Xanax, which is also known as Alprazolam, is a fast acting medication that can lower the chemicals in your brain that are responsible for anxiety and panic. Follow this article to explore more about how to get prescribed xanax and what are the things you must avoid when taking xanax.
Xanax is an anxiety and panic medication that can only be given to you with a prescription. Studies show that xanax can be easily abused as it has highly addictive properties. This is the main reason why xanax cannot be given to anyone and everyone. It can only be given to patients who have prescriptions from licensed psychiatrists and psychologists. Xanax is basically a medication that is used to treat anxiety disorders and panic disorders.
It decreases the abnormality in your brain and stabilizes the chemical production in your brain. It immediately starts working and calms down your brain waves. It is essential for people with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. When a person is battling with anxiety or panic then, there is a chance that in one of the episodes, their anxiety will get out of their hands and they will not be able to handle it. When something like this happens, it is essential that the patient must have a xanax pill to calm them down before things get out of hand.
Follow this article to explore more about how to get prescribed xanax and what are the things you must avoid when taking xanax.
Table of Contents
What are the disorders for which xanax can be prescribed?
Xanax can be prescribed for the following disorders and it can only be prescribed by professionally licensed psychiatrists and psychologists.
- Anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
Anxiety disorder:
Anxiety is the most usual disorder. Every person has suffered anxiety at least once in their life. It is a constant fear and stress that something bad is about to happen. People who are suffering from anxiety can get so worse, they will not be able to enjoy their life. Everything that they do or wherever they are, they will have this crawling feeling like something will go down. There is a possibility that anxiety will get out of hand and can cause serious damage to the person. During an episode like this, the person gets prescribed to xanax. This medication will instantly slow down your brain’s activity and stabilize your brain waves.
Panic disorder:
When a person is suffering from panic disorder then, they will suffer from extreme anxiety and stress. Their panic will be associated with a place, person, or an event. Sometimes, a person can experience a serious panic attack which needs immediate attention. When a person has a serious panic disorder then, their psychiatrist will prescribe them xanax. This will help them calm down when they have a major panic episode.
How to get prescribed xanax?
Xanax is a legal medication that is approved by the FDA but it can only be provided to someone who has a prescription. Xanax can only be prescribed by licensed psychiatrists and psychologists. If you are battling with anxiety or panic disorder and you still have not been prescribed xanax then, here are some of the things you can do to get prescribed xanax.
- Talk to your doctor
- Note your signs
- Ask about the medication
- Do your research
Talk to your doctor:
If you want to get a prescription of xanax, then it is best that you have a conversation with your doctor. Tell your doctor all about your anxiety and panic attacks, let them know about the seriousness of the situation. Have a detailed conversation with your doctor, listen to what they have to say and share with them how frequently you are getting anxiety and panic attacks and how you are not being able to control them.
Note your signs:
You must know your symptoms and how they have been changing as the disorder is getting worse with time. Every time you have an anxiety attack or a panic attack, note the signs and think about your condition. Ask yourself, is your condition getting worse or not? Have a detailed conversation with your doctor about your panic episodes and make sure you do not leave anything behind. Tell them that it is getting out of your control and the anxiety and panic attacks are becoming more frequent.
Ask about the medication:
Ask your doctor each and everything related to xanax. How it works, its side effects, the dos and don’ts, and do not leave anything behind. This will help you take xanax in a stable way without getting addicted to it. There have been cases where people slowly became addicted to xanax because they were not taking it in a stable and healthy way. It is essential that you take xanax after having a detailed discussion about it with your doctor.
Do your research:
Even after talking with your doctor about it, it is essential that you didi your own research. This way, when you ask your doctor to prescribe you xanax, you will know everything about it. You will be able to reply to all of your doctor’s questions. Giving them relief that you are not going to misuse xanax and you will consume it in a stable and prescribed manner. It is supreme that you do your research about every medication that you are taking, not just xanax.
What are the side effects of taking xanax?
Every medication has its ups and downs. When taking xanax, you have to be extremely careful because indirectly it will affect your brain if something goes wrong. Following are some of the main side effects of taking xanax that you must know about.
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Memory loss
- Dry mouth
- Muscle weakness
- Concentration problems
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Blurred vision
- Swelling in hands and feet
- Irritability
Dizziness:
One of the prominent side effects of taking xanax is dizziness. It will slow down your brain and you will have no idea of what is going on around you. It will make you feel weak and your brain’s schedule will be disrupted. You will feel drowsy most of the time, you will find it tough to stand up all of a sudden because of the dizziness. It is essential for you to discuss this issue with your doctor.
Fatigue:
Another major side effect of taking xanax is fatigue. You will feel tired all the time. Xanax will make your brain slow down and your body will not be able to function properly. You will feel tired and you will find it hard to even get out of bed. You will be drained both mentally and physically. When you are feeling fatigued physically, it is natural for you to feel mentally fatigued as well.
Insomnia:
Insomnia is a state when a person is not able to sleep at night. When a person is taking xanax then, there is a possibility that their brain’s schedule will go a little slow and it will derange your sleeping patterns. Thus, making it hard for you to fall asleep at night. It will decrease the amount of melatonin in your brain, which is a chemical that is responsible for encouraging sleep.
