Why Has the FDA Allowed Xanax to Stay on the Market With the Overwhelming Potential for Addiction?
Question by Auntmarsa: Why has the FDA allowed Xanax to stay on the market with the overwhelming potential for addiction?
I know it sounds naive but I have seen so many instances of abuse and wonder at what point the societal cost of a drug outweighs the benefits. I just don’t understand.
Best answer:
Answer by mia
I take Xanax and I was well informed by my doctor the potential dependence this drug can have. I take the lowest dose possible split in half. I only use it when absolutely necessary this is why such a low dose still works for me. There are many people who abuse the drug but there are many people, like me, who don’t. I took my doctors precautions seriously. I did not depend on Xanax to cure me. I had to face the problems that caused me to take the drug in the first place. There is no magic pill, although it does work great, it should be used in combination with therapy so someday this drug is no longer needed.
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You are very right but the truth is various pharmaceuticals have side effects.
Let me say that xanax is an ion channel miracle this is the new path in pharmaceutical absorption, let me put it this way xanax pros’s beat it’s con’s.
For some folks, Xanax (alprazolam) can be very effective for treating anxiety disorders. However, you are correct in stating that Xanax has a very high abuse potential…for that reason anxiety disorders are often best treated in the long term with an SSRI or venlafaxine (Effexor). If a benzodiazepine is requred another longer acting one (e.g. Klonopin aka clonazepam) is a better choice. Some psychiatrists feel that Xanax is so short acting (~2-4 hrs) that when it wears off there is a slight withdrawal effect and increased anxiety thus increasing the abuse potential.
Abuse potential alone will not get the FDA to withdraw a drug from the market. They will become (in the U.S.) a “scheduled” drug requiring in many states more stringent prescribing procedures/rules. The FDA generally will only withdraw a drug when it has serious adverse effects like liver failure with “normal” use. Withdrawing a drug with abuse potential may harm many patients who take it as prescribed and without abusing it.
There are great societal costs considering accidental overdose, potential target-creation for crime, illegal trafficking, etc…but the fact remains that the drug, when used as directed, is effective.
The political answer is that the pharmaceutical companies benefit financially from illegal users of brand-name prescriptions, by creating high demand for their product, increasing profit, which is fed back to Washington in the form of campaign contributions, etc.
The scientific answer is that it is the only medication that does what it does the WAY it does it. Various medications treat anxiety by relaxing muscles or numbing nerves or otherwise blocking the dozens of chemical reactions that cause panic attacks. Depending on the triggers and the symptoms of each individual patient, not all medications are as effective as others. It is still a clinically valuable medication, and if used by a person for the real reason it is prescribed, is not harmful or addictive.
People who use medications when they do not have symptoms of illness put themselves and others in great danger with unpredictable and unexpected reactions to drugs. It’s not the medication that is the problem — it is the person who decides that it would be “fun” to use it illicitly. It’s the exact same principle with anything we take for granted, like, cars for instance. If a person drives safely, traffic runs smoothly and everyone arrives at their destinations. When people drive dangerously (drunk, too fast, with faulty engines, etc.) then accidents/collisions happen, yet — we will never outlaw cars.