Pharmacology - Is Xanax (Alprazolam) really short-acting??

[Lehendakari]

SWIM knows the basics of xanax, he knows it's not supposed to be as long acting as clonazepam and other benzos, but yesterday he dosed 2 mg at 6:30 pm, it was the highest dosage he ever tried, and needless to say he was fucked till he went to bed.

The thing is that he woke up this morning after 6-7 hours of full and deep sleep and he is still feeling sedated, and knows its xanax and not normal tiredness. So it's been 17 hours since he dosed, and he still feels it. WTF is going on??

[wellhelm]

I think its generally accepted that xanax has a 6 hour half life but I have also heard 6-12 hours and even longer some times.

[Psych0naut]

It depends on ones metabolition, and if a high dose is taken the plasma levels in SWIY's blood will rise and it will take longer to metabolise all of it.

[Zaprenz]

Originally Posted by Lehendakari

he dosed 2 mg at 6:30 pm, it was the highest dosage he ever tried, and needless to say he was fucked till he went to bed.

Assuming the half-life to be 6hours, even 12 hours later there would be 0.5mg xanax (2.0mg X 0.5 X 0.5) still present which is approximately = 10mg Diazepam (Still enough to feel groggy for most people)

[roman6886]

why not dose as needed basis Swim usually sticks a mg under swim's tongue and if swim is not 2 messed up will throw under another mg

[cheetahwhisker]

In swims experience the effects from xanax have lasted at least 24 hours after he took about 25 1mg pills one night before his vehichle got searched by the police in order not to go to jail. Swim was good and fucked up after he woke up about 12 hours later the next day. The was an extreme example I guess but the effects lasted a long time. To many xanax can really get a person in some shit because you lose your ability to understand whats going on around you and you really dont care either. They say xanax have a have life but from swims experience the amount you take will determine how long the aftereffects are.

[radiometer]

SWIM notices the effects of .5mg alprazolam for at least 6-8 hours after taking it.

[Refill]

Originally Posted by roman6886

Swim usually sticks a mg under swim's tongue and if swim is not 2 messed up will throw under another mg

LOL! You people crack me up with your rampant use of SWIMs, SWIYs, SWIGs, and SWANs... hell here's problably even one for DUCK hehe, but doth digress. Roman (honest), post gave me a chuckle: [i]If I ain't sufficiently fucked up after 2, hell i just pop in anohter 'un." lol

You guys are teh cool.

Although I do doubt DEA or LE will ram you door in at 3 a.m. for ordering overseeas Sch IV drugs. Then again, if you're smuggling in half-a-kilo of heroin four times a year.... well, that's on you right there, bub.

Right, so anyway--to the topic. The underside of the tungue is rich is mucus membranous tissue called buccal mucosa. So that when you administer a substance sulingually it is diffused ("obsorbed") into the epithelium--that's a virtual "mainline" to the blood-stream because you are bypassing first-ass metabolism (the liver).

NOT all preperations and formulations whether in pill form; whether in the finest powered forum; nor even solution and spray are practical (meaning effective) for this route of injestion.

And the reasons for that could fill another entire post. Time is a factor though and I must run.

Have fun, STAY educated on this shit though... and be safe.

Refill

Reputation Comments on this post:

people are merely following the board rules, if you find that so funny then perhaps you should find a new board?

[Refill]

Originally Posted by Lehendakari

The thing is that he woke up this morning after 6-7 hours of full and deep sleep and he is still feeling sedated, and knows its xanax and not normal tiredness. So it's been 17 hours since he dosed, and he still feels it. WTF is going on??

Any myriad of things pertaining to your tolerance to the drug, all the way to microsensivity to the smallest amounts still not excreted from your pee the next morning.

Btw., alp is not really short-acting. It is more accurate to class it as a "clean (clean meaning producing no active metabolites), medium-acting bzd" whose most prominent effects may still be felt 6 hours later in the unaccustomed pt.

Heh. TRUE SHORT-ACTING would be the IV form of midazolam know a Versed. And other true short-actiing sedative is triazolam (Halcion). And finally, to a somewhat less impressive degree, oxazepam, or Serax, which has been shown to be be eliminated in as litte 3-4 hours, completely.

hth,
Refill

[wearestardust]

That last bit doesn't sound right. Perhaps a person with absolutely NO residual benzo would excrete 5 or 10mg oxazepam in a short time, but 3-4 hours? Triazolam has the shortest half-life of all benzos right enough.
As for alprazolam, it all depends on the dosage and frequency. SWIM's prescription (if he kept to it) would require re-dosing every six hours no doubt. Diazepam and Nordazepam are probably the longest-lasting benzos. But due to their relative weakness, people are inclined to take rather a lot, resulting in cumulation which can remain in the body for weeks!
WAStardust