Recognizing the signs of addiction is one of the first steps someone can take toward seeking treatment. If you use substances, whether legal or illegal, and feel like you may be losing control, you should take a look below at eight symptoms of substance addiction that mean you should seek treatment.

Eight symptoms of addiction to substances

1. You have intense cravings — You spend a lot of time thinking about using substances. It might be the first thing you think of in the morning and one of the last things you think of at night.
2. You need to use more to achieve the desired effect — Frequent use of a substance leads to building up a tolerance to it. This means you need to use more frequently or in greater amounts to achieve the desired effect.
3. Using substances affects your responsibilities — Using substances, craving them all day or going through withdrawal symptoms affects your ability to do your job, study or pay attention to other responsibilities you have.
4. Using substances affects your relationships — Your substance use puts a strain on your relationships with friends and family. If using substances is often a source of contention between you and those you care about, you may be struggling with addiction.
5. You want to quit but cannot — You have a desire to use less or to stop using altogether, but cannot quit, even when the substance is impacting your life in a negative manner.
6. You spend too much money on a substance — You spend most of your money on substances or even go into debt or go broke to continue buying substances.
7. You do things you would not normally do to get a substance — You steal or you sell your possessions to get extra money to buy substances.
8. You experience withdrawal symptoms — You go through withdrawal symptoms whenever you don’t use substances for an extended period of time. Withdrawal symptoms vary from substance to substance but generally include:
   • Nausea
   • Sweating
   • Fatigue
   • Loss of appetite
   • Headaches
   • Shaking and trembling
   • Fevers
   • Seizures

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Do you feel like you identify with one or more of the symptoms above? It may be time to talk to someone about treating your addiction. 

More than 8 million of American adults who struggle with substance addiction are also battling a co-occurring mental health disorder. It is usually these mental health disorders that drive the need to use substances in the first place. Without healthy coping mechanisms, you may turn to substance use to help you feel better; but in the end, it only makes things worse.

At Tulip Hill Recovery, we are here to help. Overcoming addiction may seem impossible from where you are now, but believe us when we say we’ve been there and we know that there is hope and freedom in your future. Our team can work closely with you to help you find treatment for addiction and build healthy coping mechanisms to create a brighter future.

Are you ready to talk to someone about finding treatment for substance addiction and building a better future for yourself? Please contact us online or call us at 877-845-8192 to get in touch with our team and start the recovery journey.

Ketamine was developed in the 1960s by doctors seeking to find an ideal anesthetic formula for those recovering from surgery.

They combined ketone and amine molecules and discovered a drug concoction that relieved trial participants’ pain and gave them an additional calming floating or out-of-body sensation with frequent hallucinatory side effects.

A dissociative anesthetic, ketamine was approved for pain management and relieving treatment-resistant depression, but this soon changed. Safer anesthetics like propofol were developed, sidelining ketamine to veterinary medicine. However, by then, ketamine had already made a name for itself among recreational users, self-medicating users, and as a common date rape drug.

Today, ketamine is most commonly snorted, but it is sometimes swallowed, injected, or smoked. It produces powerful psychological addiction in many users, whose efforts to quit are undermined by withdrawal.

Ketamine Abuse

Starting in the late 1970s and peaking in the 1980s, ketamine use outside of medical settings was in full swing. Ketamine appeared on the nightclub and rave scenes and gained popularity initially as a drug that enhanced the effects of other substances such as MDMA, or ecstasy.

Whether taken in combination with other depressants, like alcohol or marijuana, or stimulant amphetamines, like speed, polysubstance abuse of this dissociative drug is widespread and risky. Unfortunately, ketamine abuse leads to long-term health problems, such as nerve cell damage.

Due to its early reputation for treating depression and its relative accessibility through illegal means, many individuals develop ketamine dependence out of a desire to medicate untreated mental illnesses.

