Xanax, a very powerful benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, has seen a significant rise in use both legally and illegally in recent years. The drug has become one of the top ten medications sought by patients in the United States and has spurred addiction abuse throughout the country. That’s why it comes as no surprise that Seven Counties, a healthcare provider in Kentucky, chose to get its doctors to stop writing new prescriptions for Xanax and its generic version, alprazolam, this past April. Not only that, but they also plan to have doctors wean their patients off it completely by the end of this year.
Seven Counties plans to carefully watch how this experiment takes off and are hoping to see less people with an addiction abuse to Xanax. Many people have overdosed from the use and misuse of this medication and the abuse of it has to stop before more lives are claimed. Many states have focused their primary concern on pain medications such as hydrocodone and other narcotic painkillers, but recently states are becoming increasingly more aware that benzodiazepines are just as dangerous and just as addictive.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an 89 percent increase in emergency room visits nationwide was, sadly, related to non-medical benzodiazepine use between 2004 and 2008. In Kentucky alone, they have seen an increase in addiction abuse mainly with people combining Xanax and opiate painkillers and often with deadly consequences. Seven Counties is not the first provider to cut off prescriptions for controlled substances and will most likely not be the last.
What makes Xanax particularly dangerous is that it poses a much bigger risk for addiction abuse and causes significant withdrawal symptoms. The drug’s effects can be felt almost immediately after consumption but only last a few hours and then leave those using the medication wanting more. It is a dangerous medication with a high level of abuse. If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction abuse, please contact Vista Taos today to find out more information on how to lead a healthy drug-free life.
