Xanax information

Xanax (generic name: Alprazolam) is an anti-anxiety agent belonging to the benzodiazepine family of drugs. Xanax, a prescription tranquilizer which depresses the nervous system in a way similar to alcohol, is used primarily for short-term relief of mild to moderate anxiety and nervous tension. It can also be effective in the treatment of activity depression or panic attacks.

When abused, Xanax, is taken orally, chewed in its original tablet form, or crushed (then snorted like cocaine or dissolved in water and injected like heroin).

Xanax addiction

The tranquilizer, which was introduced in 1973, can become psychologically and physically addictive if taken in high doses for longer than eight weeks. Therefore, it should be - and usually is - prescribed as a temporary solution for people with stress and anxiety disorders, doctors say.

But while addiction is Xanax's primary risk, there's another breed of abuser out there. Like other pharmaceuticals such as OxyContin and Ritalin, Xanax has found its way from pharmacies to drug dealers, and is being abused by young, healthy people who want to get high. These club-hopping, twentysomething, casual ``Xannie poppers'' are using the drug in combination with other stimulants, from booze to cocaine.

Xanax abuse

It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were currently using prescription drugs non-medically. Nearly 5 million people have at one point taken Xanax or a similar anti-anxiety medication for nonmedicinal reasons, according to a 2000 survey conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Possession of a prescription drug without proof of a prescription is a felony.

More than 22,000 Xanax-related emergency-room visits were reported in the United States in 2000, up from 16,000 seven years before, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

signs of Xanax use