Drugs Short-term therapy with a benzodiazepine (eg, lorazepam 0.5 to 1.0 mg orally) or a beta-blocker (propranolol is generally preferred—10 to 40 mg orally), ideally about 1 to 2 hours before the exposure, is occasionally useful when exposure to an object or situation cannot be avoided (eg, when a person who has a phobia of flying must fly on short notice) or when exposure therapy is either unwanted or has not been successful.