13 May XANAX: THE ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Two hundred and four, that was the number of deaths between 2015 and last year caused by “fake Xanax” that people who are now dependant are now buying in record numbers.
This number is surprising , to say the least, what us maybe more surprising however is many people are aware that many of these Xanex are indeed laced with something else in order to be sold for a profit. It seems unbelievable, that someone would risk their life in order to feel the short term affects that prescription drugs such as Xanax provide to people.
Xanax, also known as Alprazolam, is a short acting benzodiazepine. In layman’s terms, it has a calming effect, more commonly used in the short term management of anxiety disorders, specifically panic disorder or generalised anxiety disorder. What are some of the effects of Xanax?
- Drowsiness
- Diziness
- Increased saliva production
- Changing of libido
Xanax is normally prescribed just like any other medication, although being used commonly is only really apparent in America, where a large number of people that take it are students. Why then is it being allowed to be sold if the number of deaths is this high?
That is because when these xanax tablets are acquired, a large portion are now being solved off to dependants for a large profit. People that may have anxiety and are not able to be prescribed then for some reason, or someone that doesn’t suffer from anxiety and has just become accustomed to the feeling they get once taking these pills. But these tablets being sold of the “black market” are extremely dangerous, and the deaths that have occurred and not because of the Xanax alone, but more what the Xanax has been laced with.
When distributing counterfeit substances, a lot of the time they will be “cut” with something else, making it cheaper to press into pills but also a dangerous combination if you get the ratio wrong. One of the most popular substances that is being found to be mixed into these Xanax pills is a substance called Fentanyl.
Fentanyl, an incredibly powerful opiate painkiller, has an everyday use in hospitals, normally used to subside extreme pain, whether that be surgical or chemotherapy. Due to the euphoric high one obtains from Fentanyl, it’s being used to create a deadly mixture with Xanax. Combining Fentanyl with ay medication can be lethal. Fentanyl is stronger than heroin, and up to a hundred times stronger than morphine, not something that you are supposed to become dependant on. Yet, many people are today dependant on not only fentanyl but also the fentanyl mixed with xanax concoction, even if it means the end of their own life.
fake Xanax bars that have been freshly pressed
Brandon is twenty- one, after years having a relationship with using drugs recreationally, things turned sour after the death of his mother from cancer, has has just come out of hospital after being found unconscious on the floor of his accommodation, after taking five Xanax that he believed to be real.
“After that, I didn’t care really anymore, I dint know what Xanax were til I had told my friend I had trouble sleeping, then he offered me one, now I can hardly sleep without them”. After being asked if he knew the risks, knew that most of these Xanax were fake and actually considerably more harmful for you then ones that are prescribed, he suggested ” Well I’ve just come out of hospital”.
“After taking some that were probably dodgy, I was comatose for about half a day I think, it wasn’t like I was suicidal, But I did know the risks, it wasn’t like I did it on purpose, at the time of taking it I just felt like the benefits it gave me outweighed the risks.”
Was Brandon just an enigma that had knowledge on such things in a sea of ignorant people that weren’t aware of what this drug can do?
“People know the risk, most people know that these fakes are going around, but there so much cheaper and stronger, I think some people might actually prefer the fake ones” he laughed “When you buy the substance you think you’re going to get all the effects that are meant to come along with taking the pill, such as anti- anxiety effects but a lot of people get ones that are actually laced with something, I heard fentanyl is used a lot nowadays, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t surprising the number of deaths that have occurred, it is still very surprising.”
The knowledge that people are aware of such risks but are still willingly taking these pills, shines a light on the dependancy problem that is apparent in the country. Yes, as with any drug that has addictive elements, dependancy is a risk but at this scale it begins to bring into question how much of an epidemic the abuse of prescription drugs are. Its a new scene for not only for the people that takes these drugs, recreationally or not, but also for the people that distribute these substances.
Liam, 20 is a drug dealer that has been selling prescription medicine for the last two years, he has given his incite into the problem, after being told the number of deaths that has led to the investigation into the abuse of counterfeit drugs.
” A lot of fake Xanax is made up of pregabalin, especially in the south of England where I manly distribute.”
Pregabalin is a drug used to treat epilepsy, its effects is similar to that of Xanax or in a very diluted sense, fentanyl.
“A lot is made up using cheap alprazolam, which is real Xanax but its made in countries like China for very cheap so not sure why but it becomes a lot more dangerous, if you have Xanax made up of the really cheap stuff, which are what most are made up of nowadays, it is very hard to get actual prescription Xanax so like 90% or so of Xanax are all pressed so whoever makes them can put whatever they want in them.”
Not just Xanax, but fentanyl is finding its way into other more mainstream substances as well, Liam says “Fentanyl laced in cocaine is now also an issue because it is cheap and the quantities you can get them on are massive, but you only actually need the tiniest amount in order to feel the full effects, most people don’t know there limits, or dealers don’t know the measurements to use, so they end up putting too much in which is what kills you in the end.”
Liam also suggested that not much is being done in the actual rehabilitation of people dependant on prescription drugs, with drugs that are not prescribed taking priority. When St Mary’s hospital on the Isle Of Wight was asked to comment on such claims, there was no response.
It is clear from talking to two people from experience, that Xanax is quickly becoming the drug of choice for a lot of young people, whether it is to experience the high or to just feel the anti- anxiety effects. So because it is so popular, telling people to avoid such substances and if you don’t know what is in it don’t take it, here are some ways in which you can tell whether or not a Xanax is real or has been produced out off the normal environment in which this medication is made.
- If the symbols on the pills are not clear and look like they have not been pressed well, if they look faded for example this is a clear sign that it has been re-pressed and means it is probably containing something other than alprazolam.
- If consistency of the pill also feel quite crumbly or, again, if it looks like it hasn’t been pressed very tightly it, again, has probably been mixed with something other than the original ingredients that make up a prescribed, legal Xanax pill
- If the price is given in a deal, for example ten for £5 this could be a sign that cheap powder was used and therefore is is again not the Xanax that is prescribed to people