These cases are at pronounced risk of developing a ketamine addiction. However, the dangers of chronic abuse are easily overlooked in people hoping to alleviate some level of psychological or emotional distress.

At the same time, dependence on this powerful tranquilizer can amplify and reroute existing chemical imbalances in the brain in ways that make it very difficult to recover without dedicated addiction and mental health treatment.

Ketamine and Brain Chemistry

Although we’ve mentioned that ketamine use can produce psychological dependence and withdrawal symptoms after cessation, it’s essential to understand why. As with most substance abuse problems, the answer lies in the nervous system.

Neural Pathway

Ketamine interacts with the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate – an abundant and important chemical messenger in the brain responsible for a large proportion of brain activity and communication. Ketamine has a reputation as a dirty drug among pharmacologists because instead of affecting and destabilizing one or a few systems in the nervous system, it produces complicated effects in many.

However, two systems bear the lion’s share of changes. When someone takes a dose of ketamine, the compound makes its way to the brain, affecting messaging in the limbic and thalamocortical systems.

The thalamus is a part of the brain associated with voluntary action and consciousness. Slowing down messaging in this system causes the hallucinatory and out-of-body experience of ketamine abuse.

The limbic system, however, is the reward and mood center of the brain. Here, the drug slows down excitatory nerve communication and produces tranquilizing effects. The limbic system also controls involuntary respiratory and cardiac functions.

Side Effects of Ketamine Abuse

Chronic ketamine abuse hijacks the reward and mood-stabilizing section of the nervous system.

Over time, ketamine users’ brains record the calming effects of the drug as positive and desirable, wiring themselves to experience long-term cravings. At the same time, repeated use causes the limbic and thalamocortical systems to increase their excitatory responses in an effort to rebalance mood, breathing, and heart rate.

When an individual abuses ketamine, the body develops this tolerance to protect itself. When ketamine is unavailable, the nervous system finds itself deeply out of balance.

In addition to the above, negative consequences of long-term ketamine abuse include:

• High blood pressure
• Heart damage
• Respiratory problems
• Kidney and bladder damage
• Memory loss
• Seizures
• Psychosis
• Brain damage
• Dose tolerance
• Withdrawal symptoms

Ketamine Withdrawal

Ketamine is a popularly abused dissociative anesthetic that can rapidly cause psychological dependence. While many people want to quit abusing this drug and reduce the risk to their health, not to mention finances and relationships, withdrawal symptoms make it difficult to quit cold turkey.

Ketamine Withdrawal Symptoms

The most common ketamine withdrawal symptoms are primarily psychological. These range from mild to life-threatening and, in severe cases, can lead to violence as well as suicidal thoughts and acts.

The most common symptoms include:

• Paranoia
• Inability to focus
• Confusion
• Loss of motor control
• Insomnia
• Psychosis, delusions, and hallucinations
• Cognitive impairment
• Intense cravings
• Agitation
• Dysphoric mood
• Rage
• Suicidal ideation
• Violent behavior and aggressiveness

Occasional physiological symptoms include fatigue, the shakes, rapid or irregular heart rate, sleep disturbances, and rapid breathing.

Underestimating the intensity of ketamine withdrawal and going about it without adequate support commonly results in relapse and failure. However, ketamine withdrawal can be life-threatening, causing people trying to quit to become a risk to themselves or others. Access to responsive therapeutic support that can anticipate an individual’s needs is critical to success during this period.

However, the good news is that ketamine doesn’t produce many well-documented physical withdrawal symptoms. Not only does this mean that quitting ketamine and seeking treatment is the best choice you can make for your health, but it means that doing so comes with few direct long-term health risks.

Ketamine Withdrawal Duration

Acute withdrawal symptoms typically start within 24 hours of your last dose and may continue for anything between three days to several weeks.

It is hard to predict exactly how long withdrawal symptoms will last, so it is important to keep up treatment for the full period specified by a treatment provider.

