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How benzodiazepines decrease anxiety

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I am undergoing treatment for anxiety why was I prescribed alprazolam. How is it supposed to help?

1. What is meant by "action potentials of neurons"?
2. How are psychiatric problems related to action potentials of neurons?
3. Why was I prescribed alprazolam?
4. How is it supposed to help me?
Is there any other information I should be aware of that might prove relevant?

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Solution Summary

This solution describes how benzodiazepines like alprazolam decrease anxiety and some things to be aware of when taking them.

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Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine. It's an anxiolytic. Therefore, it's indicated for the treatment of anxiety. It's often chosen because of it's half-life in the body (about 11 hours in most people) so you can dose it less often.

Action potentials of neurons relates to their firing. The refractory period is looked at when we think about how quickly a neuron can fire and prepare to fire again. The threshold for an action potential to be produced also affects how likely the neuron is to fire when it's stimulated. So a neuron with a higher threshold takes more stimulation to fire.

Psychiatric problems are related to action ...

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