The only differences between Xanax and Alprazolam are the name and price. Xanax is the brand name for a drug used to treat anxiety disorders. Alprazolam is the generic form of Xanax and is used for the same treatments. Xanax and Alprazolam belong to a drug class called benzodiazepine. Alprazolam is also known by several drug names.
Xanax and Alprazolam are identical in chemical composition. There is no difference in the way the medicine affects a person. There is also no difference in the quality of the drug. A generic is merely a cheaper or another version of the same drug. For it to be classified as a generic, the drug has to pass rigorous testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has to rule it to be identical, act identical and no other side effects than the original drug, before the pharmaceutical may release the drug as a generic.
When a drug is new to the market, there is a block put on it, which disallows generics to be made for so many years. Once that time has passed, the market is opened for any generics to be formulated and released. The generic is identical to the original drug, only cheaper. The customer is the one who benefits from generic. It opens the market to competition and drives the prices down. Generics are just as safe and high in quality as the original drug. Generics are just as closely watched and monitored by the FDA as the original drug.