Prescription drugs are prescribed every day for multiple reasons. Some people are just coming out of surgery or have chronic pain and are prescribed painkillers to function and be comfortable in their daily lives. Some may have mental or emotional trauma such as anxiety, panic attacks, or something else that makes it challenging to deal with the days ahead. Some of the most prescribed medications today are Hydrocodone and Xanax.

These drugs are habit-forming and have a high chance of dependency if taken other than prescribed by your doctor. Individuals who have a substance abuse problem take high doses to feel a euphoric high and sometimes take them together to get an even more intense high which can be deadly because each slows the body’s nervous system.

TL;DR – Mixing Hydrocodone and Xanax is generally unsafe without medical supervision, as it can significantly increase the risk of severe side effects and overdose.

What is Hydrocodone?

Hydrocodone is used to relieve severe pain. Hydrocodone is one of the active ingredients in the painkillers Vicodin, which is given out frequently after major surgery or cancer patients. Hydrocodone is a type of opioid, and it’s in many kinds of prescription medications designed to relieve pain. It is only prescribed when other pain medications are ineffective, and it comes in extended-release capsules or tablets. If abused and taken more than prescribed, hydrocodone can cause side effects such as weakness, confusion, and hallucinations.

What is Xanax?

Xanax, the brand name for alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine or benzo. Xanax is usually prescribed for those who have anxiety or panic disorders. It works by telling our brain and nervous system to calm down, hence producing a calming effect. This drug should only be taken as directed because it can cause dependency and become addictive. Besides being dangerous when taking high doses, quitting suddenly after taking it for long periods is also detrimental. The withdrawals from this drug can cause dangerous symptoms, sometimes seizures.

Mixing Hydrocodone and Xanax

In general, it is popular for people who abuse drugs to mix hydrocodone and Xanax to feel effects more significant than either drug can produce if taken alone. When those addicted to hydrocodone no longer get high, they combine the drug with Xanax for a “better” effect.

According to a 2012 review in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence (NCBI), benzodiazepines and opioids are among the most frequently abused psychoactive drug classes in the world. It also states in multiple studies that people who had received opioids and benzodiazepines simultaneously felt higher and more sedated than taking either drug alone.

Combining these two drugs can be deadly because both drugs can slow breathing, and when combined, the drugs can make a person stop breathing. The labels on all opioids and benzodiazepines prescriptions warn patients not to mix the drugs because of the facts found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the two commonly used together. It states,

To decrease the use of opioids and benzodiazepines, or opioids and other CNS depressants, together, we are adding Boxed Warnings, our strongest warnings, to the drug labeling of prescription opioid pain and prescription opioid cough medicines, and benzodiazepines.

Overdosing on hydrocodone and Xanax is very easy and is a severe health condition, even deadly.

Signs of a hydrocodone and Xanax overdose include:

• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Sleepiness
• Trouble breathing
• Loss of consciousness

Get the Help You Need

If you or a loved one are ready to quit using hydrocodone or Xanax, it is best not to do it alone. When it comes to Allure Detox, we provide much more than the bare minimum.  Of course, we help clients stop using safely – that’s just a given.  Almost as important as that, though, is that we offer clients the foundation for a lifetime of relief and recovery.

That’s the Allure Detox promise: that patients leave our care with more than good health at their disposal. Our focus is on minimizing your withdrawal symptoms to a comfortable level while beginning the comprehensive treatment process that will keep you sober.

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