Young people who use Xanax may subsequently be more receptive to opioids.
- Very commonly used around the world, Xanax could increase sensitivity to opioids in adolescents.
- This effect was observed in mice in the short and long term.
- In the United States, nearly 700,000 people have died from opioid overdoses in 25 years.
Exposure to Xanax in 12-18 year olds could increase their neurobiological sensitivity to opioids, according to a new search.
“In our laboratory we study the effects of exposure to psychotropic drugs and stress at an early stage of life,” said study author Astrid M. Cardona-Acosta of Texas A&M University.
“We were particularly interested here in the effects of alprazolam (Xanax) because of its high rate of prescription in the general population and its popularity among adolescents seeking recreational use. Xanax is consumed today in the whole world”, she recalls.
Opioid sensitivity: Xanax has long-term effects
His team used mice to carry out the experiments. They were administered Xanax at doses of 0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg once daily for 14 consecutive days. A control group received a solution that replicated the administration procedure, but without the active drug.
The results showed that Xanax-treated mice developed a strong preference for environments associated with doses of morphine, a well-known opioid. This effect was evident not only in the short term, i.e. 24 hours after the last exposure to Xanax, but also in the long term, i.e. one month after exposure.
“In short, our most surprising finding is that the increased sensitivity to relatively low doses of opiates (in this case, morphine) was still present one month after the last experience with Xanax,” Cardona-Acosta said.
“The main conclusion of the study we published is that drug use during sensitive periods of development, such as adolescence, can have negative long-term consequences”continues the researcher.
“In this case, it involves increased sensitivity to opiates. Additionally, our study should raise awareness of the potential dangers of long-term use of certain drugs during periods when the brain is still maturing,” she finishes.
Opioid crisis: what is happening in France and the United States?
In the USA, nearly 700,000 people have died from opioid overdoses in 25 years– figures which do not include those who have switched to hard drugs.
A situation incommensurate with what is happening in France, where legislation notably prevents the advertising of medicines. However, health authorities are observing a similar evolution: according to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), between 2000 and 2017, the country moved from 15 to 40 hospitalizations for opioid use per million inhabitants, and the number of overdose deaths has more than doubled over the same period.
