This medicine will add to the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants (medicines that slow down the nervous system, possibly causing drowsiness). This effect may last for a few days after you stop using this medicine. Check with your doctor before taking any of the above while you are using this medicine. Seizures can occur in more severe cases of withdrawal. Consequently, patients on alprazolam for extended periods of time should slowly taper the medication under a doctor’s supervision rather than abruptly stopping the medication. The usual starting dose of Xanax is 0.25 to 0.5 milligram taken 3 times a day.
Therefore, before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the medications you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list of drugs with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your doctor if you have health questions or concerns. Xanax has a boxed warning for the risk of dependence and withdrawal.
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The most common side effects of alprazolam are listed below. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you. Verbowski’s source bought drug ingredients from China and used a pill press and stamps to mimic the pill markings used by manufacturers licensed and approved by the U.S.
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This could include making some lifestyle changes, stress-reduction techniques, grounding exercises, and building supportive relationships to help you regain a sense of control and connection. Xanax isn’t meant to be used as a stand-alone, long-term treatment, but when used carefully with a doctor’s help, it can be a helpful tool. For many people, it helps them fully participate in therapy, especially in approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), where being emotionally present and engaged is important. Sometimes prescribed for insomnia, depression-related anxiety, or premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but the FDA has not officially approved these uses.
Missed Dose
Your doctor may prescribe Xanax with other drugs for generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder. It’s typically used to help ease the symptoms of anxiety while other treatments for GAD, such as antidepressants, are taking effect. To help lower your risk of withdrawal symptoms, your doctor will gradually reduce your dose when you stop taking Xanax. If you have hangover-like symptoms when stopping Xanax treatment, talk with your doctor.
Is Alprazolam Addictive?
- Patients with alcoholic liver disease exhibit a longer elimination half-life (19.7 hours), compared to healthy subjects (11.4 hours).
- For more information about the risk of Xanax withdrawal and dependence, see the “Xanax and withdrawal and dependence” section.
- If you have anxiety, your medical professional may recommend that you take a prescription drug called Xanax.
- It’s common to have questions about your treatment plan for Xanax.
- The necessary duration of treatment for PD in patients responding to XANAX is unknown.
It is important that your doctor supervise you carefully when you are using this medication. Mixing Xanax with opioid medications, for example, can lead to serious side effects like slowed breathing, and can even be fatal. While some people are prescribed extended-release tablets, Dr. Dimitriu reiterates that Xanax is known to be a rapid onset and rapid offset medication, meaning it works quickly—and stops working quickly, too. As the medicine’s effects rapidly end, anxiety returns and some people are left wanting more,” he says, advising patients to take as little as they can and to space out doses as much as possible.
Alprazolam (oral Route)
The drug dosage should be gradually reduced and only your doctor should advise you on how to discontinue or change your dose. The average dose of XANAX was 5 mg to 6 mg per day in 2 of the studies, and the doses of XANAX were fixed at 2 mg and 6 mg per day in the third study. In all 3 studies, XANAX was superior to placebo on a variable defined as “the number of patients with zero panic attacks” (range, 37% to 83% met this criterion), as well as on a global improvement score.
We anticipate reposting the images once we are able identify and filter out images that do not match the information provided in the drug labels. DailyMed will deliver this notification to your desktop, Web browser, or e-mail depending on the RSS Reader you select to use. To view updated drug label links, paste the RSS feed address (URL) shown below into a RSS reader, or use a browser which supports RSS feeds, such as Safari for Mac OS X. Keep this medication out of reach of children and pets. Misuse of this medication is dangerous and against the law. Visit your care team for regular checks on your progress.
What Does It Feel Like When You Take Xanax?
People who are aged 65 years or older can be at greater risk for some side effects of alprazolam. Talk to your healthcare provider about your risks if you are in this age group. Alprazolam should not be taken while you are using certain other medicines. Before taking alprazolam, tell your healthcare provider about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. Alprazolam can cause allergic reactions, which can be serious. Stop taking alprazolam and get help right away if you have any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction.
How Should I Store Alprazolam?
You may also have an increased risk if you take Xanax for a long period of time. However, these problems are also possible with lower doses and after taking the drug for a short time. Xanax is typically prescribed for short periods of time to relieve anxiety symptoms while other treatments, such as antidepressants, are taking effect. Antidepressants can take about 4 to 6 weeks to start working for anxiety disorders. To treat panic disorder, you’ll likely take Xanax three times per day. Xanax XR works over about 24 hours, so you’ll likely take a dose once per day.
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Cristina Po Wenger is a medical writer and mental health advocate with a Sociology Degree from the University of Stirling. The patient should inform the doctor about all the medications he/she is using since the drug can interact with many other medications. Alprazolam is metabolized mainly by the liver, and 80% is excreted in the urine. The drug has a half-life of 12 to 15 hours, but it will depend on whether the patient suffers from any type of renal or hepatic insufficiency. If you’re considering taking Xanax or are curious about its potential to help you feel less anxious, talk with your doctor. It’s possible to build up a tolerance to Xanax quickly.
Advise patients, their families, and caregivers to look for signs of suicidality or worsening depression, and to inform the patient’s healthcare provider immediately see Warnings and Precautions (5.6). Advise patients not to drive a motor vehicle or operate heavy machinery while taking XANAX due to its CNS depressant effects. Also advise patients to avoid use of alcohol or other CNS depressants while taking XANAX see Warnings and Precautions (5.3). Most of the interactions that have been documented with alprazolam are with drugs that modulate CYP3A4 activity.
