The brain, repeatedly exposed to alcohol with Xanax, rewires itself to depend on these chemicals. Natural GABA production plummets as receptor sites downregulate. This neurochemical adaptation explains why withdrawal becomes increasingly dangerous with continued use. Brain scans of chronic users show distinct patterns of volume loss in the hippocampus and frontal cortex.
Xanax can cause mood changes in severe but rare cases and induce visual, auditory, and sensory hallucinations. Xanax addiction is a significant problem that requires professional treatment. Thankfully, there are many can you shoot up xanax treatment options available that can help people struggling with addiction to Xanax. These methods of Xanax abuse can be extremely dangerous and lead to several serious side effects. By reviewing the above factors, medical professionals can determine a suitable dose of Xanax for each client. In this blog, we look at the dangers of snorting, smoking, and injecting Xanax.
Each minute without medical attention allows these substances to bind more completely to receptor sites throughout the central nervous system. Stopping Xanax abuse requires more than getting over withdrawal symptoms or breaking physical dependence. It means doing a deep dive into the factors that drove you to addiction in the first place. The problem with any form of Xanax abuse is that seeking higher doses of the drug increases the risk of overdose. Long-term damage caused by snorting drugs like Xanax can be massive. Decreased blood supply to the nose is quite common with long-term use, which is what leads to a perforated septum.
Xanax: Methods of Abuse
Misusing Xanax by snorting it can also increase the risk of overdose. Although the chance of overdosing on Xanax alone is relatively low, many people mix Xanax with other drugs like opioids, which greatly increases the risk of a fatal overdose. For those battling anxiety, the temptation to supplement prescribed Xanax with alcohol for additional relief creates a slippery slope toward physical dependency on both substances.
How These Substances Affect the Body
The most common alternative route of administration is snorting Xanax. The pills can be crushed and snorted up a nostril similar to snorting cocaine. Prescription drug use in general, and abuse of alprazolam in particular, is prevalent among adolescents and young adult people who engage in drug abuse. When someone admits to the hospital for these effects, the typical treatment plan does not involve surgery (unless, of course, necrosis has progressed to the point of amputation being necessary).
Xanax and Alcohol: A Deadly Combination You Should Avoid
- This is particularly dangerous as it depresses heart rate and breathing.
- When alcohol adds into the mix, a person’s inhibitions might lower, causing them to do things that they normally do not do.
- Normally, your body alerts itself when breathing becomes compromised.
- Some people inject Xanax, and its effects range from painful to dangerous.
- Since Xanax is not water soluble, people who shoot it up will dissolve it in alcohol first, which is inherently dangerous.
Supervised medical detoxification is necessary if you or someone you know is ready to stop abusing Xanax. Another risk of Xanax overdose comes when fake Xanax is acquired on the street instead of via a medical prescription. These pills may combine Xanax with other dangerous substances such as fentanyl, which can cause an overdose. Generally, people inject a drug to reduce the time it takes the digestive system to process it. Xanax, like all benzodiazepine drugs, increases the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter that lowers nerve impulses throughout the body, providing effects like sedation and relaxation.
This is particularly dangerous as it depresses heart rate and breathing. Often, a Xanax overdose can slow the breathing rate to a point at which a lack of oxygen is received by the brain, which risks permanent brain damage and even death. Despite Xanax being a legal medication that’s prescribed for anxiety, panic disorders, muscle spasms and seizures, it is still possible to overdose on it.
Treating Co-occurring Disorders with Drug Addiction
This absolutely causes aesthetic physical damage (which is quite painful), but is surgically reversible. Internal damage, though, is a lot harder – if not downright impossible – to repair. Our Lead Therapist, Megan, is a bilingual Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in working with adults who struggle with addiction, anxiety, depression, and trauma. As Lead Therapist, she provides individual, family, and group therapy sessions to our clients.
When Xanax pills are crushed into a powder, they can be snorted. This is typically done via a manufactured or makeshift tube and is nearly identical to how someone might snort cocaine or heroin. Swallow the extended-release tablets whole; do not chew, crush, or break them. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of Xanax and gradually increase your dose, not more than once every 3 or 4 days. To take the concentrated liquid, use only the dropper that came with your prescription. Squeeze the dropper contents into a liquid or semisolid food such as water, juice, soda, applesauce, or pudding.
Dangers of Snorting or Injecting Xanax
This can even cause the heart to stop beating if it slows down too quickly. This is where you cease taking the Xanax and let your body rid itself of the substance. Detoxing from Xanax can take anywhere from one week to one month. If you’re a heavy Xanax user or have medical conditions for which the Xanax was initially prescribed, you may be given medication-assisted detox.
Doctors use a combination of limb elevation, pain management, and heparin. Anticoagulants, corticosteroids, and vasodilators may help the symptoms subside. When taken together, Xanax can amplify the effects of alcohol because of its solubility. They are both depressants that slow down activity in the body’s nervous system. The presence of ethanol in alcohol is a likely contributor that elevates the maximum concentration of Xanax in the bloodstream.
Seek immediate emergency care if you observe extremely slow or irregular breathing, bluish lips/fingertips, inability to wake someone, or confusion after they’ve combined drinking and Xanax. Wait at least 24 hours after taking Xanax before consuming alcohol since the drug remains active in your system much longer than you might feel its effects. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy teaches practical skills for managing anxious thoughts and breaking negative thought patterns. Unlike medication, these techniques address the root causes of anxiety rather than simply masking symptoms. Decision-making abilities remain compromised even during periods of relative sobriety.
Help for Xanax Addiction
- Others reported mixing Xanax into their marijuana, crushing it into a powder and wrapping it in foil, or using other benzodiazepines on e-cigarettes.
- Many people who abuse Xanax believe that injecting is a more effective way of getting high, but it comes with a high cost.
- If you think that you or someone you know has an addiction or dependence on Xanax, seek help from a medical professional before attempting to begin the withdrawal process or reduce Xanax consumption.
- I then found my love for counseling when I worked with juveniles who had mental health and substance use issues.
With dry hands, open the bottle, remove the tablet, and immediately place it on your tongue. The orally disintegrating tablet can be taken with or without water. The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office ruled Manzano’s cause of death as the combined toxic effects of Alprazolam and alcohol with positional asphyxia. Forensic analysis tied Colbert to the presence of Alprazolam (Xanax), a substance found in Manzano’s system and previously connected to other victims.
Despite that status, many people still misuse this medicine to get high, even when they know the risks of addiction and overdose are apparent. If this is you or someone you care about and want to end the abuse of Xanax, there are safe ways to do it. The one you choose will be dependent on your level of addiction, the amount of time you’ve been using Xanax and your family and work obligations.
