Dont you have the right to take a mild sedative at times of extreme crisis? Are doctors right in prescribing Xanax to patients? These are some questions that need serious contemplation, as Xanax can be seen differently from different angles. We need to go into pros and cons of the effects of using the drug to come up with a clear-headed answer that is not overtly biased towards either the pro-drug activists or the anti-Xanax squad. Getting into the bottom of all the disinformation and misinformation on this topic would help in coming out with the truth.

Physicians are not wrong in prescribing Xanax under extreme cases of anxiety for a short term use. In fact this drug is the only relief that can cool down the nerves of the patient. A dose of Xanax can induce sleep in a person, who is not able to get a wink of sleep even after all those physical and psychological therapies. But their usefulness after a week or so is highly questionable. Even the most pro drug (Xanax) literature is not in favor of prolonged use of the drug.

Xanax, like other tranquilizers and mild sedatives, is habit forming and highly addictive. A long term use of the drug, say a few weeks, will give rise to tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. If a patient has gotten into such a stage, due to continued use of the pill to get over his anxiety, panic or depression problems, he is likely to face many other problems related to his physical health. This can further complicate matters.

The drug also covers up anxiety by suppressing the normal activities of the brain. To put it correctly, the brain is not in control; rather it is Xanax that has caught hold of the reins of rationality and sanity. You cannot anticipate and comprehend your reflexes and reactions to any situation under the duress of Alprazolam. In fact what you get is an effect of drug induced anxiety rebound.

A person with such drug induced anxiety rebound in their system lives under considerable threat of recurring anxiety problems. His natural reflexes and self consciousness becomes handicapped in the face of an anxiety attack. The natural anxiety responses and reflexes of the brain get muted as Xanax has repressed them. Many abnormal anxiety responses develop in the brain at this juncture.

But doctors who prescribe Xanax still reinforce and hold on to the fact that they are doing a favor to the patients, who cannot cope up with anxiety at all. They have to react accordingly to the patients mode of helplessness. So, where is the choice? What can be the alternative to Xanax as it is ineffective therapeutically?

Many psychologists are of the opinion that psychotherapy is one slow but effective means that can help a person to get rid of his anxiety problems. Patients should employ different therapies like group therapy, meditation, deep massage, relaxation techniques, and spiritual exercise under different therapists till he gets over the anxiety problem. This may prove beneficial in the long run as the therapeutic effectiveness of Xanax is questionable.