If you suffer from anxiety, your GP may decide to prescribe you lorazepam or alprazolam, otherwise known as xanax
Maria Ortega and Kieran Isgin Money & Lifestyle writer
10:23, 01 Nov 2025
A psychologist has issued a warning for people living with anxiety(Image: Getty Images)
If you are grappling with anxiety or sleep disorders, your GP might prescribe lorazepam or alprazolam, also known as xanax. These drugs are part of the benzodiazepine family and work by targeting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical that induces calming effects in the body.
While both drugs can be used to manage anxiety, alprazolam can also be prescribed for controlling seizures associated with epilepsy. Despite their effectiveness in treating symptoms of anxiety and other issues, one clinical psychologist has cautioned against over-reliance on these drugs.
Fernando Azor, a psychologist who frequently shares content on social media, informed his TikTok followers that while benzodiazepines can help ‘calm’ anxiety symptoms, they do not address the root causes. He emphasised that physical symptoms linked to anxiety aren’t always inherently negative or requiring immediate clinical intervention.
Content cannot be displayed without consentPhysical sensation of anxiety
Anxiety can sometimes be treated with a combination of medication and therapy(Image: Getty Images)
In a recent video, originally posted in Spanish, Fernando stated: “If you have taken Lorazepam or Alprazolam to resolve an anxiety attack, you have to consider what is behind an anxiety crisis, and those peaks of alertness and concern, so that you can manage them, in addition to using the help of one of these drugs. These drugs, Alprazolam and Lorazepam, are well-known drugs that have a very significant effect in reducing levels of alertness, worry and distress.
“What happens is that people who have anxiety crises are not capable of facing and dealing with these physical symptoms caused by anxiety. We often associate a rapid heartbeat, blurred vision, feelings of strangeness or nervousness as something really negative that must be avoided at all costs.
“Nobody likes feeling that, but it is a very logical and reasonable symptom, depending on how we perceive something or the objective nature of what threatens us. It doesn’t matter if it’s subjective or objective.”
Creating coping strategies
“If we perceive a situation as a threat, it makes sense for our body to react. Fernando emphasises the importance of developing coping strategies to manage anxiety, particularly during an anxiety attack.”
This aligns with NHS guidance for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which suggests that treatment may involve talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in addition to medication. Fernando explains: “The problem with anxiety crises is that we end up looking for the drug, which takes little time to take effect, especially if you put it under the tongue, when the effect is further abbreviated.
Fernando advises looking at the underlying causes of anxiety(Image: Getty Images)
“We will effectively make the feeling disappear, but we will create the sensation that all symptoms of alertness and concern are wrong. And that would be like saying that being hungry is wrong. It is a sensation that can sometimes be very intense, even unpleasant, but it is not inherently bad. What happens then?
“Eating solves the issue. However, when it comes to anxiety, the only thing we do is create more sensation of distress and further dependence on a drug without creating a strategy to cope with it. “
“Through psychotherapy, it is possible to train people in skills and experiences that reduce the perception of discomfort when faced with symptoms of anxiety. The person learns not only through logic but also through experiences to live with these feelings without wanting to eliminate them so quickly.
“In this sense, it would not be as necessary to take Alprazolam, and it would effectively help moderate the person’s feelings of anguish, nervousness, or discomfort, until they disappear at some point.”
If you are experiencing signs of untreated anxiety, including difficulty sleeping, difficulty controlling your feelings, or feeling anxious a lot of the for at least six months, it is generally recommended that you see your GP. Guidance from the NHS highlights that your GP may offer a range of treatments, including:
Medicines aimed at treating anxietyTalking therapies, such as CBTReferral to a community mental health team that could involve specialist treatment
Further guidance on generalised anxiety disorder, including its treatments, can be found here.