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              Anxiety Medication: Over Prescribed and

                              Causing Overdoses

      According to a story on NBC New York, more and more patients are ending up in New York City hospitals having over dosed on Xanax. Xanax is in the benzodiaziepine family of drugs and it’s used to treat anxiety, nervousness, and panic attacks by decreasing brain activity.

Xanax Overdoses Way Up

NBC New York reports:

      Between 2004 and 2009, New York City emergency room visits involving Xanax and other anti-anxiety prescription drugs known as benzodiazepines increased more than 50 percent. That’s up from 38 out of 100,000 New Yorkers in 2004 to 59 out of 100,000 New Yorkers.

      It’s not the drug by itself that causes the overdoses, but used in combination with other drugs and alcohol, it creates a toxic cocktail which isn’t easily metabolized in the body.

      The drug is habit forming and withdrawal symptoms can include sweating, shaking, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty concentrating, depression, and nervousness. Many fear that the drug is being over prescribed. 

      “I don’t believe they take the time with the patients to figure out what the problems are,” Cali Estes, a drug counselor said to NBC New York. “A doctor who is running short on time and nurses and probably isn’t paid as much as he or she used to be finds it easier to say, ‘OK, this person has a problem, here’s your script, have a nice day. Where’s my next patient?’” 

Whitney Houston’s Death Tied to Xanax and Other Drugs

      Whitney Houston’s recent death is raising questions as to this and other sedatives. Xanax is most often criticized by those in the psychiatric community because it only lasts 6 to 20 hours.

Forbes reports: 

      On the face of it, this seems like a great combination – you get a quick hit of anxiety relief and the drug leaves your system within a 24-hour period. But in practice what often happens is that because the drug acts so quickly and dissipates quickly, the patient begins taking more of it to maintain the effect. Two pills a day turns into four, which turns into six and so forth.

      According to the CDC, prescription drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., topping automobile accidents for the first time in 30 years. Currently, Xanax is the 11th most widely prescribed drug in the nation.

                                                     Available in: http://blogs.discovery.com