Alprazolam: functions, dosage, side effects, how to use it

Use

CAUTION: Use of this drug must be under the supervision of a doctor. Misuse of this drug can lead to dependence.

What is the drug alprazolam?

You may have wondered what kind of drug alprazolam is. The drug alprazolam is used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks.

Alprazolam belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines that act on the brain and nerves (central nervous system) to produce a calming effect. Alprazolam works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in the body (GABA).

Alprazolam is used for the treatment of mental disorders such as anxiety disorders and panic attacks which are commonly caused by depression.

How to use alprazolam?

Take alprazolam as directed by your doctor. Dosage is based on medical condition, age, and response to treatment. Do not use this medication in large quantities or more than your doctor recommends.

Your dose may gradually increase until the alprazolam starts working properly. Follow your doctor's instructions to reduce the risk of side effects.

Alprazolam is an addictive drug. Do not give your drugs to other people, especially those with a history of drug addiction or abuse. Keep this drug out of reach of other people.

Misuse of this drug can also harm its users. Therefore use it according to the doctor's advice only. Do not sell or give this drug to just anyone.

Do not chew or swallow this medication whole. Let the alprazolam drug dissolve itself in your mouth by ingesting it, not chewing it.

If you are using this type of syrup, use a medicine measuring spoon or a cap from a medicine bottle. Don't use another spoon as you could use the wrong dosage.

If this drug is working well, contact your doctor immediately. Do not stop using this medication suddenly and ask your doctor what is a good way to stop using it.

Follow the rules given by your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep track of every dose you take to avoid abuse of the drug by others because this drug can harm someone's condition if taken without a doctor's prescription.

How to store alprazolam?

Alprazolam is best stored at room temperature, away from direct light and damp places. Do not store in the bathroom and do not freeze.

Pay attention to the storage instructions on the medicine package or ask your pharmacist. Keep this medication out of reach of children and pets.

Do not flush medicines down the toilet or down the drain unless instructed to do so. Discard this medication when it has expired or when it is no longer needed.

Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal agency about how to safely dispose of your medicine.

Dose

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment.

What is the dose of alprazolam for adults?

Adult dosage for anxiety disorders

Tablet immediate-release, chewable tablets, alprazolam oral concentrate:

• Initial dose: 0.25-0.5 mg orally 3 times a day. This dose may be increased gradually every 3-4 days as needed and tolerated.
• Maintenance dose: May be increased to a maximum daily dose of 4 mg, divided into three doses.

After knowing which drug alprazolam, you should use alprazolam in the smallest dose, and if you want to use it in the long term, you should check your condition regularly.

To stop using this drug, all you have to do is reduce the dose gradually. Reduce dosage to 0.5 mg every three days. However, under certain conditions, it may take you longer to reduce the dose.

Adult dosage for panic attacks

Tablet immediate-release, chewable tablets:

• Initial dose: 0.5 mg orally 3 times a day. This dose may be increased gradually every 3-4 days as needed and tolerated.
• Maintenance dose: 1-10 mg per day in divided doses.

Tablet extended-release:

• Initial dose: 0.5-1 mg, taken once daily.
• Maintenance dose: 3-6 mg taken once daily. Better to consume it in the morning.
• The maximum daily dose is 10 mg.

Adult dosage for depression

Tablet immediate-release, chewable tablets, oral concentrate:

• Initial dose: 0.5 mg orally 3 times a day. The daily dose can be gradually increased by no more than 1 mg every 3-4 days.
• Average dosage: Studies on the use of alprazolam for the treatment of depression have reported a mean effective dose of 3 mg orally per day in divided doses.
• Maximum dose: The maximum dose of alprazolam is 4.5 mg, taken orally, and taken by mouth in divided doses.

What is the dose of alprazolam for children?

The dosage for children has not been determined. Consult your doctor for more information.

In what dosage is alprazolam available?

Tablet, Oral: 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg.

Side effects

What side effects can be experienced due to alprazolam?

Get medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction, such as nausea, vomiting, sweating, hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, or feel like you might pass out.

Stop using alprazolam and call your doctor if you have any of the following serious side effects:

• Feelings of depression, thoughts of suicidal or self-harm, unusual risky behavior, reduced abstinence, no fear of harm
• Confusion, hyperactivity, irritability, and hallucinations
• Feel like you might pass out
• Urinating less than usual or not at all
• Chest pain, palpitations, or pressure in the chest
• Uncontrolled muscle movements, tremors, spasms
• Jaundice or jaundice (skin or eyes)

Common side effects of consuming alprazolam are:

• Drowsiness, dizziness, feeling tired, or irritable
• Blurred vision, headaches, memory problems, trouble concentrating
• Sleep problems (insomnia)
• Swelling in the hands or feet
• Muscle weakness, lack of balance or coordination, slurred speech
• Stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea
• Increased sweating, dry mouth, nasal congestion
• Change in appetite or weight, loss of interest in sex
• Memory problems

By knowing what drug alprazolam is, you can be careful of the side effects that have been mentioned. However, not all of the above effects occur in alprazolam users.

The side effects that occur may also go away as your body adapts to this drug. Consult a doctor or professional who can help you how to avoid the side effects of alprazolam.

Precautions & Warnings

What should be known before using the drug alprazolam?

