Xanax is a triazolobenzodiazepine, i.e. benzodiazepine with a triazolo-ring. It is designed to control anxiety and panic by affecting the chemistry of the storage system inside your brain which holds memories of events and their associated emotions. Research has confirmed that the most important chemical interactions affecting mood involve gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin and norepinephrine. At a conscious level, the brain needs a communication system that compares the current situation to past experiences. Memories are assessed for relevance and checked to see whether the outcomes were good or bad. This allows the mind to assess the level of risk from the immediate threat. At an unconscious level, the brain is getting ready to trigger the flight mechanism if the situation is becoming too dangerous.
Scientists are not certain how Xanax works. It appears to enhance the effect of GABA which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, i.e. it modulates messages as they are being relayed between neurons and their associated cells. The particular messages involved represent the brain’s “warning” system and GABA acts as an inhibitor, i.e. it slows or stops the system from being overactive. Without this brake, you might receive continuous and inappropriate warning messages that trigger an anxiety response. The theory is that if the brain has the correct level of GABA, you will not feel anxious unless there is a real cause. So Xanax helps to keep you calm by correcting the level of GABA.
In addition, serotonin and norepinephrine help to set the mood and regulate other bodily functions. If GABA levels are wrong so that you feel more anxious, serotonin may make you feel angry and increase your body temperature so that you sweat. Norepinephrine may be increasing your blood pressure. And so on.
The interactions between the three neurotransmitters is difficult to disentangle. From a scientific point of view, this is both good news and bad news. The good news is that GABA in particular and the other two neurotransmitters probably do have an important role to play in regulating your emotions and anxiety levels. Indeed, there are now twenty-five years (and counting) of clinical experience proving that Xanax is highly effective. But the bad news is that scientists have yet to explain why Xanax is effective. Until the scientists establish the perfect vision of hindsight to explain how Xanax has been working so well all these years, you will simply have to rely on twenty-five years of good news from everyone who has taken Xanax.
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