Xanax bars are a potent and commonly prescribed medication for anxiety and depressive disorders. But what do they do to your body? Are they dangerous? Here’s your guide.
Are you concerned about the side effects of taking Xanax bars?
If you are suffering from anxiety you will benefit from proper usage of Xanax. However, when Xanax is abused it can have the opposite effect.
If you want to know exactly how Xanax is affecting or will affect your body. You will find the following information helpful.
1. How Long Should You Use Xanax?
Xanax is intended for the short-term relief of severe anxiety and panic attacks. This why any prescription for Xanax will indicate that it should only be used for a few days.
It is usually given in a low dosage and if needed the dosage is increased. This slow elevation of dosage based on need is the approach that doctors take in order to avoid addiction.
2. How Do Xanax Bars Actually Work To Calm You?
Xanax bars calm anxiety by playing a role in how messages get to your brain. The brain contains GABA which is a neurotransmitter in the brain.
GABA’s main function is to calm you and induce normal brain activity.
GABA plays a major role in relaxing your muscles and helping you to sleep.
Xanax imitates GABA and this is what makes it effective at relaxing you. While Xanax’s imitation of GABA is effective. Long-term imitation of GABA by the drug means that natural GABA production is decreased.
Xanax bars are so effective at imitating GABA that its effect can be felt in as little as fifteen minutes. The drug accomplishes this by decreasing your elevated heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure.
3. What Happens When The Drug Is Abused?
When such a powerful drug is abused, your brain goes haywire.
Once addiction sets in, a vicious cycle is established and you become more likely to start taking more and more Xanax bars to compensate for the lack of natural GABA production.
Addicted to Xanax is likely to make you irritable and extremely moody. This is because your brain is trying to re-balance itself.
In addition to irritability and moodiness, a Xanax addiction is also likely to produce a number of other unpleasant symptoms such as:
- Chest pains
- Impaired memory
- Severe bouts of depression
- Hyperactivity
- Rage
- Suicidal thoughts
These sides effects are serious but there are still other side effects that are considered more severe. There have been cases where long-term usage has resulted in complete loss of memory and even insanity.
Other extreme long-term effects are speech deficiency where your words may start to become slurred. This has the effect of making you sound as if you are drunk.
The above mentioned side effects make it easy to see why doctors are not eager to use this drug for the long term. In fact, Xanax addiction can lead to such desperation for the drug, you may start to crush the bars and snort them to get a faster high.
The longer the drug is taken the more of it that will be needed to get the same effect. This phenomenon is known as dependence.
Once you become dependent you will become desperate when you cannot get the drug on demand.
This desperation can lead to extreme and dangerous behavior in order to satisfy the addiction.
It is not uncommon for a Xanax addict to display the following behaviors that deviate from their normal pattern of behavior.
- Lying to friends and family regularly
- Stealing money to buy Xanax illegally
- Physical aggression towards others
4. What Does Xanax Withdrawal Look Like?
A withdrawal from Xanax bars can be brutal on your body. The withdrawal will often begin when the drug becomes inactive in your bloodstream. This will usually occur anywhere between six to twelve hours of the last usage.
However, in extreme cases, withdraw symptoms may begin in five hours or less.
Xanax withdrawal should never be done cold turkey as this can be just as dangerous as the addiction. Instead, it should be a gradual process.
A cold turkey withdrawal can have a devastating effect on your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and also your mental state. There may also be convulsions and seizures that resemble those that occur during epileptic fits.
These withdrawal symptoms will occur and then disappear slowly when quitting cold turkey. The disappearance of the symptoms of withdrawal is usually deceptive since they usually return with a vengeance.
In short, cold turkey withdrawal produces an ebb and flow of symptoms.
These symptoms occur because the body has gone into shock. The sudden withdrawal of the drug means that your body will start working furiously to compensate for the lack of GABA activity.
Your brain will literally try to reset its normal neurotransmitter levels sending your brain and your body into overdrive.
5. What Is The Best Way To Overcome An Addiction To Xanax?
The best way for you to get off Xanax is gradually in a reputable drug detox program. Once the amount of Xanax you take is gradually reduced your brain and your entire body will have time to slowly adjust.
This tapering of the dosage should be done under the supervision of those who are qualified to deal with Xanax addiction.
Even when withdrawal is gradual you are still likely to have adverse reactions. Although these will become milder.
Treatment for Xanax addiction is usually not just physical. There is usually some level of mental therapy that must take place.
This may take the form of individual therapy which involves behavioral as well as solution-focused therapy.
Family therapy is often necessary to assist your family members who may have been traumatized by living with you through the addiction.
Final Thoughts
If you are suffering from a Xanax addiction or know someone who is, there is help available for addiction treatment Los Angeles. It is always better for help to come from people who understand the addiction and know how to safely help someone overcome it.
If you would like some assistance in your journey or a loved one’s journey towards freedom from Xanax bars addiction, do not hesitate to contact us. We are always willing and able to offer you guidance.
