Be in control, its not that great a sin. I am making progress but I could wish it was faster. Im learning to drive.

Start the breathing as early as possible, so that you go into the situation calmly. ABOUT EXERCISE Exercise helps me a lot, at first I was too ill to do much but now I walk every day, between 2 and 6 miles, and I sd half an hour on my exercise bike. It does help me to take exercise. The sniffing breath The sniffing breath is a way of freeing up a tight chest. Only the individual who is HAVING the attack has the power to do this. Go for a longer drive including dual carriage way with helper driving. With underestimating my ability to cope, I dont let it stop me trying. Whatever your situation, you will need to look at the overall balance of your life and make sure that it is healthy, and that you are getting what you need. Say to the family member you make me so cross the way you expect lifts all the time. Relax, and feel the difference. Core beliefs develop for very good reasons that make perfect sense at the time. Most children go through phases when they are frightened of particular things - these are part of their normal development and are usually outgrown. Do you feel compelled to wash yourself or your clothes, or clean your house, many times over? In many ways Anxiety takes us back to childhood, and anxious fears often have the same irrational nightmarish quality of childhood fears. Try to build up a more balanced picture by recording your own achievements and asking those around you for honest feedback. What if I make a mistake? Now compare this with a similar question, So what if I make a mistake? Ill take the driving test again and be better prepared! I take any opportunity I can to help with self-awareness. I dont underestimate my ability to cope, because Ive coped twice with difficult bereavements. They need to be able to stay calm when you are anxious. & If you cant get to sleep within 30 minutes of going to bed or of waking up in the night, dont stay in bed - get up and go into another room and do something calming and relaxing until you feel sleepy. They must never trick you, because you have to be able to trust them absolutely. But being so scared it would be discovered I found that I had to keep going to it to make sure it was there, to make sure that I had actually hidden it. At the time there were some concerns around my blood pressure and I was feeling quite anxious about it. It can give you such a high level of Anxiety (or nerves) before an event that it stops you thinking or acting in a constructive way.

When you are doing your exposure work, you can mentally challenge your Anxiety by asking:

Arranging help with OCD exposure If you havent involved anybody else in your OCD you can still choose to ask for help with exposure. Before that I was fine but I didnt have Anxiety then. There are two ways of looking at your thoughts. Here are some examples of thoughts and counters: Worrier What if I make a fool of myself? Clarity is also needed in problem solving - before you can solve a problem you have to know just what the problem is. The obvious solutions are: Go camping in the UK. I could cause an accident where somebody dies. Its not about always getting your own way, or getting other people to do what you want. Put on coat and outdoor shoes, stand by front door till Anxiety subsides. Usually these are short-lived. They can come from the people around you, or the culture you grow up in, or your life experiences. They can impair your ability to drive or operate machinery, and can also be dangerous if mixed with alcohol. YES/NO Hold it and clench your stomach muscles as tightly as you can. Take note of any other problems youve had, and how you overcame them. Reading around the topic will help you to understand your illness. Visualisation: the voice describes a relaxing scene, such as a beautiful garden or a deserted tropical beach. When you are ready, stand up slowly. For catastrophising I now go for it anyway and tell myself what haps will hap. However, this form of disorder is the most treatable of all the Anxiety Disorders, and so an individual experiencing, or believe they are experiencing symptoms of this disorder should seek help and effective treatment through their chosen health care professional.

If the answer is yes, then take alcohol out of your diet for a week just to prove that you can.

