Alprazolam

Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of moderate duration within the triazolobenzodiazepine group of chemicals called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam is most commonly used in management of anxiety disorders, specifically panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Other uses include the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea, together with other treatments. GAD improvement occurs generally within a week. Alprazolam is generally taken orally (by mouth).

Alprazolam
Clinical data
Pronunciation/ælˈpræzəlæm/ or /ælˈprzəlæm/
Trade namesXanax, Xanor, Niravam, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa684001
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: C
Dependence
liability
Very high
Addiction
liability
High
Routes of
administration
Oral
Drug classBenzodiazepine
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability80–90%
Protein binding80%
MetabolismLiver, via cytochrome P450 3A4
Metabolites• Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam

• 4-hydroxyalprazolam

• beta-hydroxyalprazolam
Onset of action20~60 minutes
Elimination half-lifeFull release: 11~13 hours
Extended release: 11~16 hours
Duration of actionFull release: 6 hours
Extended release: 11.3 hours
ExcretionKidney
Identifiers
  • 8-Chloro-1-methyl-6-phenyl-4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a] [1,4]benzodiazepine
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.044.849
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC17H13ClN4
Molar mass308.77 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
SMILES
  • Cc1nnc2n1-c1ccc(Cl)cc1C(c1ccccc1)=NC2
  • InChI=1S/C17H13ClN4/c1-11-20-21-16-10-19-17(12-5-3-2-4-6-12)14-9-13(18)7-8-15(14)22(11)16/h2-9H,10H2,1H3 Y
  • Key:VREFGVBLTWBCJP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
  (verify)

Common side effects include sleepiness, depression or suppressed emotions, mild to severe decreases in motor skills, hiccups, dulling or declining of cognition as well as alertness or general awareness of one's surroundings or even behavior, dry mouth (mildly), decreased heart rate, suppression (physiological inhibition) of general central nervous system activity (opposite of physiological excitation), impairment of judgment (usually in higher than therapeutic doses), marginal to severe decreases in memory formation, decreased ability to process new information, as well as partial to complete amnesia (anterograde amnesia) depending on dosage. Some of the sedation and tiredness may improve within a few days.

Alprazolam withdrawal may occur if use is suddenly decreased.

Alprazolam was invented by Jackson Hester Jr. at the Upjohn Company and patented in 1971 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1981. Alprazolam is a Schedule IV controlled substance and is a common drug of abuse. It is available as a generic medication. In 2021, it was the 42nd most-commonly-prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 15 million prescriptions for over 3.9 million patients.

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