Xanax is a deceptively powerful drug. People who take in these pills may feel as though each little dose they take makes life a little more pleasant and difficulties easier to tolerate. But each dose can also do a subtle amount of damage to the brain, and in time, all of those injuries can lead up to a variety of large, difficult problems.
Emotional Difficulties
Benzodiazepines like Xanax are sedative drugs that are designed to slow down electrical activity inside the brain and deliver a sense of calm and peace. Many people who abuse these drugs are serene in the face of almost any challenge. They seem blunted, as though emotionally difficult issues can’t touch them at all. However, an article published in American Family Physician suggests that some Xanax users develop a condition known as “paradoxical dis-inhibition.” These users might:
- Seem excited, rather than sedated
- Become irritable or hostile
- Engage in violent acts
- Make impulsive decisions
People like this might get arrested due to their behaviors, or they might harm their families or friends when they’re under the influence. They might lose their jobs, their relationships and their freedom, all due to the impact of Xanax.
Physical Changes
Users who are addicted to Xanax might take doses that are double, triple or even quadruple the size of doses doctors might recommend. This is a dangerous practice, but an article in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology suggests that it’s rare for users to overdose on Xanax alone. In this study, only two cases out of 178 Xanax-related deaths could be attributed to the sole use of that drug. However, there were 87 cases in 178 in which people died due to mixing Xanax with other drugs.
People who abuse Xanax might add other drugs to the mix in order to experience a different kind of high, or they might feel as though they’re in control of their sensations even when they’re adding multiple drugs together. However, research like this suggests that mixing and matching drugs like this can produce intense changes that lead directly to death. It’s just not safe for anyone.
Xanax can also lead to sluggish muscle control and a lack of coordination. People experiencing these symptoms might trip, stumble or fall, and those episodes can lead to a remarkable amount of physical damage that could lead to death. People under the influence might also feel comfortable with the idea of driving, but their impaired reflexes and slow thinking could allow them to get into catastrophic car accidents in which the user dies, or the user kills someone else.
An episode of illness or trauma might be the prompt a user needs in order to leave Xanax behind, but if those users attempt a rapid detox, they can experience seizures. That’s why experts suggest that addicted people get help through professional Xanax treatment programs, such as the one we offer at The Oaks at La Paloma. We can help you to move through detox in a safe and controlled manner with the assistance of consulting physicians, so you can get well safely. Please call, and we’ll tell you more about our Xanax program.