ABOUT THE BUILD-UP TO ANXIETY I had a naughty magazine which was not unreasonable for a boy of 1 Here is an example of a day from a working parents notebook: 030 get up, shower, breakfast, make packed lunches, drop kids at school 09.15 late to work again, better skip lunch 130 leave work, pick up shopping, take oldest child to activity 19.00 eat with partner and kids, my turn to wash up 20.00 my turn to put kids to bed, usual arguments 200 check emails, phone childminder re school holidays, organize Badminton Club fixture list, online banking, phone Mum, mend broken door in kitchen 200 bed Not much time for self in there. Your head tells you it is wrong, but you continue to act as if it were true because of the emotional hold it has on you. Buddha There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. If you think that panic will cause the skills to fly out of your head, write your chosen ones on a little card to carry with you. If you can deal with your feelings as they arise, youll be more able to live in the present, and less bogged down in the past. & Have compassion for yourself. Its important to understand that escaping does not make Anxiety go away. Ive never been offered medication, but I have had cognitive behaviour therapy. I tried medication for a short time but it wasnt for me. When you read about the need for change, did you feel a stab of fear? For some people the lack of confidence goes deeper than the Anxiety, into a fundamental part of their make up. When you are talking to yourself in new ways, or creating counters, challenges and affirmations, remember the following guidelines: Use the first person - use the word I. All of the behaviours have the same flaw, that is, they provide short-term relief but overall Anxiety increases. Once you have stopped having caffeine you need to maintain that throughout your Anxiety recovery programme. How important is it? You would never guess it to see her up on the 'silver screen' though would you? Touch the photo of a spider. Straighten your arms as hard as you can. Breathe out slowly. Unfortunately someone with Anxiety is most likely to have negative core beliefs, for instance: Im not lovable other people always let you down life isnt fair.

In fact anger is the most common driver of Anxiety disorders.

What will hap next? This may be because you think you no longer need them, or you are experiencing unpleasant side-effects, or you are worried about becoming dedent on them. It helps convince you that your body is strong enough to cope with your Anxiety symptoms. There are some things that just cant be resolved by answering the question do I feel like it? and others that need many more factors to be taken into consideration. Here are two examples. Now I am off the medication that made me so tired but drinking too much coffee has become a habit. Use the checklist to help you focus - any box that you cant tick is one that you can choose to work on. Refer to the feelings list at the end of this section. Its long and tough but at last you get it out, and now you know that dandelion wont be growing back in your lawn. Explore what this might mean. Goal-setting and using small steps along the way are particularly useful skills to help you work your way through complicated problems. Even something as simple as remembering to take your tablets is self-help. I get anxious when I havent enough to do. Review - Lifestyle Changes By now you will have realized that recovery from Anxiety takes a deal of work. I used the tape 2-3 times a day. I tried various techniques and the one that was easiest for me was to breathe in to a count of 4, hold my breath for 4 and breathe out to a count of Not YOU. At first I could only take three or four minutes but I gradually got it up to the full 20 minutes. And while were on the subject, lets answer those two questions. How urgent is it? Does this belief have any benefit for me now?

The way you eat is also important.

I was unsteady on my legs and would often feel as if I was going to fall through the ground. When you are lying awake, are you troubled by anxious thoughts and/or physical symptoms of Anxiety? For many people an Anxiety disorder is the price they pay for not caring for themselves properly. Omit every other session, and so on. Make sure you keep your fluid levels up by substituting water, milk or fruit juice. This is a vicious circle, because the less you use your body, the less you feel like using it. When you look at the horizon, your eye muscles are fully relaxed and this helps you to relax your head and neck - this is one reason why most of us enjoy being by the sea. Because the BRAIN is where all your Anxiety stems from. The world is dangerous - The danger in the world is manageable. Id be very uncomfortable, I might not be able to bear it. If on balance you feel you would be better off without the drugs, then ask him or her about helping you to withdraw from them. Do this for several breaths, rhythmically. We have some suggestions for coping skills that have worked well for other people over the years, but anything that works for you is fine. Nothing set me up for anxiety until the trauma haped. I realised how insecure I was. This section will concentrate on your behaviour - the things that you do because of your Anxiety. If you approach this with an o mind, and accept the possibility of change, you have every chance of success. Push down and out with your stomach, just above your navel and breathe in. Here are some examples: Overestimating a bad outcome Ill be the only one in the class to fail the exam. So what? You can also see from their stories that recovery is possible and that life can feel good again. If you can, go for a walk in a park, or in the o countryside.

Some phobias might belong in one category or another, deding on what the actual trigger is, or be part of a more complex condition such as agoraphobia.

