Xanax

What Patients Should Know about Xanax

Xanax is a popular medication taken to treat panic disorders and anxiety, and it belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. Basically, it affects the central nervous system and the brain, thus, producing the necessary calming effect. That’s because this medicine acts by improving the effects of GABA in the human body.

How to Take Xanax Correctly

People need to take Xanax orally, and their regular doses are based on a specific medical condition that must be treated, their response, age and so on. Sometimes, patients are advised to increase their dosage gradually until this medication starts working its best.

One of the most important facts is that Xanax may result in specific withdrawal reactions, especially when it’s taken for a long time and in higher doses. These unwanted withdrawal symptoms include seizures, and they may happen when patients stop taking Xanax suddenly.

To prevent them, it’s necessary to reduce the right dosage gradually. This medication may also cause addiction or abnormal drug seeking behavior, and this risk is increased if people have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. Besides, it’s not advisable to take this medication for a long time.

List of Reported Side Effects

There are certain side effects resulted by the intake of Xanax, and they include:

• Dizziness and lightheadedness;
• Drowsiness;
• Changes in sex drive;
• Increasedsaliva production.

In rare cases patients may end up with serious adverse effects, such as:

• Mood and mental changes;
• Difficulty talking;
• Slurredspeech;
• Troublewalking;
• Loss of coordination;
• Memoryproblems;
• Seizures;
• Yellow skin and eyes;
• Allergi creactions.

Precautions to Know before Starting This Treatment

Before you start using Xanax, it’s necessary to talk to doctors and discuss possible risks, especially if you have certain allergies, serious breathing and lung problems, kidney and liver conditions, glaucoma and alcohol or drug abuse. This medication can make people feel drowsy and dizzy, so they shouldn’t drive or do other things that require their full alertness.

Moreover, they need to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages when taking Xanax to be on a safe side. Older patients are more sensitive to its possible side effects, especially when it comes to drowsiness and loss of coordination, so they face an increased risk of falling. Patients are not allowed to take this medicine during pregnancy and breastfeeding because of possible health risks.

Unwanted Drug Combinations

There are certain medications that shouldn’t be combined with Xanax because of possible drug interactions that reduce its effectiveness and lead to side effects. For example, this medicine shouldn’t be taken together with sodium oxybate, kava, some antidepressants, pills that treat HIV, macrolide antibiotics, rifamycins, meds to treat seizures, tablets to treat anxiety, antihistamines and some others.