TRANQUILIZER XANAX CAN LEAVE ITS USERS DEPENDENT

Commonly prescribed for anxiety, the tranquilizer Xanax can leave users
dependent. For Gov. Jeb Bush's 24-year-old daughter Noelle, it was
apparently a prescription for trouble.

Xanax is one of a large class of drugs called benzodiazepines that slow
down the nervous system. Other commonly prescribed brands are Dalmane,
Halcion, Librium and Valium.

They are prescribed to relieve anxiety or panic disorder but should not be
taken to relieve nervousness or tension caused by stress.

Arrested at the drive-through window of a Tallahassee pharmacy while
allegedly trying to buy the sedative with a fraudulent prescription, Noelle
Bush told police she was alone Monday night when she had an anxiety attack,
authorities said.

Xanax can be habit-forming, especially when taken over a long period or in
high doses.

Those who have become dependent feel a strong need to continue taking the
medicine and must take larger doses to achieve the same effect. Withdrawal
can bring on bouts of nervousness, irritability, trouble sleeping, cramps
and the shakes.

"Clearly this is quite a potent medication," said Dr. Pierre Blier,
professor of psychiatry in the University of Florida's College of Medicine.

"It doesn't take long for the body to become dependent. If you take it for
a week or two and stop abruptly, you may have rebound anxiety or rebound
insomnia."

Gwen Love, prevention program coordinator at Corner Drugstore Inc. in
Gainesville, said Tuesday that Xanax abuse has become a problem for some
local teens.

"We had a youth committee (looking into drug abuse) that kept talking about
kids and 'Xandy bars.' What they were talking about was Xanax. It has
become a drug of abuse in conjunction with other drugs and alcohol, and it
can increase the effects of both," Love said.

"Mix Xanax with alcohol, and you may have a complete hole in your life for
two or three hours," Blier said.

Xanax will multiply the effects of alcohol and other drugs that act on the
nervous system. Those drugs can include over-the-counter medications -
antihistamines such as Benedryl or others taken for cold and allergy relief.

"You also find that people who are taking stimulant drugs will turn to
tranquilizers, anti-depressants or narcotics to level themselves off or
come down from a high, so Xanax could be used in that manner, also," Love said.