- Lorazepam belongs to the benzodiazepine family, which are considered drugs with potential for abuse.
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| What you should know before taking lorazepam, one of the most common medications for anxiety |
When using drugs, it is essential to be informed about how they work, what side effects they have, what are the appropriate doses, what other medications should not be mixed with them, and in what situations they are contraindicated. In this way, we will avoid suffering possible undesirable consequences.
What is lorazepam and how does it work?
Lorazepam is an anxiolytic drug from the benzodiazepine family that is used in the treatment of anxiety states and other pathologies such as irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy, or insomnia.
It has hypnotic effects, which promote short-term sleep and decrease brain arousal: that is, it is a central nervous system depressant.
What are the secondary effects?
Lorazepam can cause a series of more or less frequent side effects, which, however, tend to disappear after a few weeks of treatment in most patients.
The most common (affects more than one in ten people) is the sensation of suffocation. Somewhat rarer (up to one in ten people) are confusion, depression, the unmasking of an existing depression, ataxia (lack of coordination), dizziness, muscle weakness, and asthenia (fatigue and tiredness).
Even more rarely (up to one in a hundred people) lorazepam can cause changes in libido, decreased orgasm, impotence and nausea.
Finally, effects such as thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis, pancytopenia, hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reactions, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, hyponatremia, disinhibition, euphoria, suicidal ideation and attempts, anxiety, agitation, excitement, hostility, have been reported with unknown frequency. aggressiveness, rage, sleep disturbance, sexual desire, hallucinations, tremor, dysarthria, headache, seizure, amnesia, coma, disturbance in attention, balance disorder, visual disturbance, vertigo, hypotension, respiratory failure, apnoea, disease worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), constipation, jaundice, angioedema, alopecia, hypothermia, increased bilirubin, increased transaminases, or increased alkaline phosphatase.
The AEMPS also highlights in the prospectus of the drug that it can cause dependence, even producing symptoms with the sudden withdrawal of the drug.
In what cases is it contraindicated?
There are a number of cases in which special precautions must be maintained.
For example, it should be completely avoided by people who are allergic to lorazepam or any component of the medication, people with breathing difficulties (including sleep apnea), people with myasthenia gravis, or people with severe liver problems.
Likewise, those with liver problems should consult their doctor; who are pregnant or become pregnant during treatment; and those taking drugs such as antipsychotics, neuroleptics, hypnotics, anxiolytics/sedatives, antidepressants, strong pain relievers, substitution therapy medications, certain opioid cough medications, antiepileptics, barbiturates, antihistamines, clozapine, valproate, probenecid, theophylline, or aminophylline.
What is the appropriate dose?
The dose must be determined in each case by a doctor (it must be remembered that lorazepam is always subject to a prescription) based on the characteristics of each specific case.
At a guideline level, in adults, the usual dose ranges from 0.5mg per day to 3mg per day for generalized anxiety or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms and from 1 to 4mg per day for insomnia.