As of 2010, Xanax has been the most widely prescribe and the number one selling psychiatric medication pill in the United States, according to The Psych Central website. In 2009, there was a total of 44 million written prescriptions for Xanax, an alprazolam drug of the benzodiazepine class.
As of 2010, Xanax has been the most widely prescribe and the number one selling psychiatric medication pill in the United States, according to The Psych Central website. In 2009, there was a total of 44 million written prescriptions for Xanax, an alprazolam drug of the benzodiazepine class. Xanax has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat disorders such as anxiety, panic and known to prevent convulsion. It is also a popular sleep aid that promotes a shorter time to fall asleep that causes the muscles to relax. Information gathered from the Rx List website, Xanax is comprised of an active ingredient and several inert ingredients.
Active Ingredient
Alprazolam, available in several mg doses, is the primary active ingredient in Xanax pills. Upjohn/Pfizer patented Xanax in 1976, which is known to successful in treating panic disorders evident in several clinical tests. Alprazolam was prescribed by many doctors for a broad range of sleep disorders and anxiety. Modern medicine treatments using Xanax are known every year, according to the “Medical Science Monitor” 2010 study. Xanax has significantly enhanced the ratings of tinnitus, subjectively. Tinnitus is a condition of the ear characterized by a persistent ringing in the deeper ear.
The controversy surrounding Alprazolam continues in spite of its known efficacy. The “Prescrire International” 2008 review recommends the avoidance of these sleep-inducing pills. According to the review, conventional hypnotic treatments such as Xanax have side effects associated with drug dependency, tolerance and withdrawal concerns. Furthermore, taking in alprazolam can cause sleepiness even during daytime and further memory loss. It is also a risk factor for cancer. The study recommends other anxiolytic and sleep enhancing treatments that do not have the aforementioned side effects.
In a 2000 paper presented in the “Psychopharmacology” journal showed the effectiveness of combining alprazolam in the liquid diet in animal tests which produced stable, effective degrees and reliable results for this treatment administration route. However, this route among humans remains to be explored.
Inactive Ingredients
The inactive ingredients found in Xanax include docusate sodium, sodium benzoate, lactose, cellulose, silicon dioxide, corn starch and magnesium stearate. Alprazolam, combined with these inert ingredients is primarily to make the composition and structure of the mixture stable. Other reasons for Upjohn/Pfizer in constituting these ingredients together is to increase the durability of the pill through the protective coating; make Xanax more appealing; to dissipate the odor and taste of the alprazolam drug; easily shallowed; and to prolong the shelf life of the pill to ensure safety in storage and shipping.
Cosmetic Ingredients
Xanax bars come in 0.50 mg and 1 mg doses of alprazolam. There are two food colors incorporated into the tablets. The FD&C Yellow No. 6 dye, also known as Sunset Yellow is constituted into the 0.50 mg dose of alprazolam, which makes the golden color of the tablets. The other dose has FD&C Blue No. 2 or the indigotine which is responsible for the blueish color of the 1 mg tablet. The Yellow Sunset is known to cause allergic reaction to some but when taken in big amounts, the person can be predisposed to cancer. Indigotine on the other hand, is not known for side affects.
