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Does anyone know what the effects of Lorazepam are? 1mg.

Like many others here I do occasionally have panic attacks. They are pretty infrequent now (I had one at the sleep center but talked myself down without needing the Lorazepam) but I know when our stress levels go up, I can have one.

Often I'll actually only take half a tablet as opposed to the full tab anyway. If I can't talk myself down, I just need something to take that edge off.

I'm not big on meds overall but after a breakdown several years ago I know that I can't be foolish either, and once in awhile, taking the odd pill to help you isn't such a bad thing. I stopped antidepressants over 5 years ago now.

I don't drink either....I did enough of that in highschool to last a lifetime. Rarely I'll have a glass of wine or a martini at a social corporate event or some such thing.

Lorazepam is the same as Ativan. Like Xanax it's classified as a short-acting Benzodiazepine.

Here's some info on benzo abuse: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/benzodiazepine-abuse

Both are very addictive. Xanax was originally marketed as "non-addictive" to replace the addictive benzo, Valium. Turns out Xanax & Ativan are just as addictive. Go figure.

I've been a substance abuse counselor for 16 years. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks Shezammm

I knew about it's addictive properties (hence my apprehension in taking it initially years ago). Would taking it though like...once every six months really be that big a deal other than potentially having a really bad night (no different than one you would have if you had a cold I suspect).

What about painkillers? (I'm just throwing stuff out there out of curiosity at this point). I have a couple of ribs for example that periodically like to relocate... (long story...involved an idiotic big brother, ski race, and a tree). I dislocated all of my ribs in my back and I've got one or two that like to kind of shift once in awhile. (we are talking like...really really painful once every couple of years). I can't take codeine as I get wicked sideeffects (hallucinations), we learned during my appendectomy that morphine is completely useless on me (I'm a mutant, what can I say). The only thing that can help is percocet. I usually need it for a couple of days while the muscles settle down enough for my chiropractor to pop those suckers back where they belong.

Does this whole apnea thing mean I can't ever take anything stronger than a tylenol the rest of my life? I know after my car accident (not at fault btw)I could barely move for the better part of a month, and that was on some heavy duty muscle relaxants. I can't imagine surviving that without some pharmaceutical help. I was on meds for some time and in physical therapy for more than two years. (Maybe this should be in another thread)

How does one manage cpap/apnea if you need strong painkillers. (I'm no wimp to pain but lets face there are times you need help)


(for the record. I know how addictive percocets are so I have limited their usage severly to only two-three days over the years, just until the really bad pain has subsided)

I have used xanax for about 10 years now, without addiction or dependency issues at all. Want to know how? I only use it when needed and then, only the minimal amount needed to take off the "edge." I find that even just a small piece of a .5 mg tablet is often all I need to give me just enough calm feeling to stop a panic attack from coming. On average I use about 3-4 mg per month, using small amounts only when truly needed. I will use it for flying, a job interview, and so on. But not day to day stuff. I hate feeling doped up.

I think this is the best way to use xanax. Taking it consistently on a regular basis will lead to dire addiction and major issues.

I have suffered from panic attacks for years and I hate em to no end. But just knowing I can usually stop them with a small dose of xanax is often enough to keep more from coming.

People often think those who have panic attacks are "afraid" and this is pure BS. Mine come randomly and I fear nothing. I wake up with them in the night, how do I control this? They just happen. I have read books, tried therapies and so on. I am convinced is is caused mainly by a chemical imbalance, and lack of sleep. Thinking about them can cause them too. I served in Desert storm, boxed, wrestled and have been fearless most my life. One day I had a bad panic attack. Ended up in the ER thought I was dying. $22,000 in medical bills later, I figured out it was panic attacks. I have maybe 10-12 of them per year, but live with daily anxiety.

Xanax, is you use this drug, just respect it. Make it work for you, don't work for it. Use it only when really needed. Xanax is truly a miracle drug for panic attacks, but only if used sparingly and respected.

I was diagnosed with A-Typical (not conforming to type) Migraine about 28 years ago. I would have the leadup symptoms for migraine (the vision problems, feeling sick to my stomach, dizziness) but not the headaches. I had also been having some minor panic attacks previous to this diagnosis so - who knows? Anyway I was prescribed Lorazepam after a couple of visits to the ER. I was first prescribed 3 mg twice a day. Very early on I began to wean off of it but have never been able to stop completely. At this time I take 1.5 mg every morning and have for about 18 years . I have never had any further symptoms unless I miss a dose. I would say I am dependent on that small dose.

