What is Ativan Prescribed For?

What is Ativan used for?

Ativan is a prescription drug commonly used in treating the symptoms of anxiety disorders. Ativan can be used alone or with other medicines. People also use Ativan to treat severe agitation, trouble sleeping (or insomnia), active seizures, including status epilepticus, and alcohol withdrawal. Ativan is also given before surgery to make the patient sleep. Ativan belongs to the drugs class anxiolytics, antianxiety agents, benzodiazepines, and anticonvulsants. You can buy Ativan 1 mg for anxiety relief from our pharmacy website because we deliver authentic medicines at your doorstep.

Ativan comes in two forms:

• solution for intramuscular injection or intravenous (IV) injection
• tablets

How fast does Ativan work for anxiety?

Ativan tablets and liquid begin to work in about 20 to 30 minutes. It reaches full sedating effect after about 1 to 1.5 hours and lasts for around six to eight hours. An Ativan injection works much faster and lasts around six to eight hours. Ativan (or lorazepam) is a brand-name prescription medicine that works for reducing anxiety. It is also called a sedative-hypnotic or anxiolytic medicine.

Ativan (lorazepam) acts by enhancing the activity of certain neurotransmitters in our brain. Ativan acts on the nerves and brain (CNS or central nervous system) to generate a calming effect. This medication works by enhancing the effects of a specific natural chemical in our body (i.e., gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA). You may buy Ativan online from our reliable pharmacy site because we deliver all medicines overnight at your preferred location.

Side effects of Ativan

Ativan can cause severe side effects, including:

• thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself,
• severe drowsiness,
• confusion,
• aggression,
• unusual changes in mood or behavior,
• hallucinations,
• sudden restless feeling or excitement,
• muscle weakness,
• worsened sleep problems,
• drooping eyelids,
• upper stomach pain,
• dark urine,
• trouble swallowing,
• vision changes, and
• yellowing of the skin or eyes (or jaundice)

The most common Ativan side effects include:

• drowsiness,
• weakness,
• slurred speech,
• dizziness,
• memory problems,
• lack of balance or coordination, and
• feeling unsteady

Inform the doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or doesn’t go away. These are not all the possible Ativan side effects. For more information, ask the doctor or pharmacist.

What are the inactive and active ingredients in Ativan?

Ativan is a nearly white powder almost insoluble in water. Each Ativan tablet, to be taken orally, contains 0.5 milligrams, 1 milligram, or 2 milligrams of lorazepam.

• Active ingredient in Ativan: lorazepam
• Inactive ingredients: magnesium stearate, lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, and polyacrylic potassium.

Indications and Dosage of Ativan

Indications

Ativan is usually indicated to manage anxiety disorders or temporarily relieve the anxiety symptoms or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Anxiety linked to the stress of everyday life usually doesn’t require treatment with an anxiolytic.

Dosage and administration

• Ativan (or lorazepam) is administered orally. For optimal results, dosage, frequency of administration, and duration of treatment must be individualized according to the patient’s response. 0.5 milligrams, 1 mg, and 2 milligrams tablets are available to facilitate this.
• The usual range is 2 to 6 milligrams per day in divided doses, the most significant amount being taken before bedtime. However, the daily dosage can vary from 1 to 10 mg per day.
• For anxiety, most patients need an initial dose of 2 to 3 milligrams per day given two times a day or three times per day.
• You may take a single daily amount of 2 to 4 milligrams for insomnia because of anxiety or transient situational stress, usually at bedtime.
• For elderly or debilitated patients, an initial Ativan dosage of 1 to 2 milligrams per day in divided doses is suggested, to be adjusted as required and tolerated.
• It would be best to gradually increase the dosage of Ativan (or lorazepam) when needed to help prevent adverse effects. If the doctor indicates a higher dosage, you must increase the evening dose before the daytime doses.
• To decrease the risk of withdrawal reactions from Ativan, use a gradual taper to discontinue the drug or reduce the Ativan dosage.

What should I avoid while taking Ativan?

• Ativan can make you dizzy or sleepy and slow your thinking and motor skills. Do not drive, operate tools, heavy machinery, or other dangerous activities until you know how the drug affects you.
• Don’t consume alcohol or take other medications that can make you drowsy while taking Ativan without first talking to the healthcare provider. If taken with drugs or alcohol that cause dizziness or sleepiness, Ativan will worsen your dizziness or drowsiness.

Ativan vs. Xanax

• Ativan (or lorazepam) and Xanax (or alprazolam) are used to treat anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.
• These are in the benzodiazepine family of medications, which help inhibit excess nerve stimulation in your brain.
• Both medications also have the potential for addiction. Abruptly stopping Xanax or Ativan can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms, depending on how long the user takes medicine.
• The significant difference between Xanax and Ativan is Ativan leaves the user’s system more quickly, decreasing the chance of side effects or toxicity. Some side effects of both these medications include dizziness, weakness, sedation, unsteadiness, and memory problems.
• Ativan also has lesser unfavorable interactions with other drugs when compared to Xanax. Each medicine, however, can lead to dangerously increased sedation when consumed with alcohol, other depressants, or other anxiety drugs.

How does Ativan make you feel?

Ativan will make the user feel calm and physically relaxed as a tranquilizer. Ativan may also stop painful spasms in muscles or prevent life-threatening seizures when administered correctly. Ativan has anxiety-relieving and tranquilizing effects. This can make you feel calm, serene, and relaxed. It may also cause sleepiness or drowsiness as side effects.

Drug interactions of Ativan

• The concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids can increase the risk of respiratory depression.
• Ativan (or lorazepam) can produce increased CNS-depressant effects when administered with other central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates, antipsychotics, alcohol, sedative/hypnotics, antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, anxiolytics, sedative anticonvulsants, antihistamines, and anesthetics.
• Concomitant use of clozapine and Ativan can produce excessive salivation, hypotension, marked sedation, ataxia, delirium, and respiratory arrest.
• Concurrent administration of Ativan with probenecid can result in a more rapid onset or prolonged effect of the Ativan drug due to increased half-life and reduced total clearance.
• Lorazepam dosage must be reduced by about 50% when coadministered with probenecid.
• Administration of aminophylline or theophylline can reduce the sedative effects of benzodiazepines, like Ativan.

Conclusion

Lorazepam, sold under the brand name of Ativan among others, is a benzodiazepine drug. Ativan treats anxiety disorders, severe agitation, trouble sleeping, active seizures, status epilepticus, and alcohol withdrawal.