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.

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What are the different types of anti-anxiety medication?

Here's an overview of all the non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drugs currently licensed in the UK.

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 about drug names for more information on this).

For detailed information about a particular drug, you can look it up in our Sleeping Pills and Minor Tranquillisers A–Z.

Alzain (see pregabalin)
Buspar (see buspirone)
buspirone
Lecaent (see pregabalin)
Lyrica (see pregabalin)
meprobamate
pregabalin
Rewisca (see pregabalin)

You may also be prescribed other types of drugs for anxiety, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers or antipsychotics (at low doses).

Overview of non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drugs

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Generic name	Trade names (UK)	Forms available	Half-life	Dietary considerations
buspirone	Buspar	tablets	2–4 hrs	contains lactose avoid grapefruit juice
pregabalin	Alzain, Lecaent, Lyrica, Rewisca	capsules liquid	about 6.3 hrs	capsules contain gelatin
meprobamate	none	tablets	6–17 hrs	none

These three drugs are all quite different and have no shared characteristics.

For information on when to avoid taking these drugs and adverse effects, see the listing for each drug in the Sleeping Pills and Minor Tranquillisers A-Z.