Does Xanax Help With Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms? Latest Guide

Does xanax help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms? Yes, Xanax helps manage alcohol withdrawal. But It’s important to know when and how to take Xanax for alcohol withdrawal. According to NIDAA, the United States experienced 12,290 overdose deaths involving Xanax and other benzodiazepines in 2020. This guide will help you to learn:

• How much Xanax is too much to manage Alcohol withdrawal
• Dosage Method of Xanax Administration
• Danger of mixing Xanax and alcohol
•  Risks Of Xanax For Alcohol Detox
• Safe and Effective Alcohol Detox

Withdrawal is the hardest part of overcoming alcohol addiction. Call ChoicePoint today, as we have DEA-certified doctors who can help you manage Xanax dosage along with drinking problems 844.445.2565.

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How Does Xanax Help With Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

To know how does Xanax help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, let’s first understand what Xanax is. Xanax (generic name: alprazolam) is a psychoactive prescription medication used to treat anxiety and seizure disorders. Xanax is a type of benzodiazepine (aka benzo) and a central nervous system depressant.

Xanax Mechanism of Action

The exact mechanism of action of Xanax is not known yet, but it works the same way as benzos do, which includes:

• Reducing the brain’s activity
• Increasing the effect of GABA – the calming chemical in your brain
• Decreasing hyperactivity related to anxiety and panic attacks. 

This is the reason it is a popular practice to use Xanax for alcohol withdrawal management.

Do You Know What Happens When You Binge Drink?

Now that you know how does xanax help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, let’s take a look at how alcohol affects your body.  Alcohol is also a central nervous system depressant. Drinking alcohol in mild quantities might help GABA (the calming chemical in your brain) produce a relaxing environment. But binge drinking exhausts the required GABA levels. As a result, you start experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms (such as feeling anxiety and panic attacks) when you try to get alcohol out of your system. 

What Are Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

The withdrawal appears within 6-24 hours of skipping alcohol after its frequent, long-term use. It can result in a group of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Chills
• Tremors
• Anxiety
• Seizures
• Agitation
• Nightmares

If these symptoms are not treated with medical supervision, then they can aggravate into a more serious condition, wet brain syndrome (neurological disorder), leading to death in severe cases. That’s where Xanax comes in. 

Xanax and Alcohol Withdrawal

By controlling the GABA (the calming chemical) activity, Xanax helps your body stay relaxed during the alcohol withdrawal process, helping you overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Additionally, you can choose Xanax for alcohol withdrawal if you have the following symptoms: 

• Headaches
• Hallucinations
• Sleeping difficulties
• Convulsions
• Muscle spasms
• Involuntary movements
• Agitation

How Much Xanax Is Required For Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

Xanax comes with several dosage strengths. Everyone has a different right amount of Xanax dose, depending on their body physiology. But some of the factors that can determine how much does Xanax help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms  are:

1. Your toxicology screening results: Determines the intensity of alcohol addiction and the amount of alcohol in your body 
2. The intensity of your withdrawal symptoms: A lower dose Xanax dose is required to manage mild symptoms, but a higher strength helps manage severe withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and tremors.
3. Your Current health status: The presence of comorbidities (other health problems), and a weak liver can come into play in determining the right amount of Xanax for you.
   

The Dangers of Drinking on Xanax

Dosage Method of Xanax Administration

Typically, benzos, including Xanax, for alcohol withdrawal are administered either through a fixed schedule or a symptoms-triggered dosage method.

Fixed Schedule Dose

It involves administering a fixed dose of benzo for alcohol withdrawal based on your toxicology screening and current health status. This approach is beneficial in treating mild alcohol symptoms, like headache, fever, and chills, in outpatient alcohol detox settings. 

Symptom Triggered Dose

 This method changes the Xanax dose based on the pain the patient is going through during the withdrawal process. Intense pain requires a higher dose. However, this procedure is usually carried out in inpatient settings for both mild and severe withdrawal symptoms.

