Q. I am currently and have been for the past 5 plus years on Serax 10m 4 times a day and do not feel they are working as they have as well in the past. I have been monitoring this for the past months to a year. I take one in the morning, one at lunch and two before bedtime to sleep through the night.

I know there are new medications on the market and wonder if there would be something that could better manage my anxiety and paranoia than this is? These are the two most noticeable and annoying symptoms I seem to battle with that I am aware of with an occasional minor panic attack from time to time. But these are rare.

I do not like anxiety to grow to the point that it feels like it did years ago, like it is controlling me and more powerful than I am able to manage.

A. There are a number of medications available to help you. These include SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Luvox), SNRIs (Effexor XR), Serzone, Remeron, and perhaps even BuSpar. Ask your doctor about these, or get a psychiatrist to evaluate you. If you have been on Serax as long as you have, just stopping it could be dangerous, and you will need to e tapered off. Most likely, your doctor or psychiatrist will start a new medication while he/she is tapering the Serax.