How well do benzodiazepines work as mood stabilisers?
In severe cases of anxiety and panic disorders, benzodiazepines such as alprazolam, clonazepam and lorazepam are effective – but their long term use is limited by the way the brain habituates to them (which means higher doses are necessary to achieve the same therapeutic effect). So they are more commonly prescribed for the short-term relief of mild anxiety, where the underlying cause may be treatable through other means (behaviorally, and perhaps with a newer generation SSRI).
