Xanax is an addictive pharmaceutical drug

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.

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.

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!”

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:

1. Deterioration of liver function.
2. Intestinal disorder.
3. Copious secretion of saliva.
4. Nausea.

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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SIDE EFFECTS OF TRANQUILIZERS

(ANTI ANXIETY DRUGS).

Development of addiction and formation of drug dependence

Signs: the first sign of addiction to the drug is the desire to increase the dose of the drug used, since the previous amount of the drug ceases to give the desired effect and no longer relieves unpleasant symptoms. Subsequently, the dependence manifests itself in the inability to “get off” the drug: when trying to stop the drug, a “withdrawal syndrome” occurs: anxiety, low mood, irritability, heaviness in the head, insomnia, severe weakness, loss of appetite, tremors in the hands, palpitations, increased blood pressure . Leg cramps and even grand mal seizures and daytime urinary incontinence may occur.

Drugs that cause addiction and dependence:

Most often: Relanium (Seduxen, Sibazon), lorazepam (Lorafen), alprazolam

Reliably less common: Elenium, clonazepam, tazepam (nozepam)

What to do if you become addicted to the drug? It is very difficult to stop taking a tranquilizer on your own if you have developed an addiction due to the duration of the “withdrawal syndrome” (about three weeks), the gradual increase in symptoms by the end of the first week of abstinence, and the possible development of dangerous complications (epileptic seizures). It is most advisable to reduce the dose of the drug very slowly under the supervision of a doctor who, in addition to observation, will be able to select therapy aimed at accelerating the elimination of the drug from the body and relieving unpleasant and painful symptoms.

Attention! Signs of the formation of drug dependence appear within 1 - 1.5 months after starting to take the above drugs (especially Relanium, Lorafen and Alprazolam). Most often, dependence on tranquilizers occurs during self-medication, so it is strongly NOT recommended to prescribe these drugs to yourself without the participation of a doctor.

Deterioration of memory and attention, impaired coordination of movements, increased effects of alcohol

Signs: These side effects are united by the concept of “behavioral toxicity” of tranquilizers. A person feels less efficient, it is difficult for him to concentrate for a long time, it is difficult for him to think quickly and find answers in a conversation, he may immediately forget the facts that are told to him. There is a feeling of insufficient “inclusion” in the situation. There may be motor clumsiness and lack of coordination of movements.

Drugs that most often cause such symptoms: diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam, nitrazepam, phenazepam, elenium (Librium), estazolam

Attention! Alcohol intake is prohibited during the treatment period. You should refrain from activities related to operating machinery and vehicles.

Excessive sedation

Signs: drowsiness, lethargy, difficulty waking up in the morning.

Drugs that most often cause these symptoms: flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), nitrazepam (radedorm), clonazepam, phenazepam, lorazepam, diazepam (Relanium, Seduxen)

Muscle relaxation

Signs: general weakness, or weakness in certain muscle groups (for example, in the arms), relaxation in the body, reluctance to move again.

Drugs that most often cause these symptoms: diazepam (Relanium, Seduxen), clonazepam, phenazepam, nitrazepam, lorazepam

Paradoxical reactions

Signs: instead of calming and relieving anxiety, opposite reactions to taking a tranquilizer may occur: increased anxiety, motor restlessness, fussiness, irritability and even aggression. Such reactions are rare and depend on the individual characteristics of the patient’s body.

“Paradoxical” reactions have not yet found definitive confirmation of their connection with the use of certain tranquilizers. However, there is evidence that triazolam, for example, quite often contributes to the appearance of pronounced aggressive behavior. In isolated cases, paradoxical reactions in the form of anxiety and sleep disturbances were noted in patients taking buspirone.

Drugs that do not cause excessive sedation, muscle relaxation and impairment of memory and attention: oxazepam (tazepam, nozepam), grandaxin, stresam, buspirone, atarax, afobazole, mezapam (rudotel), clorazepate.

If you are taking mood stabilizers (mood correctors)

Mood correctors

– drugs that have the ability to influence both pathologically depressed and pathologically elevated mood. The ability to regulate mood is manifested in the elimination of severe affective disorders, and then in the stabilization of mood at a certain average level. Thus, the main indication for prescribing mood stabilizers is the presence of depressive and manic attacks that recur quite often.

Most mood correctors (except lithium) are also anticonvulsants used in the treatment of epilepsy.

In addition, mood stabilizers are successfully used in the treatment of:

- personality disorders accompanied by explosiveness, conflict, irritability, aggression

— depression in patients with alcoholism

- migraine

Normotimics include:

- lithium salts (preparations sedalit, micalit, litosan, contemnol, quilonum retard)

- valproic acid (drugs Depakine, Konvulex, Encorate, Apilepsin, Konvulsofin, Dipromal, Orphyril, Everiden)

- carbamazepine (synonyms: finlepsin, tegretol, actinerval, gene-karpaz, zagretol, zeptol, carbadak, carbalepsin, carbapin, karbasan, carbatol, carzepin-200, mazepin, novo-carbamaz, stazepin, storilat, timonil, finzepin, epial)

SIDE EFFECTS OF NORMOTIMICS.

