Alprazolam is one of the most prescribed anxiety drugs on the market today. You may know it by its trade name, Xanax. Alprazolam appears to be very effective for anxiety, but it’s also something you need to strongly think about before you decide to utilize this type of medication.

Those who suffer from anxiety are often looking for ways to overcome their intense feelings. Medication is one route that is perceived to be “quick and easy” and why many people prefer medications to therapy. But medications also have their downsides, so finding the right anxiety medicine is crucial.

How Severe is Your Anxiety?

Drugs are usually only recommended for those with severe anxiety that are unable to control it with other means. If you haven’t yet, take this free 7 minute anxiety severity test to score your anxiety symptoms, compare its severity to others, and learn more about how to control it.

Using Alprazolam For Anxiety

Alprazolam is one of the most prescribed medications in the world. One might say that it’s prescribed too often, because most people are given Alprazolam by doctors, not psychologists. No medication should be a person’s first choice when they’re trying to manage their anxiety, rather medication needs to be a last resort, after you’ve tried other non-mediciated options. Furthermore, while many people just want to take a pill to address their anxiety, the best results are actually found when using medication in conjunction with therapy.

Alprazolam As An Anxiety Treatment

There is no denying that Alprazolam works. It’s been prescribed for severe anxiety and panic attacks for decades, and appears to show some fairly strong success rates. Xanax, and the generic versions, all seem to work well for most anxiety disorders and continue to provide relief for many months.

The problem isn’t generally that Alprazolam doesn’t work. The problem is that it is often prescribed without any other treatment, and with issues like panic attacks, you need to be able to manage them otherwise, when you stop taking the medication, the panic attacks will not only come back – they may come back stronger.

Overall Thoughts on Alprazolam For Anxiety

Despite what some people may think, anxiety drugs are not inherently bad. For those that have not seen success with other treatments, or for those whose anxiety is so severe they need immediate relief simply to get through their day, anxiety medications may not be a terrible idea. They have side effects, but generally they are not too dangerous, and Alprazolam is an example of one of the few medicines that could have an impact on your life.

But, anxiety drugs should not be used as a first choice, nor should they ever be the only choice. You should first make sure to try to learn coping skills and use psychological interventions such as meditation, relaxation techniques, and therapy to learn how to manage your anxiety without medication. Furthermore, it is important to note that finding the right anxiety medication and the correct dosage for your needs can be a lengthy process. It may take months to figure out what the right medication and dosage is for your anxiety. Finally, if you do decide to take Alprazolam, or any anxiolytic, you need to make sure that you are also working on treatments that will keep your anxiety away if you stop taking the drug in the future. Medication alone is not the answer. It is important to know that it works best when used in conjunction with therapy which will address the root causes for your anxiety and teach you the necessary coping skills for managing it in the future.