“And when sleeplessness is one of the symptoms of the anxiety disorder, that can lead to people seeking benzodiazepines and other sleep medications that are not helpful for long-term use.”
“The other risk for untreated anxiety is that people find unhealthy ways to manage their anxiety. That might be through tobacco use or cannabis use, alcohol, opiates, overuse of pain medicines,” Dr. Swantek said. “And when sleeplessness is one of the symptoms of the anxiety disorder, that can lead to people seeking benzodiazepines and other sleep medications that are not helpful for long-term use.”