two weeks, but symptoms slowly improve after the first few days. Those who take large doses of Xanax regularly are more likely to develop a substance use disorder than individuals who take low doses of the drug infrequently. Under this new ban, like with marijuana, police officers and prosecutors hold full discretion regarding who is arrested, charged, fined or even incarcerated for possessing abortion medication. These two medications will now carry the stigma of being “controlled and dangerous substances,” and access to them will undoubtedly shrink due to the increased regulatory requirements. Lawrence Michael Nagle allegedly distributed controlled substances to a small network of individuals who would then redistribute the drugs to other traffickers. This article explores Xanax, its uses, its potentially dangerous effects, including addiction, and treatment for individuals who struggle with Xanax misuse or addiction.

• Ask your doctor more about the differences between physical dependence and drug addiction, and your risk factors when taking Xanax.
• After detoxing, treatment should involve therapy to treat the drivers of addiction.
• Xanax addiction affects the lives of millions of people each year.
• However, its potential for addiction and abuse cannot be ignored.
• A course of Xanax should not last longer than one or two weeks, but sometimes it is prescribed on an “as-needed” basis for panic attacks.
• Practicing relapse prevention and management can improve your recovery outlook in the long term.