It’s true that people are often prescribed anti-anxiety drugs or sleeping pills to cope with other life-threatening or debilitating diseases, but the study authors made sure their group didn’t suffer from any of those underlying conditions. The researchers also controlled for psychiatric disorders. In other words, the study participants were healthy apart from the sleep issues or anxiousness that sent them to their doctors for meds.The bottom line: Weich says the message here is not that you should flush your anti-anxiety drugs or sleeping pills down the toilet. The links between these medications and mortality are still too uncertain, and more research is needed. But you should take these drugs for the least amount of time possible—preferably less than two weeks, he says. While these drugs can be necessary and helpful in the very short-term, they shouldn’t be used as long-term solutions. More from Prevention: Your Anti-Anxiety Playbook
