XANAX- can anybody answer this one???

[ntgn]

Hi, I'd like to know the following about xanax/alprazolam:
1. How long does it take, and at what dosages, for a physical dependency to set in?
2. How long does it take the stuff to clear the system(I've heard 10-20 hours)
3. I've heard 2 reports of major addiction problems with xanax, and both people said that it took 3 days(!) before any withdrawal symptoms set it- WTF is this all about???
4. To avoid dependency/withdrawal, what's the maximum amount one should use them for?
5. How long should one take between uses to avoid dependency(physical)?
I've heard that if one developes and addiction to xanax, the withdrawals go on for weeks- how could this be if they clear the system so fast?
My report:
Took maybe 1mg/day for 4 days and then stopped. The day after stopping I felt nice and relaxed. the 2nd day after felt a bit anxious, and my senses were heightened, sleep was difficult that night. At about the 3rd day I was getting all these little twitches when I laid down to sleep- nothing major, but wierd. 4th day felt okay, nothing major, so took another 1mg that night....
Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[dan0125]

I don't know how long it takes for a physical dependendy to set in. Let's put it this way, I recieved 200 1mg generic Xanax's, and I used them daily for about a month, taking 5-8 mg per day along with a small amount of alcohol, and was able to stop using them for 3 weeks without any side effects. From my understanding, you have to work at it to get a benzo habit.
You're about right for the elimination of the drug from the body. It only takes a few days for all traces to disappear when you cease using.
In a nutshell, you have to go out of your way to develop a serious benzo habit, and if you do, you better be careful because the withdrawal can be dangerous to your health.
Like I already stated, I took between 5-8mg Xanax daily for a month and suffered no ill effects, but YMMV.

 

[UnBounD]

I can't answer alot on Xanex but I do know it clears your system in 2 days with my psychologist told me who prescribed it to me. when I abuse it stat at low doses usually. around 4mg orally every once in a while usually does it for me. but I do it once a week and less and I have no dependency problems. if you get adventurous, this is really neat. you can rail (snort) 0.5mg and taht will fuck your world up for an hour or so. Its a different feeling than if you ate it. it might burn a little for a few minutes but I prefer the high over the high from eating it

 

[Syd_Barret]

That placebo high is damn good isn't it UnBounD ?

 

[UnBounD]

if it was a placebo high then when I snorted valium it would of done something but when I snorted valium nothing happened.

 

[ketamatic]

Originally posted by ntgn:
3. I've heard 2 reports of major addiction problems with xanax, and both people said that it took 3 days(!) before any withdrawal symptoms set it- WTF is this all about???

Yes, due to the benzos' long half life, it takes anywhere from 3-7 days for enough of the chemical to be broken down that you no longer have a high enough level for your body to function normally.

I've heard that if one developes and addiction to xanax, the withdrawals go on for weeks- how could this be if they clear the system so fast?
They don't leave your body very fast at all.

 

[quale]

Alright that just isn't true. The half life of xanax=alprazalam has a 12-15 hour half life. Yes this length of half life can explain why withdrawal takes awhile to set in (tho I still don't understand why you aren't high for longer). This however has nothing to do with the length of withdrawal.
The length of withdrawal should be the time it takes your body to decompensate for the compensations it made for benzos. There is no necessery correlation between this and duration of action.

 

[AbraMontague]

"Even after relatively short-term use at the doses recommended for the treatment of transient anxiety and anxiety disorder (i.e., 0.75-4.0 mg per day), there is some risk of dependence. Spontaneous reporting system data suggest that the risk of dependence and its severity appear to be greater in patients treated with doses greater than 4 mg/day and for long periods (more than 12 weeks)."
Basically, there is no definitive answer to how much/often you can use them without becoming dependent. It probably depends on dose, frequency of use, and your body's ability to eliminate the drug.
"Using a specific assay methodology, the mean plasma elimination half-life of alprazolam has been found to be about 11.2 hours (range: 6.3-26.9 hours) in healthy adults."
The half-life of any benzo varies widely from person to person. The range is also different for alcoholics and geriatric patients.
Xanax has the shortest half-life of any benzo so withdrawal will set in faster after discontinuation of the drug. Assuming an 11.2 hour half-life and a linear drug elimination rate, xanax will be over 99% eliminated from your body after 7 half-lives (78.4 hours after your last dose; 3 days=72 hours)

The length of withdrawal should be the time it takes your body to decompensate for the compensations it made for benzos.
Well that explains everything then.

