ORLANDO, Fla. - When Bryan stopped taking drugs six months ago, he got through the worst of his heroin withdrawal in a week. It was Xanax that tortured him for a full month.
He longed for the "benzos," slang for benzodiazepines, the class of drugs that includes Xanax, to take the edge off his skittishness, sleeplessness and anxiety.
Although Bryan used a variety of drugs for about 12 years, the Orlando man found Xanax one of the hardest to let go.
"Once you get fixated on downers like that, you don't stop easily," said Bryan, 29, who asked not to be identified by last name to protect his business. "Especially if you're a high-strung individual, it just gives you an extremely relaxing feeling. It's slows down your thought process; you take everything in stride."
Xanax is a prescription medication used to treat anxiety. But it also is a highly abused, easily addictive tranquilizer and the focus of a fraudulent prescription drug charge against Gov. Jeb Bush's 24-year-old daughter, Noelle.
If convicted, officials said, Noelle Bush likely would be given probation as a first-time offender.
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She will not be required to appear in court personally until after formal criminal charges are filed, a process that generally takes four to six weeks, Leon County Assistant State Attorney Owen McCaul said.
Xanax and other prescription drugs are becoming increasingly popular with younger people, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A government survey in 2000 found that about 5 million Americans have abused Xanax or a similar anti-anxiety drug at some point.
" It 's basically the modern-day version of a Quaalude - the mother's little helper," said Lui Delgado, a certified addictions professional and executive director of Quest Counseling Centre in Altamonte Springs. " It 's very common with young people, and it 's very easy to find."
Xanax is the brand name for alprazolam, a drug developed at least 20 years ago as an alternative to Valium, a widely prescribed sedative that was considered too easily addictive.
But both drugs can create powerful addictions, and some say Xanax is worse than Valium.
"Xanax, in particular, is abused because it has a fairly quick uptake into the system, and many people get a buzz from it, " said Dr. Herndon Harding, medical director of Florida Hospital 's Center for Behavioral Health.
Xanax works by depressing the central nervous system, enhancing the effects of a chemical in the brain that slows down the firing of neurons and reduces brain activity.
Bryan said taking Xanax felt like having a few drinks, minus the dizziness. He could get 100 pills for about $200, but the drug sells for up to $5 a pill on the street.
Most prescriptions call for no more than 2 mg of Xanax total a day. Because he had built up a tolerance, Bryan needed about 10 mg to get the desired effect.
Knight Ridder Tribune
