Xanax Side Effects

This website is for those of you whom have either taken Xanax formerly, are currently under it’s medication, are thinking about taking it and want to know how safe it is, or just generally want information on Xanax and it’s side effects.

So first off, what’s Xanax?
Xanax, or Alprazolam (generic name) is a group of drugs called benzodiazepines which is intended to be used for chemical inbalances in the brain that cause anxiety. As mentioned, it’s main use is treating anxiety problems but can also be used for depression and of course, panic attacks. Anxiety and panic always seem to go hand in hand. Xanax and depression seems to be a double egdged knife, but we’ll go into that later.
As with most prescription drugs, Xanax should only be used when prescribed by your doctor or psychiatrist who should ask you about and/or test you for allergies to benzodiazepines like oxazepam (also known as Serax), clorazepate (brand name Tranxene), lorazepam (sold as Ativan), diazepam (more commonly sold as Valium and probably the most common of the “pams”) and some other non *pam drugs like chlordiazepoxide (sold as Librium).

It should be logic to most of us, but still must be mentioned to NEVER take Xanax or any benzos along with alcohol or any other prescribed medication. If you suffer from asthma, emphysema (most common in daily smokers), kidney disease, glaucoma (an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage), liver disease, any level of depression, addiction to alcohol or any form of drug abuse (including prescription) please make sure to mention any of this to your doctor or psychiatrist as it could cause severe side effects when taking Xanax.

Those of you who have taken or currently take Xanax, will know it can become a bit of a bad habbit and you might find yourself getting carried away and depending on it in order to feel good. After prolongued use, you might lose the idea of what it’s like to feel normal again without it, so be aware of this before taking Xanax and make sure you are getting it directly from the pharmacy your doctor prescribed for you.

It should be noted that as with any anxiety, panic or antidepressive related drug, it can be harmful and dangerous to use during pregnancy. If you are currently pregnant, it should be in your best interest to provide your baby with a healthy environment and should avoid taking benzodiazepines all together. The same applies if you’ve just given birth to your child and are planning on breastfeeding your baby, the effects of Xanax will pass on through your breast milk and can cause serious defects.

Something I get asked a lot are questions related to overdose and dosage, it should be noted that providing you stick to the amounts you’ve been prescribed for you should be fine. As with most medication, if abused, it can cause unwanted effects which may include overdosing. There’s no set dose amount for this to happen as it depends on your gender, size and tolerance. We’re not all the same. It’s important to take your dose at the time that has been scheduled for you as you might start to feel some withdrawal after about an hour or two of missing it and it’s not recommended you make up for the missed dose by taking twice the dose, continue taking it normally and it will level out in time. In order to avoid unwanted xanax side effects it’s much more important to keep the same levels of alprazolam in your blood stream than taking higher doses less times a day, the idea is to keep your levels the same. Remember, what comes up must come down and believe me, coming down from any form of drug is not a nice feeling!

Were you to make a mistake and accidentaly take more than you’re meant to and feel light headed or feel you’ve lost coordination, it’s important you get medical help ASAP, don’t be ashamed to dial 911 as they could just save your life. Yes, taking too much Xanax can be fatal.

Xanax Side Effects

You might experience any of the following secondary effects whilst under the influence of Alprazolam:

  • Feeling of drowsiness or dizziness (common)
  • Insomnia (very common, I speak from experience)
  • Loss of coordination, a feeling similar to being under the influence of alcohol
  • Slurred speech
  • Trouble remembering things
  • Loss of apetite
  • Problems concentrating (one of the reasons why I changed to clonazepam)
  • Blurred vision (this one goes with the loss of apetite, if you eat you’ll be fine)
  • Decreased libido (hasn’t happened to me but I’ve spoken to a few people who have experienced this, it might help taking a vitamin complex)
  • Depression-like feeling (can happen when you’ve missed a dose)
  • Hallucinations (it’s recommended you contact your doctor ASAP if this happens)
  • Muscle twitching
  • Feeling agitated
  • Feeling of superiority (not the most common but varies from person to person)
  • Convulsions
  • Sore gums
  • Pale skin
  • Urinating more than usual
  • Weight loss (although it has been reported most probably to be placebo)
  • Drooling
  • Skin rash
  • Trouble urinating

These are the most common and probably not all secondary effects you may encounter whilst taking alprazolam and it should be noted they’re more likely to occur if you abuse the drug or fail to take them as indicated by your medical practitioner and pharmaceutical label.

Future Updates: What to expect

A list of all the side effects you can think of concerning Alprazelam plus a site directory of rehabilitation centers in the US only (for now) for those of you who are having problems weening off it.

Information related to other benzodiazepines of similar effects, i.e. Diazepam (Valium).

Effects of mixing different types of benzos together.

If you’d like to contact us and share your story with us, you can do so by visiting our Contact-Us page.

This page was last updated April 26th, 2012