Memory loss:
Another side effect of taking xanax is having memory loss. Not your complete memory will be impaired, you will have trouble remembering things. It will be like a short term memory loss. You will forget little things like your keys, your phone, turning off the lights, and many other little things that you would not forget in your normal routine.
Dry mouth:
Xanax has anticholinergic effects that can cause dry mouth. It would feel as if it has days you drank some water. There will be less amount of saliva in your mouth which can cause you to have a dry mouth.
Muscle weakness:
Anxiety is known to create tension between your neck and shoulders and when a person is taking xanax as a treatment for anxiety then, it will take some time for medication to get the tension released from your muscles. You will experience trouble moving your muscles, your muscles will feel as if they are being repressed by something.
Concentration problems:
When a person is using xanax as a treatment for anxiety and panic attacks then, they will have to deal with concentration problems as a side effect. They will not be able to pay attention to what is going on around them. People around them would feel like they are listening to them, but in reality, they would have no idea about anything that the other person is saying. Their attention span will be very less.
Vomiting:
Another major side effect of taking xanax is feeling nauseated and sick. You would feel dizzy and your vision will get blurry. When taking xanax if your vomiting becomes too consistent then, you must consult a healthcare professional.
Weight loss:
When a person is taking xanax then, they will have visible changes in their appetite and their weight would start to decrease. This is mainly because of all the changes your body is going through. The brain waves are slow, your body starts to work in a more slow and calm manner when you take xanax. This will result in the disruption of many schedules including your appetite.
Blurred vision:
When a person is taking xanax then, there is a possibility their vision will become blurry and they would feel dizzy. They would not be able to concentrate on something like they used to. A person might feel irritation in their eyes and it can be tough for them to see something clearly or to read something.
Swelling in hands in feet:
Another prominent side effect of taking xanax is the swelling in your hands and feet. It happens when there are more tissues in your body than normal. There will be a fluid buildup in your tissues thus, making them swell.
Irritability:
Being irritated is a common side effect of taking xanax. It mostly happens because there are many changes happening in your body at once. Your entire bodily schedule is deranged and this will naturally make you irritated. There will be hormonal changes, appetite changes, changes in your sugar levels, and low quality sleep, all of this will make you irritated.
What are the things you must avoid when taking xanax?
Following are some important things that you must avoid when you are taking xanax as a treatment for anxiety and panic disorder.
- Opioids
- Grapefruit
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Carbamazepine
- Clarithromycin
Opioids:
We all know that xanax directly affects our body and our brain. Xanax has the effect of calming us down and can make our central nervous system calm down. When you take opioids, you are putting yourself at risk because opioids will make your brain foggy and it will make your blood pressure high. Taking opioids while you are taking xanax can have side effects that can cost a person their life.
Grapefruit:
Xanax is a strong medication and mixing it with grapefruit juice can have a strong reaction because grapefruit is also rich in inhibitors. It will give you blurred vision, weakness, vomiting, breathing problems, and speech difficulty. It is never a wise idea to have grapefruit juice or to have it as a fruit when you are taking xanax.
Alcohol:
Alcohol will make your brain foggy and it will affect your central nervous system. It is never a wise idea to have alcohol when you are taking xanax as your treatment. It will make you paranoid. You will start hallucinating things that are not even there and you will also have trouble breathing. Oftentimes you will be confused about things and this will start to affect your memory in a bad way.
Caffeine:
We all know that one of the major side effects of xanax is insomnia. So, it is wise to not consume anything that has caffeine in it. Caffeine will not let you sleep and it will derange your body’s schedule more. Even in a normal routine, it is not a good idea to consume caffeine before going to bed.
Carbamazepine:
Carbamazepine is a medication that is used for people who are suffering from seizures and bipolar disorder. It is strictly advised that no other medication should be involved when a person is taking carbamazepine. When you take xanax while you are taking carbamazepine then, it will make xanax less effective in your system, making it almost useless. This can worsen your anxiety.
Clarithromycin:
Clarithromycin is a medication that is used to treat bacterial infections. When a person takes clarithromycin with xanax then, there is a chance some parts of your brain will be affected by it. It will block xanax to treat your body and can cause high blood pressure. Mixing clarithromycin with xanax can lead to fatal side effects.
Conclusion:
Xanax is a medication that cannot be prescribed to anyone by anyone. You have to have severe anxiety disorder or panic disorder to have your doctor prescribe you with xanax. Not every healthcare professional is licensed to prescribe xanax, only licensed psychiatrists and psychologists can prescribe xanax to their patients when they see fit. Xanax will immediately start working on a patient who is suffering from an anxiety attack or a panic attack. It will slow down the brain waves and the central nervous system. Making your body calm down slowly. It is not prescribed to every patient that has anxiety because according to a survey, people who use xanax often end up abusing it which can cost them their life.
Xanax can cause memory loss, fatigue, dry mouth, weight loss, vomiting, blurred vision, slurred speech, swelling in hands and feet, irritation, dizziness, muscle weakness, memory loss, insomnia, low concentration. These are the most common side effects that have been found in patients that have been using xanax as their anxiety medication. It is extremely essential to use xanax in a prescribed manner and to not have things like grapefruit, caffeine, alcohol, opioids, and other medications when you are taking xanax. Otherwise, your brain and your central nervous system can be highly affected.
