Drug addiction is a disease that can affect anyone. Unfortunately, addiction does not take long to develop. Yes, and highly addictive drugs may seem at first glance to be safe drugs. Xanax is just such a drug. The drug, designed to help combat insomnia, is easy to buy in pharmacies. Xanax is a drug that also has hidden benefits. It is often chosen by drug addicts in pursuit of an inexpensive and accessible high.
Even if Xanax is prescribed by a doctor and purchased with a prescription, do not forget that the treatment can cause serious consequences. The strongest sedative quickly becomes addictive and should be taken under the strict supervision of a doctor and only in doses specified by a specialist. Exceeding the dosage or increasing the number of doses may cause addiction.
Xanax is a form of benzodiazepine that helps treat anxiety and insomnia. The drug slows down the functioning of the nervous system, helps relieve anxiety and the feeling of threat. The person calms down, his life rhythm improves. But only if you follow all the rules and recommendations for taking the medicine.
In addition to combating anxiety, Xanax helps cope with alcohol addiction. When giving up alcohol, a person experiences feelings of anxiety, panic attacks and other problems, the solution to which is a drug prescribed by a doctor. For medical purposes, Xanax is also used to treat seizures. This is truly one of the most effective and efficient psychoactive substances, which is why drug addicts choose it.
Xanax as a drug can radically change a person's life. Even the slightest overdose causes addiction, and if the drug is used systematically without the supervision of a specialist, the consequences can be fatal.
What is Xanax used for in medicine?
These tablets are prescribed by doctors for the following indications:
- depression;
- social phobia;
- insomnia;
- senile tremor (muscle cramps);
- neuroses;
- in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal;
- for nausea due to chemotherapy.
It acts quickly and calms.
And even using Xanax according to a doctor’s prescription, strictly following the description in the instructions, can lead to serious health and mental problems. A huge list of contraindications and side effects, mention of addiction and overdose - all this speaks of the narcotic nature of these tablets.
For drug addicts, Xanax was an easily accessible pharmaceutical drug until it was available by prescription instead of just being ordered at the pharmacy.
Due to the narcotic effect of Xanax and despite the price, which is higher than other analogues, it is used more often than other drugs for other purposes.
Xanax: features of the drug
Treatment with Xanax rarely leads to addiction when administered correctly. But the development of drug addiction as a result of medical care is rare. Much more often, drug addicts deliberately begin to take pills of the drug.
The human brain is home to a huge number of gamma receptors (neurons). They are responsible for anxiety, restlessness, a sense of danger and other symptoms, which are eliminated with the help of Xanax. With severe anxiety, neuronal activity increases excessively, and the drug helps to “extinguish” it. Xanax acts very quickly - anxiety and panic disappear almost immediately after taking the pill. But addiction also occurs quickly. Under the supervision of a doctor, the drug is quickly discontinued, replacing it with other methods of treatment. With drug addiction, withdrawal does not occur.
Reviews for the drug Xanax vary. For some patients, this medicine helps them cope with the disease. In other people, it causes serious health problems and dependence, which can be felt even between doses prescribed by a doctor.
Xanax is a drug, and if taken the way drug addicts take it, anyone can become addicted. As a result, a feeling of euphoria and lightness arises, mental activity is dulled, the body relaxes, and the mood improves. A long period of Xanax use leads to dementia, mental disorders, and deterioration of coordination. With each new dose of the drug, the condition will worsen, the dose of the drug will increase, and the risks to life will increase. If you have been prescribed Xanax for treatment, keep the tablets out of the reach of children and strangers. Monitor your condition carefully and be sure to visit your doctor regularly.
The effect of Xanax on the body
Taking these pills, a person feels euphoria, lightness, a sense of security and a feeling that problems are disappearing.
However, any drug (including Xanax) is poison. Poisons are not completely eliminated from the body; their remains accumulate in the fatty tissues of the body and have a hidden effect on humans. And poisons burn vitamins and minerals, thereby depleting the body’s strength and lowering immunity.
Side effects:
- usual symptoms of poisoning (nausea and vomiting, headache);
- symptoms of intoxication (slurred speech, unsteady gait, shaking arms and legs);
- increased sensitivity to sounds;
- insomnia;
- sweating;
- numbness;
- bad mood or depression;
- fatigue;
- problems with memory and mental activity, disorientation;
- and some others.
How to understand that a person needs help
Xanax is the effect of calm and carefreeness. But it also has many side effects. The symptoms of Xanax addiction are fairly easy to recognize:
- rapid onset of fatigue, severe fatigue;
- a person is confused in his thoughts and judgments;
- the drug addict's speech is confused and slurred;
- severe headaches appear;
- sensitivity to noise increases;
- tremor of the hands and whole body develops;
- mood changes dramatically;
- insomnia develops;
- emotions disappear;
- sweating increases;
- numbness of the limbs, vomiting, nausea may occur;
- weight changes dramatically.
Addiction to Xanax also has external manifestations. The skin may turn red and develop a rash. The face swells, becomes puffy, and swelling of other parts of the body, including the throat and tongue, may occur. In this case, speech becomes difficult, the voice changes.
Taking Xanax also affects the state of the gastrointestinal tract. Drug addicts experience stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation. Cardiac activity is disrupted, as a result of which a heightened feeling of cold appears, the person shakes, freezes even in the heat. Over time, the feeling of euphoria gives way to increased anxiety, suicidal thoughts and fears appear. This condition cannot last long - the person either ends up for treatment in a specialized clinic or dies.
The active ingredient in Xanax is alprazolam. The consequences of taking it can only be eliminated by specialists, so dealing with the problem on your own is not an option.
