First, anti-anxiety medications don’t actually address the root cause of anxiety.
“In terms of improvement of total anxiety relief, the benefits of medications are pretty modest,” says Michael Sateia, M.D., emeritus professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Although anti-anxiety pills help you feel calmer, they don’t help you achieve long-term mental peace. That’s because these medications can actually interfere with your brain’s natural calming mechanisms, which your body needs to truly relax.
“Anti-anxiety medications are only a short-term fix (meaning six to 12 months). They’re not meant to be used long-term,” says Henry Ford anxiety specialist Meeta Singh, M.D.
Second, anti-anxiety medications are addictive – and some can literally harm you.
Studies estimate that anti-anxiety medications are linked to a range of negative health consequences in the U.S. alone each year, causing experts to say that “using anti-anxiety medications is as dangerous as relying on alcohol.” Every year, thousands of people take what they think is a harmless pill, on a day like any other, and don't wake up the next.
But overdosing isn’t even the only worry. The chemicals in the pills themselves can be hard on your body (and can interact with alcohol and other medications), and they can even lead to loss of control.
People who take anti-anxiety medications often experience significant side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, and even risky behaviors – without remembering any of it.
In fact, a recent study found that people prescribed anti-anxiety medications were much more likely to experience severe withdrawal symptoms than those who weren’t taking these medications.
Finally, and perhaps most frustrating of all, medications can simply stop working after a while.
“As your brain gets used to the medications, you may need larger doses to get the same effect, and you may become dependent on the medication,” says Singh.
“Plus, you may experience daytime side effects ranging from fatigue to difficulty concentrating.”
That means the “magic fix” you count on to help you manage anxiety may suddenly stop working altogether… leaving you completely without help.
But of course, if you’ve been resorting to anti-anxiety medications lately, we can’t blame you. Anxiety is a serious problem with both immediate and long-term risks for your health.
Studies show that poor mental health can have negative effects on daily physical functioning, causing chronic fatigue, exhaustion, reduced motivation, increased pain sensitivity, and more…
And if left untreated, over time chronic anxiety can increase your risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems.
This leaves millions of people with a difficult choice: Suffer with anxiety, or resort to medications that could harm you.
