
Anxiety disorders and panic attacks have become most common psychiatric problems in the today’s world. Like the other medicines in the benzodiazepine group, Xanax is also used to treat anxiety. Xanax is the brand formulation of the drug alprazolam. Like the other drugs that fall in the benzodiazepine category like Klonopin, Ativan; it is also used as an anti-anxiety pill. Alprazolam is a Central Nervous system depressant, which stimulates the GABA receptors in the brain and nerve synapses, by enhancing their performances and gives a feeling of relaxation or calmness in the mind as well as the body. Xanax should only be used under a proper directive of the physician. Alprazolam is considered to be dangerous if it is used for long period of time, as it has a tendency of habit forming and showing the signs of body tolerance, and so, it should not be used by anyone having a previous medical history of drug abuse.
How does Xanax cause drug tolerance?
Alprazolam is considered as a highly addictive drug and if it is abused, then it can produce effects like cocaine and meth. For this reason only, the doctors are directed to check whether the person has any history of drug abuse before prescribing this drug. Xanax should be prescribed for a short term, as, prolonged use of the drug can cause drug dependency. There are reports and accounts of people saying that, they started alprazolam dosage as per the doctor directed and it helped them with a feeling of relaxation and euphoria. But soon, they witnessed Xanax was not working efficiently as they developed tolerance. This led to the increase in the alprazolam dosage. Thus, it resulted in the drug dependency.
Alprazolam is known to cause physical dependence, when it is used for a long duration. There are two main symptoms of the Xanax dependency. The first symptom is that, an individual’s body will grow tolerance to the drug and gradually, the patient will need increased dosages of this sedative to get the calming effect or relaxation for the body as well as his mind. The increase in medication may also be dangerous to his/her health. The second symptom for the dependency is that, once the dosage of Xanax is decreased from the general high amounts to which the body has grown accustomed to, then the body starts witnessing different withdrawal symptoms of this anti anxiety medication. So, it is very dangerous to be on Xanax dosage for a long time.
How to mitigate the drug dependency?
Xanax acts very rapidly as compared to the other drugs in the benzodiazepine group. This is what makes it popular among the abusers. This drug has a relatively low half life when compared to other, which is both, boon and curse. If the drug is consumed for a short term as prescribed by the physician, then you will be less likely to witness the tolerance of the drug and also less likely to witness withdrawal symptoms when the dosage is stopped. This will ultimately prevent the alprazolam addiction. Thus, to mitigate the Xanax dependency, you should avoid the consumption of this oral medication for a longer period and it is also recommended for not using the drug on a regular basis.