Beware of the addiction of Xanax
Xanax addiction is especially dangerous because
Xanax addiction often begins with a prescription from a doctor.
Xanax addiction is a common side-effect of the prescription drug
Alprazolam. The drug is a central nervous system depressant and
Xanax addiction occurs when the drug is abused beyond its
prescribed purposes. Used to treat many disorders from anxiety to
stress, Xanax addiction results in the overuse of the drug to
suppress unwanted feelings. Whether the drug is taken every night
to fall asleep or continually throughout the day to remain calm,
Xanax addiction progresses quickly and has become a serious health
problem for many people.
Xanax is the brand name for Alprazolam which
produces a calming effect on the brain by literally slowing it
down. The Xanax user might experience a drowsy feeling during the
first few days until the body builds up a tolerance to the drug.
This is an important factor of Xanax addiction because it is this
tolerance that allows the user to take more and more of the drug
to feel the same effects. Those with a Xanax addiction seek the
drowsy feeling with a much higher intensity than normal people.
The brain in those with a Xanax addiction associates Xanax with
reward and stimulates pleasure centers that give the user feelings
of euphoria that normal users do not experience.
With the increasing use and tolerance,
consequences soon begin to emerge. Soon the single prescription
from the family doctor is not enough to satisfy the user and those
with Xanax addiction may seek other doctors for additional
prescriptions. It is not unusual for individuals with serious
Xanax addiction to be juggling five, ten or sometimes even more
doctors, getting prescriptions for Xanax from each of them.
Clearly the cost of this adds up quickly and the user might resort
to crime to get Xanax. Fraudulent prescriptions, theft of
prescription pads and bogus phone calls to pharmacies are a
national problem.
The wife/mother/father/waitress/truck
driver/lawyer/executive who began taking Xanax on the advice of
their doctor to relieve tension and stress does not do so with the
knowledge that a few months from now they might be committing
forgery or buying Xanax off the black market on the street. Xanax
addiction slowly consumes the user in such a way that no amount of
self-will and desire can halt the process on its own. Those with a
Xanax addiction have developed a medical condition in which the
brain and body are altered. This condition is progressive and if
not treated, Xanax addiction can be fatal.
When the body and mind build up a tolerance that
allows or could be said, requires that 5, 15, 20, or even 80 pills
must be taken on a given day to feel "normal" that is Xanax
addiction. At this point it is not even safe to just stop on your
own. Physical dependence is well established and the withdrawal
effects could be deadly. Brain seizures occur as the brain goes
from being suppressed into hyperactivity when the Xanax is
removed. This is why Xanax addiction should always be done at a
rehabilitation center staffed with medical doctors and medical
equipment.