Athletes, singers and actors use breath control to improve their performance. This is the very time when someone is likely to have their first panic attack, or some other symptom of Anxiety. Here are some suggestions: walk round the house or flat go up and down stairs, if available do housework use an exercise video or DVD use an exercise bike, or treadmill. Sometimes the compulsions are thoughts rather than actions. Do any of yours seem inappropriate to the events which trigger them - too much or too little? With practice you will become quicker at spotting the negative thoughts and interrupting them. In addition, you can ask yourself other questions that will help you be more objective such as: Are there other ways of looking at this? In fact cognitive behavioural therapy is typically delivered in between six and 15 sessions. If the three levels are all negative and Anxiety-focused then they will lock together to form a vicious circle. The cognitive work youve done so far will help you identify the emotions that are driving your thoughts. Dont, whatever you do, belittle your achievements. In the meantime, cut down as far as you possibly can and in particular never smoke on an empty stomach. Its quite likely that the task you find hardest is the one you most need to do, and the one that will bring you the most benefit when you succeed. The most important thing is for you to recover, so if you only want a piece of banana or a spoonful of yoghurt tell yourself its okay. Only you can decide what is right for you, but many people have reported the great relief they felt when they finally confided in someone. Even though you can tell someone that is having an Anxiety attack that "It's All In Your Mind", this usually comes out leaving them feel you are trying to be condescending to their plight. The speed of breathing isnt important; what helps me is the awareness of the rhythm of my breathing. I know that I breathe badly when Im tense, I need to work on that.I learnt how to control my breathing and Ive found this really helpful. The answer is to withdraw gradually and with support from a trained professional. It can be quite hard at first to identify your thoughts - sometimes just a single word or image may flash though your mind so quickly that you are barely aware of it. Breathe quietly, and focus on the word relax.

Or travel on public transport?

In Part Two you saw how this can lead to anxious behaviours such as escape, avoidance or rituals. Do people say unkind things to you? Also you may feel sad at the number of tedious things you are now able to do. Exercise In your notebook, make two lists, headed things I have to do and things I cant do. Include the things that Anxiety makes you do, or stops you doing, and anything else that you feel you must do or cant do. When you o yourself to life, new opportunities seem to arise almost magically. If you have OCD, you may have already involved your friends and family, even if its just that they have to tolerate the extra time you need to do everyday tasks. You can compare your anxious thought processes to the dandelion plant. Wishful thinking By whose standards are you judging yourself? In some areas there are self-help groups, where people meet up to socialise and offer support to each other. YES/NO An Anxiety diary is a simple record of your anxious feelings day by day. When you are ready to start work on your recovery again, take it a little more slowly. And what haps if you work through this process and are dismayed to find that the wrong item has the highest score? Try to build up a more balanced picture by recording your own achievements and asking those around you for honest feedback. Patients may go to any lengths to improve their appearance, including using methods that are dangerous. If youre apprehensive about the future, give yourself time to adapt to a life without Anxiety. Contradict your if only. Once youve done that, you can assess the progress youve made. For instance, do you find it hard to tell someone that youre upset or angry because of something theyve said or done? On the other hand, you may be worried about what will hap if you do give them up - will you have nasty withdrawal symptoms; what if your Anxiety resurfaces once the medication is taken away?

They may wait several hours before eating anything and in extreme cases will only eat once a day, in the evening when they feel up to it.

If they have a fear of doing their rituals in public, they need to cut down on their rituals. When I had anxiety badly I never drank at all, my mother used to say what do you want to drink for, it does you no good at all, but now I like one drink in the evening. Your Sleep Patterns Sleep can become a major worry for people with Anxiety. Understanding how Anxiety works. Push out your chest and ribs and breathe in. The adrenalin surge of fight-or-flight always dies down, even if you stay put. Breathe in and out through your nose and let your breathing slow down. If there is one person who is the focus for your feelings you can write it to them, (even if they are dead). Thoughts Imagine feeding your anxious thoughts into a shredder, or tie them to a balloon and let them float away. We would suggest that you start your exposure work with a helper, someone who understands and who can deal with kindly strangers who are concerned about you. Examining your responses Lets look more closely at those impatient responses. Otherwise whenever Im aware that my body is tense which would be once to twice a day. Regular practice in relaxation techniques . Breathing is automatic and is controlled by your involuntary nervous system but at the same time we do have a certain amount of control over it. Current advice to doctors is to only prescribe these drugs for short periods (two to four weeks) and only for severe Anxiety. It may be that you have more than one problem. Many anxious people have an underlying fear of losing control, even for a moment (which explains why some people find it so difficult to accept the need for relaxation). They will do this just by being there, and also there are things they can say to help: Grounding - remarks that remind you what to do such as just breathe out slowly. Above all, dont give up. Even people with physical health problems can usually find a type of exercise that is within their capacity - your doctor should be able to advise you about this. Like every aspect of recovery, it can be planned as a series of goals aimed at gradually reducing your need for other people to support your Anxiety behaviour. Having to do the compulsion a certain number of times, or until it feels like enough times.