Before using alprazolam, be sure to understand what kind of drug alprazolam and do the following:

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the herbal medicines you are using.
• Tell your doctor if you have glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye that can cause blindness). Your doctor may tell you not to use alprazolam.
• Tell your doctor if you have an allergy to the drugs chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Librax), clonazepam (Klonopin), clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), estazolam (ProSom), flurazepam (Dalmane), halazepam (Paxipam), lorazepam , oxazepam (Serax), prazepam (Centrax), quazepam (Doral), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), or other drugs.
• Tell your doctor if you have or have had depression; if you have suicidal thoughts or self-defeating actions; if you have a habit of drinking alcohol or are addicted to large amounts of alcohol; if you use or have ever used drugs or are over-prescribed; if you smoke; if you have had seizures, or if you have or have ever had lung, kidney, or liver disease problems.
• Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medication if you are 65 years of age or older. Older adults should receive lower doses of alprazolam because higher doses may not work better and could cause serious side effects.
• If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about using alprazolam.
• You should know that alprazolam can make you sleepy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects your body.
• Talk to your doctor about safe alcohol use while you are using this medication. Alcohol can make alprazolam side effects worse.

Is alprazolam drug safe for pregnant and lactating women?

After understanding what medication alprazolam is, tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. The use of the drug alprazolam can result in birth defects in the baby or even worse, death.

If you become pregnant while using alprazolam, contact your doctor.

Always consult with your doctor to weigh the potential benefits and risks before using this medication. Alprazolam is included in the pregnancy risk category D according to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The following references the pregnancy risk categories according to the FDA:

• A = No risk,
• B = not at risk in several studies,
• C = May be risky,
• D = There is positive evidence of risk,
• X = Contraindicated,
• N = Unknown

Interaction

What medicines may interact with alprazolam?

With an understanding of which drug alprazolam is, you should pay more attention to drug interactions, food, and health problems that may interact with alprazolam.

Drug interactions can change the performance of alprazolam or increase the risk of serious side effects. Not all possible drug interactions are listed in this article.

Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription / non-prescription drugs and herbal products) and consult your doctor or pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any alprazolam without your doctor's approval.

Before using alprazolam, tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you drowsy (such as cold or allergy medicine, other sedatives, pain medications, sleeping pills, and medicines for seizures, depression, or anxiety. ).

These drugs can increase the drowsiness caused by alprazolam.

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:

• amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
• atazanavir (Reyataz)
• butabarbital (Butisol)
• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol)
• cimetidine (Tagamet)
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• dexamethasone (Cortastat, Dexasone, Solurex, DexPak)
• delavirdine (Rescriptor)
• desipramine (Norpramin)
• diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac)
• efavirenz (Atripla)
• ergotamine (Cafatine, Cafergot, Wigraine)
• erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin)
• etravirine (Intelence)
• felbamate (Felbatol)
• phenobarbital (Solphoton)
• fluconazole (Diflucan)
• fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
• fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• imatinib (Gleevec)
• imipramine (Tofranil)
• indinavir (Crixivan)
• isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid)
• itraconazole (Sporanox)
• ketoconazole (Nizoral)
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• miconazole (Oravig)
• nefazodone
• nelfinavir (Viracept)
• nicardipine (Cardene)
• nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)
• nevirapine (ARV)
• paroxetine (Paxil)
• pentobarbital (Nembutal)
• phenytoin (Dilantin)
• oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
• Family planning pills
• posaconazole (Nofaxil)
• primidone (Mysoline)
• propoxyphene (Darvon)
• quinidine (Quin-G)
• rifabutin (Mycobutin)
• rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate)
• rifapentine (Priftin)
• ritonavir (ritonavir, Kaletra)
• saquinavir (Invirase)
• secobarbital (Seconal)
• sertraline (Zoloft)
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune)
• St. John's Wort
• telithromycin (Ketek)
• voriconazole (Vfend)

What types of foods can interact with the drug alprazolam?

After knowing what drug alprazolam is, you should avoid consuming alcohol because using this drug can increase the side effects of alcohol. In fact, the interaction of alprazolam with alcohol can result in death.

Other foods that can interact with alprazolam are grapefruit or grapefruit juice. If you eat these foods while you are using alprazolam, it is feared that side effects will endanger your health.

What health conditions may interact with the drug alprazolam?

The existence of other health problems in your body can affect the use of the drug alprazolam. Tell your doctor if you have other health problems, such as:

• Depression
• Epilepsy or a history of seizures
• Lung disease. Use with care. Maybe it could make things worse.
• Glaucoma, angle closed. Should not be used in patients with this condition.
• Obesity
• Drug dependence. The use of the drug alprazolam can be addictive, so it should not be used by people who have a history of drug dependence.
• Kidney illness. The use of the drug alprazolam should be given in the smallest possible dose to avoid interactions with your kidney disease.
• Liver disease. Use with care. The effect can be increased due to slower clearance of the drug in the body.

Overdose

What should I do with an overdose of alprazolam?

In case of an emergency or overdose, contact the local emergency services provider (118/119) or immediately to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.

Overdose symptoms may include:

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Problems with body coordination
• Loss of consciousness

What should I do if I miss a dose?

If you forget a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, when it is nearing the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to the usual dosing schedule. Don't double the dose.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.