CircusSquirrel

Xanax has been proven time and time again to be preferable for anxiety, particularly anxiety with a component of panic. That said, many general practitioners and non-psychiatrists like Ativan (and even some psychs) because they believe it has less "addictive potential". If you don't have a propensity for addiction, I would go with the Xanax, it is widely believed to be more effective than Ativan or other benzodiazepines for people with anxiety disorders. People who are simply anxious (but don't have an anxiety disorder---say, someone in the hospital awaiting surgery) will likely be fine with Ativan. Many people have very strong opinions about medication, and that's fine, but it is essential to realize that people will respond differently to meds---especially psychiatric meds, so other people's experiences and even generalizations as I made above, don't necessarily apply to any one individual. Your mileage may vary, as they say! Take care.