[jdietrich]

Benzodiazepines are a useful option for the short-term management of acute anxiety crises, but there's very little evidence that they're useful in the long-term. Clinical guidance in the UK says that they shouldn't be prescribed for more than two weeks, because the harms rapidly outweigh the benefits. There is good evidence for the efficacy of SSRIs and CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Opioids are a more difficult problem. Some patients do need opioids, but we're not sure which. There is some evidence to suggest that opioids may worsen the long-term prognosis for many chronic pain patients. We need more research and better availability of psychosocial interventions and physiotherapy.