Alprazolam or Xanax (brand name) is a widely-prescribed medication that treats depression, copes with panic disorders and relieves anxiety. It is recognized as the most widely prescribed drug in the USA and other world countries. There’s no doubt that Xanax is effective, but can Xanax cause seizures in patients? Yes, it can.
Unfortunately, one of the greatest health dangers associated with Alprazolam is experiencing seizures. Xanax seizures are called to be a common withdrawal symptom, if a patient refuses from the drug all of a sudden instead of doing that gradually.
What Xanax Seizures Really Are?
Seizures appear when there are abnormalities in the brain provoked by an electrical activity. In most cases they go unnoticed. Yet when the conditions are severe, they lead to the loss of consciousness or its changes as well as convulsions, which are involuntary muscle spasms.
When you take Xanax and seizures occur, they usually appear all of a sudden and vary both in severity and duration. This may be a one-time event or can repeat from time to time.
Today experts talk of two seizure types:
- Focal/partial;
- Generalized.
The first ones always begin in the certain brain area and is contained there. They rarely spread to the entire brain. The second type involves both sides of the brain.
When Does Xanax Trigger Seizures?
Xanax and seizures not always go hand in hand. Generally, there are two cases when seizures may occur due to Alprazolam administration:
- Withdrawal;
- Alcohol consumption.
Xanax withdrawal is known for causing various body reactions. They all are negative ones, yet can be subdivided into mild and severe. Seizures belong to the latter subgroup along with delirium and hallucinations. Medical attention is required, if any of these are experienced.
Alcohol and Alprazolam are practically identical in function, which means that they both depress the central nervous system of a person. The combination is always dangerous and seizures are the safest side effect that can occur. When taken together, alcohol and Xanax cause death. Fatal cases are rare among young people, because they drink less as they feel drunk faster.
Note that chronic use of Xanax lowers seizure threshold, especially in patients with predisposing disorders or epilepsy.
How to Treat Xanax-Caused Seizures?
Frankly speaking, it is hard to prevent the condition by administering low Xanax doses only. The matter is that Alprazolam can trigger seizures, even in case of a short-term treatment with the lowest doses possible. If you are afraid of Xanax and seizures complications, ask your doctor to prescribe anti-seizure (antiepileptic) meds. They decrease risks of seizures after Xanax, yet the doses of both drugs should be adjusted by a professional.
Author: Dr. Andrew J. Olson
Dr. Andrew J. Olson is a PHD in psychiatry. He is also a psychiatrist consultant at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. He also serves as a Clinical Director of the Department of Psychiatry, at Royal Marsden Hospital, in London, UK.
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