Lorazepam (Ativan) works great for anxiety. It is stronger than the other benzos (although I've never tried Valium, so can't comment on that one), but it only has a half-life of 4 hours. That means that you may need to keep taking it throughout the day just to stay at a steady state in your bloodstream. For an as-needed basis, it would be great for its effectiveness. It only made me sleepy when I first started taking it....until my body knew what it was.

Clonazepam (Klonopin) is better as a benzo to take on a daily basis. It has a half life of about 16 hours, but it is NOT as strong as Ativan. The calmness comes on subtly. But you still will probably have to take multiple doses per day if you have extreme anxiety that you are trying to overcome.

Good luck and God bless,
Sandy