If you have OCD you may well have always been a methodical, accurate and careful person.

Over-generalising usually includes words like never, always and every, so typical examples are: Ill never manage this goal. Im always the one who struggles. Filtering Filtering means selecting one aspect of an experience and focusing on that - and of course for an Anxiety sufferer this is going to mean filtering out the positive and focusing on the negative. While you are in the grip of an Anxiety disorder its easy to think that life would be wonderful and simple if only you werent so anxious. It has taken me the whole of the day. Over-generalising usually includes words like never, always and every, so typical examples are: Ill never manage this goal. Im always the one who struggles. Filtering Filtering means selecting one aspect of an experience and focusing on that - and of course for an Anxiety sufferer this is going to mean filtering out the positive and focusing on the negative. Am I being objective? Having to do the compulsion in a certain way - if a mistake is made, you have to go back to the beginning, and the one with the mistake doesnt count. When the panic attack subsides, the person naturally feels that leaving the situation is the answer - when you leave, the panic stops. The main types are: Anorexia Nervosa - where the person does not eat enough to maintain healthy body weight. If it were humanly possible to remove every ounce of anxiety from an individual, that person wouldnt survive for very long. My brother died three hours after our mothers funeral. Research has shown that most of us are able to have these thoughts without getting upset or obsessed with them - we dont attach any importance to them. Sometimes, however, there may be larger issues to face. It wont hurt you, in fact it will help you. We had sessions twice a week for three weeks until I could tolerate the tape at full volume for 10 minutes. Blustering bully, or evil shadow? Something scary haps, your brain reacts, and sends messages to your body. Accept that you might be wrong about other peoples reasons for behaving as they do. Are you resisting recovery? At the onset of panic, breathe out into the bag, then breathe in from the bag. Qualities needed for self-help Anyone can apply the principles of self-help. Others are kept busy by their Anxiety - OCD in particular can be very time consuming.

Sitting at the dentist or hairdressers, in the cinema or theatre, or in a restaurant.

You can also ask someone else to read it to you or record it. Your fingertips will move back together as you do this. The turning point came when I realised that the therapist had the confidence that I would make progress. But being so scared it would be discovered I found that I had to keep going to it to make sure it was there, to make sure that I had actually hidden it. At the time there were some concerns around my blood pressure and I was feeling quite anxious about it. Big or small? You may still feel that you havent really got time for yourself, but as a part of your recovery from Anxiety you need to find some time every day for yourself. Once you have worked through this book you will have the skills you need to prevent relapses. This is part of your involuntary nervous system which as weve already seen also controls many bodily functions. Ive done guided imagery with my therapist but didnt find it so relaxing. During the crisis, the chemicals that are circulating in your body are designed to get you through. And, it is twice as common in women as it is in men. In many ways Anxiety takes us back to childhood, and anxious fears often have the same irrational nightmarish quality of childhood fears. You may not even see them as thoughts, instead you may identify them as feelings or physical sensations. For instance, if you feel that you cant make time for a recovery programme because your OCD is so time consuming, then your challenge is to find the time - even five minutes a day will help. If your anxiety is in anyway focused on animals, dont undertake this, although you might want to set goals around it during your recovery. When you do leave, you find that you start to feel better quite quickly, so youll tend to think that escaping makes Anxiety go away. Fear of fear leads to avoidance and is the chief maintenance factor for panic, agoraphobia and social phobia. Think about all the things that used to give you pleasure before you had Anxiety. It can make you feel excessively afraid in situations that are not stressful or threatening to most people. Many Anxiety sufferers lose the habit of taking exercise, and some become extremely inactive.

Working with thoughts So keep a record for a week in your notebook - several times a day, examine your thoughts and write them down.

