Will I Have To Take Benzodiazepine Medication Everyday For It To Be Effective For My Anxiety Disorder?

Brian Brennan, M.D., Associate Director, Translational Neuroscience Research, McLean Hospital

January 14, 2009

Question: Will I have to take benzodiazepine medication everyday for it to be effective for my anxiety disorder?

Answer: Another nice thing about benzodiazepines is that they can actually be used either on an as needed basis, or as an everyday medication. So for example, people can take benzodiazepines in the moment when they feel some anxiety coming on, or can take them to stem off symptoms of anxiety when they know they're going to be in a situation that's anxiety inducing -- which is a very nice thing about a medication, especially for people who don't want to take a medication everyday.

ABC News Photo Illustration

They can also be used on an everyday basis and frequently are prescribed that way for the treatment of things like generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder.

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