Dangers of Mixing Xanax and Alcohol: Effects and Risks
In our latest question and answer, we discuss drinking alcohol while taking the benzodiazepine Xanax (alprazolam). If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Xanax or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe it for you. Ask them about other medications that might be better options. During your Xanax treatment, consider taking notes on any side effects you’re having. This is especially helpful when you first start taking a new drug or using a combination of treatments.
Adderall: Health risks when combined with alcohol?
No matter what, when dealing with a benzodiazepine addiction, the care and supervision of a medical professional is necessary. It is important to be patient throughout treatment to ensure a long-term, complete recovery from a Xanax addiction relapse or alcohol addiction. In addition to a detox, therapy is an imperative aspect of the treatment process. This helps former users address their reasons for addiction and learn healthy coping mechanisms to use moving forward.
- For people with generalized anxiety disorder, Xanax is commonly prescribed alongside an antidepressant to relieve the nervousness that antidepressants initially cause in some people.
- If you use Xanax during pregnancy, your baby could be born with life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, and may need medical treatment for several weeks.
- To help avoid withdrawal symptoms, do not stop taking Xanax unless you first talk with your doctor.
- The other form, Xanax XR, comes as extended-release (XR) tablets.
- If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk with your doctor about the possible risks and benefits of taking Xanax.
Dosage for panic disorder
In addition to treating acute anxiety and panic attacks, Xanax can act as a muscle relaxant and sedative. Off-label use means that the drug may be of benefit, but this is not its approved function. By Marcia PurseMarcia Purse is a mental health writer and bipolar disorder advocate who brings strong research skills and personal experiences to her writing.
Xanax and Alcohol: The Dangers of Drinking on Xanax
Higher tolerance in respect to the dosages of each substance administered will yield a less substantial physiologic response whereby likelihood of side effects and/or adverse reactions is reduced. Misusing Xanax can cause addiction, overdose, and possibly death. Tapered doses of benzodiazepine sedatives, such as chlordiazepoxide and valium, may also help patients detox safely.
Drug information
You might think that because beer has less alcohol, it’s safe, but that’s simply not true. Older adults are also at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when using Xanax for longer than six months. In addition to the potential health issues with prolonged use of the medication, the withdrawal dealing with stomach pain after quitting alcohol lantana recovery that occurs when you abruptly stop long-term use can also be dangerous. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Physical side effects
People who experience greater feelings of anger may also report worse mood disorder symptoms. Combining Xanax with other substances such as opioids and alcohol can increase the risk of sleepiness. Talk with your doctor before taking other prescription or nonprescription drugs with Xanax. And if you drink, ask your doctor if there’s a safe amount of alcohol you can consume while taking this drug.
Xanax misuse and addiction
Here, we describe briefly how alcohol and medications can interact, and we provide a few examples of common medications that could interact negatively with alcohol. We provide links to resources to help you mitigate these risks, including a consensus-developed list of potentially serious alcohol-medication interactions in older adults. With these side effects in mind, drinking alcohol while taking Xanax is generally considered unsafe.
The actual price you’ll pay depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use. If you have trouble opening medication bottles, ask your pharmacist if they can put Xanax in an easy-open container. They also may be able to recommend tools that can make it simpler to open lids. Whether Xanax is safe to take during pregnancy may depend on how far along the pregnancy is.
Tell your doctor if you feel an increased urge to use more of this medicine. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you use Xanax during pregnancy, your baby could be born with life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, and may need medical treatment for several weeks. Some withdrawal symptoms may last up to 12 months or longer.
Benzodiazepines like Xanax can be addictive, despite being prescription medications with legitimate uses. The amount needed to suffer a fatal overdose on Xanax by itself is considerably high. It is much easier to overdose on this medication when combined with other substances, such as alcohol. Medical detox is often the first step of recovery from alcohol and Xanax addiction.
Among persons who experienced unnatural deaths in which alprazolam was causally implicated, toxicological assays revealed median alprazolam concentrations of ~0.08 mg/L. It was further noted that 37.4% of fatalities exhibited alprazolam levels exceeding 0.1 mg/L. Still, it is important to note that some degree of cross-tolerance does not indicate compare sober houses an identical overlap in physiologic tolerance. Someone with high tolerance to Xanax and low tolerance to alcohol will have incurred enzymatic changes that promote efficient metabolism and elimination of Xanax, but not alcohol. Oxford provides evidence-based therapies for polysubstance addiction as well as treatment for co-occurring disorders.
They can answer additional questions about how Xanax and alcohol interact. This combination also increases the risk of a fatal overdose. Drinking too much alcohol can also lead to headaches and blurred vision as well as gastrointestinal issues. Combining the two substances will increase your risk for experiencing physical side effects.