ATIVAN Reviews (LORAZEPAM)Average Rating: 3.3 (709 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ATIVAN with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date from oldest to newest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 |
More on ATIVAN: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ATIVAN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | anti-anxiety/ anti-nausea | A bit foggy and dizzy, slept well, refreshed in morning. | I was prescribed Ativan for insomnia and anxiety after a breast cancer diagnosis. This just helped me calm down enough to sleep, clear my head and forge on. No side effects but I took it maybe once or twice a week at the most. | F | 38 | 2 months 1 1X AN | 3/26/2011 | 4 | Panic Disorder | Tired, irritable on occasion. | Great drug for anxiety\panic attacks. Few side effects. But, there are many people who can't tolerate it & get dizzy, nauseous, etc. Alot of the people here telling you how bad ativan is have probably been cut off by their dr.s. & they are bitter. Yes, it would be best if we didn't take any drugs. But many people need this drug the same way another person needs meds for high blood pressure. DO NOT drink while taking this drug. But then, you all knew that..I hope. | F | 57 | 14 years 1 mg 3X day | 4/30/2011 | 1 | Went to ER for PVC's | Tachycardia, Panic attacks, Horrific thoughts, Agoraphobia, crawling out of skin, severe weight loss. | For me this became the drug from hell. What started out as a trip to the Dr's to deal with some harmless PVC's became a living nightmare. For some stupid reason instead of just letting me see a cardiologist to ease my mind he decided it was likely these premature ventricular contractions of the heart were caused by anxiety so he prescribed Ativan. Within 24 hours I was experiencing a racing heart along with a feeling of doom and gloom. In 48 hours I was experiencing horrible thoughts, vertigo and claustrophobia. In three days time I had become so agoraphobic I was hiding in my home and had to call friends to drive me back to the E.R. because I couldn't even drive. I felt like I could burst out of my skin. When I explained to the Dr what was going on all he said was to stay calm and just take my new little med. When I started researching this stuff on line I found that for some they can have an odd adverse reaction and actually acquire all the symptoms it's suppose to fight against. I told the Dr this and he said stop looking on the internet and just keeping taking the med. He could see my heart was racing at 132 resting and did nothing. So for an entire month I begged for help. By then I had lost 35 lbs. I looked like I was dying and felt like I was dying and had begun making out my will. I was scared to death to give it a try but I weened myself off breaking it down a 1/4 of a tab every three days. The withdrawal is so vile I wouldn't wish it on anyone. | M | 35 | 30 days 3X day | 5/3/2011 | 4 | Anxiety / insomnia | No side effects. | Only took as needed--went for many weeks without taking. Seems to calm things down. | M | 54 | 5 months .5 mg 1X day | 5/12/2011 | 5 | Anxiety/insomnia | We all know this stuff is physically addictive, so only take low doses and do not take it every day. If you follow this advice, there should be no problem whatsoever. That said, this drug worked miracles for me: it dispersed anxiety so I could work, assisted with social anxiety, insomnia, and shut my mind off when it wouldn't quit. I have a history of drug addiction and have had no problems with abuse, for one simple reason: it doesn't get you high. Rather, it's medicine, and if you treat it with respect, it will help you. | M | 34 | 7 months 1-2mg 1X AN | 5/14/2011 | 4 | Extreme anxiety and panic attacks | Tremors when getting off too quickly. Spaciness when first taken. Dry mouth. | I started taking ativan when I had many terrible side effects from anti-depressants. I was very scared to take it at first, but after the first dose, I was convinced. After feeling terrible for months, I took my first ativan and felt awesome. It did not make me too sleepy but just relaxed me extremely and put me in a good mood. Usually this is the effect that I get from it. I also keep it in my purse for panic attacks and take it to go to the dentist, doctor, etc. The only issue I think with this med is that you cannot take it too regularly or your body will become physically addicted. When I tried to get off it too quickly i would sometimes have the shakes very badly. If this happens, you know that you need to ween yourself off of it. Otherwise, it really helps me and I wish I could take it around the clock. | F | 41 | 3 months .5mg 1X AN | 5/28/2011 | 1 | anxiety | Was very relaxing when I took it, but 12 hours later anxiety was very extreme.....I have to definitely add that the anxiety was far worse than what I'd ever come close to experiencing prior to ever taking the drug. Then I realized this was in fact withdrawal. And this was after only 20 days on a low dosage...........Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry additictive. | I went off of it cold turkey. Should have tapered.......First month was terrible......Four months later it was still tough. 1 year later it was pretty good....Take heart. Time and the Grace of God can heal you......Now it's been 20 months.........And everything's back entirely to normal. Entirely, 100% back......My advice, Pray, taper off slowly, stick with it, you won't feel better in a month, but you will in a year, absolutely. | M | 56 | 20 days 1X day | 6/10/2011 | 1 | Anxiety Attack | This is the worst thing I have ever taken before. After taking the drug about 2 minutes later I was feeling very funny and out there. I could not feel my legs for about 3-4 minutes. I felt like I was going to throw up. I could not hold off for a short period of time to go to the bathroom. For 2 hours I walked my house till that funny feeling went away and I was finally tired. It was terrible. | F | 43 | 1 weeks 1MG 1X AN | 6/20/2011 | 3 | Bipolar 1 with rapid cycling panic | M | 53 | 15 years 1.0 mg 1X day | 7/17/2011 Patient History | 1 | panic attacks | it just did nothing for me at all, NOTHING!!! | i felt that it was just too weak for me | M | 29 | 1 months .5 mgs 8X day | 7/25/2011 | 1 | anxiety | Worked fine at first, but tolerance quickly sets in! Spent a few years thinking I was going crazy, only to find out that interdose withdrawal and tolerance brought on the worst anxiety I have ever experienced along with a ton of other side effects! It took me over 2 years to withdraw and every step of the way was HELL! Do not take!!! Do not take ANY type of benzodiazepine as they all work the same way!!! | I lost 5 years of my life!!! A few months of relief at the beginning is not worth many years of a totally ruined life!!! Do not take!!! | F | 54 | 5 years 1mg 3X day | 7/27/2011 | 2 | Anxiety,Panic disorder | No side effects except when ativan was fading after 6 to 8 hours anxiety would return. If I took two pills in a day , I would feel groggy but still calm. Withdrawl is TERRIBLE. | DO NOT take this medication. I am one who researches on every medication there is and I ignored when everyone said this was a bad drug and only looked for the good in it. I should of had listened! Sure, its fine if you take it once a week but if youre someone who needs somthing everyday to function with work,school people..remember its only temporary until you feel like your life is ran by this medication. Its highly addictive and you tend to feel like you cant function without it. Im on day 3 of tapering off it, 1/2 a pill of 0.5mg and its been HORRIBLE. I just had a major panic attack and thought my paintings and statues with faces were going to come alive. I became scared of them and took everything down. Withdrawl comes with everything you see on Ativan websites. Im trying very hard , if anything this medication gives you more anxiety on the fact that you cant function without it and are scared that once it wears off youre going to panic. DO. NOT. TAKE . IT. By the way, if your psychiatrist says you can take this medication for the rest of your life...GET A NEW PSYCHIATRIST. I should of had known, I study psychology! Try without medication, much safer. | F | 21 | 10 months 0.5 mg 1X day | 7/28/2011 | 5 | Panic Attack | None | In my 30s had severe panic attacks when having to give speaches..I had never had this problem before..my job was giving speeches..so I found Ativan..this drug kept me from having panic attacks for 30 years. I watched the amount I took and was careful never to exceed 3 mg 3 pills in the morning. I never fet I had to take more than that. It takes sometime to get off Ativan. It does not cure panic attacks. It keeps you from getting them. After 30 years I decided I wanted off these pills and I would drop the dosage down to 2 then 1 then off..I had no more panic attacks maybe due to my system changing over the years. The problem that it did cause was that after stopping this drug I would develop heart dysrhythems. They felt pretty severe so I went to the cardiac Dr had many tests and nothing was found..the skipping stopped as soon as I began the Ativan. So now I take 2 mg to 1 mg every day. This will stop your panic attacks..I found nothing else that did the job. I run 3 miles a day and have for years..no