What are the Side Effects of Xanax?
The side effects of Xanax include:
* Headaches (especially when taken with alcohol)
* Nausea/Vomiting
* Dry Mouth
* Dizziness or Weakness
* Insomnia or Restlessness (Especially if taken with Alcohol)
There may be other symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, hallucinations, delusions and psychosis.
Side effects of Xanax may last from a few hours to several days.
It is important to note that some of these side effects may not occur in all patients. Some people have been reported to experience only one or two of these symptoms while others report experiencing many more. You will need to determine which ones apply to you based upon your individual situation.
If you do experience any of them, it would be best if you seek medical attention immediately so that they can be treated effectively.
If you suffer from depression, you may experience severe mood swings. These mood changes can range from mild euphoria to extreme depression. While there is no cure for depression, medications such as antidepressants can help alleviate the symptoms of major depressive disorder.
However, if you are taking medication for another condition such as anxiety or schizophrenia, then Xanax may exacerbate those conditions and make them worse. Therefore it is important to consult with your doctor before using Xanax and other psychoactive drugs.
Common Side Effects of Xanax: Nausea, Dry Mouth, Headaches and Insomnia
Some people experience serious problems when they take the drug. These can include severe allergic reactions, chest pain, changes in vision, difficulty breathing, confusion, agitation, delirium, seizure, slurred speech and suicidal thoughts. If you begin to experience any of these extreme reactions, seek immediate medical treatment.
In some instances, people have reported allergic reactions to the drug. If you notice a rash or hives developing, seek emergency medical attention.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek emergency medical attention immediately:
* Severe Wernicke’s encephalopathy: Symptoms include confusion, paralysis and trouble with movement or walking.
* Severe depression: Symptoms include extreme lethargy, a lack of motivation to do anything, feeling helpless or hopeless, a loss of interest in things that you once cared about or enjoyed and a down-turn in mood to the point that suicide seems like a rational option.
* Slurring of speech: Although this may be an obvious symptom, it can also be a sign of more serious problems such as brain damage or widespread organ failure.
* Severe mood swings: These can lead to suicidal thoughts or actions.
If you experience these symptoms or suspect that a friend is experiencing them, seek medical help immediately.
Use of alcohol while taking this drug may cause extreme drowsiness, breathing difficulties and even respiratory failure. You should never combine the two.
Alcohol should not be used in conjunction with this drug as it may lead to excessive drowsiness and respiratory failure.
You should always take this medication exactly how your doctor prescribes it to you. Never try to alter the dosage or stop taking it without first talking to your physician.
If you are in any sort of accident or experience a traumatic event (car accident, sexual assault, etc) it is very important that you let your physician know immediately. Many people who experience these kinds of traumas while on this medication experience delusion, paranoia, confusion and worsening depression as a result.
Anyone who undergoes major surgery should consult with their physician before taking Xanax. The drug can interfere with the normal respiratory and circulatory functions of the body, which can be life-threatening during and after major surgery.
Do not stop taking this medication suddenly without first consulting your doctor. Stopping these drugs suddenly has been known to cause severe psychological and physical problems including seizures and severe depression.
Never take any drugs without first talking to your physician. Overdosing on this medication can lead to death.
In instances of overdose, immediately seek medical attention.
It is important to remember that this drug is only intended to be taken short-term. Most instances of long-term usage are the result of inappropriate prescription by a physician or self-medicating. In either case, it is very dangerous to take this medication for longer than four months.
If your doctor prescribes this medication for longer than this, you should consult with a different physician after this time period.
If you are suffering from any of these side-effects, seek medical help immediately:
* Severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea
* Hallucinations
* Suicidal thoughts
* Worsening depression or sense of hopelessness
If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately:
* A metallic taste in the mouth
* An irregular heartbeat
The drug can cause a number of serious side effects, including:
* An allergic reaction. Seek immediate medical attention if you feel you are experiencing an allergic reaction. Symptoms include: rash, hives, itching, swelling, trouble breathing
* Behavioural changes: aggressive, hostile or violent behaviour. Contact your physician immediately if you experience any of these.
* Black-out periods or memory loss. In some cases patients have reported blacking out or otherwise not remembering large periods of time. If this happens to you, contact your physician immediately.
* Confusion
* Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
* Hallucinations
* Severe restlessness
* Slow heart rate
Most of these severe side-effects are dose-related, meaning they become increasingly more likely as your dosage increases. If you begin to experience any of the above listed side-effects, or anything else you feel may be serious, seek immediate medical attention.
It is important that you do not drive or operate heavy machinery while taking this drug until you know how the drug affects you. This drug can cause decreased concentration and dizziness, which can lead to accidents.
If you are a diabetic, this drug can interfere with your ability to manage your blood sugar. Be sure to monitor yourself closely while on this medication.
Do not drink alcohol while on this medication. The side-effects from the two drugs, combined, can be very serious.
If you are a woman, do not take this medication if you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. If you are a woman of child-bearing age, it is your obligation to inform your physician if you become pregnant while on this drug.
As this medication can be absorbed through the skin, care should be taken not to get it on your skin or in your eyes.
Hypnocil (Chlorpromazine)
Initial symptoms include tremors, dizziness, nausea. More serious effects include loss of coordination, convulsions, and coma. In extreme cases it causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
It also can cause tardive dyskinesia, or symptoms similar to Tourette’s syndrome. It is recommended that you do not operate any heavy machinery while taking this medication.
Sources & references used in this article:
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Pharmacotherapy of borderline personality disorder: alprazolam, carbamazepine, trifluoperazine, and tranylcypromine by RW Cowdry, DL Gardner – Archives of General Psychiatry, 1988 – jamanetwork.com
A double blind comparison of alprazolam and amitriptyline hydrochloride in the treatment of nonpsychotic depression by AN Singh, NPV Nair… – The Canadian …, 1988 – journals.sagepub.com
Alprazolam in Bipolar‐I Depressions by AJ Rush, MA Schlesser, M Erman… – … : The Journal of …, 1984 – Wiley Online Library
Comparison of alprazolam, imipramine, and placebo in the treatment of depression by JP Feighner, GC Aden, LF Fabre, K Rickels, WT Smith – Jama, 1983 – jamanetwork.com
A comparison of alprazolam and behavior therapy in treatment of panic disorder. by JS Klosko, DH Barlow, R Tassinari… – Journal of Consulting …, 1990 – psycnet.apa.org
Alprazolam, diazepam, imipramine, and placebo in outpatients with major depression by K Rickels, HR Chung, IB Csanalosi… – Archives of general …, 1987 – jamanetwork.com
Alprazolam vs amitriptyline in depressions with reduced REM latencies by AJ Rush, MK Erman, MA Schlesser… – Archives of general …, 1985 – jamanetwork.com
Maintenance drug treatment of panic disorder: I. Results of a prospective, placebo-controlled comparison of alprazolam and imipramine by E Schweizer, K Rickels, S Weiss… – Archives of General …, 1993 – jamanetwork.com