Side effects of lithium drugs (sedalite, micalite, litosan, etc.)

At the initial stage of preventive therapy with lithium salts, mild side effects may appear in the form of increased fatigue, disorders of the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), and occasional mild hand tremors. At acceptable concentrations of lithium in the blood (within 0.5 - 0.8 mEq/L), these phenomena do not require a dose reduction and usually disappear as the body adapts to the drug.

With a relative duration of treatment (over several months and years), the following may appear:

- diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland

- noticeable weight gain

- minor swelling

- temporary deterioration in vision clarity.

In these cases, it is sometimes necessary to slightly reduce the dose or switch from using a long-acting (long-acting) drug to taking short-acting drugs in the same dose 2-3 times a day.

The main complication that can occur with long-term use of lithium drugs is intoxication with lithium salts.

Early signs of lithium overdose: increased thirst and trembling fingers. Then lethargy, weakness, and drowsiness appear. Then vomiting and diarrhea occur, swelling increases, speech difficulties and heart rhythm disturbances appear.

At the first signs of intoxication, you must immediately stop taking the drug and consult a psychiatrist, who will prescribe treatment aimed at accelerating the elimination of lithium from the body and relieving symptoms of intoxication.

Provoking factors that increase the concentration of lithium in the blood: a diet with limited salt and liquid, combination with indomethacin, some antibiotics (ampicillin, tetracycline)

Attention! Treatment with lithium preparations is carried out with regular monitoring of the concentration of lithium in the blood plasma:

- in the acute period (treatment aimed at “breaking off” a painful attack): the concentration of lithium in the blood is monitored daily, and it should not exceed 1.2 - 1.4 meq/l

- selection of a daily dose for prophylactic use (treatment is aimed at preventing repeated attacks of depression or manic states) requires determining the concentration of lithium in the blood, first once a week during the first month, then 1 - 2 times a month, after 7 months of therapy - once at 3 – 4 months. The lithium concentration that provides a preventive effect should be in the range of 0.5 – 0.8 mEq/L

Side effects of valproic acid drugs (convulex, depakine, encorate, etc.)

The most common side effects of valproic acid therapy are gastrointestinal disorders: nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite.

Possible excessive sedative effect in the form of drowsiness, slowing down of thought processes.

Also possible: tremor (shaking of hands), loss of coordination of movements.

When using long-acting drugs used once a day (for example, Depakine Chrono), side effects occur more often, it is possible that appetite may increase rather than decrease, and hair loss is sometimes observed.

To prevent these phenomena, it is advisable to combine valproic acid with a daily intake of multivitamins with a set of microelements, including, in particular, selenium and zinc.

Side effects of carbamazepine (finlepsin, tegretol)

When carrying out carbamazepine therapy, side effects are expressed in headaches, dizziness, loss of coordination of movements, drowsiness, dermatitis or skin itching, sometimes double vision, blurred vision.

As with other mood stabilizers, side effects such as nausea and vomiting are possible.

However, in most cases, carbamazepine is well tolerated, even with long-term use.

If you take nootropics (meals that improve nutrition and brain function)

Nootropics

– medications that stimulate mental activity, improve memory, and accelerate learning processes.

Application: decreased general activity, asthenic conditions of various origins, brain lesions (vascular, traumatic, alcoholic, infectious), conditions after strokes, coma, dementia, in pediatric practice: with intellectual disability, developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ), tics, enuresis.

Noothorps are always used in the treatment of alcoholism.

Effects of nootropics (present in different drugs in different amounts):

— Psychostimulating (increasing the activity of the sphere of impulses) – used in states of decreased activity, inactivity and apathy, intellectual inhibition

— Antiasthenic (reduction of weakness, increased physical and mental exhaustion)

— Increasing the level of wakefulness of consciousness - used in states of depressed or darkened consciousness

— Adaptogenic – increasing the resistance of the body and psyche to various harmful environmental factors, including intoxications

— Nootropic (strengthening the functions of thinking, memory)

— Antiepileptic (for some drugs)

— Antiparkinsonian (used not only for Parkinson’s disease, but also to relieve the unpleasant side effects of antipsychotic therapy - see above)

— Vegetotropic (stabilization of the autonomic nervous system)

Table of synonyms for nootropic drugs.

SIDE EFFECTS OF NOOTROPICS

Nootropics are low-toxic drugs and are usually well tolerated by patients.

Side effects may include sleep disturbances and increased irritability. Such effects are inherent in nootropics with a predominant stimulating effect. These include (in descending order of stimulating effect): acephen, phenotropil, bemitil, encephabol, nootropil (piracetam), demanol, aminalon.

On the contrary, drugs with a predominance of a mild sedative (calming) effect do not cause increased irritability, anxiety and sleep disturbances, and even relieve these unpleasant symptoms. Nootropics with a predominant calming effect include phenibut, mexidol, picamilon, pantogam.

Other side effects of nootropics (occur quite rarely, are unstable and pass quickly): headache, nausea, stool disorders, fluctuations in blood pressure