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She has served in both clinical and leadership positions in a number of roles, in inpatient and outpatient settings, as a Primary Therapist and Clinical Supervisor. James Scribner holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. His career began working in the accounting industry as a financial auditor.
However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Xanax is a type of drug called a benzodiazepine, and it contains the active drug alprazolam. Intended for use when interchanging benzodiazepines and should not be used to help calculate an initial dose for a benzodiazepine naïve patient. Xanax is a central nervous system depressant, so it slows the body down. Benzodiazepines work by increasing the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA. This is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that produces feelings of calmness resulting in a relaxed or sedated state.
You should not take Xanax or Valium if you have acute angle-closure glaucoma (also known as narrow-angle glaucoma) or a history of allergic reaction to either drug. For some people, though, anxiety and its symptoms, which can be challenging, are a daily occurrence. Ongoing anxiety can affect your ability to function at home, school, and work. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time.
With low-potency and short-acting effects, there are diazepam and temazepam . Also low-potent but long-acting, there are chlordiazepoxide , clorazepate , diazepam , and flurazepam . In Canada, possession of benzodiazepines is legal for personal use. All benzodiazepines are categorized as Schedule IV substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
What if I miss a dose?
After a 4-week taperfrom the drug, the Xanax patients deteriorated significantly. Those who never took Xanax continued improving, down to less than 2 panic attacks on average, while those who took Xanax and then discontinued went up to almost 7 panic attacks each, on average. Overall anxiety also worsened for the subjects exposed to Xanax. That means you may become dependent on these meds and that you have to keep increasing the dose to get the same effect. Actually benzos, especially Xanax, have street value because of the pleasant feeling they induce.
We’ve had many clients who faced legal problems as the result of decisions they’ve made while blacked out. One should never attempt to quit Benzodiazepines or Xanax on their own. Doing so places them at an extremely high risk for Seizure and other potentially life-altering complications. Medical detox will help ensure the client’s comfort during this adjustment period by slowly weaning them off, allowing the body to adjust to new levels slowly until it is eventually tapered off completely. This method is less of a shock to the system, and withdrawal symptoms will be kept to a minimum.
According to the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, indirect comparison indicates that side-effects from benzodiazepines may be about twice as frequent as from nonbenzodiazepines. Some experts suggest using nonbenzodiazepines preferentially as a first-line long-term treatment of insomnia. However, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence did not find any convincing evidence in favor of Z-drugs. NICE review pointed out that short-acting Z-drugs were inappropriately compared in clinical trials with long-acting benzodiazepines. There have been no trials comparing short-acting Z-drugs with appropriate doses of short-acting benzodiazepines. Based on this, NICE recommended choosing the hypnotic based on cost and the patient’s preference.
- Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives.
- Withdrawal from Xanax after prolonged use can be especially dangerous.
- Caution is required when benzodiazepines are used in people with personality disorders or intellectual disability because of frequent paradoxical reactions.
They are mostly used for a short period at the beginning of the treatment. That is because it may take a few weeks for the main pharmacological treatment for anxiety, antidepressants, to kick in. During that time, if anxiety is severe and debilitating, benzodiazepines may be prescribed for temporary use. Although benzodiazepines are much safer in overdose than their predecessors, the barbiturates, they can still cause problems in overdose.
Xanax vs. Valium
Like diazepam it has a long elimination half-life and long-acting active metabolites. Fatal cases of overdose have been reported with the use of benzodiazepines. Klonopin is a prescription drug used to treat seizures and panic disorder. If you have a liver problem, such as alcoholic liver disease, Xanax may build up in your body.
Having faced addiction in his own life, and having worked through recovery, James truly understands what it takes to get sober and stay sober. James now has the opportunity to do what he loves and help others achieve long-term recovery. James works alongside the clinical director and administrative team to help ensure that every client benefits from a customized treatment plan and holistic approach that offers freedom from the grips of addiction. There are medium-strength/medium-acting benzodiazepines like clobazam , and then there are the weakest kinds of benzos.