I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for nearly 20 years. About 5 years into that, nothing was dealing with my pain so I was prescribed, and chose to take, sustained release morphine. I have also reduced the amount of that needed to keep the pain manageable. I have never been totally pain free since the diagnosis but I take the morphine to keep the edge off the pain so that I can do what I need and want to do. I am also dependent on the morphine for pain control.

While I dislike all this, it has made my life better for all this time. I never feel "drugged". While my mobility is slightly limited with the RA, my mind is as sharp as it ever was! LOL! Some of my lifelong friends would say "that's not saying much!" but friends can joke like that. It's okay by me because I know how I am functioning.

Seven+ years ago I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and have been "on the hose" all that time. Last year I took control of my own therapy (with tons of help from this forum!) and now monitor my own therapy well. This morning's AHI - 0.4. Leak rate - almost right at the vent rate for my mask and pressure( pretty normal numbers for me). Since I switched to the Swift LT, I have slept through most of the night for the first time. My data was always good using other masks but this mask allows me more uninterrupted sleep.

Would I like to be off of it all? Yes! Will I ever be? Probably not. I am coming up 70 years old next month and live a pretty good and full life, because of the drugs I guess. I also have a very strict exercise regime to keep me as mobile as possible.

Don't know if my story helps you but thought it was worth posting on this thread. Keep in mind that this is my story and it may not work the same way for others!

Hawthorne, I really appreciate your story. I'm glad you've found a system that works for you and that you can be active and enjoying life to the full.

riverdreamer wrote: While I don't necessarily recommend you take lots of it, don't withhold it from yourself too much. Just trying to figure out when things are bad enough to have to take it can cause more anxiety. Reassuring yourself that you will take care of yourself, even when it means taking medication, can go a long way towards calming the mind, which in turn helps the body be calm.

Absolutely brilliant. We work against ourselves so much and don't even realize it sometimes.

riverdreamer wrote:I have read some of your threads, and you mentioned food sometimes causing symptoms. I also found that dehydration could raise my heart rate, drop my blood pressure, and cause anxiety. For a while I actually had to drink salt water (not REALLY salty)to raise my blood pressure, because otherwise I just couldn't stay hydrated. I learned that many people don't drink enough fluids, or drink too much with caffeine (which causes dehydration.) This may not be an issue for you, but I still drink extra water if I start to feel anxious, and it usually fixes things right up!

You know, now that you mention it, I may not have been drinking as much water as I usually do. I'm going to make sure I drink at least 5-6 glasses today at work. Thanks for that tip! I suppose being a bit dehydrated could have messed up my intestinal motility as well, which in turn irritated the vagus nerve, which in turn caused the ectopic heartbeats, etc. Maybe Joy can weigh in on this?

Thanks, wasColette! Everyone has to find what gives them the best life possible!

Thanks Hawthorne, cpapguru38, riverdreamer and everyone else for sharing their personal stories to a stranger (me).

I am no longer afraid to take the Xanax for the occasional attack.

Just wanted to add that I should probably welcome Xanax as something in my arsenal to deal with the panic attacks. It would be the "big guns" to bring out if CBT and breathing exercises fail. Right?

Thanks Kenny! Hey, you're no stranger! You're one of the family!

You're right. Its' okay to have Xanax ready. It's a good idea to monitor how much and how often you take it though. My rule of thumb- take the very minimum amount that you need to live your life as well as possible. Check it out with you doctor when you begin taking more or feel like you want to be taking more.

Here's my plan:

If I feel a panic attack coming, I'll first try my CBT and breathing exercises.

If that fails...

Try them again.

If that fails...

Take one half of a 0.5 mg Xanax.


Since being on CPAP therapy, this was my first real panic attack since February 15, 2009. Hopefully, they'll get fewer and far between.

[quote="riverdreamer"]While I don't necessarily recommend you take lots of it, don't withhold it from yourself too much. Just trying to figure out when things are bad enough to have to take it can cause more anxiety. Reassuring yourself that you will take care of yourself, even when it means taking medication, can go a long way towards calming the mind

Riverdreamer, that's what was happening to me at first. My anxiety is usually caused by family/life issues. I was driving myself crazy because of being afraid to take the medication even though my Dr said I was a good candidate for it in small and occasional doses, and then trying to decide if and when I should take it. That caused major anxiety. I hadn't needed lorazapam for several months until my husband started cpap and I took it during the adjustment period and until my anxiety subsided. This is a really helpful thread.

