Tell your healthcare provider if you have abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs. Physical dependency develops over time as the individual’s body becomes used to the substance. Without it, the person may feel achy all over as the body starts processing the substance out. This discomfort can be treated with mild over-the-counter pain relievers.

Additionally, some people are predisposed to substance addiction, possibly due to genetic factors and altered activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. 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). The potential for addiction is higher with Xanax than with lower-potency benzodiazepines like Librium (chlordiazepoxide). Addiction is now classified as a substance use disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 5 (DSM-5).

Xanax Addiction Symptoms

It is common to feel nervous, jumpy, and on-edge during your taper. Xanax can help people who are in acute distress, but it is not intended for long-term use. The long-term use of benzodiazepines like Xanax can potentially create problems with dependence and withdrawal. It can create physical https://ecosoberhouse.com/ dependence in anyone who uses it for an extended period, for any reason. Once you’re stable and free of any withdrawal symptoms, your doctor can then taper your dose of Valium. Some people experience additional symptoms as part of a condition called post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).

After she was transferred to a second hospital on day 11, she was lost to follow-up, the researchers said. Three young adults in Chicago who thought they were taking alprazolam (Xanax) actually ingested the unapproved and far more potent bromazolam, requiring an intensive care unit stay, public health officials warned. Bromazolam-involved deaths increased from 10 in 2021 to 51 in 2022, the CDC researchers reported.

What to do if you think a loved one has an addiction

A person caring for you should seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up. The detox period for Xanax may be longer than the detox period for other drugs. This is because the drug dose has to be tapered slowly over time. As a result, detox often overlaps with other forms of treatment. In both cases, you take less and less of the drug until it’s out of your system.

If a person experiences any serious side effects when taking Xanax, they should seek immediate medical attention. Keep reading to learn more about Xanax addiction, how people can treat it, and how to reduce the risk of misusing the medication again in the future. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Addiction, or substance use disorder, is when a person continues to use a pleasurable substance or perform a pleasurable action despite negative consequences the substance or action causes.

The Wrong Epidemic: The Overuse of Prescription Drugs in America

Xanax serves as a prime example of the complexities involved in modern healthcare and social issues. While it offers potent relief from debilitating symptoms like acute anxiety and panic attacks, it also presents a labyrinth of challenges, xanax addiction including abuse, dependency, economic impact, social influences, and the toll on loved ones. Physicians typically prescribe Xanax for patients grappling with various forms of anxiety, panic disorders, and occasionally insomnia.

• The female patient progressed to status epilepticus despite being given multiple antiepileptic drugs — including lorazepam, propofol, levetiracetam, and valproic acid — and went into a persistent coma.
• For instance, someone taking Xanax for anxiety is likely to have a reoccurrence of their anxiety symptoms during withdrawal.
• Unlike Valium, the most popular anti-anxiety drug during the 1970s, Xanax was marketed as the first drug to reduce panic attacks.

If you take Suboxone or buprenorphine/naloxone or use other opioids, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist about getting Narcan nasal spray. In a 17-week trial comparing buprenorphine/naloxone to placebo followed by a detoxification period, those receiving the medication experienced less overall opioid use and were more likely to continue rehabilitation therapy. Some people may be more prone to severe side effects with Suboxone.

Signs and Symptoms of Xanax Addiction

The severity of the disorder can be classified as “mild” if two to three criteria are met, “moderate” if four to five are met, and “severe” if six or more are met. These classifications may help direct the most appropriate course of treatment. There are several proposed explanations for why these groups may be at risk. Research shows that young adults who use Xanax tend to use it along with illegal drugs and are also more likely to have psychiatric conditions, which might be undiagnosed or untreated. Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information. Once a Xanax addiction has taken hold, daily responsibilities such as school, work, or family are ignored as energy is redirected toward drug-seeking behavior.

• It can be used in an emergency to reverse the effects of opioids.
• Those suffering from Xanax addiction and abuse frequently combine the substance with alcohol or other pills — particularly Opiates — to get a better high.
• More than 4 million of those people misused the products, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness notes that a person can become physically dependent on Xanax after 2 or more weeks of daily use.

Never try to overcome your addiction at home or without supervision. Some side effects of alprazolam withdrawal can be deadly, especially if convulsions or seizures occur. About 75 percent of deadly benzodiazepine overdoses involve opioids, according to a 2015 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Yes, Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzodiazepine prescription drug and is classified by the DEA as Schedule IV controlled substance.