A Medication for Anxiety
Anxiety disorder is a common mental health concern affecting approximately 30 million Americans annually. The common characteristics of anxiety disorder can include several symptoms– uncontrollable worry, fear, fatigue, or feeling on edge or restless. These heightened emotional states can cause someone immense difficulty in maintaining day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Anxiety symptoms occur without warning and, often, without a specific occurrence to trigger these troubling side effects. If you’re living with an anxiety disorder, help is available to support you in overcoming symptoms and stabilizing your mental health. Speaking with your physician who can offer you treatment through medications like Xanax and holistic methods is recommended. However, an addiction can develop, leading to needing help managing Xanax withdrawal symptoms.
Medication is the most commonly used form of treatment for anxiety. Xanax is a popular prescription medication provided to individuals with anxiety disorder. Xanax is classified as a benzodiazepine that has sedative effects to reduce the onset of symptoms from anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and high levels of stress. When used as prescribed, Xanax is an effective treatment measure to reduce and manage anxiety symptoms as it creates a calming sensation that reduces impulsive behaviors and enables you to maintain your daily responsibilities and lifestyle.
Is Xanax Addictive?
Yes, there is a possibility that Xanax can become addictive. When taken as prescribed, Xanax is an effective method of treating your anxiety disorder. If your use of Xanax extends the prescribed dosage, there’s an increased risk for you to become addicted to this prescription drug. Even when you consume Xanax as prescribed, you risk becoming dependent on this medication. When you abuse Xanax and use it in larger amounts than required changes the chemistry in your brain, resulting in physical and psychological dependence on this substance.
To safely overcome dependence on Xanax, you must have the guidance and supervision of trained medical professionals and addiction therapists. There are potential dangers associated with quitting Xanax cold turkey that can be detrimental to your physical and psychological health. To safely end your use of Xanax requires a slow tapering-off process that allows your body to release the dependence on Xanax without experiencing negative or severe withdrawal symptoms. A drug detox and rehab program assists you in overcoming the physical addiction to Xanax while also supporting you in exploring the underlying causes of your addictive behaviors while learning tools to manage your anxiety symptoms through natural, holistic practices.
32 Warning Signs Someone Is Abusing Xanax
If you’re concerned about your use of Xanax or are concerned that someone you know may be experiencing an addiction to Xanax, there are common warning signs and indicators to be aware of. These signs will vary from person to person, but if you recognize some of these warning signs, it can help you determine if someone is living with an addiction to Xanax. Similar to any other substance use disorder, Xanax addiction can have impacts on your physical or behavioral health and impact a person’s social or familial life.
Here are the signs:
- Slurred speech
- Poor motor coordination
- Blurred vision
- Disorientation
- Drowsiness
- Excessive sweating
- Fluctuations in weight
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Swelling in the hands or feet
- Dizziness
- Seizures
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when no longer taking Xanax
- Having significant cravings for Xanax when you’re no longer using Xanax
- Rapid or unexplained mood swings
- Using larger amounts of Xanax to reach the same desired effects
- The majority of your time is spent thinking about, planning for, and engaging in Xanax use
- Lying about or hiding your Xanax use from others
- Becoming defensive when confronted about your Xanax use
- Experiencing depression or anxiety
- Hiding stashes of Xanax in various places in the home, office, or vehicle
- The decline in performance at work or school
- Experiencing legal problems due to your substance use
- “Doctor shopping” to obtain multiple prescriptions for Xanax
- Financial concerns due to Xanax use
- Difficulties maintaining relationships or experiencing an increase in conflict with others
- Disengaging from activities that once brought you joy
- Isolating from loved ones
- Changes in a social group to one that is centered around substance use
- Strained familial relationships or conflict within the family unit due to substance use
- Stealing or borrowing money from family or friends to obtain Xanax
20 Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms
Xanax withdrawal symptoms can impact both your physical and psychological health. The severity of your withdrawal symptoms depends on your specific history of Xanax abuse and the intensity of your dependence on Xanax. Each person in Xanax detox will experience varying withdrawal symptoms that can include some of the following:
- Weight loss or gain
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Excessive sweating
- Heart palpitations
- Muscle spasms or twitches
- Sore or stiff muscles
- Tremors
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Confusion
- Depression
- Insomnia or disrupted sleep patterns
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Onset of panic
- Paranoia
- Heightened senses
What Helps with Xanax Withdrawal?
Xanax withdrawal is the first critical step in your treatment process and there are treatments and steps you can take to make this process smooth and safe. Due to the potential severe withdrawal symptoms, you must receive the guidance and support of medical professionals who are trained in safe detox practices. While you may wonder if you can detox from Xanax cold turkey from the comfort of your home, it’s highly recommended that you enter into a detox program to ensure your safety and comfort throughout this process.
During Xanax detox, you’ll be offered ongoing medical supervision as you engage in a slow tapering-off process from Xanax. The tapering-off process allows your body to soothe from the dependency on Xanax and mitigates the intensity of withdrawal symptoms. As you progress through your detox, if you experience withdrawal symptoms, you can be provided with medications to ease any nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea symptoms. During this transformational process, you’ll be offered holistic therapy methods for any other symptoms that can ease your body and mind. You’ll be encouraged to engage in therapeutic methods of meditation, breathwork therapy, nutritional health, exercise, and rest that will offer a whole body cleanse and healing process. Holistic therapy methods are exceptionally supportive in managing symptoms of anxiety and keeping you calm and centered.
Muse Treatment Can Help With Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms
Muse Treatment Center offers patients a comprehensive detox and treatment plan that’s designed to help them safely and effectively overcome their dependence on Xanax. Our experienced team of medical staff – nurses, physicians, and qualified addiction therapists- are specifically trained in safe detox practices. We value the need for personalized care and treatment as we understand the individual nature of substance use disorders. Your experience with substance use is unique to you and has had specific impacts on your life that need to be addressed through medical treatments, evidence-based therapy methods, and holistic therapies.
Our team takes the time to get to know you, your history with substance use, and your overarching goals for recovery to build you a meaningful, effective treatment plan that will enable you to achieve long-lasting success in addiction recovery. To hear more about the treatment program we can provide you, call our admission team at (800) 426-1818 to have all of your questions answered and begin your recovery process today.
