What are the most common side effects of Xanax?
What should you discuss with your doctor?
Everyone has worries. It is part of life and does not require treatment. You should only begin a course of treatment if the level of anxiety has been disrupting your usual activities over a reasonable period of time. Discuss the symptoms you have been experiencing with your doctor, recognizing it is always better to get counseling or go through a course of cognitive behavioral therapy instead of resorting to drugs. Put another way, the use of drugs should always be a last resort and then be used only for a short period of time. This is particularly relevant to older people who should only take a reduce dose.
It is important to go through your medical history to identify whether you have any allergies before starting a course of treatment. Although there is no direct evidence of adverse effects to the fetus, you should also discuss the risks if you are planning a family or are already pregnant. Some babies have shown withdrawal symptoms when born. Xanax may also pass into breast milk so this may require you to use a milk powder for feeding purposes. There are also potential problems in the interaction between xanax and some oral contraceptives.
Tell your doctor if you have ever experienced a seizure, have liver or kidney disease, or any serious eye disorder including glaucoma.
Finally, because of the risk of addiction, you should not take xanax if you have any problems with alcohol or any drugs (no matter whether prescription or street).
What other drugs may affect xanax?
If you take xanax with any other drug that may cause drowsiness, the combined effect may be to slow down all your body’s functions. This can make xanax dangerous if you suffer from sleep apnea or breathing difficulties such as asthma. Care should be taken not to take xanax with a range of antidepressants including fluvoxamine and, under no circumstances, should you take xanax at the same time as antifungal drugs such as ketoconazole.
What are the possible side effects?
For most people, xanax is taken with no adverse effects. But, in a few cases, people experience increased anxiety, some confusion (this tends to affect older people), and depression. Memory can be affected. In rare cases, people begin to lose touch with reality, experiencing delusions or becoming emotionally unpredictable.
If you overdose, this is dangerous and requires emergency treatment. You may experience convulsions or severe drowsiness, sometimes dropping into coma.
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