Xanax Withdrawal And Detox

Is Xanax Withdrawal Dangerous?

Withdrawing from Xanax, one of the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines, can be fatal. Seizures, hypertension, and elevated temperature leading to death may occur if Xanax use is abruptly stopped.

It is, therefore, recommended to withdraw from Xanax during a medically assisted detox, in which healthcare professionals taper the drug and treat the Xanax withdrawal with other long-acting benzodiazepines. This, followed by a gradual taper lasting between 4 and 8 weeks, is the safest and most effective way to detox and withdraw from Xanax.

Due to the nature of Xanax and its potentially dangerous withdrawal syndrome, you should not suddenly stop taking the drug without medical assistance. If you do discontinue the drug suddenly or quit “cold turkey,” severe symptoms, such as delirium, psychosis, and seizures, may occur.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal occurs when a person who is physically dependent on Xanax stops taking it. Withdrawal symptoms from Xanax include the following:

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)

After the physical withdrawal from Xanax, some people may also go through a second stage of withdrawal known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), or protracted withdrawal. During this time, the brain is regulating and recalibrating itself, and therefore, the symptoms of this syndrome are primarily psychological and emotional. A person with protracted withdrawal may experience anxiety, depression, or other psychological symptoms that they did not have before. These symptoms may last for months after stopping Xanax use.

Xanax Withdrawal Timeline

The length of Xanax withdrawal depends on a person’s usual dosage of Xanax and duration of use. The most common strategy is to slowly taper the drug over several weeks or months.

The rate at which the drug is discontinued is also usually determined by a person’s capacity to tolerate withdrawal symptoms. This can look like decreasing the Xanax dosage by 50% every week or reducing it between 10-25% every two weeks. Typically, though, withdrawal takes between 4 and 8 weeks.

Since Xanax is a short-acting benzodiazepine, its effects are felt sooner and are over more quickly than most other benzodiazepines. Therefore, withdrawal will start as soon as the body and brain are deprived of the drug, which can be in as little as a few hours after the last dose.

Factors That Affect Xanax Withdrawal

Not all withdrawals will look the same, as many factors can influence the duration and severity of withdrawal. Some factors that may affect Xanax withdrawal include:

• Duration of Xanax usage
• Dosage of Xanax
• Frequency of using Xanax
• Smoking
• Co-occurring addiction or substance use
• Existing co-occurring psychiatric disorders
• Medical history

How Much Xanax Causes Withdrawal?

Xanax can be a dangerous medication, as not much is needed to spur withdrawal symptoms, and Xanax withdrawal symptoms can occur even when tapering off from a prescribed dose.

Similarly, a person does not need to have been using Xanax for a long time for withdrawal symptoms to occur. A study from the Journal of Addiction Medicine found that using Xanax for a single week produced withdrawal symptoms when patients were tapered off.

Xanax withdrawal is often more severe than withdrawal from other benzodiazepines due to the unique and complicated symptoms that present from it. The study also found that Xanax withdrawal results in more severe and frequent sleep disturbances when compared to other anti-anxiety medications. Furthermore, people in withdrawal from Xanax presented with unique symptoms, like delirium and psychosis, when compared to other benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, where very few instances were reported. Lastly, Xanax withdrawal is associated with much higher rates of anxiety symptom reoccurrence, an alarming condition known as rebound anxiety.

Rebound Anxiety

People who use Xanax are at an increased risk of experiencing rebound anxiety, a condition characterized by the return of anxiety symptoms after abruptly stopping an anti-anxiety medication. This is because rebound anxiety is associated with the use of short-acting benzodiazepines like Xanax. Since these medications have a shorter half-life, effects are felt more quickly, and they leave the body sooner, creating an increased risk for rebound symptoms.

These symptoms are often amplified and more intense, disrupting a person’s daily life and negatively impacting personal and professional relationships. Symptoms of rebound anxiety include:

• More frequent and intense feelings of unease and worry
• Increased heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Extreme fatigue

While the timeline of these symptoms will vary based on personal factors, rebound anxiety from the cessation of Xanax use can last from a few days to a few weeks.

Get Xanax Withdrawal Support Today

Although the detox and withdrawal process of Xanax can be lengthy, gradually tapering the drug is the safest and most effective way to detox and withdraw from Xanax.

If you or your loved one is experiencing an addiction to Xanax, help is available. Many inpatient and outpatient treatment programs offer Xanax detox to help conquer physical dependence on the drug while also addressing the psychological side of addiction. Getting treatment for Xanax addiction can give you or your loved one a chance at recovery.

For more information about treatment programs, contact a treatment provider today.