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 added. 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 |
| 1 | Prescribed for laser procedure | Memory loss. Sleepiness. | I was prescribed 4 mg of Ativan prior to a laser treatment I received from my dermatologist. I have never taken a medication for anxiety, and do not suffer from anxiety. Apparently, it is standard procedure for this dermatologist to prescribe the anxiety reducing drug prior to laser treatment. I was informed I should not drive home, but not informed of the impairment I would suffer for nearly 24 hours after taking it. Anyone taking this medication, even if just for a one time treatment, should be aware that they should not be left alone! The day after taking the drug I found that I had multiple conversations with people that I could not even recall, at all. I apparently decided to take a bath, fell in the tub and my husband came home to find me this way. We had no idea that I'd respond so severely to the effects. What could have stopped me from getting my car keys and driving to the store? I'm sure if it had crossed my impaired mind, I would have done so. Scary! If you or someone you love is taking this medication, please be aware that it can have strong effects and direct supervision is advised. | F | 48 | 1 days 4 mg 1X day | 7/10/2010 | 1 | akathisia from trazodone/restoril | HORRENDOUS--BRAIN SLOWNESS/DRUNKENNESS/CAN'T CONCENTRATE/EVERY LITTLE THING IS OVERWHELMING/PHOTOPHOBIA/CAN'T FOCUS EYES/ DARTING EYES | Was given ativan when desperate because trazodone literally made me feel like I wanted to drive off a cliff and I've never been suicidal! have been tapering off the ativan for months now and the withdrawal effects are an absolute nightmare--all of a sudden I am mentally retarded, unsteady, dizzy, can't focus, can't work, can't drive, can barely see, anything that moves in my field of vision is dizzying. DO NOT THINK FOR A MINUTE YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS FOR MORE THAN A WEEK--Please listen to me because I was a very successful professional and now I can't get off my couch. Have connected with many other withdrawal sufferers--don't think you will be exempt--the horror of withdrawal is 10 times worse than anything you could face that would make you desperate enough to take this. Don't listen to the doctor who will tell you it's no big deal. | F | 44 | 7 months 1 mg. 4X day | 7/7/2010 | 1 | Anxiety | Ativan is one of the most problematic benzodiazepines. I became addicted in 1975 and could not discontinue due to the horrific withdrawal symptoms. I finally managed to withdraw completely this year using a Diazepam taper as recommended in the Ashton manual. I have now been benzo free for 4 months and feel 100% better but still have many withdrawal symptoms some of which I believe may last longer than I anticipated. I now campaign in the UK in order to help others addicted to benzodiazepines. | Ativan, made initially by John Wyeth and Brother Ltd, is one of the most addictive benzos and has been shown to cause epileptic seizures on withdrawal from therapeutic doses after as little as 3 weeks ingestion. It has also been shown to cause up to 200 side effects and withdrawal symptoms. If you are on it then look up the Ashton manual online for advice and information regarding discontinuation. | M | 55 | 35 years 1mg 1X day | 7/1/2010 | 5 | Anxiety, Panick Attacks | Slowed reaction time, possibly addictive | This medicine has helped prevent anxiety and panic attacks for me or to calm me down when experiencing anxiety. Only take as needed or when I think I might get anxious. Works immediately. Would highly recommend for anyone going through difficult situations or anyone with any form of adjustment disorder, dealing with sickness of self or family members, or depressive episodes. | F | 24 | 2 months .5 to 1 mg 1X AN | 6/30/2010 | 5 | pelvic floor muscle spasms | Some agression | F | 35 | 2 years .5 - 1 mg 1X day | 6/29/2010 | 4 | Anxiety, insomnia from flagyl | Good sleeping aid, esp in hospital settings, but a real som-amnesiac, (can't remember dream one). | Probably need to taper dose off w. GABA supplements | M | 51 | 2 months 2mg 1X day | 6/18/2010 | 4 | Dizziness, Depersonalization | Acid Reflux, Sleepiness, Mild Headache & Anxiety. | Ativan is something that really gets me through the bad moments. I really wish that I could have been introduced to this medication a lot sooner. Anyways besides that Acid Reflux (which might be caused from smoking while taking this drug) and the Sleepiness I really like the way this drug works. | M | 21 | 8 months 0.5 3X M | 6/9/2010 | 1 | anxiety | dry mouth, drowsiness, insommnia, impaired gait and falling, paranoid behaviours, addiction, urinary incontinence, poor judgement skills | My 80 year old father is on this drug. I have been a hospital nurse for many years and am aware of the uses for ativan. It is usually meant for short term use and in controlled setting, and NOT for the elderly! I have been trying for years to get him off. Last year he began to fall quite a bit and I worked with a pharmacist friend to wean him down. He had been taking 1 mg, 4 to 5 times a day. I had NO cooperation from his family doctor. Not surprising. My father was also not pleased, but since at this point I was picking up and dispensing