Xanax (Alprazolam)
Panicked strivers have replaced sullen slackers as the caricatures of the moment, and Xanax has eclipsed Prozac as the emblem of the national mood - Lisa Miller
HWN Suggests
Listening to Xanax
Xanax and its siblings—Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and other members of the family of drugs called benzodiazepines—suppress the output of neurotransmitters that interpret fear. They differ from one another in potency and duration; those that enter your brain most quickly (Valium and Xanax) can make you the most high. But all quell the racing heart, spinning thoughts, prickly scalp, and hyperventilation associated with fear’s neurotic cousin, anxiety, and all do it more or less instantly. Prescriptions for benzodiazepines have risen 17 percent since 2006 to nearly 94 million a year; generic Xanax, called alprazolam, has increased 23 percent over the same period, making it the most prescribed…
Articles of Interest
'Xanax' Nation? My Anti-Anxiety Meds Give Me Enough to Worry About
Journalists love declaring that psychiatric medications symbolize some slice of the zeitgeist. So I can't say I was entirely surprised when I opened my mailbox the other day and saw New York magazine's cover article proclaiming that "If the 90s were the decade of Prozac, all hollow-eyed and depressed, then this is the era of Xanax, all jumpy and edgy and short of breath."
F.D.A. Requires Stronger Warning Label for Xanax and Similar Drugs
Benzodiazepines — commonly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, seizures and panic disorders — are highly addictive and come with health risks, especially when combined with other drugs.
Korn's Jonathan Davis On Xanax Addiction: 'Benzos Are The Devil'
After giving up recreational drugs and alcohol almost 20 years ago, he’s continued to struggle with chronic and debilitating anxiety and depression — and consequently a reliance on prescription drugs. For the first time ever, Davis agreed to a detailed conversation about addiction, mental health and his family life.
Legal anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax are killing thousands of Americans every year
You may have heard of the opioid painkiller epidemic over the past few years. As the story goes, doctors, driven by a misleading campaign from big pharma, prescribed a ridiculous amount of painkillers to Americans, getting patients hooked on the drugs. And overdoses have spiked as a result. Now it looks like something similar may have happened with yet another legal drug: benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and Valium.
Legal anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax are killing thousands of Americans every year
You may have heard of the opioid painkiller epidemic over the past few years. As the story goes, doctors, driven by a misleading campaign from big pharma, prescribed a ridiculous amount of painkillers to Americans, getting patients hooked on the drugs. And overdoses have spiked as a result. Now it looks like something similar may have happened with yet another legal drug: benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and Valium.
The Deadly Worst-Case Scenario for America's Xanax Obsession
Cracking down on the legal supply is not a solution. In fact, it could spell disaster.
Where is my Xanax Rx? Why your doctor may be concerned about prescribing benzodiazepines
There has been increasing attention into long-term risks of benzodiazepines, including potential for addiction, overdose and cognitive impairment. The overdose death rate among patients receiving both benzodiazepines and opioids is 10 times higher than those only receiving opioids, and benzo misuse is a serious concern.
Xanax Facts and Whitney Houston
If it turns out that Whitney was under the influence of Xanax (alprazolam), then there's a good chance she would be alive today if that drug had never been put on the market.
Xanax Turned Me into a Walking Ghost
And trying to get off of it was even worse.
Xanax: how does it work and what are the side effects?
While it is the most frequently prescribed benzodiazepine in the US, Xanax is not available in the UK, but it can be obtained on private prescriptions and online. Recent data suggests that the UK is the second largest market for Xanax on the dark web, after the US. Its widespread availability on the internet has made the situation around this drug especially perilous.
