What is Xanax?
Xanax is a medication, FDA-approved for treatment of anxiety and panic disorder in adults. Xanax is used primarily as a short-term treatment of mild to moderate anxiety, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and nervous tension.
Does Xanax Lower Blood Pressure?
Xanax is a benzodiazepine (a class of drugs that slow down the central nervous system), which binds to a receptor in the brain (GABA) that helps make neurons less excitable.
In a study from 2018 suggest that chronic Benzodiazepine consumption is associated with lower blood pressure.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers, and help us prepare and pay attention.”
Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness and involve excessive fear or anxiety. These disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives.
Anxiety refers to the anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior.
Does anxiety cause high blood pressure?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Anxiety doesn’t cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in your blood pressure. If those temporary spikes occur frequently, such as every day, they can cause damage to your blood vessels, heart and kidneys, as can chronic high blood pressure.”
High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.
Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
So Does It Help?
Originally we posed the question, “Can Xanax Help Lower Blood Pressure?” The answer is both yes and no. Yes, Xanax is able to lower your high blood pressure if you are suffering from stress-induced anxiety disorder.
What is the difference between stress and anxiety? The difference between them is that stress is a response to a threat in a situation. Anxiety is a reaction to the stress.
Stress levels go up. Blood Pressure Goes Up. Anxiety about blood pressure going up keeps it up. This is not high blood pressure by the Socratic method but actually a cascade of life events that continue piling up.
Therefore psychologists and family physicians can prescribe Xanax for the anxiety which in turn can settle the stress although the stressors remain. With the anxiety dealt with you are able to lower your blood pressure.
Final Thoughts
There might be a natural alternative though, which is Valerian root. Drugs such as alprazolam (Xanax) work by increasing the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. The valerenic acid and valerenol contained in valerian root extract act as anti-anxiety agents.
Remember only a licensed physician a can make the determination what is the best pharmacological path to take.
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