Father investigated after Fort Worth baby swallows Xanax

FORT WORTH -- Police are investigating the father of a 1-year-old girl who was hospitalized Monday after she swallowed a half a tablet of Xanax, a prescription anti-anxiety medication.

Officers were called to Cook Children’s Hospital about 2 a.m., said Lt. Paul Henderson, a police spokesman. The child's mother said that girl's 24-year-old father had picked up the girl Sunday evening and, about 50 minutes later, called to say he was taking her to the hospital because she had ingested Xanax.

After the father took her to the hospital, medical personnel determined that the child had also been exposed to marijuana, Henderson said. The father left the hospital before police arrived.

The police Crimes Against Children unit was investigating, he said.

Xanax is a trade name for alprazolam, a depressant used to treat sleep disorders, anxiety and muscle spasms, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

It is one of the most "frequently encountered" depressants on the illicit market, the DEA reports. Such drugs, according to the DEA, produce a "high" that augments the effects of alcohol.