If you choose to undergo professional treatment to help manage the withdrawal process, you will be asked some questions during your evaluation to gain a better understanding of what kind of detox you may need.

Factors that influence the duration and intensity of your symptoms include:

• Age
• Weight
• Physical condition
• Typical dose
• Duration of ketamine abuse
• Frequency of ketamine abuse
• Addiction to or use of other drugs
• Liver function
• Co-occurring mental health disorders

Ketamine Withdrawal Timeline

• 24 – 72 hours – Acute withdrawal symptoms arrive within the first three days after the last dose. Mild symptoms may resolve within this period.
• 72 hours – two weeks – In moderate to severe cases of ketamine addiction, symptoms can persist for up to two weeks before they start to taper off. This is particularly likely if you experienced greater instability during the peak period or experienced rare physical symptoms.
• Two weeks and beyond – Acute symptoms have resolved or tapered off. If you were a heavy user, strong cravings and psychological symptoms might persist in the long run. Therapeutic treatment during this period focuses on uncovering root causes, processing underlying trauma, and co-occurring mental health conditions that feed into chronic addiction.

Withdrawal and Addiction Treatment for Ketamine Users

Various medical procedures exist for people who want a safe, successful, and comfortable ketamine withdrawal.

Both intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization stays in a detox center can produce good results depending on the severity of your ketamine addiction.

Booking a private and honest consultation with a medical professional at our center is the best way to ensure you choose the best treatment setting for your case.

Ketamine Detox

Effective treatment during the ketamine detox process aims to help those in recovery navigate withdrawal through the duration of their acute symptoms so that they can focus on the next stage of recovery with a clearer mind. The two objectives of this process are:

1. To keep the client safe and healthy. This means managing physical and psychological side effects when necessary and, in many cases, ensuring an environment where both detox symptoms and treatment response can be closely monitored.
2. To help the client resist cravings. The desire to use again peaks during withdrawal, and the ability to resist them during this critical stage can make or break an addiction treatment program. Relapsing not only restarts the recovery process but it puts users at greater risk of overdose.

Whether you choose inpatient, partial hospitalization, or an intensive outpatient program, detox needs to be undergone in a safe, calm, substance-free environment without external triggers.

At the moment, there aren’t any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications that directly support the detox process for users stopping ketamine use.

However, treatment centers, such as our own, that offer medically-assisted detox and dual diagnosis can prescribe and support those who need access to medications that treat depression and alleviate psychological distress and other symptoms during recovery.

Supporting Yourself In Ketamine Withdrawal

As medical professionals, we can offer treatment that includes a therapeutic support system, supervision, and medical intervention during the challenging process of ketamine detox. At the same time, there are ways in which our clients can help themselves cope as they set out in recovery.

For example, you can reduce the discomfort of withdrawal by focusing on and giving space to your mental, emotional, and physical state while in detox treatment. This means taking time away from any unnecessary stressors and paying attention to yourself and your own experience.

During withdrawal, you will want to:

• Get enough rest.
• Maintain a substance-free environment and distance yourself from reminders of drug abuse, including associated people and places.
• Nourish yourself with balanced meals and stay hydrated.
• Move your body – even light exercise offers almost immediate benefits to our mental health.
• Open up to people you can trust.
• Meditate, write, reflect, and make sure that you have time and quiet to process the emotions that arise as the early fog clears.
• Distract yourself with fun activities.

We also ask that you follow ‘doctor’s orders.’ We may prescribe medication or therapy as part of your detox treatment plan, so make this a non-negotiable part of your routine.

At the same time, communication surrounding any side effects or psychological issues you are experiencing is necessary and encouraged. We have a lot to offer, and we are here to help if adjustments need to be made.

After Withdrawal: Further Treatment Options

Overcoming withdrawal and allowing ketamine to flush from your system is the first major milestone in recovery, but effective addiction treatment never ends there.

