AmiSight 3/28: Navigating the Dark Side of Xanax Dependency

While Xanax has been a popular prescription drug for treating anxiety and insomnia for decades, it also can be addictive and hard to stop for some. Entrepreneurs often face high-pressure situations, long hours, and the constant stress of building and scaling a business.

To cope, some turn to medications like Xanax to manage anxiety and insomnia. While these prescriptions can provide short-term relief, they also come with risks—potential dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and even worsening of the very issues they were meant to treat.

The Wall Street Journal spoke to nearly four dozen doctors, researchers, and patients, or their family members, who had been prescribed benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Ativan and Valium.

Often referred to as benzos, they are some of the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications in America, and have even left a mark on pop culture, turning up in Lil Wayne songs and HBO’s “The White Lotus.”

Although Xanax and other benzos can be misused as a party pill, the majority of patients who are prescribed them are law-abiding citizens who legitimately need relief. However, many doctors say the drugs are prescribed too often for conditions they aren’t effective at treating, and often for too long, resulting in dependence and withdrawal symptoms. 

Guidelines now recommend only short-term use of benzodiazepines – no more than four weeks – and have rigid timelines on how to reduce doses to prevent serious withdrawal symptoms.

Subscribe to the AmiSights Podcast!