Ativan Dosage

Ativan, otherwise known as lorazepam, is a medication used to give remedy to patients with anxiety, and other disorders linked to such (e.g. psychological side effects due to alcohol withdrawal, insomnia, seizures and the like). This medication could also be used to treat muscle contraction, and to relieve chemotherapy patients who experience moderate to severe vomiting.

This medication works by preventing the nervous system to produce states of excitement to both the physical and mental aspect. Ativan belongs to the benzodiazepine group where drugs for muscle relaxation, sleep, anti-panic and anti-depression belong.

If you are taking Ativan to cure anxiety or other disorders, you may want to take note of the safe and recommended amount of dosage, including the time frame of medication as well. Ativan has undesireable side effects too, including withdrawal symptoms, and it could also cause drug dependency among patients. Thus, knowing your dose is very important. Here is a basic guide of Ativan’s recommended dose- each of these correspond to patients with anxiety, or insomnia due to anxiety and the like. Children and adult dosage also included.

Anxiety: Ativan should be taken in two or three small doses that should never exceed 3 mg daily.
Insomnia due to Anxiety: For insomnia, 2 mg to 4 mg of the medication should be taken before bedtime.

Ativan is not yet proven safe and effective for children below 12 years of age. In case of anxiety in children, consult the doctor. For the elderly, administration of Ativan should not exceed 1 mg or 2 mg a day, and should be divided into several small doses to prevent oversedation. Doctors could have it adjusted into evenly divided doses.

As previously mentioned, Ativan could be addictive. As a result, this medication should not be taken longer than four months. Otherwise, the patient will develop withdrawal symptoms. Some patients might experience overdose which could be known by taking note of any of these symptoms: sluggishness or being drowsy all the time, low blood pressure, confusion, or worse, comatose. If any of these symptoms appear, quickly seek medical attention.

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