I have noticed a number of threads making mention of this medication in specific, and it seems like it has an overall positive reputation and thus consistently high demand both here and abroad.
Be very careful when acquiring this medication, especially since the last few months. I have it on pretty good authority (a source I use frequently which is somewhat expensive but has never caused me a single issue in any regard. Unfortunately it does not belong on the public part of this form, so I will have to wait to elaborate more specifically). At any rate I was informed via a mass email that there was a significant “shortage” of alprazolam in the UK and EU.
I took this to mean that the source in particular was having issues with their supplier, but on the off chance that it is a legitimate shortage throughout Western Europe, this would create added incentive for counterfeiters, whose current substitution of choice has terrifyingly been the dreaded F.
Regardless, due to its incredibly short onset of action and efficacy in controlling panic attacks/anxiety in general, alprazolam tends to be one of the more sought-after benz@s, leading to higher rates of counterfeiting. ESPECIALLY if it is “name brand”, even if you do not have a testing kit, examine them VERY closely, compared with the pictures, dimensions, markings, etc. cited on the OFFICIAL manufacturer’s website. A HUGE giveaway is if the tablets themselves appear “off-color”, appear to have eroded/dulled easily around the edges (not tightly “pressed”), and beyond all else, if upon close visual inspection you can make out different colored/sized substances within the tablet, with the exception of very few medications that are intended to have this “look”, a “speckled” or “non-uniform” color/composition is a sign of a (very poorly made) counterfeit. If in the form of sealed packs/boxes, check all the “offical” documentation and packaging - look for poor quality printing, misspellings, lack of warnings/offical contact info, as well as the batch/expiration dates that should either be stamped into each sealed sheet or somewhere on the cardboard packaging.
Under no circumstances should you take even a tiny fraction of the tablet or “bar”, as if it contains F or some other really sketchy adulterant, that tiny dose could put you in the ER. I know how tempting it can be when you are suffering from a legitimate medical condition, and all you have to work with is something “unconfirmed” or “suspicious”, but please recognize that a trip to the local ER if you are that anxious/in need of alprazolam or a similar medication is ALWAYS worth playing it safe and not risking your life. Had a very close friend pass away from pretty much these exact circumstances (unconfirmed source, urgent, medical need for relief, took a gamble and it ended up being the dreaded F. Hospital was diagonally “across the street” in Toronto, took less than 5 minutes for EMts to arrive... and it was too late.
If you really want to go the extra mile (just short of ordering a testing kit/sending a sample to a lab), you can call the phone# associated with the country of distribution and/or manufacture. Ask to speak to a representative and confirm that the serial numbers on the medication you received match up with relatively recent, “legitimate” batches. This is by no means a guarantee, as this information can be falsified just as easily as any other aspect of the product, however it is a detail that most people tend to overlook, and as such is less likely to be a concern for counterfeiters- as they will be relying on the fact that you do not want to call the “offical” distributor and give any personal information or context.
In reality this is simply due diligence on the part of the patient, and with the terrifying stories circulating the globe about fake/adulterated pharmaceutical medicines, one can NEVER be too careful. I don’t have much more to say regarding alprazolam as it offers me very little relief (Though I have very severe GAD, SAD, OCD, etc., I rarely, if even, experience acute panic attacks - they are more like day-long periods of severe rumination/anxiety) so I take/am far more familiar with the nuances of the “long-acting” group of benzodiazepines, as they provide a more stable day-to-day plasma serum level.
I know it’s been said time and again, and I know it’s advice that’s easier to give than to take, & that I’m just a noob in regards to your community, but I have seen other communities (that I lived in) devastated by a single wave of “bad product”. BE SAFE!!!
Be very careful when acquiring this medication, especially since the last few months. I have it on pretty good authority (a source I use frequently which is somewhat expensive but has never caused me a single issue in any regard. Unfortunately it does not belong on the public part of this form, so I will have to wait to elaborate more specifically). At any rate I was informed via a mass email that there was a significant “shortage” of alprazolam in the UK and EU.
I took this to mean that the source in particular was having issues with their supplier, but on the off chance that it is a legitimate shortage throughout Western Europe, this would create added incentive for counterfeiters, whose current substitution of choice has terrifyingly been the dreaded F.
Regardless, due to its incredibly short onset of action and efficacy in controlling panic attacks/anxiety in general, alprazolam tends to be one of the more sought-after benz@s, leading to higher rates of counterfeiting. ESPECIALLY if it is “name brand”, even if you do not have a testing kit, examine them VERY closely, compared with the pictures, dimensions, markings, etc. cited on the OFFICIAL manufacturer’s website. A HUGE giveaway is if the tablets themselves appear “off-color”, appear to have eroded/dulled easily around the edges (not tightly “pressed”), and beyond all else, if upon close visual inspection you can make out different colored/sized substances within the tablet, with the exception of very few medications that are intended to have this “look”, a “speckled” or “non-uniform” color/composition is a sign of a (very poorly made) counterfeit. If in the form of sealed packs/boxes, check all the “offical” documentation and packaging - look for poor quality printing, misspellings, lack of warnings/offical contact info, as well as the batch/expiration dates that should either be stamped into each sealed sheet or somewhere on the cardboard packaging.
Under no circumstances should you take even a tiny fraction of the tablet or “bar”, as if it contains F or some other really sketchy adulterant, that tiny dose could put you in the ER. I know how tempting it can be when you are suffering from a legitimate medical condition, and all you have to work with is something “unconfirmed” or “suspicious”, but please recognize that a trip to the local ER if you are that anxious/in need of alprazolam or a similar medication is ALWAYS worth playing it safe and not risking your life. Had a very close friend pass away from pretty much these exact circumstances (unconfirmed source, urgent, medical need for relief, took a gamble and it ended up being the dreaded F. Hospital was diagonally “across the street” in Toronto, took less than 5 minutes for EMts to arrive... and it was too late.
If you really want to go the extra mile (just short of ordering a testing kit/sending a sample to a lab), you can call the phone# associated with the country of distribution and/or manufacture. Ask to speak to a representative and confirm that the serial numbers on the medication you received match up with relatively recent, “legitimate” batches. This is by no means a guarantee, as this information can be falsified just as easily as any other aspect of the product, however it is a detail that most people tend to overlook, and as such is less likely to be a concern for counterfeiters- as they will be relying on the fact that you do not want to call the “offical” distributor and give any personal information or context.
In reality this is simply due diligence on the part of the patient, and with the terrifying stories circulating the globe about fake/adulterated pharmaceutical medicines, one can NEVER be too careful. I don’t have much more to say regarding alprazolam as it offers me very little relief (Though I have very severe GAD, SAD, OCD, etc., I rarely, if even, experience acute panic attacks - they are more like day-long periods of severe rumination/anxiety) so I take/am far more familiar with the nuances of the “long-acting” group of benzodiazepines, as they provide a more stable day-to-day plasma serum level.
I know it’s been said time and again, and I know it’s advice that’s easier to give than to take, & that I’m just a noob in regards to your community, but I have seen other communities (that I lived in) devastated by a single wave of “bad product”. BE SAFE!!!