Rehab treatment options to follow up ketamine detox include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Complementary therapy (holistic therapies including meditation, deep breathing, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation)
• Family therapy
• Interpersonal group therapy
• Experiential therapy (including art, adventure, drama, and play therapies)
• Psychoeducation
• Skills development therapy
• Support groups

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Ketamine is a psychological addiction, and freedom from it requires us to understand and treat the reasons why substance abuse began in the first place. Understanding the behaviors and thought processes reinforced by continuous use is also essential.

Ketamine addiction treatment can be long and involved, but restoring the mind-body connection and healing past drug use is always worth it.

If you have any unanswered questions about withdrawal or treatment at Tulip Hill, contact us today at 877-845-8192.

Xanax use is widespread in the U.S., due to being one of the most common prescription drugs. Sadly, it is highly addictive, and even those who have a legitimate prescription are at risk of abusing it. Can your brain recover from Xanax? Individuals prescribed this drug should be aware of the Xanax effects on the brain, as misuse or dependency can lead to adverse neurological outcomes.

What is Xanax Used to Treat?

Xanax, the brand name for alprazolam, is a prescription drug that treats panic attacks, anxiety, and insomnia. Although it is legal to take Xanax with a prescription, it is illegal to acquire it without one due to the dangers of abuse.

Belonging to a group of sedative drugs named benzodiazepines, Xanax is a depressant drug that increases the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and halts brain signals that would usually cause feelings of anxiety and panic to arise.

Abusing Xanax frequently can have many negative health consequences and can lead to addiction. With support, care, and guidance, someone will be able to overcome their Xanax addiction and live a sober life. Likewise, addressing someone’s substance use disorder helps prevent potential brain damage due to the Xanax effects on the brain.

How Does Xanax Affect the Brain?

Xanax, a brand name for alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Understanding how Xanax affects the brain involves examining its therapeutic effects, potential side effects, and the risks associated with dependence and addiction.

Desired Effects of Prescription Xanax

Xanax works by enhancing the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that inhibits brain activity. By increasing GABA activity, Xanax helps to calm the nervous system, which is beneficial in treating anxiety and panic disorders.

• Anxiety Relief: Xanax’s primary use is to alleviate symptoms of anxiety. It produces a calming effect, reducing feelings of fear, unease, and worry.
• Panic Disorder Treatment: For individuals with panic disorders, Xanax can help reduce the frequency and severity of panic attacks.
• Short-Term Sedation: Xanax is also used for its sedative properties, helping to induce sleep in individuals with severe anxiety or insomnia​.

Side Effects of Prescription Xanax

While Xanax is effective for short-term management of anxiety and panic disorders, it can also cause a range of side effects.

• Common Side Effects: These include drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue, and impaired coordination. Some individuals may also experience headaches, nausea, and blurred vision.
• Cognitive Effects: Xanax can cause memory loss and difficulties with concentration and attention. Prolonged use may lead to significant cognitive impairments.
• Emotional Effects: Mood swings, irritability, and depression are potential side effects, particularly with long-term use​.

Dependence and Addiction

Long-term use of Xanax can lead to dependence and addiction, which pose significant risks to the brain and overall health.

• Dependence: Over time, the brain becomes reliant on Xanax to maintain normal function, leading to tolerance and the need for higher doses to achieve the same effect.
• Addiction: Xanax addiction can develop quickly due to its fast-acting nature. Users may experience intense cravings and compulsive use despite harmful consequences.
• Withdrawal Symptoms: Abrupt cessation of Xanax can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and psychosis​.

Long-Term Effects and Recovery

• Cognitive Impairments: Long-term use of Xanax is associated with cognitive impairments, such as memory loss and difficulties with learning and attention. There is also ongoing research into whether Xanax can cause dementia, but definitive conclusions have not yet been reached.
• Brain Recovery: Recovery from Xanax dependence and addiction is possible with proper treatment, including medically supervised detoxification, therapy, and support. Can your brain recover from Xanax? The brain can recover from Xanax with time and appropriate care, although some cognitive effects may persist depending on the duration and severity of use.

