Xanax Addiction: How to Recognize and Treat It

But the anxiety that they experience when they stop taking the drug is actually a symptom of Xanax withdrawal. One of the most common and dangerous interactions for Xanax occurs with alcohol. Both substances are central nervous system depressants, slowing down the body’s processes like movement and breathing. 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. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp.

Behavioral Therapy

Detox is a process during which a person stops taking a harmful drug. Practicing relapse prevention and management can improve your recovery outlook in the long term. 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. The first step is to identify any misconceptions you might have about addiction. This can make it more and more difficult to stop taking the drug.

Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)

In most cases, the therapist provides incentives to the patient in exchange for ongoing abstinence and acceptance of treatment. While the duration will vary from person to person, an approximate withdrawal timeline can look like the following. Because Xanax alters the functioning of neurotransmitters in the brain, sudden discontinuation can create several symptoms. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

• In addition, over half of the survey respondents said benzodiazepines’ side effects or withdrawal symptoms caused them to consider suicide.
• Normally, the withdrawal process involves slowly reducing the dosage of Xanax and eventually switching the user to a long-acting form of the drug for a period of time.
• If you experience severe withdrawal symptoms during tapering, tell your doctor so they can adjust your care plan as needed.
• If you or a loved one has been prescribed Xanax, it is vital to alert your physician to what medications you are already taking before using Xanax to prevent any potentially adverse combinations.

Xanax Addiction Treatment

Benzodiazepines can lead to both physical and psychological dependence. If you become dependent on the drugs, you can have withdrawal symptoms and even seizures when you suddenly stop taking them. Only a very small percentage of people who take normal doses for short periods will become dependent on benzodiazepines. Xanax, generically known as alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine medication primarily prescribed for the treatment of anxiety disorders and panic attacks. One of its pharmacological actions includes the modulation of neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), thereby eliciting an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and sedative effect.

Warning Signs Of A Xanax (Alprazolam) Addiction

Head-to-head benzodiazepine comparison studies in general have been scant. Two clinical studies of participants with benzodiazepine dependence revealed a significant preference for alprazolam over diazepam in xanax addiction equipotent doses (Schmauss et al., 1988, 1989). However, in another study of recreational drug users without physical dependence, alprazolam was found to have less misuse liability than diazepam (Orzack et al., 1988).

What are the signs and symptoms of Xanax addiction?

• Research from 2015 suggests that 20⁠–50% of people experience withdrawal symptoms when discontinuing high dosage benzodiazepines.
• You may notice changes in mood, behavior, appearance, or performance at work or school, but many of these can be attributed to other factors as well.
• Withdrawal from long-term Xanax addiction can last for up to two weeks, but symptoms slowly improve after the first few days.
• Often used to treat anxiety or insomnia, they’re some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the U.S.

How long they take to start working, and how long their effects last, can vary from drug to drug. Benzodiazepines are used recreationally for their mood-boosting effects. But some people crush them and smoke, snort, or even inject the drug.

• Substance use disorder (SUD) develops over months and years, and may not be easy to identify at first.
• This differs from other drugs such as stimulants which enter the PAWS period after only 14 days.
• For example, say you’re tapering off a dose of 20 milligrams (mg) of diazepam (Valium).
• Reckless prescribing practices have contributed to thousands of cases of dependence and misuse.
• CBT is known to be effective and long-lasting as clients can continue utilizing these strategies once their therapy sessions have ended.

Short-term symptoms

Individuals who take Xanax for extended periods often need to take higher doses which leads to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if the drug is ceased. While they can quickly relieve symptoms of anxiety and panic, these drugs pose a high risk of dependence. In other words, your body may rely on benzodiazepines to function if you take them frequently and for more than a short period of time. When you stop taking them, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal. Many providers feel pressurized by their patients to continue prescribing as they try to wean them off benzodiazepines, and more-so with alprazolam, given the positive subjective drug effects. 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).