The Facts on Injecting Meth and Xanax

The Realities and Risks of Slamming Meth and Benzodiazepines

Injecting meth and Xanax at the same time is like playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette with your life. Each hit could bring a deadly conclusion to the game. Mixing two drugs often has unpredictable effects. However, the negative consequences of mixing Xanax with methamphetamine are well-documented and increase the chances of death by overdose.

Changes Healing Center is no stranger to polydrug use, often covering up symptoms of another condition – depression, anxiety, or trauma and PTSD. Our JCAHO-accredited treatment center has extensive experience in helping people heal from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.

If you or someone you love is slamming benzodiazepines and meth, then this blog post is for you. You’ll learn the dangers of the Xanax-meth combination, including and overdose and more.

How Dangerous is Substance Abuse Involving Benzos and Meth?

A 2024 report by the Centers for Disease Control warns of an increase in methamphetamine overdose deaths over the years. In 2023, the agency recorded 10.6 deaths per 100,000 persons, an increase over prior years. This trend is similar to the risk of opioid overdose, which is also on the rise.

This increase is at least in part due to mixing methamphetamine abuse with other drugs. Polydrug use that can increase the odds of a meth overdose include benzodiazepines, fentanyl, and opioids.

What Are These Drugs?

To understand why taking Xanax and meth together can lead to addiction or other harm, let’s talk about these substances.

Xanax Is a Prescription Medication (Depressant)

Xanax (Alprazolam) is a legal prescription medication that should be used as recommended by a doctor. It’s a depressant that can effectively treat anxiety by calming the neurotransmitters that lead to anxious thoughts.

While taking Xanax as anxiety treatment can be very effective, safe use of Xanax or any other benzodiazepine drug requires regular check-ins with the prescribing doctor. It may become dangerous when used too often, taking too much, or when used in combination with other substances.

Meth Is a Powerful Stimulant

Meth is best known as a street drug. Surprisingly to many, it does have legal prescription use. When all other treatment options have failed, doctors may prescribe Desoxyn sparingly for ADHD in children and adults. The prescription form of this stimulant comes in a pill that increases attention and focus. Doctors rarely offer this because of the high chances of addiction and related risks.

In street use, people use meth by smoking, injecting, snorting, or taking it by pill. It’s incredibly habit-forming and leads to many health risks.

Slamming Meth and Xanax: More Dangerous than Other Drug Abuse

Using too much meth or abusing prescriptions like Xanax or other benzos is harmful enough alone. But when someone slams or injects the drugs intravenously, the substances quickly deliver intense euphoria but can have harmful consequences.

Smoking meth is harmful enough; injecting methamphetamines (or other substances) has a more immediate effect that can lead to a host of health issues.

Dangerous Blood Pressure Increases Heart Attack Risk

Methamphetamine is a stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure. On the other hand, Xanax is a depressant that slows them down.

When someone combines them, it gives an intense high but also places tremendous stress on the heart. Combining meth use with other drugs, especially benzodiazepines, can lead even a relatively healthy person to a heart attack, stroke, or hypertensive emergency.

Respiratory Depression Due to a Slower Central Nervous System

Drug use to the point of significantly slowing or even stopping someone from breathing called respiratory depression. A well-known sign of this condition is when someone using drugs turns blue, a key indicator of a lack of oxygen.

The effects of Xanax mixed with meth use can confuse the central nervous system and shut down the respiratory system altogether. The same mixed signals from the brain and central nervous system can also cause seizures.

Mental Health Concerns

The combination of Xanax and meth can lead to a mental health crisis, especially in a person who has an existing diagnosed disorder. Some of the mental health outcomes of mixing a stimulant (meth, cocaine, amphetamines) and depressant (benzos, alcohol, heroin or other opioids) can include:

• Paranoia
• Worsened anxiety
• Hallucinations
• Psychosis
• Manic symptoms
• Thoughts of self-harm
• Note these can persist even through the meth comedown phase

Treat each of these as a crisis and get them to a safe space to be stabilized and start behavioral therapy.

Drug Dependence and Withdrawal Symptoms

Drug abuse can easily become an addiction when mixing substances like meth and Xanax. Both substances are very addictive, and the risk or dependence grows every time someone uses these drugs. Once an addiction kicks in, it becomes even more difficult to quit because of withdrawal symptoms.

If you’re reading this to get information on helping a loved one, suggest professional treatment. White knuckling through the withdrawal symptoms can be a deadly mistake. In our experience, someone trying to detox at home is more likely to relapse to get relief from the discomfort when the cravings start.

Those cravings generally hit them within a few hours after the last dose of the drug of choice. Our Xanax and meth detox center will provide medication to keep clients safe and comfortable throughout meth withdrawal as well as through benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Addiction Assessment: Signs of Slamming Xanax and Meth

An addiction can be difficult to admit; it takes great courage to seek support and recovery. For those who struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, substances have become the center of their world. Dependence means the body requires them to spend their time and money.

While the person understands the perils of drug addiction in lucid moments, their brain betrays them tells them to use substances anyway. The cycle feels endless – misuse drugs, feel the euphoria, come down, send a text message to the dealer to get more drugs, then start over again.

Stopping is hard on the brain and the body. It takes the help of professional addiction treatment specialists to help patients break the addiction cycle.

How can you tell if you or a loved one needs help? Our assessment sheet, Is My Loved One Slamming Meth and Xanax?, can help you spot some of the behavioral and physical signs of Xanax and meth misuse.

After you assess the behaviors, call Changes Healing Center. Our admission professionals can help evaluate whether your loved one is abusing meth and Xanax, or similar drugs. We are glad to offer guidance as you take the next steps.

Get Professional Support for Meth and Xanax Today

An untreated addiction to drugs takes a toll on both the body and mental well-being. Coming to Changes for recovery in our supportive environment can be a game-changer.

We take a holistic approach to caring for your health, treating both the addiction and the impact of drugs on your body. As we address the mental health aspects of your recovery, we’ll also integrate treatment for the physical impacts. For example, we will coordinate tooth repair with a dentist, a common need after long-term meth use.

Call the Changes Healing Center team today to end the struggle with drugs. We are here to offer you a brighter tomorrow.