Over an extended period, Xanax abuse can affect relationships, work, physical health, and mental health. Drug addiction can feel very scary. Someone may feel as though they have lost control. They might be unsure of how to break free from the dependence. Fortunately, there is help and recovery information available.

What are the Effects of Xanax Use?

The main effects of Xanax use include a sense of calm and relaxation. When taking Xanax, someone may also feel sleepy, content, and quiet. These feelings are different from the sensations experienced when stimulant drugs are taken, as they often produce feelings of high energy.

Because of its sedative effects, Xanax is particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Both Xanax and alcohol are central nervous system depressants, so abusing both substances together can have life-threatening consequences.

Likewise, taking Xanax alongside other drugs can be dangerous. Polydrug abuse means taking multiple drugs at the same time. Unfortunately, taking Xanax with alcohol or other drugs causes the most significant amount of deaths.

To grasp, “How does Xanax affect the brain?” it’s important to know that it binds to GABA receptors, increasing GABA activity, which reduces neuronal excitability and helps alleviate anxiety and panic disorders. Long-term effects of taking Xanax alongside other drugs can lead someone to experience symptoms such as:

• Insomnia
• An increased likelihood of developing an addiction to both Xanax and alcohol
• Memory problems
• Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiety

What Are Xanax Effects on the Brain?

What does Xanax do to the brain? To work effectively, Xanax needs to reach the brain. As with other benzodiazepines, Xanax works by increasing the production of the brain chemical GABA. Xanax may trigger the reward system upon reaching the brain, leaving someone more open to addiction.

As a short-acting benzodiazepine, Xanax works pretty quickly. Some of the short-term effects of Xanax use on brain activity include:

• Mood problems
• Dizziness
• Feeling sleepy
• Memory problems

As the brain becomes dependent on Xanax, it forgets how to function effectively when the drug is absent. As GABA is affected, the brain slowly becomes reliant on it to work correctly, causing Xanax to impact thought processes, concentration, muscle coordination, and emotions. Additionally, current evidence is inconclusive concerning Xanax and memory loss. However, long-term use of benzodiazepines has been associated with cognitive decline in some studies.

Some of the other effects of Xanax use on the brain include:

• Lowered inhibitions
• Reduction in intelligence quotient (IQ)
• Difficulty processing information and learning new skills
• Slow response times
• Problems concentrating or with attention span

So, to answer the question, “What does Xanax do to the brain?” Research into the long-term effects of Xanax on the brain reveals the potential cognitive risks associated with prolonged benzodiazepine use. The safest way to protect the brain from potentially irreversible damage is to withdraw from Xanax safely and begin the recovery journey.

How Long Does Xanax Affect the Brain?

How long does Xanax affect the brain? Xanax is a fast-acting drug, but the effects of a standard dose (between 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg) tend to wear off quickly, within five hours or so. For this reason, people take Xanax multiple times a day. Of course, dosing can vary. For instance, those living with panic disorders tend to take a higher-than-standard dose.

While the brain may feel the effects of Xanax for only a few hours, the amount of time it takes for the medication to decrease by half in the body can take up to 15 hours. Different factors impact this “half-life.” These include the age, race, weight, and metabolism of the user.

Does Xanax Cause Memory Loss?

As patients inquire, ‘Can Xanax cause memory loss?’ healthcare providers emphasize the importance of balancing therapeutic benefits with potential risks. Healthcare providers often face the question from older adults, ‘Does Xanax cause dementia?’ Although some studies have found an association, more rigorous research is required to confirm these findings.

Researchers continue to study the long-term Xanax effects on the brain to uncover potential risks associated with prolonged use. Like alcohol, Xanax can cause memory loss when abused. Sometimes, a person may be unable to remember events that occurred while they were under the influence of Xanax. This is known as anterograde amnesia or “blacking out.”