adverse affects..good luck with your panic attacks..they themselves can be life wrecking.. | M | 63 | 30 years 3 mg 1X day | 8/14/2011 | 4 | could not sleep | Just a little drowsy | F | 44 | 5 days 2 mg 1X day | 8/15/2011 | 1 | insomnia, anxiety | anxirty, fear, insomnia, bad thoughts, derealization | Dont let the "seemingly"low dosage (.5, 1 or 2 mg)tablets fool you. And dont think "oh ill just take this now and then" THIS STUFF CREEPS UP ON YOU.It is strong and quickly addictive. RESEARCH IT! at first it was very relaxing but sooo gradually that I didnt even notice i became more and more anxious and fearful. I didnt put it together in time to know that it was the medicine itself that had "turned on me" and was actually causing the things it was supposed to stop but by then it was too late, if I didnt take it the symptoms were even worse and now im STILL trying to get off of it 3 years later (lost years)THIS AND OTHER BENZOS LIKE XANAX AND KLONOPIN and even VALIUM ARE THE HARDEST DRUGS TO QUIT AND THE MOST DAMAGING!. DOCTORS WONT TELL YOU THIS, ITS LIKE THEY DONT KNOW OR WONT ADMIT IT. IF you havent started it yet then DONT! Find out about NATURALor NON BENZODIAZEPINE ALTERNATIVES or COUNSELING.If you have then take heart, go to Benzo Buddies.org or other sites for support and advice on how to quit. theres hope. | M | 50 | 3 years 1 3X day | 8/19/2011 | 4 | Anxiety | insomnia and anxiety upon withdrawal | For a short-term, as needed thing Ativan is great. when I was freaking out to the point I'd convinced myself I couldn't talk it snapped me out of it in less than an hour. I still couldn't function perfectly on it (I eventually had to go on an SSRI) but it helped in the moment. I didn't get addicted or have any serious withdrawal from it and at one point I was taking it every day for about a month. | F | 19 | 5 months 0.5 mg 1X AN | 8/25/2011 | 3 | ER doctor prescribed for anxiety | I went to the ER with heart racing and headaches, blood pressure at stroke level, er doc said headache causing anxiety so he gave me ativan, ativan worked great, but now if i dont take it i get extreme pressure in my chest like someone sitting on it and bad headaches, just trying to push myself through this, i am guessing this is from not taking the ativan, that is all it could be!!! | F | 33 | 4 weeks 1mg 3X AN | 9/6/2011 | 5 | Agoraphobia, Emetophobia, OCD, PTSD | Drowsiness for the first week | Ativan is my LIFE SAVER! I had it for a few months just sitting in the bottle because i'm not a fan of taking meds as I am scared of side effects because of my emetophobia, but once I took it I was so glad I did! I had agoraphobia and was housebound for 2 years, I was taking 0.5 MG when I would have mild panic attacks at home, drowsiness was the only side effect I had, but after a week or so it went away. One day my family decided I needed to get help so they gave me 2 MG of Ativan and, after 2 years of not leaving my yard, I was able to drive myself to the hospital and check myself in to get therapy. That was 2 months ago, now I take 1 MG 3 times daily and I have not had a problem leaving the house since, its a miracle drug for me and I thank God for the doctor who prescribed it to me. I will take it daily for as long as I need to, until I feel comfortable without it through the help of therapy. People will try to tell you not to take it daily, but i'm here to say from experience it works and if thats what you need to live a fulfilled life go for it! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ATIVAN!!!! | F | 22 | 1 MG 1X day | 9/20/2011 Patient History | 5 | Panic attacks | Ativan is a fantastic drug. It calms you without knocking you out like Xanax. I take .5mg every night because I would have horrible panic attacks in the middle of the night, but none since I've been taking it. I have a severe dental phobia and took 2 mg yesterday at the dentist and was able to get a shot for the first time in ten years! I was not "out of it" just calm and able to get done what I needed to get done. I don't recommend driving on anything more than .5 mg because it does make you drowsy. This drug has been a life saver for me! | F | 49 | 2 years .5 1X day | 9/25/2011 | 1 | Insomnia | IBS,Parathesias & nerve pain,Cog Fog,weakness,memory problems,muscle cramps/spasms,urinary freq/incontinence,blurry vision,no saliva,anxiety,ear & sinus pain/pressure,hair loss | I was sent to many specialists and all tests came back normal. Not one doctor suspected the Ativan was causing all these symptoms. I found out through my own research, and also, that the same thing has happened to many other people. | F | 48 | 20 years .5 mg 1X day | 10/28/2011 |