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Xanax and other anxiety medications linked to horror side effects including ‘aggression and acts of violence’

XANAX and other anxiety medications increase the risk of devastating side effects, including seizures, hallucinations, and even death, health experts have warned.

At least 16million Americans take Xanax, according to a study published in 2020.

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Health experts have warned that Xanax can increase the risk of side effects like seizures, hallucinations, and even death[/caption]
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Anxiety medications can have devastating health side effects, experts warn[/caption]
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At least 16million Americans take Xanax, a study revealed[/caption]

Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, is a benzodiazepine medication used to treat anxiety and panic disorder.

Short-term use of this highly addictive drug has been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms, improve one’s sleep quality, and help one feel more relaxed in general.

However, research by Dr. Allison Schmitz and published in 2016 in the Mental Health Clinician has shown that benzodiazepine abuse in America has “reached epidemic levels.”

Things are so bad that Yale School of Medicine’s chief communications officer, Jennifer Chen, has compared the epidemic to the opioid crisis.

Over time, benzodiazepines, which work by binding to GABA [gamma-aminobutyric acid] receptors in the brain, begin to lose their potency – like any drug that a person becomes dependent on.

Many users have to up their dosage to get the same calming effects.

The use of Adderall, currently classified as a Schedule II controlled substance, is intimately associated with both abuse and dependence, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

With 31.9 percent of American adolescents suffering crippling anxiety disorders, according to the ADAA, the United States’ love affair with benzodiazepines may have become a full-blown nightmare.

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus ties benzodiazepines to an array of troubling side effects.

The researchers link both long-term usage and coming off of Xanax and its Benzo brethren to nervous system injuries and an increased risk of suicide.

Rather incredibly, as the paper notes, although acute benzodiazepine withdrawal is a growing problem, “literature regarding the benzodiazepine-induced neurological injury that may result in enduring symptoms and life consequences is scant.”

The enduring symptoms include increased anxiety and nervousness, as well as being distracted, muscle weakness, and even memory loss.

According to the paper, the symptoms were often reported as: “de novo and distinct from the symptoms for which the benzodiazepines were originally prescribed.”

A subset of the study’s volunteers said that their symptoms persisted even after benzodiazepines had been discontinued for 12 months or more.

“Adverse life consequences were reported by many respondents as well,” the researchers said.

In the paper, respondents blamed benzodiazepines for increased medical costs, damaged relationships, and even termination of employment.

The disturbing findings prompted the researchers to coin a new term, “benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND),” which describes “symptoms and associated adverse life consequences that may emerge during benzodiazepine use, tapering, and continue after benzodiazepine discontinuation.”

In addition to teens and adults, tens of thousands of toddlers and young children are also being prescribed them, according to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International.

Beyond the 16 million people taking Xanax, millions of Americans also take other benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), and lorazepam (Ativan).

Dr. Christy Huff, a renowned cardiologist and one of the paper’s co-authors, told The U.S. Sun: “The most concerning underreported risk of taking benzodiazepines is their potential to cause damage to the nervous system.

“This can take months to years to fully resolve, and we can’t rule out that some effects may be permanent.”

The study was particularly personal for Dr. Huff, who is now a little more than four years free of benzodiazepines.

“While I’m doing much better than during the time period I was tapering off, I still experience lingering symptoms that were caused by exposure to benzodiazepines,” she added.

Benzodiazepine use is strongly associated with increased levels of physical aggression, sexual disinhibition, impulsive decision-making, and acts of physical violence, according to a Cambridge report and a report published in L’Encephale.

Benzodiazepines act by reducing 5HT (serotonin) neurotransmission, which may, in turn, lead to aggressive behavior, according to a 2018 report published by the Cambridge University Press.

Serotonin plays a critical role in balancing our mood and social behaviors, a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Cell and Development Biology found.

Moreover, extensive benzo use has been associated with abrupt cognitive decline, according to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus report.

Furthermore, a  2016 report published by academics at Buffalo Research Institute on  Addictions found that abuse of various prescription drugs, including benzos, by college students, played a sizable role in “negative sexual events such as sexual assault and regretted sex.”

Many students who abused Benzos experienced sexual interactions they regretted, with several females reporting instances of sexual assault.

Benzos slow decision-making and physical coordination, thus decreasing one’s ability to identify dangerous situations and fend off potential predators, the study authors found.

Heavy benzo usage can also lead to benzodiazepine-induced psychosis, which involves visual and/or auditory hallucinations, according to a report by The Recovery Village.

Benzodiazepines also negatively affect one’s love life by depressing the central nervous system (CNS).

In men, for example, benzo use has been linked with decreased sexual desire and evenerectile dysfunction, a Revista Internacional de Andrología study published in 2020 found.

One study published in the Journal of Education and Science showed that diazepam (Valium) at doses (2.5-5 mg/kg) of body weight caused a significant decrease in men’s sperm count.

Sadly, those who are hooked on Benzos and want to quit find themselves faced with very real dangers.

“Acute benzodiazepine withdrawal can be deadly, resulting in seizures, hallucinations, and even death,” according to Dr. Huff.

In addition, she added: “In speaking with affected individuals through my advocacy work, I’ve seen more problems with nervous system injury (BIND) in those that have had their benzodiazepine stopped abruptly or tapered too rapidly.

“A slow taper off the medication, with the rate adjusted according to the individual’s symptoms, is the recommended way to discontinue it.”

Pfizer, the marketer and manufacturer of Xanax, did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.


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