Background: Alprazolam, a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine, poses risks of toxicity and severe withdrawal symptoms. There is an urgent need for a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method for detecting alprazolam poisoning. Objectives: This study aimed to detect alprazolam poisoning through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of saliva, addressing the need for a quick, cost-effective, and sensitive diagnostic method for poison control and differential diagnosis. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 45 individuals with benzodiazepine toxicity, therapeutic consumption, and normal health status, as well as from a control group. The samples were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy. The resulting spectra were processed with OriginPro software, and statistical analyses were performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The average age of the studied population was approximately 45 years, with women being the most affected by poisoning. Fourier-transform infrared analysis revealed significant differences in the structure of lipids between poisoned individuals, therapeutic receivers, and healthy individuals (P < 0.0001).Conclusions: Fourier-transform infrared analysis of saliva is a fast and accurate method for diagnosing alprazolam poisoning within minutes, enabling prompt and appropriate treatment during critical life-threatening situations. This non-invasive technique has the potential to guide treatment staff toward effective treatment options.

Background: Alprazolam belongs to benzodiazepine family and is increasingly used these days by pregnant women. It should be noticed that alprazolam exposure during pregnancy may have teratogenic effects on the fetus. Till now, limited studies have been conducted on the teratogenic effect of alprazolam. In this study, teratogenicity of alprazolam intake during pregnancy and its effects on fetus development was investigated.Methods: About 20 virgin rats of known age and weight were selected. After being pregnant, they were divided into four groups which contained five animals in each group: Negative and positive control groups. The case group exposed to 1 to 6 mg/kg/day alprazolam. The fetuses were first studied macroscopically regarding anomalies, and then histologically and histochemically to inspect the defects of tissue organogenesis.Results: Our results show that there was significant difference especially at the dose 6 mg/kg weight and length of the cases compared to the control group. It appeared that at the dose of 6 mg/kg/day, cleft lip and palates were seen in the animals. The highest anomalies of limbs were also seen at the dose of 6 mg/kg/day. The statistical results indicate that alprazolam intake during the second half of pregnancy can lead to irreversible anomalies.Conclusion: Our results indicate that alprazolam in doses higher than 4 mg/kg/day might cause teratogenic effect. It seems that benzodiazepine therapy among pregnant woman would be better to avoid during the first trimester and multidrug regimens.

Background: Given that insomnia is common and not always easily handled after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), this study was conducted to compare the efficacy of quetiapine and alprazolam in post-CABG insomnia. Methods: In this clinical trial, 90 patients undergoing CABG were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups of 45 patients. The first group received 12. 5 mg of oral quetiapine and the second group received 0. 5 mg of alprazolam before bedtime (at 10 PM). The patients’ insomnia was evaluated and compared using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire on 3 occasions: 1 month before surgery and then 3 days and 14 days after surgery. Results: The mean score of insomnia 1 month before surgery and 3 days after surgery had no statistically significant difference in both groups (P =0. 89 and P =0. 55, respectively). The mean score of insomnia on the 14th postoperative day, which was at the end of the 10-day treatment period, was 15. 33 ± 3. 87 in the alprazolam group and 13. 33 ± 4. 71 in the quetiapine group (P >0. 05 and P =0. 043, respectively). In the quetiapine group, 2 patients experienced drowsiness on the following day and 1 patient developed pruritus; none of them experienced restless leg syndrome or dystonia. Nine patients in the quetiapine group and 3 patients in the alprazolam group had drug noncompliance. Conclusions: Despite more drug noncompliance, very low-dose quetiapine was more effective than alprazolam in improving the sleep quality of our early postoperative CABG patients.

Background: Nowadays transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS), as an appropriate replacement for oral and parenteral dosage forms, are developing. These systems which designed to transport drugs through skin layers into the systemic circulation, have several benefits such as avoiding first-pass metabolism, sustained and controlled drug release, reducing side effects, and ease of use. The aim of this study was to formulate alprazolam transdermal gel, as a short-acting anxiolytic of benzodiazepines class, based on the nanoliposomes. Materials and methods: At the first, different amounts of phospholipid, and cholesterol were used to produce alprazolam-loaded nanoliposomes through solvent injection method. Vesicle size and encapsulation efficiency tests were performed on the samples and statistical models based on response surface methodology (RSM) were developed to find the optimal formulation. Optimal liposomal structure after morphological characterization was used to produce alprazolam 0. 5 mg/g transdermal gel. Three formulated gels with different content of carbomer were examined for viscosity, stability and in vitro skin permeation. Results: The optimal formulation of the liposomal structure included 10 mg/mL of phospholipid and 10% w/w cholesterol, resulted in the production of nanoliposomes with a size of 115 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 91%. As the carbomer content in the gel increased, the rate of drug permeation into the skin was decreased. Conclusion: Alprazolam transdermal gel was successfully formulated in this research with acceptable skin permeation, good stability and appropriate physicochemical characteristics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder and it leads patients to avoid any kind of activity. Since different factors are involved in migraine incidence and its triggers, a wide variety of drugs are used to prevent or treat. Combination therapy has shown its efficiency in treating migraine. In this study, we have taken the combination of ibuprofen and alprazolam as a probable efficient compound in reducing these headaches.METHODS: In this clinical trial study, 90 migraine patients were allocated in 3 groups of 30, with an average of 2-6 attacks in month underwent. These three groups were unified by age, gender and their drug histories. After receiving volunteer’s adhesion for taking part in this experiment, the first group were given a single dose of ibuprofen 200 mg, the second group were given a single dose of ibuprofen 400 mg and the third group were given a single dose of ibuprofen 200 mg in companion with alprazolam 0.5 mg. Headache severity, functional disability and associated symptoms of the patients were recorded before and two hours after taking each regimen; and were graded from 0-3 points. Then three groups were compared.FINDINGS: In all 3 groups, the severity of the headaches were reduced significantly after the course of drug therapy with 36% of reduction in the first group, 46% in the second group, and 74% in the third group, respectively (p<0.0001). In the first group, nausea and vomiting were reduced from 92.3% to 22.3%, the second group from 96.7% to 13.3% and, finally the third group from 100% to 3.3% (p<0.0001). In addition, a significant reduction in photophobia and phonophobia was seen before and after taking the drugs (p<0.0001).CONCLUSION: The combination of ibuprofen 200 mg and alprazolam 0.5 mg had significantly reduced the severity of the migraine headaches.

Introduction: Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine with several applications due to its pharmacological effects. Alprazolam is mostly used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Alprazolam affects the brain and many other organs. Due to the excessive use of this drug, especially by women, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of alprazolam on the growth and development of ovarian follicles in female rats.Methods: This applied research was conducted on 24 adult female rats in 2015. Animals were randomly divided into four groups of six. In the first group, alprazolam was administered orally for 16 consecutive days (2 mg/kg). In the second and third group, alprazolam was administered orally for 16 consecutive days at doses of 4 and 6 mg/kg. Rats in the control group received water with the same volume and mode of administration at the same time as the test animals.Results: Histomorphological studies revealed that high doses of alprazolam (4 and 6 mg/kg) significantly decreased the number of graafian follicles (P<0.05). However, the number of atretic follicles significantly increased in the test groups (P<0.05).Conclusion: According to the results, high doses of alprazolam affected the follicular development of rat ovaries and may have adverse effects on the fertility of female rats.