his meds and bringing them to his home, he had no choice but to take what I gave. He has now been in hospital for a week after another fall. He can hardly walk and is extremely paranoid. His doctor has now agreed to wean him off onto something else, with my insistence, and, under recommendations from our pharamacist. If the doctor does not follow through I will go to our Chief of Staff. Unbelieveable. My father made this decision years ago to take something for his anxiety, and now I am left picking up the pieces...... With God's help, we WILl perservere!!!!!!!!. | F | 54 | 5 years 1 mg 3X day | 6/2/2010 | 1 | panic attacks, anxiety | tired, memory problems. during detox: psychosis, electric shocks. | Bad bad bad. It has taken 8 years of my life. Went through detox, which was absolutely horrible. When I took this drug for the first time, I thought that it was going to save me from feeling miserable. Well, in the long run, it really doesn't. | M | 28 | 8 years 3-4 mg 2X day | 6/1/2010 | 3 | anxiety | Profound depression, constant thoughts of suicide, heaviness in my limbs, sleepiness- could sleep around the clock if allowed. Rebound anxiety. | Ativan works beautifully on my aniety. I feel relaxed and pleasant after taking one. It's the after effects that are awful. Deep,deep depression that effects every aspect of my being. I'm currently suicidal, as I type this, and know it's because I took ativan twice yesterday. I wouldn't care if I got run over by a bus. Becase of the rebound anxiety (a jittery over-caffienated feeling) I often feel the need to take another dose. So you see the viscious cycle. | F | 37 | 2 years .5 MG PRN 2X day | 5/26/2010 | 3 | Anxiety | None | Ok...first of all...I really liked my ativan and what it did for me...I first began taking it approx 3 to 4 years ago for anxiety which was something that I had never experienced until then. It did wonders for the shakes and anxiety. It even helped me rest better. For the most part I only take it at night before bed unless I have an attack during the day which is very rare. I would sometimes even skip my dosage at night because I began taking ambien for insomnia. Ive noticed if I go a few days without taking it I become extremely irritable (complete B****) and wake up with anxiety attacks. I believe it has ruined my relationship...this weekend was horrible and I do believe that for the first time I realized that was I was going thru was withdrawals from not taking it for 3 days. I almost came unglued last night...and for some reason now if I dont take it...the ambien doesnt work maybe because the anxiety is too much! I havent slept in two days...LITERALLY! And today Im a wreck at work...I refuse to take the medicine at this point because of how Im feeling...I dont like this...Ive never done drugs and this is much like what I assume drug attacks feel like once they go cold turkey! Im not going to report it to my doctor just yet because believe it or not I feel like I really need to take it and I fear she will take me off of it...am I crazy or is this the lack of meds talking? At this point Im not sure but I know right now I feel like I need it just to function since Ive | F | 37 | 3 years 1 mg 2X day | 5/17/2010 | 5 | Anxiety, Sleep disordersr | blurred vision when exceed 1.5mg dose, blurred vision above this dose did go away after a couple of days | This has been a wonder drug for me. If you take these drugs, one thing you should try is to keep a dose on you. In your wallet, or purse, you'll be amazed how often you DON'T take it. Just knowing it's there is enough. Remember it takes about 3 to 4 days for this drug to get out of your system. I try to never, ever, take it more than twice a week. I noticed that if I don't take it more than twice a week, I never have withdrawl symptoms. I usually take it before speaking engagements, or just really stressful days, or when i need to go to sleep. This medication is like any other drug, its great at what it does, just don't abuse it. I've never tried the taking it every day, and I hope I never have to. | M | 32 | 8 years 1 to 1.5mg 1X day | 5/12/2010 | 5 | Panic attacks | None. Just helps me calm down. Relaxes me. | My dr. prescribed this because I started having a few panic attacks related to my husband and son's deployment to Iraq. I have taken 5 pills in the two months I've had the prescription. I really try to avoid taking them, but when i start shaking and crying for no reason, they have really helped calm me down. I have never taken more than 1 pill in a day, 1 to get me thru the inital panic lets me calm down and deal rationally again. | F | 37 | 2 months 0.5 mg 1X AN | 4/26/2010 | 4 | Anxiety | Sleepiness & Lack of Concentration | I've been taking Ativan (1 mg 3X/day)for 5 years. I was previously on Xanax (2 mg 3X/day) and it stopped helping so my doctor switched me to Ativan and it has done wonders ever since. It helped with the anxiety and allowed me to sleep better at night. I did not experience too many side effects...just sleepiness and occasional lack of concentration. I recently decided that I do not want to take it anymore because my husband and I would like to have a baby in the near future. I decided to wean myself off of ativan 3 weeks ago. I started by taking just 1 mg/day for the first week, then dropped to .5 mg/day for 3 days, then