Xanax can be effective for short-term treatment of anxiety or panic disorders, but it can also be habit-forming and cause withdrawal symptoms. Gradual reduction of dosage is necessary for detoxification, which can take several months and cause physical and psychological symptoms. Mental health professionals should closely monitor patients and prescribe the lowest effective dosage.
Many people are prescribed Xanax® due to anxiety or panic disorders and the drug has proven very effective as a short-term treatment. However, Xanax® can also be extremely habit-forming and studies suggest that a patient can reach a tolerance level high enough to induce withdrawal from Xanax® in as little as 4-6 months. Even if dosages are well within standard therapeutic ranges, about 1 to 2 milligrams per day, withdrawal can still be as physically and emotionally painful as if an addict were to ingest much higher recreational dosages. The usual withdrawal symptoms include panic and anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, dizziness, recurring nightmares, insomnia, severe headaches and depressive thoughts.
The difficulty with Xanax® withdrawal lies in the nature of the drug itself. Unlike other commonly prescribed anxiety and panic disorder medications, Xanax® cannot be stopped abruptly or “cold turkey”. A few patients who take Xanax® regularly may decide to stop taking it one day as a form of self-detoxification. Instead, the dosage must be reduced very gradually and often a trained physician will use drugs such as Tegretol® or Klonopin® to replace the Xanax® as the patient slowly detoxifies. This detoxification process can take several months, and the patient will often experience withdrawal symptoms, such as severe panic attacks accompanied by hot and cold flashes. If a patient attempts to come off Xanax® “cold turkey,” he or she may also experience visual hallucinations and a feeling of being disconnected from the outside world. A detox patient may also feel physically weak and lethargic.
Some people also experience severe mood swings during Xanax® withdrawal, along with obsessive thoughts about death or sexuality. Friends and family may not even be aware of many of these side effects, since a patient experiencing withdrawal may appear physically normal, though perhaps in a weakened condition. Many of the more serious symptoms are psychological in nature, such as an inability to concentrate, an increase or decrease in sex drive, and a general fear of losing one’s mind or going crazy. There may also be psychosomatic sensations of needles entering limbs or insects crawling over his skin. Sensations of dry mouth or inability to swallow have also been reported as withdrawal symptoms from Xanax®.
Anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax® were not developed for the long-term treatment of panic or anxiety disorders. The positive effects of Xanax® are intended to provide users with an approximation of a life free from anxiety or panic. After a few months of treatment, a patient should be able to taper off the medication and use other methods to control their anxiety or panic symptoms. A number of people, however, become physically and psychologically dependent on drugs such as Xanax®, which is why it is important for mental health professionals to closely monitor a patient’s progress while taking Xanax® and prescribe the lowest therapeutic dosage effective. When a patient demonstrates significant improvement in his general condition, use of the drug should be carefully and methodically tapered to avoid withdrawal from Xanax®.
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