Why does Xanax cause memory loss? When ingested, Xanax increases the effect of the brain’s neurotransmitters called GABA. GABA slows communication among different parts of the brain. This slowed activity can have calming effects, but it can also impair cognitive function, including memory formation and recall.

The higher the Xanax dose, the more likely it is the person will black out. Of course, drinking alcohol at the same time as taking Xanax makes memory loss more likely. Once someone has blacked out due to Xanax abuse, there is no way to reverse this and suddenly remember what happened while they were under the influence.

In some cases, abusing Xanax and memory loss can persist even after a person stops taking the drug. This is known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). PAWS can last for weeks or even months after the person quits taking Xanax.

Does Xanax cause dementia? Long-term use of Xanax has been linked to an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the condition that affects memory and cognition, usually in older adults. In summary, patients experiencing memory difficulties raise the question: does Xanax cause memory loss? Therefore, prompting further investigation into benzodiazepine-related cognitive effects.

What are Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms?

Xanax withdrawal symptoms can arise if someone has been abusing the drug. Though they may think that stopping taking Xanax cold turkey is safe, this is not true. Due to the effects of withdrawal, they should always complete Xanax detox with support and advice from a clinical professional.

If a person decides to seek treatment for Xanax abuse, they will first complete a substance abuse assessment. This will ensure they get proper treatment. Typically, treatment starts with a detox.

Xanax withdrawal arises when detox commences under the guidance of a professional treatment center. We at Tulip Hill provide the care and advice needed to cope with withdrawal symptoms and usually recommend a medical detox.

Withdrawing from Xanax involves slowly tapering the dosage. The effects of Xanax withdrawal include psychological and physical symptoms, such as:

• Muscle aches and pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Shaking
• Heart palpitations
• Headaches
• Weight loss
• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Trouble concentrating
• Depression
• Agitation
• Irritability
• Sleep issues
• Memory problems
• Nightmares
• Mood swings
• Psychosis
• Suicidal thoughts

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be fatal, and some people experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. It is therefore vital to complete detox with the guidance of medical professionals. Though uncomfortable, withdrawing from Xanax is the best thing for their health as it can reduce long-term impacts on the brain.

Can You Overdose on Xanax?

Yes, it is possible to overdose on Xanax, especially when taken in high doses or combined with other substances, such as alcohol or opioids. Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzodiazepine medication that depresses the central nervous system, leading to sedation and relaxation. An overdose of Xanax can result in severe respiratory depression, unconsciousness, coma, and even death.

The risk of overdose increases when individuals misuse Xanax by taking larger doses than prescribed, taking it more frequently than recommended, or using it without a prescription. Additionally, combining Xanax with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, opioid painkillers, or other benzodiazepines, can amplify its effects and increase the likelihood of overdose.

Symptoms of a Xanax overdose may include extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, slowed or shallow breathing, fainting, and loss of consciousness. If an overdose is suspected, it is essential to seek immediate medical attention by calling emergency services or going to the nearest emergency room.

What Addiction Treatment Options Are Available?

Fortunately, treatment options for substance abuse are available to prevent any long-term effects of Xanax on the brain. At Tulip Hill Recovery, addiction treatment begins with withdrawal.

Upon completing detox, the patient will undergo treatments that reduce psychological dependence. During their time at Tulip Hill, they will have a personalized treatment plan which may involve therapy or counseling to help them develop coping strategies and maintain sobriety.

Find Treatment for Xanax Addiction in Murfreesboro, TN

Abusing this powerful drug can have long-term effects on the brain, increasing the risk of memory problems, information processing, and cognitive impairment in old age. However, quitting Xanax safely via one of the many Tulip Hill Recovery across the country will help reduce the short and long-term effects of Xanax on the brain.

Contact us to learn more about the Xanax effects on the brain and how we can help you or your loved one break free from Xanax addiction.