1. Alprazolam Calms Your Nerves
Alprazolam is an antianxiety medication sold under the brand names Niravam, Xanax and Xanax XR. Like other benzodiazepines, alprazolam is FDA-approved for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety associated with depression, panic disorder and occasionally insomnia. The drug acts fast--your body completely absorbs swallowed pills in under 2 hours--and you can keeping taking it for about 4 months before its effects start to decrease. This makes alprazolam good for treating both chronic anxiety and acute panic attacks that come on without a moment's notice.
2. Stay Off the Sauce
Alprazolam carries the risk of a number of severe drug interactions you'll want to watch out for. One thing you should definitely avoid while taking alprazolam (or any other benzodiazepine, for that matter) is alcohol. Broadly speaking, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and alcohol act on similar parts of the central nervous system, meaning they also produce similar effects. Combining these drugs intensifies their effects, which can lead to extreme drowsiness, coma and even death. Because of this, avoid alcohol completely while taking alprazolam.
3. Don't Get Hooked on Benzos
Like alcohol, alprazolam and other benzodiazepines are addictive. Studies have shown that the body starts to tolerate the drug's effects after about 4 months of continuous use. In addition to the tolerance, your body can also develop both a physical and a psychological dependence on the drug, increasing the risk for abuse. One way of managing this drop-off in effectiveness is to increase dosage. Doctors usually don't recommend this approach, however, because once it gets going the cycle of dosage escalation and tolerance is hard to break. If you've ever had problems with drug addiction or abuse, mention it to your doctor and talk about whether alprazolam's safe for you to take.
4. Ease Up Slowly to Prevent Withdrawal
Because using alprazolam regularly can lead to physical dependence and addiction, your doctor will gradually take you off of it once your symptoms have improved. This smoothes out the discontinuation process and helps to prevent withdrawal symptoms, which in some cases can be pretty severe. These symptoms usually pop up in the first few days after stopping treatment with alprazolam and include sharpened sensory perception, trouble concentrating, insomnia, anxiety and weight loss. Patients who suddenly discontinue treatment occasionally experience seizures and delirium. Obviously, none of these symptoms is desirable, so stick to your doctor's plan and taper off your dosage accordingly.
5. Just What the Doctor Ordered
Although benzodiazepines aren't as deadly in overdose as barbiturates, they're still dangerous. Taking too much alprazolam can make you sleepy, confused and uncoordinated. In rare instances, overdosing can also slip you into a coma or even take your life, so make sure you take only as much as your doctor prescribed.
