Lorazepam it is one of the most widely used drugs in Spain. It is a psychotropic belonging to the benzodiazepine group and it is only used when the quality of life of the patient is seriously affected.
Have sedative properties, to nsiolytic and hypnotic, and its intake is associated with the treatment of insomnia, usually in the short term, or for curb anxiety associated with depression or emotional disturbance.
What risks does its consumption have?
The most common symptoms of anxiety are reduced by the calming effect of lorazepam. However, its use is also frequent to end sleep disorders and enhance the quality of it.
Within the wide range of possibilities on the market, this drug enjoys a privileged situation due to its advantages and characteristics. Its absorption and potency are intermediate, with an elimination half-life of a dose that ranges from 12 to 16 hours.
On insomnia patients, the usual dose is usually 1 to 4 milligrams a day, which is convenient to take just before bedtime. It is important that its duration do not exceed four weeks treatment.
As for the people who suffer anxiety, the most common dose is between 0.5 and 10 milligrams a day, being divided into different takes. In this case, a minimum dose should be administered to the patient to control the symptoms, without exceeding the 12 weeks of treatment.
Lorazepam has a long history behind it and has been in use for years. During all this time it has been proven that it is a drug effective and fairly safe. However, this does not mean that the patient should not take some precautions and should take them. under medical prescription.
We are talking about a sedative, so it can generate various effects when processing the information of the individual. In that way, lorazepam can affect the concentration and degree of attention of the patient, as well as executive function and memory. Within cognitive abilities, the drug can have a negative impact on organizing, planning and making decisions.
The anxiolytic can also influence the nervous system and mobility of the patient, and generate a loss of reflexes, which can seriously affect certain people. And it is that the physically most vulnerable patients or people of a certain age can suffer spectacular falls with disastrous results such as broken hips. For that reason, the greatest precautions must be taken in these cases and make correct use of lorazepam.
The ability to perform certain complex activities that require a high degree of precision and concentration, such as driving a vehicle, can also be affected.
Regarding sedatives and alcohol, it is advisable for the patient who takes lorazepam to avoid its consumption. And is that the mixture of alcohol and lorazepam potentiates the adverse effects of both substances.
Another problem that can be triggered after taking this drug is related to its lack of compatibility with respect to the physical state of the patient. That is, lorazepam can significantly affect people with sleep apnea or with respiratory insufficiency. Thus, the person’s underlying problem may worsen when he or she uses this drug or any other sedative or benzodiazepine.
If the patient consumes lorazepam for a long period of time, the body can become perfectly accustomed to its properties, which means that it will lose effectiveness. Similarly, the person may notice noticeable changes on a recurring basis such as: fatigue, depression, drowsiness, sedation, asthenia, dizziness or muscle weakness. It is also possible to notice more serious symptoms, although its appearance is less frequent: psychosis, hypersensitivity, respiratory failure, anterograde amnesia or angioedema.
Create dependency?
Lorazepam can create both physical and mental dependence. In fact, this risk increases when the dose is higher and the treatment time continues to be prolonged in time.
As a general rule, the drug leaflet specifies that it is advisable not to prolong its intake beyond 6 weeks (in the most extreme cases, 2 or 3 months). However, some patients consume it for many years and even throughout their lives.
The dependence we are talking about does not refer so much to the need to prolong the treatment and increase the dose to maintain its effectiveness, but to the withdrawal symptoms that occur as soon as the drug is stopped. For that reason, health professionals recommend that the suspension be carried out gradually.
The rebound effects that usually appear in patients who have taken lorazepam regularly can range from anxiety to headaches, through insomnia, confusion or hallucinations.
As in the case of other medicines, it is not advisable to stop treatment abruptly. The best thing to do is to consult with a health expert, so that they supervise and reduce daily dose until the patient can definitively abandon it.
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This information does not replace in any case the diagnosis or prescription by a doctor. It is important to go to a specialist when symptoms occur in case of illness and never self-medicate.