Getting clean is basically guaranteed to make your life better in so many ways. But, things will have to get worse before they get better. Detoxing from any substance is pretty brutal, but there are ways to make it easier. Plus, it’s almost always worth it. Here’s what to expect from Xanax withdrawal and where to find help.
What is Xanax?
Xanax (or Xanny, or bars) is the brand name for a drug called alprazolam, which is part of a family of drugs called benzodiazepines. (Benzos are also in this class.) Drugs of this type are meant to treat anxiety and panic disorder when prescribed correctly. Technically, it amplifies the effect of a pre-existing brain chemical called GABA that makes you feel more calm.
Xanax is absorbed quickly, so its effects come on within 45 minutes to an hour, and it leaves the body within twelve hours. For that reason, doctors often prescribe a dose spread out throughout a day.
Normal side effects include dizziness, fatigue, slurred speech, blurred vision, nausea, diarrhea, swelling, muscle weakness, confusion and more. Abusing Xanax can cause coma or death.
What Happens in Xanax Withdrawal
Because Xanax is fast-acting and equally fast in leaving the body, withdrawal from Xanax is generally less painful than withdrawal from other drugs. Of course, that all depends on your pattern of use and whether you’re abusing other drugs alongside it, too.
Xanax withdrawal can start a few hours after the last dose, and reaches its height within a few days. The good news is, you’ll be pretty much done within a week.
In the meantime, withdrawal occurs on a physical and psychological level. On the physical side, expect headaches, muscle pain, numbness, nausea and diarrhea, insomnia, heart palpitations, sweating, and more. Mentally, you’ll likely face irritability, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, brain fog, and mood swings that may even lead to suicidal thoughts.
Do I Need Detox?
In a worst-case scenario, Xanax withdrawal can cause grand mal seizures, which can lead to coma or even death — even in people who’ve only been using Xanax for a few weeks. For that reason, it is crucial that people withdrawing from Xanax — or really any benzo — detox in a safe medical environment.
In medical detox, you’ll be monitored 24/7 and even prescribed medication to make your detox as comfortable and as safe as possible. Detoxing in a facility also increases the likelihood that you’ll make it through without relapsing when things get rough. If you’re committed to a safe and successful detox, professional treatment is the way to go.
Detox in South Bay
Detox and withdrawal is the first step to changing your life, because nothing can change until you’re clean and sober. Before you even start working on the issues that have contributed to your addiction, you need to clear all traces of drugs and alcohol from your body.
Our medical team will manage your withdrawal symptoms every step of the way, using the latest techniques and tactics to get you through safely. They can even prescribe medications to help make the process less painful. (Some of us have even successfully kicked drugs ourselves, so we know how the whole thing works.)
Meanwhile, you’ll ride it out in our quiet, comfortable and safe detox and residential addiction treatment facility with just six beds, tucked away on a cul-de-sac in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena.
Detox doesn’t have to sound good. It just has to be doable. At Transformations Care, you don’t have to do it on your own. Call us and let us help.
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Getting Clean & Sober at Home
Today, more than 75% of hospitals and healthcare providers offer access to telehealth treatment, with 29 states having gone so far as to enact telehealth parity laws, which force insurance companies to reimburse patients for telehealth at the same rates as they would for in-person treatment.
If you’ve been thinking about getting clean and sober, or if you’ve been wanting to work on and strengthen the recovery you already have, it’s never been easier to do it through telehealth.
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