 

[Flug]

I've always heard Xanax has a half life of 4 hours. I could be wrong. I know that because it has the shortest half life of any benzo it is the most addictive because you'll need more faster. I've never had withdrawl problems from it or any other benzo, personally. Then again 1 mg of Xanax is a LOT, especially for a first time. Start at smaller doses, so you don't get that immediate withdrawl. And if you're using tranks for a long period of time, taper the dose down gradually as well to avoid problems.

 

[NoriegA]

Just do a search or go to one of these two sites.
http://www.erowid.org
http://www.rxlist.com

 

[HYDRO_CHRONIC]

"1. How long does it take, and at what dosages, for a physical dependency to set in?"
physical dependence isnt gonna happen over night!
it would take awhile before you get to the point where "you cant live without them",BUT even after ..say a weekk you will notice it is a little harder to fall asleep without benzos.
"4. To avoid dependency/withdrawal, what's the maximum amount one should use them for? "
i wouldnt use them EVERYDAY(unless you really need them for a prob)...2-3 days a week should be fine(as for dosage ,this will increase whether you like it or not,because tolerance to benzows BUILDS VERY FAST)
"5. How long should one take between uses to avoid dependency(physical)?"
like i said above physical dependence(bad dependence that is) wont happen very quickly,i would worry more about the tolerance building up(it takes awhile to get the tolerance down,maybe a week to get it back to when you first used)
but this is all from my experience though!!

 

[C21H23NO5]

diazepam is slightly soluble in water. so I guess snorting diazepam would work slightly faster than not...the delay to the stomach with the drip probably evens it out though..

 

[quale]

Originally posted by AbraMontague:
Xanax has the shortest half-life of any benzo so withdrawal will set in faster after discontinuation of the drug. Assuming an 11.2 hour half-life and a linear drug elimination rate, xanax will be over 99% eliminated from your body after 7 half-lives (78.4 hours after your last dose; 3 days=72 hours)

The length of withdrawal should be the time it takes your body to decompensate for the compensations it made for benzos.
Well that explains everything then.[/QB]

Alright I agree that statement wasnt the most coherant in the world, I will try and explain a little. I was responding to the question

I've heard that if one developes and addiction to xanax, the withdrawals go on for weeks- how could this be if they clear the system so fast?
.
The standard model for tolerance/withdrawal for most substances is that we provide some receptor types many times normal levels of stimulation for some period of time. These receptors are then downregulated. The amount of time for your tolerance/withdrawal effects to disappear should be roughly the amount of time it takes for the receptors to be upregulated. There is no reason this amount of time should closely resemble the time of elimination of the drug.
Of course many drugs don't work exactly like this in terms of tolerance or we don't know. In any case the point remains the smae whatever model of tolerance/withdrawal you are using. The amount of time required for your body to return to near its normal equilibrium need not correspond to the amount of time it takes for the drug to be removed. As an example smoke clears your lungs in seconds but yet your body will slowly, if ever, repair the damage you have done to your lungs from long term smoking.
Also you are right about the time for 99% elimination but this isn't really relevant. It isn't like you go into withdrawal the instant every bit of the benzo is gone, you go into withdrawal when you have a significant decrease. Now I am pretty certain that dropping someone to 12% of their prior dosage per day would induce withdrawal (like 10 pills a day down to one pill a
day). This happens (using your figures) after only 33 hours or about a day. Why the fuck aren't you feeling withdrawal then.
In fact if we asume that 12% is enough to cause withdrawal (hell I bet alot of people would fall into withdrawal if their dosage was halved for a significant amount of time) then your range gives us maximum time till withdrawal of being 20.7 to 80.7 hours.