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 | anxiety attacks | sleepiness | F | 70 | 4 months | 3/31/2005 | 5 | insomnia | it let me sleep at night | dr. warned me against taking it for more than 5 nights in a row, I'm on night 3 but it's helped me sleep at night. No problems waking up in the morning. | F | 18 | 3 days | 3/31/2005 | 5 | Panic attacks/ Insomnia | None. | It's been a cool drug so far. i take 2mg's of it a night to sleep and 2 mg's whenever i get a panic attack....it instantly knocks me out.. | M | 27 | 9 months | 4/6/2005 | 1 | Anxiety caused by other drugs | At first the Ativan helped control the anxiety at a very low dose, but after a while I became tolerant to it and had to increase both the dose and the frequency of taking it since I was starting to suffer severe interdose anxiety. Then it reached a point where it no longer controlled the anxiety, but caused severe anxiety and depression. | It is extremely powerful addictive drug that sneaks up on you and destroys your life. It takes all the pleasure and meaning out of your life. It is very difficult to stop taking. Withdrawal from it is incredibly painful both physically and emotionally, causing anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, hopelessness, paranoia, panic attacks, obsessive negative thoughts,depersonalization and a number of physical symptoms ranging from dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, flu like symptoms to even seizures. Even though in total I have taken the Ativan for 1 year, I used it sporadically for the first 6 months. | F | 47 | 1 years | 4/10/2005 | 1 | insomnia and anxiety | After 5 years at the same dose, I began to unknowingly experience tolerance withdrawal. No doctor I went to could figure out what was wrong with me. I was sick for one year until a therapist finally figured it out. | I was precribed this drug for six years without being told it is addictive and builds tolerance. When I tried to get off it in a reasonable amount of time, over several weeks in detox, I had a complete physical and mental breakdown. I had to reinstate and am now coming off it at such a slow pace, it will take years to get off. This drug should never be prescribed for longer than 2 weeks, EVER. | F | 48 | 6 years | 4/11/2005 | 1 | M | 66 | 13 years | 4/11/2005 | 1 | Insomnia due to hyperactive thyroid | I started taking 2 mg per day at bedtime. After about a year, I experienced anxiety during the day, and my doctor thought that my thyroid condition was getting worse, so he doubled my Ativan dose. A few months later, I became anxious again, and it turned out the anxiety was caused by the fact that I had reached tolerance to the Ativan and needed more in order to feel | Ativan should only be taken on a short-term basis. It's actually possible to become addicted to Ativan after taking it for as short a time as a month. It is very potent and highly addictive. Had I known it would affect me in the way it did, I never would have taken it in the first place. I tried to wean myself off Ativan, but was unsuccessful in doing so because I suffered from severe interdose withdrawal symptoms. A kind, caring doctor in an attempt to wean me off the Ativan switched me to Valium so that I could taper myself off that drug. Valium has a longer half-life, so it's much easier for people who are addicted to Ativan to get off Benzodiazepines by switching to Valium. The website, www.benzo.org.uk contains a copy of the Ashton Manual, which is considered the best resource to use if you're considering tapering off a Benzodiazepine tranquilizer, such as Ativan. I am 58 years old. I never took recreational drugs in my life, and I discovered at age 55 that I was a geriatric junkie because of the Ativan. Patients should exercise extreme caution before taking this drug. It took me three years to beat this addiction. | F | 58 | 4 years | 4/15/2005 | 1 | anxiety, insomnia | first few days grogginess during day; withdrawal symptoms: extreme anxiety and insomnia (unable to sleep for 3 days), panic attacks, flu-like symptoms, headache | I knew ativan was addictive, but Dr. told me nothing about side effects, or how quickly I could experience withdrawal/tolerance. I am only realizing from this web-search that what I am experiencing is related to the Ativan. Dr. prescribed 2 mg nightly for a 1 week period. I am very sensitive to most meds, but was told this dose and time period was not a concern. But, I am practically climbing the walls from anxiety and lack of sleep, much, much worse than before I began the ativan. Not worth the one week of sleep at all! | F | 28 | 7 days | 4/23/2005 | 3 | Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Have been taking for more than a decade, my medical records don't go back further than that. Have since been told I was mis-diagnosed and have BPD and have to go in hospital next week for rapid detox off the Ativan before I can begin the appropriate medication! Am very fearful............. | I currently take 2 mgs. 4 x a daily, and have been taking Ativan for more than 10 years, probably closer to 15. | F | 45 | 10 years | 5/27/2005 | 4 | meniere's disease and anxiety | minor dry mouth, fasciculations and numbness in feet upon discontinuation if used for a few days in a row. Some rebound effects, insomnia and anxiety. | taken on as needed basis. Always have been reluctant to use, but the drug just plain helps. There are periods of several weeks where I don't use it at all. I have 2 mg tabs, but general dosage has been .5 to 1 mg only as needed. There have been two or 3 occasions of perhaps near panic episodes where I'd need 2 or 3 mgs. | M | 57 | 7 years | 6/3/2005 | 5 | Hiatal Hernia, Panic Disorder | Mild depression, muscle fatigue, heartburn. | I've tried just about every drug out there for panic disorder and Ativan is the only one that really works for me without any significant side effects. So what if it is addictive, the benefits are outstanding. I can live a normal life without the fear of having a panic attack or insomnia. It is a real life saver!!! Anti-depressents were horrible in treating my panic disorder. I hate those type of medications. | M | 45 | 21 days | 6/13/2005 | 3 | | 6/24/2005 | 3 | | 6/24/2005 | 1 | Anxiety | Chest pain, weird feeling like I am dying, confusion,short term memory loss | This drug worked wonders in the beginning when I went to my doctor complaining for chest pains. She said it might be anxiety and gave me Ativan. It was wonderful, no more chest pain, calming effect. Later on when she told me 20 days later that it is addictive, I wanted to only use it on needed basis. This is when nightmare began. The chest pain and cunfusion became so bad that I called ER. I concluded finally that it was withdrawal symptoms. When I took it I was fine. It took me exactly 9 months to come off of .5 mg twice a day. I broke the pills in 2 piece , then 4 and basically tapered myself. It was the scariest feeling I had im my life. I felt like I was dying from heart attack. Never again I would take this. It works wonders but not worth it. Withdrawal is nightmare. I wanted to use it only on needed basis | M | 40 | 9 months | 6/30/2005 | 4 | anxiety | none--works well. | It seems like I have to have it now--definitely can cause a dependency. | F | 32 | 3 years | 7/2/2005 | 3 | Anxiety/Insomnia | none | This medicine does nothing to help me sleep. I've taken up to four pills at a time to try to get to sleep, but it really doesn't help at all. It does take the edge off of my anxiety though. I can take one .5 mg pill at work and have no problems. I don't feel drowsy or like I'm drugged at all. It's a very subtle change, but it makes a difference. | F | 33 | 1 months | 7/17/2005 | 5 | anxiety related to PTSD | None. Not at all addictive. | This is a fabulous medication. When that intensity starts to crank up I can take one of these pills and be pulled back to reality w/ in 20 minutes. I have taken up to 2 mg/ day but have over the last year gotten down to a couple pills / week. Average 1x / week for trouble sleeping and 1x for anxiety. | F | 33 | 8 years | 7/19/2005 | 5 | panic attacks | No side effects. Just when I first started taking them I got sleepy. | Calms me down so that my panic attacks are under control, especially when I have to do something that makes me nervous and helps me to sleep at night. | F | 58 | 10 days | 8/8/2005 | 5 | insomnia starting w/peri-menopause | may have developed a tolerance | Insomnia started for me at the same time as obvious peri-menopause symptoms. I need at least 7 hrs. of sleep a night to feel OK. For 10 months after the insomnia started, a | F | 46 | 1.5 years | 8/14/2005 | 4 | Anxiety | anxiety is a crazy drug. it can be so addictive its almost like a narcotic. but, if you use it right, it can be very helpful. i had a head injury that left me with severe bipolar mania and anxiety attacks. i felt immobile and in pain all the time. the ativan helped me to think freely and move around more easily, however, you must adjust to the drugs effects very carefully, and not get confused by its addictive feeling. i think that 2 mg a day is a high dose, so, id try 1 mg a night first, but, thats just my opinion | ativan is ok, is VERY difficult to get used to because it can be addictive | M | 22 | 1 years | 8/21/2005 |