Xanax is a powerful drug, but what effect should you expect from taking it correctly? When treated with Xanax, the patient may experience a feeling of lethargy and slight fatigue, but such manifestations do not lead to serious consequences. Report any changes in your condition to your doctor immediately! After stopping Xanax, anxiety, panic attacks may develop, and a person may cause harm to himself and others. Therefore, the drug is not canceled just like that - a replacement is selected, the use of which is also strictly controlled by a specialist. The withdrawal of the drug occurs in stages.
Development of Xanax addiction
Under the influence of a drug, a person feels good, but when the effect wears off, the state of health becomes worse than it was before taking it. The natural urge is to take another pill to feel good again.
The second reason for addiction is withdrawal syndrome when stopping the drug.
Thinking that this is a medicine, a person will not suspect that he is “addicted” and has become a drug addict. Therefore, if he feels worse, he will take a pill. But they don’t help you heal - they “numb” the pain, and when the effect wears off, the pain returns and you need Xanax again.
Side effects
Despite the fact that in some cases Xanax is a very effective drug that allows you to bring your psyche to a normal state, it also has many side effects. And if the medicine is brought from abroad and the instructions for its use are written in a foreign language, then there is a danger of incorrect dosage.
First, it causes drowsiness and slows down your reaction time. It is very dangerous to use Xanax if you then need to drive a car yourself or work at heights. The medicine can also cause disorientation in space and impaired coordination of movements.
Secondly, this tranquilizer can cause euphoria, loss of a sense of danger, and, as a result, an inadequate perception of reality.
Thirdly, an overdose of the drug manifests itself in the form of hallucinations, feelings of fear, outbursts of aggression and suicidal desires.
But the side effects of Xanax negatively affect not only a person’s psyche, but also his physical condition. These include:
- Deterioration of liver function.
- Intestinal disorder.
- Copious secretion of saliva.
- Nausea.
Consequences of using Xanax
By purchasing Xanax with a doctor's prescription (or illegally), a person gets euphoria and a feeling that everything is fine. But this is an inadequate state that can lead to mistakes and accidents, especially when working with machinery.
In addition, the instructions provide a huge list of side effects, for example:
- anemia;
- a sore throat;
- excessive fatigue;
- allergic rash or itching;
- poor appetite, constipation or diarrhea;
- liver dysfunction, jaundice;
- uncontrolled movements;
- suicidal tendencies;
- health problems in a child whose mother used Xanax;
- and others.
And it’s very scary when you simply stop recognizing your loved one. And here is the daughter’s review: “I don’t recognize my kind, sympathetic mother. I just see that the neurologist my mother once turned to made her a drug addict!”
Xanax
From the nervous system: at the beginning of treatment (especially in elderly patients) - drowsiness, feeling of fatigue, dizziness, decreased ability to concentrate, ataxia, disorientation, unsteady gait, slowed mental and motor reactions; rarely - headache, euphoria, depression, tremor, memory loss, impaired coordination of movements, depressed mood, confusion, dystonic extrapyramidal reactions (uncontrolled movements, including the eye), weakness, myasthenia gravis, dysarthria; extremely rarely - paradoxical reactions (aggressive outbursts, confusion, psychomotor agitation, fear, suicidal tendencies, muscle spasms, hallucinations, agitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia).
From the hematopoietic organs: leukopenia, neutropenia, agranulocytosis (chills, hyperthermia, sore throat, excessive fatigue or weakness), anemia, thrombocytopenia.
From the digestive system: dry mouth or drooling, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation or diarrhea; impaired liver function, increased activity of “liver” transaminases and alkaline phosphatase, jaundice.
From the genitourinary system: urinary incontinence, urinary retention, renal dysfunction, decreased or increased libido, dysmenorrhea.
Allergic reactions to the components of the drug: skin rash, itching.
Effect on the fetus: teratogenicity (especially the first trimester), central nervous system depression, respiratory impairment and suppression of the sucking reflex in newborns whose mothers used the drug.
Other: addiction, drug dependence; decrease in blood pressure; rarely - visual impairment (diplopia), weight loss, tachycardia. With a sharp reduction in dose or discontinuation of use - withdrawal syndrome (irritability, nervousness, sleep disturbances, dysphoria, spasm of smooth muscles of internal organs and skeletal muscles, depersonalization, increased sweating, depression, nausea, vomiting, tremor, perception disorders, incl. including hyperacusis, paresthesia, photophobia; tachycardia, convulsions, rarely - acute psychosis).
Overdose. Symptoms (taking 500-600 mg): drowsiness, confusion, decreased reflexes, nystagmus, tremor, bradycardia, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure, coma.
Treatment: gastric lavage, taking activated charcoal. Symptomatic therapy (maintaining breathing and blood pressure), administration of flumazenil (in a hospital setting). Hemodialysis is ineffective.
How does Narconon help with Xanax addiction?
The Narconon social adaptation program achieves success in 75% of cases. The steps of the program are aimed at different aspects of addiction and help to cope with the reasons for using. It includes unique exercises that teach you to face life and gain a new perspective on life.
Thanks to the program, a person can start life from scratch - without cravings, regaining self-esteem, restoring relationships with others, and gaining the ability to enjoy life.
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Xanax as a drug
Most tranquilizers are used by drug addicts to immerse themselves in a state of euphoria and an illusory world. Xanax is no exception. Its use without a doctor’s recommendation and in strict accordance with the prescribed dosage leads to severe physical and mental dependence. It takes 3 months for addiction to develop. And then it will no longer be possible to stop using the medicine on your own. Even in cases where a person uses Xanax to treat a disease, and addiction is observed, one should not abruptly stop using the drug. This can provoke severe depression and acute psychosis.
