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Sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers

Explains what sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers are used for, how the medication works, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.

Non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medication

This page has information about non-benzodiazepine medications that you may be offered to treat anxiety. See our page on benzodiazepines for information about benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medications.

The table below allows you to compare these drugs by different factors. Some of these drugs have more than one name. You might know a drug by its generic name or its trade name. See our page on drug names for more information.

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Generic name

Trade names (UK)

Forms available

Half-life

Dietary considerations

buspirone

none
  • tablets

2 to 11 hours
  • contains lactose
  • avoid grapefruit juice

pregabalin

Alzain, Axalid, Lecaent, Lyrica 
  • capsules
  • liquid

about 6.3 hours
  • capsules contain gelatin

You may also be prescribed other types of medication to treat anxiety, such as:

Our page on treatments for anxiety has more information, including details of non-medication treatment options.

This information was published in April 2021. We will revise it in 2024.

References are available on request. If you would like to reproduce any of this information, see our page on permissions and licensing.

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