Ativan (lorazepam) [Benzo]
Description:
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine drug with short to medium duration of action. It has a relatively potent anxiolytic effect and its best known indication is the short-term management of severe anxiety. It is less useful in panic disorder. It also has a relatively high addiction potential.
More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam
Askapatient.com Ratings:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=17794
RevolutionHealth.com Ratings:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/ativan
More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam
Askapatient.com Ratings:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=17794
RevolutionHealth.com Ratings:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/ativan
Ativan
Shared by Keith on Nov 2nd, 2008
21 out of 27 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Works fast, good for situational anxiety. It made me feel a bit more depressed and wears off quicker so i ended up switching to xanax. It helped to take durning panic attacks to calm me down.I think it works the best for situational anxiety, but if your like me and have constant anxiety xanax or klonopin is a better option.
Works fast, good for situational anxiety. It made me feel a bit more depressed and wears off quicker so i ended up switching to xanax. It helped to take durning panic attacks to calm me down.I think it works the best for situational anxiety, but if your like me and have constant anxiety xanax or klonopin is a better option.
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My 2nd benzo
Shared by rocknroll714 on Feb 22nd, 2009
9 out of 13 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Found to be similar but stronger and shorter in duration in comparison to klonopin. Very effective for anxiety and shot my mood through the roof. Whenever my stress and anxiety are gone I just feel wonderful. Made me very irritable and even aggressive however. Also experienced memory impairment and slurring of the speech among other light but still prominent cognitive deficits.
Went into a psychotic state (mixed with a ton of adderall, possibly benzo overdose and amphetamine psychosis at the same time) with complete memory loss after ingesting 2 pills. Don't remember anything that happened but there was physical evidence something crazy happened when I finally came out of it. Took way too much. Not a good idea at all. Don't overdo it! Half a pill will do the trick for many.
Found to be similar but stronger and shorter in duration in comparison to klonopin. Very effective for anxiety and shot my mood through the roof. Whenever my stress and anxiety are gone I just feel wonderful. Made me very irritable and even aggressive however. Also experienced memory impairment and slurring of the speech among other light but still prominent cognitive deficits.
Went into a psychotic state (mixed with a ton of adderall, possibly benzo overdose and amphetamine psychosis at the same time) with complete memory loss after ingesting 2 pills. Don't remember anything that happened but there was physical evidence something crazy happened when I finally came out of it. Took way too much. Not a good idea at all. Don't overdo it! Half a pill will do the trick for many.
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Great relaxer
Shared by meyaj on Sep 21st, 2009
4 out of 6 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
As somebody who is physically tense 100% of the time, ativan can be a real gem. It has very strong muscle relaxant propeties, which kind of helps loosen you up mentally too.
The good: Sublingual Ativan is available.. if you're having a panic attack, it kicks in in less than 5 minutes. Great to have on hand!
The bad: It also tends to have fairly potent amnesic effects. If you've got important things to remember, you're better off using something.
The amnesia properties were bad enough for me to tell my doctor I didn't want them
As somebody who is physically tense 100% of the time, ativan can be a real gem. It has very strong muscle relaxant propeties, which kind of helps loosen you up mentally too.
The good: Sublingual Ativan is available.. if you're having a panic attack, it kicks in in less than 5 minutes. Great to have on hand!
The bad: It also tends to have fairly potent amnesic effects. If you've got important things to remember, you're better off using something.
The amnesia properties were bad enough for me to tell my doctor I didn't want them
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I wouldn't recommend it.
Shared by Sasha on Nov 3rd, 2008
19 out of 30 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Ativan turned me into a complete zombie. All I wanted to do was sleep. It didn't help me with any of the issues it was prescribed for. I had no energy to do anything. It might be good for someone who needs to be frequently calmed down, but if you're already a calm person when you're not nervous, I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, I still had panic attacks while I was on it.
Ativan turned me into a complete zombie. All I wanted to do was sleep. It didn't help me with any of the issues it was prescribed for. I had no energy to do anything. It might be good for someone who needs to be frequently calmed down, but if you're already a calm person when you're not nervous, I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, I still had panic attacks while I was on it.
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Next to impossible for me to get prescribed
Shared by SadZak on Oct 18th, 2009
4 out of 7 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
The experience for me is similar to being slightly drunk. 2mg will allow me to socialize comfortably, make eye contact, not be terrified, and to not have a near heart attack when going out for coffee with a friend. There are drawbacks however. The positive effects are short lived. And I've been taking it for 8 months now and have bad mood crashes any day i would try to go without it. I just ran out of my prescription 3 weeks ago and don't have a doctor as i've just moved to California, and my mood has been much more stable. I have a few Klonopins left, but they just make me exhausted. .5 mg of Klonopin and i'm passing out within a half hour. I've tried 18 different medications in the past 3 years. Ativan is my favorite, despite giving me horrendous spells of depression the next day. Unfortunately, I'm not finding medication to be that helpful at all.
The experience for me is similar to being slightly drunk. 2mg will allow me to socialize comfortably, make eye contact, not be terrified, and to not have a near heart attack when going out for coffee with a friend. There are drawbacks however. The positive effects are short lived. And I've been taking it for 8 months now and have bad mood crashes any day i would try to go without it. I just ran out of my prescription 3 weeks ago and don't have a doctor as i've just moved to California, and my mood has been much more stable. I have a few Klonopins left, but they just make me exhausted. .5 mg of Klonopin and i'm passing out within a half hour. I've tried 18 different medications in the past 3 years. Ativan is my favorite, despite giving me horrendous spells of depression the next day. Unfortunately, I'm not finding medication to be that helpful at all.
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Ativan, Zoloft, Wel Butrin
Shared by imntcrzy on Sep 30th, 2009
3 out of 6 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Now off of Wel Butrin. It made my ears ring, my food taste like metal, and my attacks continued.
Zoloft is working to keep me calm and not crying all of the time.
Ativan makes me sleepy, and all the other symptoms described, but most of all, I can't remember the simplest things. I am on my way OFF and am glad to get rid of the Ativan. I have lost so many things that are important and can't remember anything about where I was last with these items or where they could be. Items like my diamond engagement ring, my glasses, and my mind! No but really, I stumble over my words and can't remember simple words like marble or papercut. I feel so stupid, and I stutter. I am so on my way off of this stuff. No matter what, it has been useful to me in getting me to calm down in the first place when I was having panic attacks continually all day, every day, but now that I have other ways to help myself, I can't wait to get off this medication. My psych told me it will take a long time, but I don't care, as long as we've started.
Now off of Wel Butrin. It made my ears ring, my food taste like metal, and my attacks continued.
Zoloft is working to keep me calm and not crying all of the time.
Ativan makes me sleepy, and all the other symptoms described, but most of all, I can't remember the simplest things. I am on my way OFF and am glad to get rid of the Ativan. I have lost so many things that are important and can't remember anything about where I was last with these items or where they could be. Items like my diamond engagement ring, my glasses, and my mind! No but really, I stumble over my words and can't remember simple words like marble or papercut. I feel so stupid, and I stutter. I am so on my way off of this stuff. No matter what, it has been useful to me in getting me to calm down in the first place when I was having panic attacks continually all day, every day, but now that I have other ways to help myself, I can't wait to get off this medication. My psych told me it will take a long time, but I don't care, as long as we've started.
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About Treatment Experiences
The individual experiences about treatment for social anxiety disorder (social phobia) are not a substitute for medical advice.
You should always consult a qualified health care professional before beginning, changing or stopping a treatment.
