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Dr. Owen, Board Certified Physician
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Is 40 mg alprazolam a fatal dose Is there anything that can

Resolved Question:

Is 40 mg alprazolam a fatal dose? Is there anything that can be done other than hospitalization? The person in question is 51 years old and weighs aprox. 230lbs. She has been on clonazapam for a few years, so she IS benzo tolerant.

and YES, she is on the way to the hospital.

Thanks!

Submitted: 3 years ago.
Category: Medical
Expert:  Dr. Owen replied 3 years ago.

Hello,
Yes, even though she is benzo tolerant, a 40mg dose of alprazolam can be fatal as the maximum dosage in a 24 hour period is 4mg - so this is 10 times the maximum dose for a 24 hour period. I hope this helps, please take care.

Dr. Owen, Board Certified Physician
Category: Medical
Positive Feedback: 96.3 %
Satisfied Customers: 48595
Experience: Board Certified in 2 Specialities & US Medical Graduate
Dr. Owen and 6 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you
Customer: replied 3 years ago.

Okay, if the maximum 24 dose is 4mg, why does her doc have her on 8mg per day???

Expert:  Dr. Owen replied 3 years ago.

Sometimes doctors will increase dosages beyond the recommended dosages from the drug company or from what the FDA allows - this is allowed by the DEA (drug enforcement agency, and allowed under our medical licenses) - however, this needs to be documented explicitily in the the medical record if a physician 'purposely' overdoses a patient - and I'm surprised that Xanax (alprazolam) was dosed that high - not a medication I would have recommended since the half life is short compared to other medications in this drug category.
I hope this helps, Please CLICK on ACCEPT and thank you for your follow up question.

Customer: replied 3 years ago.

Wow! That's very interesting, and somewhat unnerving. I was prescribed, at one point, 1 mg Xanax (alprazolam) to be taken 5 to 6 times daily (as needed) and never had any problems. But, I was given the somewhat high dosage when diagnosed with "severe anxiety disorder". My mother (the subject of the initial inquiry has undergone electroshock therapy, so I'm guessing that might be what merits the higher dosage.

 

I'm very sorry for not being able to accept your second response, but I am short on funds. I DO APPRECIATE YOUR HELP, though.

 

And, thank you VERY much for taking the time to try to help me (us)!

 

I wish you all the best in the future!

 

Sincerely,

Scott Buttrey

 

 

Expert:  Dr. Owen replied 3 years ago.

Hello,
Please don't worry about accept the 2nd or third time. If you have further questions that is okay too.. Good luck and thank you for the accept to begin with.

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