Alprazolam (Xanax)

Chiefly, using alprazolam, a medication that primarily treats anxiety disorders and panic attacks. It belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which work by enhancing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain, resulting in a calming effect.

Alprazolam is commonly sold under the brand name Xanax and is available in both immediate-release and extended-release formulations. As a result, the immediate-release formulation is used to relieve anxiety symptoms, while the extended-release formulation is used to treat panic disorder.

Alprazolam is also sometimes used to treat depression, fear of open spaces (agoraphobia), and premenstrual syndrome. All things considered, talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.

How Long Can You Take Alprazolam for Anxiety?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xanax for very short-term treatment for most conditions. Therefore, eight weeks is the maximum amount of time they should be taken, specifically to treat panic disorder.

Most physicians or therapists will prescribe Xanax for “as-needed” treatment. When someone suffering from anxiety feels a surge of panic, or their anxiety prevents them from performing a task like driving or sleeping, taking a dose of Xanax can be extremely helpful.

Taking Xanax regularly is rare since the medication acts on the brain so quickly. Indeed, those who frequently take Xanax may be misusing their prescription.

Side Effects of Alprazolam

Along with its needed effects, alprazolam may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

 Mild Side Effects

Hence, here’s a list of some of the mild side effects that alprazolam IR oral tablets can cause.

Reporting mild side effects of alprazolam IR oral tablets include:

firstly, confusion
diarrhea
trouble concentrating
fourthly, drowsiness
dry mouth
feeling lightheaded
headache
irritability
additionally, memory problems
nausea and vomiting
balance or coordination problems
insomnia (trouble sleeping)
slurred speech
tiredness
finally, weight gain or weight loss

Consequently, mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

 Serious Side Effects

Serious side effects from alprazolam IR oral tablets can occur, but they aren’t common. Therefore, if you have serious side effects from taking this drug, call your doctor right away.

Reporting serious side effects of alprazolam IR oral tablets include:

firstly, depression
depersonalization (feeling detached from yourself, such as having an out-of-body experience)
hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t real)
heart problems, such as chest pain or changes to your heartbeat
additionally, liver problems, such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of your eyes) or high levels of liver enzymes (proteins that aid chemical changes in your body)
movement problems, such as muscle tremors or uncontrolled muscle movements
seeing double
boxed warnings: risk of dependence, withdrawal symptoms, misuse and addiction, and risks when taken with opioids
lastly, allergic reaction

Warnings

Boxed warnings.
Alprazolam IR oral tablets have boxed warnings. Generally, boxed warnings are serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Risk of dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, suddenly stopping alprazolam can cause dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Due to dependence, your body needs the drug to function like usual. And withdrawal symptoms are side effects that can occur when you stop taking a drug that your body has become dependent on.

Subsequently, withdrawal symptoms from alprazolam IR oral tablets can be mild or serious, and can include:

firstly, blurred vision
diarrhea
trouble concentrating
insomnia (trouble sleeping)
muscle cramps or twitches
finally, seizures

In addition, anxiety or symptoms of anxiety may occur if you stop alprazolam. It’s not known whether this is due to withdrawal or to symptoms of your condition getting worse after stopping the medication.

Abusing Xanax occurs because of the sense of calm and relaxation it causes in the user. Basically, some people abuse Xanax by taking it in higher doses or combining it with other drugs or alcohol in order to achieve the desired high.

“They say drugs fill a void, or at least that’s what my therapist thinks. Thus, the first time I popped a Xanax was the first time I felt relief from my anxiety disorder… There was something oddly comforting about Xanax — the way it came in many shapes and colors, like peach and blue. I enjoyed looking at the pills. They were a pretty little assortment of happiness I could feel just by holding in my hands. Although Xanax put a temporary stop to my agony, it soon introduced a new kind.

Former Benzo person with a drug addiction, Ashley Zlatopolsky, Salon.com, 2015

Dosing Information

Each person’s Xanax dose can vary widely depending on their needs and reasons for taking the drug. As such, it is difficult to generalize a normal dose range. For example, a common starting dose of short-acting Xanax is 0.25 mg when used for anxiety. However, the max dose of short-acting Xanax for anxiety is significantly more than that at 10 mg per day.

 Is 1 mg of Xanax a Lot?

A normal starting dose of Xanax is 0.25 mg to 0.5 mg, but it may be up to 1 mg depending on what it is being used for. Nonetheless, in unusual cases, people may be increased to doses as high as 10 mg per day, although this is not taken all at once. A dose of 1 mg of Xanax is a higher initial dose, but it may be a normal dose for people who take Xanax regularly.

 How Often Can I Take Xanax?

The long-acting dosage form of the drug should be taken once daily, while the shorter-acting dosage forms may be taken more frequently. For example, when used for anxiety, some doctors may prescribe Xanax to be taken up to four times a day.

It is important to note that you should only take Xanax as often as your doctor prescribes it. Hence, taking a higher dose than prescribed or using it more often than prescribed can increase your risk of overdose, physical dependence, tolerance and addiction. Therefore, if your current dose of Xanax is not helping you, talk to your doctor to explore other alternatives — never adjust the dose on your own.

After taking Xanax, the peak effects of the drug are typically felt within one to two hours. Particularly, as an intermediate-duration drug, Xanax stays in a person’s system for 12 to 15 hours.

Why is Alprazolam So Addictive?

In short, Alprazolam is addictive because of how it works in the brain, its short duration of action, and the potent calming and anxiety-relieving effect of the medicine that some people may abuse.

It also can also cause withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt discontinuation, which may lead to a pattern of continued drug use and higher doses to help alleviate symptoms.

In general, potent benzodiazepines with shorter elimination half-lives may be more prone to causing problems with tolerance, dependence and addiction. For example, for triazolam (Halcion), alprazolam (Xanax) or lorazepam (Ativan) all have relatively shorter half-lives.

Studies with alprazolam have also shown an increase in dopamine levels in the brain, which are linked to the brain’s reward system. Thereafter, most drugs involved in misuse or addiction frequently lead to dopamine release.

Also, patient-specific factors can also contribute to misuse of benzodiazepines and the development of benzodiazepine use disorder. These include:

people who have a personal history of substance use disorder
people with long-term use of benzodiazepines or using higher doses
finally, people with a lower level of education

Studies have shown that individuals with a history of alcohol or opiate use prefer the rewarding effect of Xanax over other benzodiazepines, such as oxazepam or chlordiazepoxide. However, you can become addicted to Xanax even if you take it exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Conclusion

Because of the potential for abuse and dependence, doctors typically prescribe alprazolam for short-term use only (such as a few weeks). They also recommend gradually reducing the dosage rather than stopping abruptly to avoid withdrawal symptoms like rebound anxiety, irritability, or insomnia.

Alprazolam is one of the most common medications in the United States. As of 2018, Xanax was the 37th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 20 million prescriptions written for it.

Xanax is mostly safe when taken as prescribed, but it can be dangerous when someone combines it with other substances or uses too much. Therefore, knowing more information about proper Xanax use — including the dosage and recommended frequency — can help people to understand how much Xanax is too much.