Question Title: xanax

Dear Cheri,

Your question is a bit unclear. It sounds as though you are asking what would happen if you took 2 of your prescribed doses of Xanax much closer together than was intended by the prescribing physician.

First, a few words about Xanax. Xanax is alprazolam, a short-acting sedative-hypnotic tranquilizer in the benzodiazepine family (the most well known medicine in this family is Valium or diazepam). It is a potent tranquilizer with a rapid onset of action and brief duration of action. Because of these properties, it is considered to be one of the most potentially addictive medications in its class. I avoid prescribing it whenever possible, as do most addiction medicine experts. People who take Xanax for lengthy periods of time are at risk of having a grand mal seizure if they discontinue it too abruptly.

The greatest hazard of inadvertently doubling up on your dose is that you would become overly sedated, and that this could interfere with your performance at tasks which involved alertness and motor coordination, such as driving. For this reason, I would be very careful not to attempt to perform any such potentially dangerous tasks while under the influence of a higher dose of Xanax than you are accustomed to taking. In general, it is a good idea to be careful with such tasks even when you do take the medication as directed. And should never mix alcohol with medications in this class.

Make sure that you and your physician review your use of Xanax soon; perhaps it can be discontinued or you can be switched to a safer medication.

Steve Adelman, M.D. (a.k.a. DrSteve)

This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition.

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