I know there are several teachers out there, quite a few secondary. Are you seeing this fascination with Xanax with your students? We had a mega bust earlier this week, and so did another middle school here. Hearing rumors that this seems to be the drug of choice all of the sudden. Very scary - considering that these are 12-14 year olds we are dealing with here. What's the deal with it? Can't be easy to get since it is a controlled substance like Ritaliln. I keep thinking about the students I have that are involved and wonder if I could have said just one more thing that might have made a difference in their decision to take such a risk. My heart is really heavy this weekend - keep thinking about these kids.
TXNOS-thanks for the clarification on Ritalin vs Xanax. Did not know that. I read the warnings about weaning off Xanax rather than stopping all at once, but did not see something to indicate the schedule of the drug. I don't doubt that for some teens it is socially acceptable, but we are talking about 6th, 7th,and 8th graders here, 12 of them! One kid took 3 pills! I have had kids get taken out for drinking and pot. I understand that some kids will experiment with these, the effects are known. But these kids did not have one clue what they were taking or what it would do to them. We dodged a huge bullet not having to call an ambulance. A few of the kids who took it are also on Ritalin or similar drug for ADD/ADHD. I guess I am disturbed by the facts that 1) other kids seemed to think it was no big deal and 2) they did something even though they had no clue what it would do or how it would make them feel. As a teacher of a couple of these kids, I keep wondering if there was one more thing I could have said or one thing I could have heard when they talked. Why this drug and why so many? That is what disturbs me.
I think the fact that it CAN be obtained legally make it easier for them to justify it. Something like "Why should I go to a therapist to get a prescription? I know they will prescribe it for me anyway, why waste time and money" Plus it is easier to hide since you don't have to smoke it and dogs can't sniff it. They can just pop a pill at the water fountain.
And by therapist, you mean doctor or psychiatrist (since few psychotherapists also have medical degrees). Call me a cynic, but do you ever wonder if the pharmaceutical companies WANT Xanax to get over-sold and abused? That way, they can sell more of their product, then maybe get some research grants to develop a med that will counteract Xanax cravings, and they can make a lot of money off that product too. ;-)
I think the one thing we can all safely say is that you shouldn't give Xanax to your pet chimp, or it's liable to rip off your friend's face. NOTE -- this warning depends on whether or not you actually WANT your pet chimp to rip off your friend's face. Your mileage may vary.
xanax is far more dangerous than drinking or weed. you go into almost a zombie like state and taking too much of it causes memory loss and it is highly addicting. the worse part about it is it fucks with your chemical balance
lostman, maybe the use of medications has boomed for kids since you were one. I know when I was a child & adolescent, the only time I was allowed to take aspirin was for a fever. I took antibiotics a few times for sinus infections and the like, but it was pretty unusual for me. I was unaware of any friends or classmates taking medications. Now days, maybe every other adolescent kid is on meds or knows another kid who is on meds. Once that becomes the norm, a certain percentage will experiment, then spread the word that something is "fun" to use. In other words, as a society, we're just reaping what we sowed?
I am not condoning use of weed or any of that. Just my experiences, xanax was far worse than anything else. It's almost like being black out drunk everytime. You go through chunks of time doing things, but you don't remember.
seen TONS of friends and siblings of friends basically throw away years, if not all, of their lives away with xanax and similar ****. it is one of the most horrible things ive seen. perfectly normal/happy kids get caught up in with the 'blue dolphins' or 'footballs' or w/e other stuipdass name they had for that **** and are hooked forever, or if they are lucky, just years.
bluto, i think we refered to these people as "bar babies" the big ones where the white bars. but yeah, they are basically zombies. i went through about 4 months of it until friends stepped in and saved my life.
I have a prescription to xanex...but its a pretty low dosage...i have a Essential Tremor...basically the opposite of Parkinson's...my hands shake...the Xanex calms em down... wont work for too long though...doc says in 15 years or so ill probably have to have brain surgery or i wont have use of my hands anymore...and im only 24 years old...
As a physician (an old one at that), I'm surprised that kids would be into xanax. It is a benzodiazapine, which is the the same class of drug as valium, but with a much shorter half-life. It is usually used to treat anxiety or panic disorders. What surprises me is that this drug makes adults sleepy, and they often forget several hours of their lives (blackouts). I have used similar drugs in my anesthesiology practice during "local" or spinal anestheia, and patients do not remember anything. Sad that kids are using drugs that have such side effects. What happened to beer and cigarettes in the parking lot?
hang in there lostman -- it's just good to know there are teachers like you out there putting forth a positive influence. But I agree -- this one shakes up a person. How did we get ourselves into a situation where kids that young are willing to lose hours and hours of consciousness in exchange for . . . some sort of high? Reminds me of all those kids in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro sniffing glue constantly.
Xanax is a horrible drug with an inconsistent plasma profile, hits you hard up front (that's the draw) and doens't usually last very long. It's preferred in a cocktail with hydrocodone (Norco, Vicodin) and SOMA (a muscle relaxer). I called it the East TN cocktail while training in Appalachia. The stuff is prolific and addictive. It's scary that 12 year olds are abusing the stuff. I would prefer it to go away. There are much better meds out there that are used for the same indications.
