Hello and thanks for your query. I understand that you are going through a difficult time due to your anxiety problems. Pregnancy itself is a stressful time and often persons with pre-existing anxiety problems experience a worsening of their anxiety symptoms. In your case, you say that you had stopped the anti-anxiety medication during pregnancy, but now you are unable to manage your worsening anxiety symptoms. Regarding the choice of medication, it is important to understand that no antianxiety medication is totally safe in pregnancy. SSRIs are relatively safe but can very rarely cause birth defects in the baby. Benzodiazepines have to be used very cautiously because if used excessively or continuously, it can cause floppy baby syndrome or neonatal withdrawal syndrome. In my opinion, in your situation, the best option would be to use a very low dose of a benzodiazepine ONLY on a as-needed basis... i.e. whenever your anxiety is very severe. It is not advisable to use it on a daily basis. You can also try practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, yoga, JPMR, etc. to reduce your anxiety and stress. Regards, Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.) Consultant Psychiatrist