This page will cover symptoms of a Xanax overdose, what to do if someone is overdosing on Xanax, and how Xanax overdose is treated. Here, you can learn Xanax overdose rates, the risk factors for overdose, and how to prevent overdoses on this drug in the future. This counseling style encourages individuals to find the internal motivation to enact positive changes, especially within the context of substance use disorders. Remember that addiction is a treatable condition, and seeking professional guidance can lead to successful recovery pathways.

Common side effects

Xanax generally causes more side effects than hydroxyzine, but individual responses can vary. New formulations of naltrexone and buprenorphine allow you to receive medications just once a month through an injection. When someone overuses opioids, they may have symptoms like confusion, increased sleepiness, nausea, euphoria, constipation, narrowed or “pinpoint” pupils, and decreased pain.

The difference between dependence and addiction

Tolerance can develop quickly with Xanax, leading individuals to take higher doses to achieve the same desired effects — and this cycle of increasing dosage can quickly spiral into dependence and addiction. While there are dangers to using Xanax, the drug can also lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Many recreational drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal effects, but Xanax withdrawal can actually lead to seizures because it reduces the brain’s ability to suppress them. Seizures can be fatal in some cases or lead to brain damage, making Xanax addiction particularly dangerous. Gender differences exist in Xanax addiction, with women being more likely to develop dependence and experience withdrawal symptoms.

What to expect from treatment

The process of reaching abstinence may involve detoxification (often referred to as “detox”) and behavioral therapies. Xanax, one of the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines, is generally considered safe for short-term use, but it can cause side effects like sleepiness, headaches, lethargy, dry mouth, and memory problems. Symptoms of Xanax withdrawal can be more severe than that of other benzodiazepines. Mild symptoms of withdrawal can occur after taking the drug for as little as 1 week if stopped abruptly.

• “Cody showed serious signs of withdrawal including repeatedly vomiting on himself and all over his cell, sweating, weakness so severe he could not stand, and abnormal vital signs,” Matthews said in court filings.
• Since alprazolam additionally elicits a pleasant euphoria and other changed responses in the brain, users can become addicted to this feeling—using more and more in an attempt to recreate these effects.
• The first type of medication typically prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).
• Inpatient programs are residential programs wherein the user will be living in the treatment center for a period that typically ranges from between 30 days and 90 days.

The treatment options for Xanax addiction include detoxification, behavioral therapy, and support groups. The treatment of Xanax Addiction has to be done comprehensively to ensure effectiveness and minimize the risk of a relapse. Sometimes, usage is gradually tapered until it’s stopped to reduce withdrawal symptoms effects.

What to do if you think a loved one has an addiction

This phenomenon is described as tolerance and, as a result of developing tolerance to Xanax, you may end up taking larger and larger amounts. If you or a loved one is living with Xanax addiction, help and healing are closer than you think. Call The Recovery Village to speak with a representative who can answer your questions about treatment and help begin the path to recovery. After taking Xanax, the peak effects of the drug are typically felt within one to two hours.

Get Help with Xanax Abuse in Orlando

With water and Gatorade to ensure people going through withdrawal are hydrated. For Schwartz, the symptoms of withdrawal are often more mental than physical, but the process still means anxiety, nausea, shaking and the inability to sleep. When Republican Sheriff Richard Jones took office in 2005, he instituted chain gangs and the “warden burger,” a punishment meal made with ground turkey and cabbage Xanax Addiction: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment and served to inmates in solitary confinement. Jones previously said his deputies don’t carry naloxone (brand name Narcan), a medication that can quickly reverse opioid overdoses. The funny thing is, the people testing positive for other stuff and sometimes negative for their medications may be even more likely to actually have addiction than the “perfect” patient who never does either.

• Unfortunately, according to the FDA, this practice is both dangerous and widely misunderstood.
• “We just put the message out, you know, you’re absolutely not going to act badly inside this jail or there will be consequences, but they don’t have to be the burger,” she said.
• This practice brings family members into the recovery process to work on relational dynamics and provide a support system for those in treatment.
• Inpatient rehabilitation programs provide intensive, round-the-clock care in a residential setting.
• Xanax is absorbed in the body within an hour or two, so it can cause considerable changes in the brain in a short period of time.
• Depending on the severity of your symptoms, the level of anxiety you experience during Xanax withdrawal may be more intense than what you experienced before taking Xanax.

In some cases, the lines between genuine medical use and abuse can be blurred. Xanax addiction manifests through a range of symptoms that can be categorized into physical, behavioral, and psychological aspects. Xanax—also known by its generic name alprazolam—is a benzodiazepine that comes in either tablet or capsule form. Sometimes called “purple footballs,” “bars,” or “Z-bars,” this drug can cause a high that includes feelings of intense relaxation and drowsiness.