Xanax and other drugs in this same class (benzodiazepines) have long been popular drugs of abuse. Those seeking to achieve the high of heroin by abusing painkillers found that mixing opioids like Vicodin, Lortab, Percocet or OxyContin with a benzodiazepine intensified the high of the painkillers and gave them a similar euphoric effect. And so was born drug combinations dubbed the “Las Vegas Cocktail” (benzos and opiates) and the “Houston Cocktail” (benzos, opiates and the muscle relaxant Soma).
But with each drug added to this combination, it became more deadly. All three drugs in the Houston Cocktail suppress a person’s breathing. So a combination of all three, just two or even enough of one can suppress one’s breathing until it stops.
Despite this, many people choose to abuse Xanax or one of the other benzodiazepines like Valium, Klonopin, Ativan or Halcion. They may not realize the risk they are taking.
Many celebrity deaths have involved the use of benzos, even if that drug was not determined to be the primary cause of death. Whitney Houston, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger all died under the influence of benzodiazepines, which may have contributed to their deaths to a greater or lesser degree.
With this dangerous drug in so many people’s hands, it’s important to look at the six most compelling reasons that it’s good to avoid abusing it.
1. The side effects.
Benzos are anti-anxiety drugs with a very long list of side effects. “Side effects” just refers to the undesirable effects of the drug, the ones that people put up with because want a drug to have a particular effect on them.
As noted in the Narconon web page on the signs and symptoms,” the side effects of Xanax include:
Headache
Memory problems
Insomnia
Nausea
Vomiting
Confusion
Tremors
Loss of interest in sex
More serious side effects of Xanax include:
Depression
Hallucinations
Seizures
Hostility
Thoughts of harming oneself
Suicidality
This list alone offers important reasons to skip this drug.
2. The addiction.
The FDA-approved instructions on this drug note that patients who receive more than 4 mg per day for 12 weeks are at great risk of dependence on this drug. This means that these individuals are very likely go through withdrawal if they are taken off the drug and could suffer serious problems during this time. But very often, patients are prescribed this drug for long periods of time. Or a person who abuses this drug does so for months or years. It is extremely likely that this lengthy use/abuse will result in addiction for the patient or user.
3. The withdrawal.
When a person is going to come off Xanax, he must be slowly tapered off the drug. According to FDA-approved prescribing instructions, the patient in Xanax withdrawal may suffer muscle cramps and twitches, diarrhea, blurred vision, anxiety, insomnia, impaired concentration, loss of appetite and seizures. Some people had multiple seizures as they came off the drug.
4. The rebound.
Xanax is often prescribed for panic attacks and similar fearful or anxious symptoms. The FDA notes that patients discontinuing this drug may experience a “rebound” of symptoms.” This means that the symptoms don’t just come back, they come back worse than they were before the drug was prescribed. Besides being terrifying for the patient, this phenomenon shows that this drug is not a solution of any kind.
5. The overdose or drug-related death.
It’s difficult but not impossible to overdose on Xanax alone. Xanax is one of the more fast-working benzos so a person can become incapacitated before they know what’s happening. If they don’t die from the drug itself, they could die from actions they take while they are rapidly becoming less aware of their surroundings, such as getting into a bathtub or trying to drive.
6. The danger of combining with other drugs.
As noted after the death of Whitney Houston, alcohol and Xanax are a deadly combination. She had both drugs in her body when she was found submerged under water in her bath. Both substances suppress breathing. Add opiates or muscle relaxants, as discussed earlier in this article, and the risks intensify. It’s not surprising that some people die from abusing this combination, it’s more surprising that so many people survive.
Some people may be out partying, take a few Xanax and then proceed to drink alcohol. By the time the Xanax has kicked in, they could have finished a couple of drinks. This combination could put them in danger of dying when all they were doing was trying to have a good time.
So these are six good reasons to skip this abusing this drug. If you would like to learn more about Xanax and the problem that can occur from its abuse and how addiction to Xanax can be overcome, visit www.narconon.org. If you need help to beat an addiction to Xanax, give us a call at 800-775-8750.