You can choose to hold your breath, or to pant like a dog. Working out an exposure plan Continuing our example of someone who wants to get back to work, they have already looked at what is stopping them, and they know which form their Anxiety takes, so they know where to direct their efforts. Kudos to you Kim! The person with social phobia will feel anxious if they are in a social situation. Repeat two and three several times until you feel your chest relax. Sleep: again you may be afraid of letting go, or you may be afraid of being more active. Repeat this exercise for different scenarios until you come across one, or more, where you find it difficult to imagine being happy with the situation. There is so much embarrassment surrounding Anxiety, and so many people dread humiliating themselves in public, that its worth working out what youll do if you need to get out. Similarly, you may find yourself facing great difficulties in a relationship. Or phone one of the helplines and talk it through with a volunteer. This section will concentrate on your behaviour - the things that you do because of your Anxiety. You may need to go round more than once, but you can keep coming back, and each time it will get easier. Try to build up a more balanced picture by recording your own achievements and asking those around you for honest feedback. While you are in the grip of an Anxiety disorder its easy to think that life would be wonderful and simple if only you werent so anxious. All Anxiety is driven by the thoughts that go round and round in your head, but with OCD there is an extra element because the thoughts link in to beliefs, usually about preventing harm. Get a better perspective Instead of thinking in black and white terms (failure or success, stupid or competent, great or awful) learn to value the shades of grey in-between. You need to weigh up whether they are helping against the disadvantages. In Part Two you saw how this can lead to anxious behaviours such as escape, avoidance or rituals. He will tell you what you should do and the best steps for you to take to have fulfilling life with a dash of Anxiety on the side ;-). Hold it and feel the tension in your legs and feet.

What is Ativan?Ativan is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines (ben-zoe-dye-AZE-eh-peens).

In addition to recreational use, benzodiazepines may be diverted and used to facilitate crime: Criminals may take them to deliberately seek disinhibition before committing crimes (which increases their potential for violence). Patients should not be discharged from the hospital within 24 hours of receiving lorazepam premedication, unless accompanied by a caregiver. It is fast acting, and useful in treating fast onset panic anxiety. Because of its relative long duration of residual effects (sedation, ataxia, hypotension, and amnesia), lorazepam premedication is best suited for hospital inpatient use. These effects are seen as more common with lorazepam than other benzodiazepines. On regular administration diazepam will, however, accumulate more, since it has a longer half-life and active metabolites with even longer half-lives. T. Blood or plasma lorazepam concentrations are usually in a range of 10-300 ug/L in persons either receiving the drug therapeutically or in those arrested for impaired driving, and 300-1000 ug/L in victims of acute overdosage. These effects are seen as more common with lorazepam than other benzodiazepines. Lorazepam may also interact with rifabutin.

Ativan may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for.

government study of pharmaceutical-related ED visits by SAMHSA found that sedative-hypnotics in the United States are the pharmaceuticals most frequently used outside of their prescribed medical purpose, with 35% of drug-related emergency room visits involving sedative-hypnotics. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Lorazepam is sometimes used as an alternative to haloperidol when there is the need for rapid sedation of violent or agitated individuals, but haloperidol plus promethazine is preferred due to better effectiveness and due to lorazepam's adverse effects on respiratory function. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it. Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam enhance the effects of GABA at the GABAA receptor via increasing the frequency of opening of the chloride ion channel on the GABAA receptors; which results in the therapeutic actions of benzodiazepines. Five participants in a sleep study were prescribed lorazepam 4 mg at night, and the next evening three subjects unexpectedly volunteered memory gaps for parts of that day, an effect that subsided completely after 2–3 days' use. 5. You may also have seizures or withdrawal symptoms when you stop using Ativan. Partial, but incomplete tolerance develops to these impairments. Lorazepam was the third-most-common benzodiazepine used outside of prescription in these ED visit statistics.

Additionally the elderly tend to take more drugs which may interact or enhance the effects of benzodiazepines.

Of drugs used in attempted suicide, benzodiazepines are the most commonly used pharmaceutical drug, with 26% of attempted suicides involving benzodiazepines. On regular administration, maximum lorazepam serum levels are attained after three days. Therefore, lorazepam's anticonvulsant effects are more durable, thus reducing the need for repeated doses. Your symptoms may return when you stop using Ativan after using it over a long period of time. Withdrawal symptoms can, however, occur from standard dosages and also after short-term use. It is dangerous to try and purchase Ativan on the Internet or from vendors outside of the United States. The magnitude and duration of lorazepam effects are dose-related, meaning that larger doses have stronger and longer-lasting effects. Avoid using other medicines that make you sleepy. * Acute narrow-angle glaucoma – Lorazepam has pupil-dilating effects, which may further interfere with the drainage of aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the eye, thus worsening narrow-angle glaucoma. Blood or plasma lorazepam concentrations are usually in a range of 10-300 ug/L in persons either receiving the drug therapeutically or in those arrested for impaired driving, and 300-1000 ug/L in victims of acute overdosage.

