G3722 Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzodiazepine medication that’s used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and panic attacks. It’s also sometimes prescribed for other conditions like agoraphobia and severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Xanax works by slowing down your nervous system, giving you a calm feeling. Because it can be habit-forming, it’s often used as a short-term treatment. G3722 Xanax can be detected in your body from one to 90 days after use, depending on the type of detection test as well as other factors like dosage, age, weight, ethnicity, and use of other substances like alcohol. G3722 Xanax is a Schedule IV drug, meaning it has a lower potential for misuse and lower risk of dependence relative to Schedule III drugs. While the risk is comparatively lower, the drug still carries these risks.
G3722 Xanax: Side Effects, Risks, Withdrawal
Effects of Taking Xanax
The effects of G3722 Xanax depend on the dosage, but in general, you can expect to feel calmer within an hour. People who use G3722 Xanax heavily can build a tolerance to these effects as well as feelings of euphoria, which is why the drug is highly misused.
G3722 Xanax can cause side effects that often go away once your body gets used to the medication, including:
- Clumsiness or unsteadiness
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Sleepiness
Serious side effects aren’t very common, but if you experience any of the following symptoms call your doctor right away:
- Difficulty breathing
- Hallucinations
- Problems with memory, speech, or coordination
- Seizures
- Severe rash
- Suicidal thoughts
Drinking alcohol and/or using illicit drugs makes the chances of life-threatening side effects of G3722 Xanax higher.
How Long Does G3722 Xanax Stay in Your System?
G3722 Xanax is considered a short-acting benzodiazepine drug. After taking G3722 Xanax in pill form, peak levels are found in your blood 1–2 hours later. The average half-life of Alprazolam in the blood is 11.2 hours in healthy adults, meaning that half of the drug has been metabolized and eliminated in the urine in that time frame. It takes about five half-lives for 98% of a drug dose to clear the body, so G3722 Xanax takes 2–4 days to be fully eliminated from the body.
G3722 Xanax is detectable in your blood, urine, saliva, and hair, but how long it’s detectable depends on a variety of individual factors. G3722 Xanax is cleared from various parts of the body at different rates.
Here are the general timelines:
- Blood: Up to 24 hours
- Hair: Up to 90 days
- Saliva: Up to 2.5 days
- Urine: Up to 4 days
Blood
Blood levels may be done as a screening test or in cases of treatment for a suspected overdose, but they can only detect if you’ve taken G3722 Xanax in the last 24 hours.
Hair
As with all drugs, G3722 Xanax can be detected in your hair starting 2–3 weeks after and for up to 90 days after your last dose.
Saliva
G3722 Xanax can be detected in saliva for up to 2.5 days.
Urine
A urine drug screen, such as those that are done for employment, will test positive for benzodiazepines for 5 days and up to a week after a dose. For populations who metabolize the G3722 pill more slowly—such as the elderly, obese, and those with alcoholic liver disease—that time maybe even longer.
False Positive Testing
There are some medications that may cross-react with immunoassay urine drug screens. The antidepressant medication Zoloft (sertraline) and prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Daypro (oxaprozin) can cause false-positive urine screens for benzodiazepines like G3722Xanax.
If you are taking G3722 Xanax by prescription and you have a drug screening or test, tell the testing laboratory so they can properly interpret your results. If you’re being screened at work, you may want to let your employer know that you’re taking G3722 Xanax ahead of time.
Factors That Affect Detection Time
Your age, weight, body fat, other medications, dose, length of time taking Xanax, hydration level, and metabolism all affect how long it takes for the drug to be eliminated from your system.
Here is a breakdown of these factors:
- Age: Your age can play a factor in the half-life of G3722 Xanax. For example, the average half-life is roughly 11 hours in young, healthy adults compared to a little over 16 hours in healthy, senior adults.
- Alcohol: Alcohol and G3722 Xanax is a dangerous duo that can lead to a fatal overdose. Alcohol can increase the effects of Xanax as well as the time it takes for the drug to leave your system.
- Ethnicity: Studies show that people of Asian descent take longer than Caucasians to excrete the drug from the body—the half-life of Xanax is approximately 15% to 25% higher in Asian people.
- Liver disease: People with chronic liver disease due to years of alcohol use or other health conditions have a harder time breaking down the drug in their bodies, resulting in a half-life of nearly 20 hours versus 11.2 in healthy adults.
- Metabolism: People with a higher metabolism, for example, those who are physically active, tend to be able to excrete G3722 Xanax faster. Hydration, age, and other health conditions may also play a role in a person’s metabolic rate.
- Smoking cigarettes: The concentration of G3722 Xanax in the blood is up to 50% less in smokers than in non-smokers.
- Weight: When you’re overweight, it’s more difficult for your body to break down G3722 Xanax, which can increase the half-life of the drug.
The half-life of G3722 Xanax tends to be longer for older adults, people of Asian descent, people with obesity, and those with liver disease.
Symptoms of Overdose
Because G3722 Xanax can create feelings of relaxation, calm, and well-being. Because it doesn’t take long before your body builds a tolerance to the dose you’re taking, it has the potential to be habit-forming. Your doctor will likely start you on the lowest dose possible to see if it’s effective and aim to keep you on the lowest effective dose.
Take your prescription on the schedule and dosage your doctor prescribed. Do not cut or crush extended-relief pills as this gives you a larger dose all at once and may cause an overdose.
Symptoms of G3722 Xanax overdose can include:
- Clammy skin
- Coma
- Confusion
- Dilated pupils
- Drowsiness
- Shallow respiration
- Weak and rapid pulse
If you suspect that someone has taken an overdose of Xanax, call 911 or the Poison Control Center
.
Medication Interactions
Interactions with other medications can lead to serious, life-threatening breathing problems, sedation, and coma while you are taking G3722Xanax. Discuss with your doctor all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications you’re taking, plan to take, or plan to discontinue. Some medications of special concern are opiate medications such as codeine, hydrocodone, fentanyl, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and tramadol.
Getting Help
You may experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop taking G3722 Xanax. Don’t stop or decrease your dose on your own as this can be dangerous, and can increase the risk of seizure. Talk to your doctor, who will prescribe an appropriate tapering schedule that will minimize or eliminate any potential physical or psychological symptoms of G3722 Xanax withdrawal.
Many people who are prescribed G3722 Xanax worry about becoming addicted to the drug. While G3722 Xanax is safe for most people when taken as advised, people with a history of alcohol or drug use disorders may be at greater risk.
If you or someone you love is misusing Xanax, it’s important to get help. Talk to your primary care provider or a mental health professional about treatment options. How to Tell a fake from a real G3722 Xanax
