How To Treat A Xanax Addiction
Xanax is a benzodiazepine and ranks in the same category as alcohol in regards to withdrawal effects. Both alcohol and benzodiazepines, if withdrawn from too quickly can cause seizures in the patient. So, you have to monitor those things very carefully so there needs to be a titration schedule in order to get people slowly and gradually off benzodiazepine or alcohol. Once that has been accomplished, whatever the Xanax was treating – most generally it’s anxiety or panic attacks – then the physician can look at a different medication to treat the symptoms as well or perhaps a different combination of medication that can help patients without the risks of increasing the dependency on the Xanax or another benzo as well as decreasing the withdrawal effects of that particular medication. It takes an appreciable length of time to decrease from Xanax, perhaps up to two months.
How Would Someone Know They’re Addicted To Xanax?
Most people can use or take Xanax very safely, it comes in various doses. Some patients we see are very effectively treated on even half a milligram a day, as prescribed or as needed. Some of our patients are on one milligram. If we have a patient who has an increased demand to use that Xanax and it’s not working, what we look for is increasing demand and decreased efficacy where someone went from one to one and a half to two, two and a half milligrams as needed. They then have established a dependency on that medication and we need to look at that carefully to make sure that they don’t develop the dependency that then moves in on to an addiction on that Xanax.
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