Proceed With Caution: Risks Of Xanax For Alcohol Detox

Although scientific evidence answers the question ‘does xanax help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms?’ in the affirmative, some precautions are important. Xanax is not entirely risk-free. Using Xanax for alcohol withdrawal can lead to a range of side effects when not administered according to the prescription. Some of them are:  

• Dizziness
• Exhaustion
• Jaundice
• Digestive issues
• Trouble breathing
• Loss of body coordination
• Abrupt changes in heart rate
• Negative interaction with other medicines
• Low self-esteem accompanied by suicidal thoughts

Why Taking Xanax and Alcohol Together Is Not Recommended

Moreover, it is important to start taking Xanax once you have stopped drinking. It can lead to dangerous consequences if Xanax is taken with alcohol or any other drug. Xanax and alcohol are central nervous system depressants. Taking the two can intensify the effects of each other, leading to:

• Extremely slow breathing
• Cardiac Arrest
• Blackout

So, it’s important to always detox from alcohol under medical supervision and have a safe recovery journey. Call ChoicePoint today to avail the support you need to make the alcohol detox process comfortable 844.445.2565.

Break Free From Addiction: Safe and Effective Alcohol Detox in New Jersey

To avoid any serious outcome, only use Xanax under medical supervision through medical detox. Medical detox allows safe withdrawal from alcohol using Xanax and other FDA-approved medications. A medical detox will help make Xanax effective in: 

• Managing seizures, tremors, and pain associated with alcohol withdrawal
• Stabilizing during the whole withdrawal process 
• Prepare you for the next steps of recovery
  

Free Addiction Assessment

Please note this assessment is an initial self-screening, and it is not meant to be a medical assessment or clinical diagnosis of addiction. For proper diagnosis and treatment, schedule an appointment with ChoicePoint.

Choosing The Effective Approach for Alcohol Detox

Xanax has an addictive nature, which is why it’s not a long-term solution for alcohol addiction. Therefore, you must reach out to a rehab near you in New Jersey to access other medications important for treating alcohol abuse. Some of these could be:

• Naltrexone
• Disulfiram
• Acamprosate

ChoicePoint, a co-occurring addiction treatment center in Fairlawn, New Jersey, offers holistic alcohol addiction treatment to overcome alcohol abuse. It includes addiction therapies and an effective solid program to help you address the root cause of alcohol abuse disorder and prevent a relapse. 

Does Xanax Help With Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms: Your FAQS Answered!

Here are some of the popular queries relating to the Xanax and alcohol withdrawal:

What Is The Common Drug To Treat Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a chronic illness with the potential for relapse. Alcohol addiction should be treated in a rehab under close medical supervision. A rehab uses FDA-approved drugs to help treat alcohol use disorder. Some of these drugs are: 

• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate 
• Disulfiram

It should be noted that AUD has no cure at the moment, but with these medications, it becomes possible to come out of the addiction safely. 

Which Is Considered The Most Effective Treatment For Alcoholism?

The most effective treatment for alcoholism or AUD is reaching out to rehab. A rehab offers comprehensive support to help you stop drinking. They provide FDA-approved medications, medical detox, and aftercare programs to help you stay on track even if you are out of rehab. 

What Is The Relapse Rate After 1 Year Of Sobriety?

For alcoholism, the relapse chances are quite high. According to the research conducted by Miller and Hester, the relapse rate for alcoholism is 75%. 

How Long After Drinking Can I Take Xanax 25 mg?

The time you can take Xanax after drinking alcohol depends on how long alcohol will leave your body. The half-life of alcohol is around 6 hours. It means that half of alcohol leaves your system in sin hours. The next half will take another six hours, and so on. It can take around 20-25 hours until there is no residue of alcohol left in your body. So, you can take Xanax after 25 hours of drinking. 

References

1. National Center For Biotechnology Information. 2022. Alprazolam.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538165/