Kenny, I'm glad you have a plan! Healing never seems to proceed in a straight line, so it helps to know how to handle it when things go downhill for a bit. Especially when you have a lot of sensitivities, it is easy to get ambushed by something you forgot, just because it hasn't bothered you for a long time.

Froro, I take several different types of pain medication, depending on what is happening to me. It does impact my apnea, which is why I asked for an auto CPAP. However, for me, it isn't huge changes that would be dangerous without knowing about it. Since you have taken your medications before, you probably know how drowsy they make you. By watching your numbers, you can see whether you might need to up the pressure slightly to compensate.

Dori, I know what you mean, worrying about taking drugs. When I first had to start taking pain meds, I was very resistent. I have a brother who is a drug addict, and I have seen what it can do. My doctor really had to push me, because the level of pain I was in was causing all kinds of damage by itself, not even counting what the cause of the pain was. She, and several other doctors told me it was better to pre-emptively treat the pain. Once you are chasing it, it is much harder to treat, and actually requires higher doses. I imagine it is true with anxiety, as well. I am not saying that someone should take a pill at every little flutter of anxiety, or every little twinge of pain, just that we have to be reasonable with ourselves.

As Hawthorne said, medication can make the difference between a life that is hardly worth living, and one that you want to participate in. I have a friend that was so depressed, he was constantly thinking of suicide. He was really sick, and nobody could figure out what was wrong. He didn't want to take antidepressant drugs, because he was afraid he would get addicted. He would rather commit suicide, than take the chance of having to take antidepressants for the rest of his life! Now, I know that antidepressants don't always work, but to me, that was a no brainer. If it was me, I would take the drugs, and find something that worked. We managed to keep him around long enough, that he found something to treat the cause of his illness, and now he isn't depressed, and doesn't have to take drugs, either. But if he hadn't had something to keep him going, he would have left us long before he could reclaim his health.

I used to be an all natural, clean living type. Didn't take an aspirin for 25 years. Illness certainly changed my life and thoughts. Now, I am willing to do whatever works. I don't consider a toatlly drugged out life working, but if taking medication allows you to keep live, then do what it takes.

I'm stepping off my soapbox now.

Julie wrote:Because alcohol is a depressant, and your whole system (including respiration) will be 'depressed' if you drink it and then go to sleep (rather than 'working it off' somehow). I think using Xanax can be a slippery slope - it is addictive and while you may have a lousy time during a panic attack, might it not be better (if they're so rare anyway) to just live with them and not get sucked into 'allowing' yourself to use them (which is likely to happen more and more)?

I used to use xanax because i had to use them so that i could keep my job. I took them as needed and hated the feeling of being on them but I needed to get through meetings and presentations without performance anxiety. I think i took maybe 2 pills a week at my peak for a couple of months (Rx label said i could take 3 a day as needed), then i started taking just half a pill once a month. I was dead scared of addition but i always told myself i should never have to fight my anxiety and i have never had too. Its gone away without any fighting effort on my part due to the Neurofeeback training (http://www.eeginfo.com) and QEEQ brain mapping.

I used a quarter of a propranolol any time i need one now which is rare. I never take any Rx drugs with alcohol. But i find that i get to sleep and stay asleep better with a little nighcap (rum).

Using anti anxiety drugs is only masking a problem, it makes sense to also use any of the many documented treatments for anxiety to actually get rid of or reduce the anxiety problem if you can.

Anyone interested in free online CBT course http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

Percocet is highly addictive. Unlike Morhphine, which is a long-acting opiate, perc's are a short-acting, so you need more sooner. From what you describe you are not at risk with what you are taking.

There's also a big difference between physical dependence and addiction.


Hawtorne - 6 mg. of Ativan a day is a LOT! I'm sure you are at least physically addicted after 18 yrs, even at 1.5 mg. a day. Have you ever considered a non-addictve med for your migranes like Tramadol or Topomax or Imitrex? Ask your doctor.
The reason you are not feeling loopy or stoned is that you have developed tolerance.