Xanax comes in 0.25mg, 0.50mg, 1mg and 2mg conventional tablets, orally disintegrating tablets sold as Niravam, Xanax XR is the slow-release format, and it is available as a liquid concentrate. Xanax is used to relieve anxiety, nervousness and stress. It may also help in cases of phobia such as agoraphobia, and for the relief of symptoms in fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, PMS (if extreme), and, when combined with narcotics, the pain from some cancers. You should start to feel an improvement after the first day and build to the full effect within seven days.
As with any prescription medicine, you should take care to keep it out of the reach of children. Xanax should not be given to anyone aged less than eighteen years.
Xanax may be habit-forming. You should not share it with anyone else, particularly if that person has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it. The best practice is to keep all your drugs in the containers in which you receive them. This enables you to see exactly what drugs you have and ensures that you always have a label reminding you what dose to take and how often to take it. You should keep a proper count of the tablets to ensure that no-one is quietly taking one or two for their own private use.
Store Xanax at room temperature and, wherever possible, avoid heat and moisture (so do not store it in the bathroom). Once the medication passes its use-by date or your doctor has directed you to stop taking it, dispose of the drug safely. If you are uncertain, ask your pharmacist how best to dispose of it.
Always swallow the Xanax XR extended-release tablet whole. It is designed to release the dose over time. If you break the pill, you may absorb too much of the drug too quickly and overdose.
Measure the liquid form of Xanax with the spoon supplied to measure the dose. Using a household spoon is gambling on whether the quantity is or is not the correct dose.
There are two versions of Xanax orally disintegrating tablets sold as Niravam. One comes in a slightly more conventional tablet form stored in a bottle. Making sure that your hands are dry, remove one tablet from the bottle, closing the lid as quickly and firmly as possible, and place the tablet on your tongue. The second form comes in a flat pack:
- do not remove the blister from the outer pouch until you are ready to take it;
- make sure that your hands are dry when you open the blister pack;
- do not push the tablet through the foil but peel back the foil on the blister pack and;
- place the blister on your tongue immediately.
Both versions should dissolve quickly in your saliva and can be swallowed naturally. Once it has completely dissolved, you can drink some water. Do not keep a tablet for future use. If you have been instructed only to take half a tablet as the dose, cut the tablet, take the half and throw the other half away.
The dosage prescribed will depend on your age and the disorder to be treated. As with any prescription medication, you should always follow the directions given by your doctor or pharmacist. Do not change the dosage or take it for longer than directed. For these purposes note that your doctor will usually prescribe Xanax in short bursts of two to four weeks and not over a longer period than eight months. The Food and Drug Administration has only approved the use of Xanax for up to eight weeks at a time.
In fact, there is good clinical evidence to suggest that the beneficial effects of Xanax decline as your body becomes used to it. Taking it for longer periods of time is counterproductive, particularly because of the high risk of dependence or addiction. For this reason, your progress on the medication must be monitored carefully. If you should forget to take one dose, do not try to catch up. If you are close to the next time, take a single dose when that time comes. Never double the dose. If you should take 4mg or more in one day with any degree of regularity, this may cause severe emotional and physical dependence.
You can take Xanax on a full or empty stomach. If your doctor thinks it would be better to take Xanax with or without food, follow those directions. But however you start, you should be consistent as to time and the issue of food. There are no special dietary requirements except that you must not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. You simply continue eating what you normally eat unless a stomach upset occurs. In that case, take Xanax with some food to reduce the irritation of the stomach lining.
Everyone reacts slightly differently to medications. It is up to you to monitor how you feel and to refer back to the doctor if you have any worries. No matter how you feel, you should not change the way in which you take the drug without your doctor’s approval.
Even though you do feel well, you must continue to take Xanax. Once you have been taking the tablets for more than three weeks, do not stop taking Xanax without talking to your doctor. Again, because each individual has slightly different reactions, the doctor will monitor your condition over time to ensure that you do not experience withdrawal symptoms when you do stop taking Xanax.
Warnings
There are real risks of dependence or addiction if you take Xanax for more than three weeks at a time. This risk is real even though you are taking less than 4mg per day. If you have any history of dependence on alcohol or drugs, you should not take Xanax.
Do not take Xanax you are aged less than 18 years.
Do not take Xanax when you have consumed alcohol.
Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. This may change the rate at which you body absorbs Xanax and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Always discuss your diet with the doctor before taking Xanax.
Do not take Xanax if you have liver or kidney problems.
If you are pregnant, you should not take Xanax. Do not breast-feed if Xanax is in your body.
Because of the additive effects, you should not mix Xanax with other sedative and tranquillising drugs.
An overdose of Xanax can be fatal, particularly if you have alcohol or other drugs in your system.
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