Xanax Withdrawal: Symptoms, Severity, Length, and Treatment

These side effects, among others, are common occurrences that land many in emergency rooms when they try to detox without professional help. Last year, 44,796 people were treated in American emergency rooms for issues stemming from the use and abuse of benzos like Xanax. It’s important to talk with your medical professional before you stop Xanax treatment.

Does Xanax have side effects?

The drug may cause harm in newborns who were exposed to it during pregnancy. You can also ask your medical professional whether any of these drugs are right for you. Although Xanax and opioids work differently in your body, they can cause similar side effects. If you have any questions about how long Xanax may last for you, talk with your medical professional or pharmacist. You’ll likely feel the effects xanax addiction of Xanax for several hours after each dose.

Is Xanax a narcotic (opioid) drug / controlled substance?

That means you need higher and higher doses to get the same effect. Benzodiazepine abuse alone rarely causes serious illness or death. But people often take them with alcohol or other drugs, either of which can be dangerous or even deadly. About 3/4 of deaths that involve benzodiazepines also involve an opioid drug. The abuse of benzodiazepines is related to both the effects they produce and to their widespread availability.

What’s the dosage of Xanax?

About 75 percent of deadly benzodiazepine overdoses involve opioids, according to a 2015 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. It can lower a person’s ability to make responsible decisions. They become vulnerable to sexual assault, theft and other transgressions. Flumazenil is a benzodiazepine antagonist that can be given intravenously (IV) as an antidote in the emergency setting to help reverse the effects of a benzodiazepine overdose. However, you can become addicted to Xanax even if you take it exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

The Body on Drugs

Not everyone who has a prescription for Xanax develops an addiction. When you carefully follow your prescription instructions for the medication, the chance of developing a substance use disorder is low. Dependency is more likely to occur if a person is abusing large amounts of Xanax or using it too frequently. Even prescription users who adhere to a recommended dosing schedule can end up addicted to Xanax though. Poly-drug abusers are far more likely to grow dependent since the other substances they abuse often intensify the effects of benzos like Xanax.

Factors That Affect Xanax Withdrawal

The process can be rapid or gradual, depending on the drug. However, addiction professionals report seeing more adolescents struggle with addiction to Xanax. Many of them mix this sedative with opioids, which can be a deadly combination.

• Doctors prescribe the medication to treat anxiety, depression, panic disorders and phobias.
• Dependence happens when your body gets used to a drug and needs the drug to feel normal.
• Someone with a Xanax addiction may take up to 20 or 30 pills per day.
• Once you are stabilized on a dose of diazepam, your prescribing doctor will help you slowly taper down a little bit at a time.
• In both cases, you take less and less of the drug until it’s out of your system.

If you have health insurance, your insurer can give you a list of providers and facilities covered by your plan. No medication has been shown to be effective for treating benzodiazepine use disorder. For example, a common dose of alprazolam (Xanax) is 0.5 to 1.5 milligrams. It takes minutes to take effect, and its effects last 5-8 hours.

Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative, meaning that they help slow down brain and bodily functions. During Xanax detox, you would be monitored for signs of withdrawal, and you might need to receive treatment to alleviate and prevent harmful complications. Additionally, some people are predisposed to substance addiction, possibly due to genetic factors and altered activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. There are several proposed explanations for why these groups may be at risk. Xanax overdose causes central nervous system (CNS) depression, which is a direct result of the drug’s effect on reduced neuronal excitability. CNS depression leads to impaired respiration and bradycardia (slow heart rate), which can cause coma or cardiac arrest (interruption of the heartbeat).

It increases the activity of natural chemicals in the brain, impacting the central nervous system to reduce nervousness and tension. It also binds to brain receptor sites for calmness and relaxation. The majority of people who misuse Xanax are between the ages of 18 and 25.

In this situation, you might be advised to take a combination of the 1-mg and 2-mg tablets to form 5 mg. In this situation, you might be advised to take three of the 1-mg tablets to form 3 mg. Misuse and addiction weren’t reported in studies of Xanax. But they have been reported with benzodiazepines, which is the group of drugs that Xanax belongs to.