What Medications Would Work Best for Anxiety (Before & After Facelift Surgery)?

   Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin can all be used with about a dozen others.  If the patient is planning on using it to sleep at night or after surgery for any length of time, Klonopin has a longer halflife and less potential for abuse.  Sometimes Ambien is good for sleep if there is not an anxiety component.

At the pre-op appointment, I typically give my patients a prescription for some Xanax to take before surgery and make sure they are relaxed. Xanax and Valium are both benzodiazepene drugs. Xanax is a bit shorter acting, less of a dosage is necessary to get the same effect, and is generally a better anti-anxiety than Valium. Overall, you will get a similar effect from both, but I would recommend speaking with your surgeon to see what would be the best option for you given your individual circumstances. Have you done better with either medication in the past? That can also be an indication of which one to choose. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery, I'm sure you will be very happy with the outcome! Thank you and I hope this helps answer your questions.