down to .25 mg 1X/day and then .25 every 2 days. I stopped one week ago. I went to my dr. because I was worried about the withdrawal symptoms. He put me on Celexa (10 mg 2-3X/day). The first few days I felt very anxious, very sensitive to noises and light, weakness, insomnia, heart palpitations, shakiness and restless legs. I am on day 7 and much of this has gone away. The Celexa has helped quite a bit. Overall it really wasn't that bad. I feel so much better now. I have more energy during the day and feel good overall. After reading other peoples' comments, I thought that sharing my experience would help others who are trying to stop taking it to be encouraged vs. deterred by the bad experiences. I hope this helps and good luck! | F | 29 | 5 years 3X day | 4/7/2010 | 3 | anxiety, insomnia, racing thoughts | Works well for anxiety; it took away my anxiety at night so I could sleep, but made me out of it during the day if I took it before bedtime. | This drug was extremely addictive for me. Maybe it's b/c it lasts only a few hours and on some days I felt the need to take 2 or 3 when I was only supposed to be taking it for sleep at night. I got to the point where I could not function without it. Quit cold turkey and felt horrible and in pain for a week. Did not sleep for 1 week, so my doc prescribed Klonopin, which works MUCH better for me. It's stronger and lasts longer. I do not feel "addicted" to Klonopin like I did Ativan and I can still take a little bit during the day if I need it and function OK. | F | 26 | 4 months 0.5 mg 2X day | 4/6/2010 | 4 | anxiety | slow reaction time while driving | This has worked really well for me when I became very anxious during my mom's illness and having to move her to a long term care facility. I'm very cautious, only take half a pill as needed, which is now once a week or less. If I can't get to sleep, or wake up too early, the half a pill is good for about 3-4 hours sleep. I've experienced unexpected benefits, such as less shyness, ability to urinate in a public restroom, improvement in foreign language fluency, and more social confidence in general. It made me realize I'd been experiencing a certain constant level of anxiety my whole life. I wish I could take it all the time but don't dare to, just when I need a little "vacation." | M | 47 | 1.5 years 1X AN | 4/5/2010 | 5 | BiPolar rapid Cycling-Panic-Anxiety | slightly groggy although not sleepy. relaxed, calming, | I have been talking .5 (1/2 a MG)twice a day to prevent or control rapid thoughts, anxiety, crying spells, catastrophising.. It has helped me calm down when needed. Klonopin does not agree with me at all.. My doctor is now trying me on Xanax XR which I thinkis a good switch for now. I would use ativan again, I just think it's pooped out on me or I have gotten tolerant and it is not working the same.. | F | 40 | 1 years 0.5 2X day | 4/4/2010 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder-Aggitation-Anxiety | Calming, euphoric, dizziness, very comfortable, sleepy, vision disturbance, | Works quickly and even quicker if left to absorb under the tongue. I am supposed to take 1/2 mg 2 x a day whi I rarely have to. But, This drug is great to have on hand for Bipoars in mixed states to calm anxiety and increase resistance to irrational thinking and ideas. | F | 40 | 5 years 1 2X day | 3/27/2010 | 1 | Depression | My son has been dealing with depression for almost a year and this medication has done nothing but harm him. Our family has had nothing but pain behind this medication. I don't recommend this medication to anyone! | F | 44 | 4 months .05MG 1X day | 3/27/2010 | 1 | anxiety | Completely screwed up my body. Brain fog, achy joints, nausea, loss of weight, lack of sleep, heart palpitations. This drug did not act as a sedative for me, it did the opposite. | This drug is extremely dangerous. After starting ativan i came down with my stated side effects. Never been sick in 57 years. When I tried to stop taking ativan, it triggered physical side effects (just like an illegal street drug user would have - fever, tingling sensations, mind fog, sweating, muscle cramps). The first attempt to get off this drug, I justed stop taking it. 3 days later withdrawal symptoms triggered. On second attempt, i took 1 week to come off dosage. 4 days later i had major withdrawal symptoms. My body had become physically addicted to this drug. I never took any drugs my whole life even though i used less than 90 days and took only .75 mg a day. At this point in time, i did research on the Internet. The sites clearly showed how addictive Ativan is. My doctor didn't emphasize this addictiveness. The sites pointed towards changing diet to a Mediterranean diet and adding supplements to help ease the withdrawal symptoms. After starting these changes, i called a psychiatrist, (doctor dealing with drug addiction). She told me to wean off the drug over 4 weeks with each week taking 25% less dosage. I did as she said and was able to come of the drug cleanly. She told me she had clients who took up to a year to get off of some of these prescription anxiety drugs. Moral of the story, if at any time one gets side effects from prescription drugs, stop taking it. I never gave it a thought that one could get sick after stopping taking a drug!!! | M | 57 | 90 days .75 mg 1X day | 3/25/2010 |