Abstinence, in spite of being the preferred outcome, is not the only goal of addiction management. Treatment can be intimidating, but the right treatment program should help allay your fears and put you at ease. Don’t feel bad about asking lots of questions; doing so is the best way to be a good advocate for yourself or someone you love. The idea here is to offer loving support while making it clear that the addiction is unacceptable. A good intervention helps an addict understand that treatment is the best–and easiest–option. An intervention allows you to set clear boundaries, show the addict in your life how much you care and give one final push toward treatment.
Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzodiazepine drug widely prescribed to treat anxiety disorder. Benzodiazepine addiction is a growing concern in the United States, with around 30% of opiate overdose deaths also involving drugs like Xanax. There is currently no FDA-approved medication for benzodiazepine addiction. However, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/marijuana-addiction-how-addictive-is-weed/ certain medications may be prescribed to treat withdrawal symptoms or underlying problems like depression or anxiety. The most effective treatments involve psychotherapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and 12-step programs that provide individuals with a strong foundation in recovery.
Therapists are Standing By to Treat Your Depression, Anxiety or Other Mental Health Needs
This type of treatment will involve check-ins at a facility a couple of times per week for therapy and medical health checks. Because you don’t live at the treatment facility, it’s common for drug abuse counselors to give you random drug tests to ensure you’re on the right track. Outpatient programs are better suited to those in the early stages of substance xanax addiction abuse. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines like Xanax can be extremely dangerous, especially if you have taken the drug in conjunction with other substances. Like alcohol, benzodiazepines can cause a dangerous withdrawal syndrome that necessitates emergency medical care. Symptoms include tremors, extreme agitation, hallucinations, and seizures.
Its effects for managing OUD last around 24 hours, but the active ingredients remain in your system for several days. The details of the initial treatment plan will vary depending on the specific opioid the person is stopping or withdrawing from and whether that opioid is short-acting or long-acting. Narcan is used as an emergency treatment for someone experiencing a known or suspected opioid overdose to reverse the effects of opioids.
The Experience Blog
As such, healthcare providers may not prescribe the drug in certain situations. Some people work with their healthcare provider to slowly taper off the medication over time, while others may require long-term treatment to avoid relapse. In 2012, over 49 million prescriptions were written for alprazolam, the drug behind the brand name Xanax.
- There is a lot of variety in these programs with some just requiring one weekly visit while others have you come into the center every day.
- Opioid-related overdoses have risen dramatically over the last two decades, with six times more deaths occurring in 2021 than in 1999.
- These centers have medical staff on hand to help you through the detoxification process, as withdrawal from Xanax can elicit dangerous seizures in severe instances.
- It can also be misuse to skip your prescription for a while and then take several doses at once.
- They are a great resource when you just need someone else there to help you sort out the facts and plan your next actions.
- These group sessions can help prevent relapse as the recovery journey is a life-long process.
Carbamazepine is also known to enhance catecholamine function and therefore may improve symptoms of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and mood instability, which are common in withdrawal. This explains its positive effects in general for the treatment of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. It is also consistent with open-label reports and a double-blind study supporting the use of carbamazepine in benzodiazepine withdrawal (Björkqvist et al., 1976). Rebound anxiety is common and is often severe with alprazolam discontinuation because of its short half-life and the unique alpha-2 adrenergic effect. Both carbamazepine and clonidine act at the alpha-2 adrenoceptors level and could counteract the hyperadrenergic state that has been reported during discontinuation of alprazolam. Carbamazepine is metabolized by CYP3A4, and interactions with other drugs that induce, inhibit, or compete for CYP3A4 are relatively common, which may limit its use.
The Consequences of Avoiding Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment
Xanax is a drug that causes physical dependence, so the first step is typically a medical detox program. When a person with an addiction quits using Xanax, they will feel physically ill. Withdrawal can cause panic attacks, seizures, depression, insomnia, and even delirium. Therefore, it is important for a person to be in a safe place where their condition can be monitored and they can get medical treatment as needed.
Together, buprenorphine and naloxone combine to reduce an individual’s opioid drug dependence and slowly block symptoms of withdrawal to assist in the OUD recovery process. This provides some of the same effects of opioids to avoid withdrawal symptoms but without the “high.” Buprenorphine partly mimics the action of opioids to reduce drug cravings and minimize withdrawal symptoms, while naloxone prevents misuse of the drug. These residential programs have been found to work for those with co-occurring psychiatric disorders as well. Also, there is evidence to support its effectiveness in prison setting as well. Continuing care for Xanax abusers refers to interventions offered beyond the initial phase of treatment with an aim to prevent relapse and encourage drug-free lifestyle.
This is the same misapprehension that people believed for years about prescription painkillers. Over time, misuse of prescription opiates led to the current opiate crisis, a dramatic increase in heroin use, and a drastic surge in overdose fatalities. When people can no longer obtain Xanax from a doctor’s prescription, they turn to illicit sources, making alprazolam (Xanax), one of the most prevalent benzodiazepines on the illicit market. Well-designed human studies addressing alprazolam’s reinforcing effects and the discontinuation syndrome are needed, and must consider important issues such as selection of appropriate comparison drug, dose, formulation, and population. In addition to its pharmacological properties which may contribute to its increased misuse potential, alprazolam uniquely affects the dopaminergic function in the striatum similarly to stimulants. Most drugs involved in misuse or addiction consistently lead to dopamine release in the striatum (Di Chiara and Imperato, 1988; White and Kalivas, 1998; Willuhn et al., 2010; Vander Weele et al., 2014).
Aftercare is a plan for future sober living and helps to prevent relapse and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Rehab programs are entirely confidential, allowing clients to focus solely on recovery. Living on campus at one of several inpatient centers across the country is helpful to many program participants, even those who live locally.
Alprazolam is not only the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine, but it is the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medication in the United States, accounting for more than 48 million prescriptions dispensed in 2013 (Grohol, 2016). Based on national emergency department (ED) visit data, alprazolam is the second most common prescription medication and the most common benzodiazepine to be involved in ED visits related to drug misuse (SAMHSA, 2013). Outpatient rehab still provides most of the same treatment options as residential rehab, but you live at home and just visit the facility during the day. There is a lot of variety in these programs with some just requiring one weekly visit while others have you come into the center every day.
- These hospitals are designed for the detox phase of treatment, so stays within the facility can range between 1-2 weeks depending on symptom management and additional medical concerns.
- The most effective treatments involve psychotherapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and 12-step programs that provide individuals with a strong foundation in recovery.
- Any time you are taking more of a prescription than your doctor prescribed to treat a valid health condition, you are misusing the drug.
- The drug is prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment program that includes counseling and psychosocial support for managing OUD.
- Community reduces isolation, increases social support, and enhances recovery success.