2%), and unsteadiness (3.

The main pharmacological effects of lorazepam are the enhancement of the effects of GABA at the GABAA receptor. Males and females use benzodiazepines for nonmedical purposes equally. Withdrawal symptoms can occur after taking therapeutic doses of Ativan for as little as one week. The concern is that, though relatively nontoxic in themselvesverification needed, benzodiazepines may inadvertently become facilitators of suicidal behaviour. 1. Lorazepam also has abuse potential; the main types of misuse are for recreational purposes or continued use against medical advice. Samples of Ativan purchased on the Internet have been found to contain haloperidol (Haldol), a potent antipsychotic drug with dangerous side effects. Ativan should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. In this category, benzodiazepines are most commonly used. The main pharmacological effects of lorazepam are the enhancement of the effects of GABA at the GABAA receptor.

Adverse effects can include sedation and hypotension; the effects of lorazepam are increased in combination with other CNS depressant drugs.

Do not give this medication to a child younger than 12 years old. S. An example would be the inappropriate use to relieve anxiety associated with acute severe asthma. It should, therefore, not be administered to a drunk or intoxicated person. Due to the development of tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects, benzodiazepines are generally not recommended for long-term use for the management of epilepsy. Ativan may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. As lorazepam can have paradoxical effects, haloperidol is sometimes given concomitantly. edit InteractionsLorazepam is not usually fatal in overdose, but may cause fatal respiratory depression if taken in overdose with alcohol. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Ativan.

Ativan can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions.

Keep track of how many pills have been used from each new bottle of this medicine. drug company Mylan agreed to pay $147 million to settle accusations by the F. S. edit Other useSee also: Nonmedical benzodiazepine drug useLorazepam is also used for other purposes. Lorazepam has strong sedative/hypnotic effects, and the duration of clinical effects from a single dose makes it an appropriate choice for the short-term treatment of insomnia, in particular in the presence of severe anxiety. Catatonia with inability to speak is responsive and sometimes controlled with a single 2 mg oral, or slow intravenous dose of lorazepam. It may further reduce the patient's ability to protect his or her airway during sleep. It has a fairly short duration of action (Venable and Aschenbrenner 2009). Giving 2 mg oral lorazepam will result in a peak total serum lorazepam level of around 20 nanograms/ml around two hours later, half of which is lorazepam, half its inactive metabolite, lorazepam-glucuronide. It is also used as adjunct therapy for cyclic vomiting syndrome.

After four to six months of regular benzodiazepine use, there is little evidence of continued efficacy.

Lorazepam may also inhibit foetal liver bilirubin glucuronidation, leading to neonatal jaundice. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Paradoxical effects are more likely to occur with higher doses, in patients with pre-existing personality disorders and those with a psychiatric illness. Your symptoms may return when you stop using Ativan after using it over a long period of time. Due to the development of tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects, benzodiazepines are generally not recommended for long-term use for the management of epilepsy. This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Ativan. Lorazepam should, therefore, not be prescribed in high doses or as the sole treatment in depression, but only with an appropriate antidepressantspecify. FDA pregnancy category D. Ativan may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. In cases of a suspected lorazepam overdose, it is important to establish whether the patient is a regular user of lorazepam or other benzodiazepines, since regular use causes tolerance to develop.

3.

You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely. Thus the effect of benzodiazepines is to enhance the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA. Ativan should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. The magnitude and duration of lorazepam effects are dose-related, meaning that larger doses have stronger and longer-lasting effects. Your symptoms may return when you stop using Ativan after using it over a long period of time. Additionally the elderly tend to take more drugs which may interact or enhance the effects of benzodiazepines. The anterograde amnesia and sedative-hypnotic effects of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam are sometimes used by predators on unwitting victims as date rape drugs, or for the purpose of robbery; however, alcohol is the most common drug involved in such crimes. This contrasts with the highly lipid-soluble diazepam, which, although rapidly absorbed orally or rectally, soon redistributes from the serum to other parts of the body, in particular body fat. * Sleep apnea – Sleep apnea may be worsened by lorazepam's central nervous system depressant effects. Hydrolysis of thee above product forms the desired product lorazepam.