Former FDA chief says Xanax is half as effective as doctors thought

• Studies examining Xanax had biases that inflated effectiveness results by 40%
• Researchers looked at five studies and found that only one had actual positive results.
• READ MORE: Six Little-Known Signs You Have Anxiety

It’s known to be addictive, harmful to the body, and carries the risk of overdose — and now scientists say Xanax might not even be that effective.

Researchers from Harvard University and Oregon Health & Science University re-examined trials and studies investigating the effectiveness of Xanax in treating panic disorder.

They found several examples of “publication bias” that exaggerated how positive the results were.

Researchers –including a former US Food and Drug Administration reviewer (FDA) – concluded that although the drug was still more effective than a placebo, the publications inflated the drug’s effectiveness by about 40 percent.

Publication bias is the failure to publish the results of a study based on the direction or strength of the study’s findings.

This occurs when research results influence the decision to publish the results. However, only publishing results showing a significant result shifts the balance of results in favor of positive results.

Lead author Dr. Erick Turner, professor of psychiatry and former FDA reviewer, said: “Our study throws cold water on the effectiveness of this drug. This shows that it might be less effective than people thought.

The study analyzed published and unpublished data from five clinical trials reviewed by the FDA for Xanax.for the treatment for panic disorder, an anxiety disorder in which you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear.

Of the five trials reviewed, only three had been published and the researchers judged only one to have positive results.

Similarly, when the FDA reviewed the trials, only one of them was deemed positive and the other four were classified as “apparent failure.”

Of the four non-positive trials, the researchers found that two had been published and the other two had not been published at all.

The studies were conducted between 1986 and 1989 (non-positive), 1988 and 1990 (positive), 1994 and 1995 (non-positive), and two took place between 1990 and 1991 (each non-positive).

Anti-anxiety medications may interfere with a person’s neurons and increase their risk of cognitive decline later in life, study finds

Using anti-anxiety medications can put a person at significant risk of developing cognitive decline later in life and scientists may have finally discovered why.

Xanax, also known as alprazolam, was approved by the FDA in 1981 and belongs to the benzodiazepine class, a group of depressant medications used to relieve anxiety, the most common mental health problem in the United States. -United, affecting approximately 40 million adults.

Other common medications in this class include Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan.

Despite the wide use of Xanax, there are potentially serious side effects.

People taking this medication may experience changes in appetite, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, changes in libido, and irritability.

They may also experience uncontrollable actions, loss of leg control, numbness in the hands or feet, decreased awareness, and unsteady walking.

Additionally, a 2022 study found that anti-anxiety medications can impact a person’s brain cells and neurons, putting them at higher risk of developing cognitive decline later in life.

Dr. Turner, also a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, told SciTech Daily: “Clinicians are well aware of these safety issues, but their effectiveness has largely not been questioned. »

A report from Express Scripts found that about 5% of Americans were taking medication for anxiety in 2019.

However, the use of benzodiazepines to treat anxiety decreased by 12% between 2015 and 2019, although prescriptions increased again at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when people were experiencing increased feelings of anxiety .