Lorazepam HowTo

About 18% of Americans have a diagnosable anxiety disorder.  Luckily, most of us today are aware that anxiety is a medical condition and that it is also treatable with drugs like Ativan (Lorazepam).  By looking at the sales figures, one would think that people are getting the help they need for anxiety: there was over $82 billion in anti-anxiety medicine sales last year alone!  But, the unfortunate real truth is that few people are getting the anxiety treatment they need.   Let’s take a look at a typical example of anxiety treatment.  A patient may have started feeling worried some years or months in the past.  The worry may have stemmed from a rational reason.  But, even when the cause of the worry is removed, the worry still remains.  Over time, the worry takes a toll of the person’s life and causing her to withdraw from family and friends and to stop enjoying activities which she formerly enjoyed.   When she finally visits a doctor, there is a good chance she would get prescribed a drug like Lorazepam.  The Lorazepam calms the body so she can get over the symptoms of anxiety and start taking part in life again.   The problem with anxiety drugs like Lorazepam is that they only treat the symptoms of anxiety.  In some cases, this can be enough to help a patient get a full cure.  The patient starts taking Lorazepam to deal with symptoms.  As the patient begins to participate in life more, the anxiety goes away altogether.  However, in most cases, the anxiety is still lurking their underneath the Lorazepam façade.  If treatment is stopped, the anxiety could just come right back.  That is why doctors recommend undergoing some type of therapy concurrently with anti-anxiety medications like Lorazepam.   According to statistics, very few people on anti-anxiety medicines are also getting therapy.  In one study, it was found that less than 1 in 5 patients taking a drug for a mood disorder was also going to therapy or counseling.  The numbers are worse when looking at the African American or Hispanic communities.   With drugs like Lorazepam available and so easy to take, it is not surprising that many people are skipping out on the therapy.  Therapy can also be very expensive, especially if your insurance doesn’t cover it.  Even with adequate insurance, the copays alone for the counseling can be expensive.  And then there is the time which must be spent in therapy.  It takes time to get results with therapy but, with a pill like Lorazepam, results are obtained in just moments.   While Lorazepam and other benzodiazepines may be great at getting rid of anxiety symptoms, they cannot be used forever.  These drugs can lead to tolerance and cause drug dependencies in users.  The risk of dependence increases as the patient uses Lorazepam for longer periods of time.  Ideally, patients should be getting counseling right when they start taking Lorazepam so, when the patient needs to stop taking the medicine, the anxiety is truly gone.

Lorazepam is a type of benzodiazepine drug which is commonly used for treating anxiety or insomnia.  The drug is best known under its brand name of Ativan though it is also available in numerous generic forms.  Lorazepam works by acting on GABA receptors which have a calming effect on [...] Continue Reading…