What Are the Dangers of Taking Too Much Xanax?
Alprazolam or better known as (Xanax) belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. A potent benzodiazepine commonly prescribed to medicate stress disorders, panic disorders, anxiety, and insomnia. In America, Xanax has been the most prescribed single-use psychiatric medication.
Like other antidepressants, Xanax treats generalized anxiety and belongs to the family’s benzodiazepine medication family. When used in the long term, Xanax can be very addictive. Roughly seventy percent of American teens have Xanax addiction starting from getting the drug in their medicine cabinet.
Tolerance to this drug develops rapidly, urging individuals to consume larger doses of the drug to achieve the desired outcome. A person under a Xanax addiction may consume up to 20 to 30 pills daily. Should the user decide to stop ingesting Xanax, severe, mild withdrawal effects, such as anxiety, insomnia, drowsiness, and tremors, will likely experience.
In Los Angeles, teen Xanax treatment is growing in numbers due to adolescent Xanax overdoses that are, unfortunately, becoming worse every year. Doctors usually prescribe Xanax to manage anxiety. However, teens often use it as a party drug.
This article will further help us understand why people use Xanax, its side effects, relevant warnings, and treatment.
How much Xanax is too much Xanax?
Anything in excess is wrong. The amount of Xanax needed to overdose differs in every situation, like when the drug is mix with other substances. Combining Xanax and the tranquilizing properties of a benzodiazepine will suppress a person’s circulatory system.
Are there different types of Xanax? Yes! Xanax has different dosage forms and doses. These include:
- Oral concentrate: a concentration of 1 mg of Alprazolam to 1 mL of liquid
- Orally disintegrating tablets: doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg
- Short-acting tablets: doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg
- Long-acting tablets: doses of 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg
LEARN: What does a xanax pill look like?
Dangers of Taking Too Much Xanax
Xanax has a very high threat to be abused because shortly after being taken orally, its effect is quickly in effect. Unlike other drugs, Xanax is seriously fast-acting. Dissolved into the bloodstream through the GI tract and transported to the brain, its effects occur.
If ingested a large number of Xanax dosages at once, the body quickly responds by becoming saturated with the enormous dose.
The main reason why people tend to develop a Xanax addiction is that the brain realigns in producing hormones naturally when an individual decided to stop using Xanax. In this case, the brain activities are maximizing because it is no longer self-operating, and the risk of having depression is higher.
This addiction is developing in the mind. That is why the brain suddenly changes its function, causing a person to hunger for larger doses of Xanax and will persist even when the drug no longer affects them.
Furthermore, drug addiction may lead to a devastating mental disorder that can seriously take a person’s life. If someone loses control of drug intake, Xanax emerges as the essential thing to them—realigned priorities, resulting in wrecked relationships, health, and productivity.
Long-Term Impacts
What Are the Dangers of Taking Too Much Xanax? Xanax addiction affects the user’s day-to-day life in different ways, too. Thorough research is still needed in this area, knowing that Xanax can have lasting consequences. When people continue to abuse benzodiazepine for an extended period, the absence of Xanax will make the brain malfunction and forget how to operate effectively. All types of benzodiazepines harness the production of neurotransmitters known as GABA, which are responsible for calming nerve impulses leading to emotional breakdowns like anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. Some of the lethal long-term impacts of addiction to Xanax include;
- Cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Lethargy
- Weight gain
- Paranoia
- Seizures
Long-Term Physical Impact of Xanax Overdose
Like with any prescription drug, Xanax has a high risk of adverse side effects that increase with the excessive abuse of the drug. Side effects of prolonged Xanax use may include:
- Euphoric
- Nausea
- Dry Mouth
- Somnolence
- Low Blood Pressure
- Shallow breathing
Short-Term Impacts Psychological Impacts
According to professional research sources, such as the four-volume set of The Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Drug Abuse, the short-term effects of Xanax use and abuse include:
● Excessive talking
● Irritability
● Decreased Motivation
Xanax focuses on the brain by maximizing the effect of a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Medical professionals describe GABA as a natural tranquilizer. Higher doses of the chemical may cause a person to feel relaxed or sleepy. Also, unlike some other benzodiazepines, Xanax may trigger the brain’s reward system.
Long-term Psychological Impacts
The continued and prolonged intake of Xanax for an extended period will have a lasting effect on the brain. It can lead to drug tolerance and physical dependence, which can grow more severe with time.
In addition to this, Xanax abuse can also have long-term psychological impacts on mood and behavior, such as;
● Hallucinations
● Difficulty concentrating
● Memory problems
● Depression
● Mental Illness
Xanax Overdose Treatment for Teens
Depression among the American population of teenagers is enormously rapid on the rise, making teen drug addiction rampant. It is also an overwhelming diagnosis to navigate. And with it, a surge in mental health medication abuse. When asking yourself What Are the Dangers of Taking Too Much Xanax, the answers can be scary at times.
Xanax has rapidly become the highly in-demand choice of prescription drug used as a tranquilizer among teens in this highly urbanized country. In contrast, the death toll within this category has increased around 500 percent since 2000, based on the latest research. Because of its accessibility, Xanax provides immediate, lasting results and is highly addictive. One reason why teen Xanax addiction is hugely on the rise.
An estimated 10 to 20 percent of adolescents aged 18 to 25 are experiencing substance or drug abuse. Physical and psychological dependency are two significant signs of Xanax overdose symptoms. When tolerance is establishing, larger doses are required to match the same stress-reducing effect, thus allowing the user in exposing to a risk for overdose and even death.
Thankfully, medication for teens who overdose on Xanax has many options to choose from concerning substance abuse treatment, and no parent or guardian has to be alone with it.
People that seek help and unsure where to begin; various programs and medical professionals in which family members and friends of the teen under this condition will have to choose from referrals and information for their situation. Below are some options to choose as a parent or guardian of a drug-abusing teen:
- Individual Counseling
- Inpatient Treatment
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Therapeutic Techniques
- Medication
Always remember that whatever treatment plan of choice should be holistic in approach.
Conclusion
The main goal of Teen Xanax addiction treatment is to safely stabilize the person while they are in transition to sobriety. It ensures that they have the skills and tools to help them return to their typical day-to-day situations. Seeking help from professionals and finding the proper drug addiction treatment with a specialized program that integrates the quality of medical care with various therapeutic and effective therapies is the most effective way towards a successful Xanax addiction recovery.
Are you looking for a Los Angeles teen addiction treatment facility that will address the underlying issues that have lead to your loved one’s addiction? Recovery from teen Xanax abuse is possible, and you’re not alone.
