A clear picture of what withdrawal of Xanax looks like needs an in-depth understanding of the drug. Xanax, commonly known as alprazolam, is an anti-anxiety medication. Xanax slang names include benzos, handlebars, Zanies, Zanbars, blue footballs, bars, and Upjohn. Anxiety is a common illness with patients struggling with mental health and insomnia issues. Usually, doctors prescribe Xanax as an anxiety medication to ease panic attacks, PTSD, and excessive worry. Xanax effortlessly creates a dependency on patients who use it frequently. Although such medications are effective, it’s always wise to find methods to control one’s anxiety. Xanax is a benzodiazepine; therefore, its long-term use normally results in dependency and withdrawal. Although a doctor may prescribe Xanax, you could easily be an addict. Even when following the prescription, you can easily get physical dependence. Xanax addiction and physical dependence may develop quickly and quitting it instantly may cause withdrawal symptoms. Xanax dependency may occur when using for medicinal or recreational use. The negative side effects will still be the same under both uses. However, there’s a better chance for people who use it on a prescription basis to quit instead of recreational usage. However, if the patient has already developed severe physical dependence, it’s risky to quit abruptly. Medical detoxification is highly recommended and provides a safe environment when quitting Xanax.

Xanax Medical use, Dependence, Withdrawal symptoms, and Medical Detoxification

Xanax is an efficient and useful medication for people experiencing acute distress. However, Xanax is not recommended for long-term or repeated use. Xanax medical uses are as follows:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Panic attacks
• Insomnia
• Panic disorder

Xanax is in the same class of drugs such as Valium, Estazolam, and Restoril. Xanax is a benzodiazepine and works similarly by stimulating GABA production (a neurotransmitter). GABA helps us to remain calm and relaxed. Therefore, when you experience an anxiety disorder, it means you are not controlling GABA appropriately. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax help control GABA, enabling one to remain calm. Xanax usually reduces brain activity and as a result, you feel calmer. The main intention is to reduce brain activity that’s causing one to feel anxious. Xanax addiction is just like alcohol and any other drug addiction. The process of quoting is not a one-day journey. On your first day without Xanax, you may experience acute and life-threatening symptoms. An abrupt stop of Xanax may result in severe effects like seizures. The medical detox approach is advisable as it helps taper off Xanax and eliminates chances of severe effects. Some effects could easily cause death when not attended to in time. When patients undertake this process by themselves, they face the risk of relapse more often. Xanax treatment is long-term with various avenues that help relieve severe symptoms. Patients use Xanax for various reasons and so the effects and withdrawal symptoms may vary. While other people find it easy to quit, others may struggle. However, upon taking the last Xanax dose, patients to experience the following common symptoms:

• Intense drug cravings
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Anxiety
• Tremors
• Increased heart rate
• Blurry vision
• Hallucinations
• Delirium
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Muscle pains

It’s important to note anxiety is one of the symptoms; hence a patient may likely be tempted to take another dose to remain calm. For the safety of any drug addict, also including Xanax, it’s highly advisable to seek medical and professional supervised detoxification services. The services help addicts to withdraw in a safe condition. If someone withdraws from Xanax, it’s best recommended to use the extended taper method. Taper extended method involves giving decreasing amounts of Xanax to the patients over a continuous period. However, a taper is efficient in long-acting benzo; hence a patient may have to be introduced to one if they were initially using short-acting ones. Xanax is short-acting benzo; hence among the first steps of the treatment is the introduction of long-acting benzo. This stage is known as the stabilization phase and is aimed at creating consistency in the body. When stabilization is achieved, it’s easier for the taper levels of benzodiazepines to be effective. Another method is putting a patient under a long-acting barbiturate to initiate taper. However, Xanax withdrawal does not have severe effects when you withdraw as compared to alcohol. Even so, withdrawal usually has various side effects and could be severe. It’s always advisable to seek medical treatment or speak with an addiction doctor. Ready to begin? Contact us now at 424-499-2603.