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It's generally best to avoid or limit the use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, and use them intermittently or for short periods under medical supervision if they're necessary – for example for the treatment of severe anxiety during pregnancy. For more information visit sleeping well. Research shows that for common sleep problems, behavioural treatment strategies are more effective long-term than any sleep medication. Most chronic insomnia is the result of poor sleeping patterns that have developed over a number of years. The cause of insomnia needs to be assessed accurately by a general practitioner (GP). Over-the-counter sleeping pills should also be used only for a short period of time.īenzodiazepines and other sleeping pills don’t address the reasons for insomnia. Short-term use (no longer than two to three weeks) is also recommended for these drugs because of the risk of dependency. Zolpidem and zopiclone are newer sleeping pills are available on prescription that are not benzodiazepines. This ‘rebound’ insomnia can be misinterpreted as evidence that the sleep problem is still present, and the person may resume taking the benzodiazepines in the mistaken belief that they're unable to sleep without them. People who have been taking sleeping pills for a long time can experience acute insomnia as a withdrawal or ‘rebound’ symptom, when they try to cut down or stop taking the pills. People who have taken sleeping pills for long periods of time actually have worse sleep patterns, with less time spent in the deep phase of sleep and more frequent waking during the night. However, they are only effective in some anxiety conditions and generally, are less effective than psychological treatments.īenzodiazepines can be useful, occasionally, to induce sleep, but they have a limited role in helping people with established sleep problems. If medication is required, specific antidepressants can be more appropriate than benzodiazepines in helping reduce the symptoms of anxiety.Īntidepressants do not carry the same risk of dependency as benzodiazepines. Behavioural therapy approaches, such as exposure therapy, have also been shown to be very helpful for many anxiety conditions.

This helps them to change their thought patterns and the way they react to certain situations. It involves teaching people about their condition, providing relaxation strategies, as well as helping people to think realistically about common difficulties. 2 Anxiety conditions include panic disorder, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, specific phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder.ĬBT is one of the most-researched psychological therapies and there is a lot of evidence to support its effectiveness in treating people who have anxiety and/or depression. Research shows that psychological therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) are the most effective in helping people with anxiety conditions. These symptoms include insomnia and anxiety – often the very reason that the benzodiazepines were prescribed for in the first place.īecause of the high risk of dependency, prescribing guidelines for benzodiazepines recommend no longer than two to four weeks of continuous daily use. A person who has become dependent on benzodiazepines may experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut down or stop taking benzodiazepines. If taken for a long period of time (months or years), benzodiazepines can become less effective and there is also a high risk of becoming physically dependent on these drugs. Once medication is stopped, symptoms may return if the underlying cause of the anxiety or insomnia has not been addressed.īenzodiazepines can be useful as a short term treatment of insomnia or anxiety, but should be used as part of a broader treatment plan involving lifestyle measures, psychological strategies or other treatments, not as the first-line or only treatment.īenzodiazepines can be helpful drugs when used intermittently or for a short period of time only (two to four weeks).

It’s important to remember that benzodiazepines treat the symptoms and not the cause of anxiety and insomnia. The sedative and calming effects of benzodiazepines will relieve the symptoms of anxiety and promote sleep for most people, with few side-effects in the short term. Benzodiazepines act on the brain and central nervous system by increasing the calming effect of the brain’s naturally-occurring chemical messengers.