Drug interactions
At our world-class treatment facility, located in the heart of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we specialize in treating all types of addiction, which includes Xanax and other benzodiazepines. The first step towards recovery at Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital is a drug and alcohol detox. Detox from Xanax national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa can be extremely dangerous, which is why we take every precaution to make sure you can safely come down from the effects of Xanax under 24/7 medical supervision. Suddenly stopping this medication may cause serious withdrawal, especially if you have used it for a long time or in high doses.
Learn more about the short and long-term effects of Xanax and why this medication is only recommended for temporary use. The main group of such medications is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly known as antidepressants. Examples of such medications are fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram. Especially when combined with psychotherapy, these medications are effective and are safer options than the benzos, and without a risk of addiction. Common benzodiazepines include diazepam , alprazolam , and clonazepam , among others. Benzos are mainly used to treat anxiety disorders, such as phobias, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
British law requires that temazepam be stored in safe custody. Disposal of expired stock must be witnessed by a designated inspector (either a local drug-enforcement police officer or official from health authority). Benzodiazepine use ranges from occasional binges on large doses, to chronic and compulsive drug use of high doses. In the Netherlands, since naltrexone for alcoholism October 1993, benzodiazepines, including formulations containing less than 20 mg of temazepam, are all placed on List 2 of the Opium Law. A prescription is needed for possession of all benzodiazepines. Temazepam formulations containing 20 mg or greater of the drug are placed on List 1, thus requiring doctors to write prescriptions in the List 1 format.
Recently, we have been learning more about the potential cognitive, memory and psychomotor impairment in long-term use of benzodiazepines, especially in older adults. Cognitive functions impacted may include processing speed and learning among others. Such effects may persist even after discontinuation of long-term use of the benzos. Doctors often are reluctant to prescribe benzodiazepines, and many prefer to talk to their patients about the risks and also about other potential treatments, such as psychotherapy. Benzodiazepines are a class of anti-anxiety medications, or anxiolytics, that increase the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter, a molecule that helps brain cells, or neurons, communicate with each other.
Medical Director
Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details. This drug passes into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs alertness until you can do it safely. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
A first line treatment for anxiety disorders is psychotherapy, mainly cognitive behavioral therapy. During therapy, the person learns more adaptive coping skills, and corrects cognitive alcohol and atrial fibrillation distortions to reduce stress. Seachange Recovery offers holistic programs for treating Xanax Addiction that focus on the whole person, including the mind, body, and spirit.
Xanax side effects
Kevin’s expertise and experience as a Primary Therapist, paired with his natural talents and abilities as a speaker and an artist, have uniquely equipped him to reach our population and render top-notch care. Throughout that process, he learned the importance of helping others and living by spiritual principles. Throughout his recovery, James has used his personal story to help make a difference in the lives of others. Over the years he grew into becoming an advocate for people in recovery or seeking recovery from substance use disorders. James is a CCAR Recovery Coach and believes in developing meaningful relationships, and providing highly individualized therapy and client care.
Heavy alcohol use also increases mortality among poly-drug users. Dependence and tolerance, often coupled with dosage escalation, to benzodiazepines can develop rapidly among drug misusers; withdrawal syndrome may appear after as little as three weeks of continuous use. Long-term use has the potential to cause both physical and psychological dependence and severe withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety , and agoraphobia. Sharing syringes and needles for this purpose also brings up the possibility of transmission of hepatitis, HIV, and other diseases.
Xanax has been listed as one of the top 10 drugs responsible for more overdose deaths in the United States. So even if professional doctors prescribe it, its medication should be supervised with a great deal of care. Benzodiazepines are used in veterinary practice in the treatment of various disorders and conditions. As in humans, they are used in the first-line management of seizures, status epilepticus, and tetanus, and as maintenance therapy in epilepsy . They are widely used in small and large animals for their anxiolytic and sedative effects, as pre-medication before surgery, for induction of anesthesia and as adjuncts to anesthesia.