More About Elliot Rodger and Xanax
Based on interviews with Elliot’s parents, Peter and Li Chen, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department is being told that he was likely addicted to Xanax (generic name alprazolam), an anti-anxiety drug known to cause psychosis, rage, hostility, and suicide.
Rodger on May 23 killed six people and then himself, in the college town of Isla Vista, California, adjacent to the University of California Santa Barbara campus.
Daily use of therapeutic doses is associated with physical dependence. Addiction can occur after 14 days of regular use. The typical consequences of withdrawal are anxiety, depression, sweating, cramps, nausea, psychotic reactions and seizures. There is also a “rebound effect” where the individual experiences even worse symptoms than they started with as a result of chemical dependency.
Drug experts say that Xanax is more addictive than most illegal drugs, including cocaine or heroin, and once someone is hooked, getting off it can be a tortuous and deadly experience.
Email the Santa Barbara County Sheriff and request that they investigate the role of psychiatric drugs such as Xanax in the violence and suicide of Elliot Rodger.
For more information about violence and suicide caused by psychiatric drugs, download and read the free CCHR booklet Psychiatric Drugs Create Violence and Suicide.