Ativan for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 5)

• Do...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2017

"My husband was 38 years old and committed suicide while taking Ativan. This medication was administered to him from two different psychiatrists. Ativan was prescribed for his anxiety. He took it in combination with Welbutrin for his depression. He was on Ativan for approximately three months. The medication made his heart race because of the lethal combination mixing with Welbutrin for his depression. He became manic, paranoid, and had extreme body tremors, insomnia, and many many trips to Emergency Room from side effects. This company knows it can cause suicide and writes it on the label. Do not take it."

• Owlem
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 30, 2016

"Ativan is very good for anxiety. The trick is not to take it too often. I've found that I get used to dosages fast. I've also found that on the day following when I take it, I'm more tired, listless, and depressed. It's something to watch out for."

• n810
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2013

"Most subtle of the benzos I have tried. It made me sleepy the first hour or two, but then stabilized my anxiety and mood for about six hours. Much longer lasting than it is given credit for. Good PRN medication. Other benzos cause some moodiness or depression even. Although I think Lorazepam can, it is much smoother than others. It is again too sedating for many people, though. I liked it about as much as Clonazepam, it is better than Valium, in my opinion."

• Julie
• April 21, 2017

"I am a nervous flyer, and my anxiety has been getting particularly bad, so I decided to go to my family doc and get a prescription. My doc gave me Ativan and said to take 1 mg 1 hour before the flight. I took 1 mg exactly as she told me and then another 0.5 mg midway through the flight. During the flight, I felt completely calm and at peace, which has never happened before. Highly recommend for infrequent fliers with anxiety."

• Canada
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 19, 2017

"Hands down, the best immediate solution for anxiety or panic attacks. I prefer Ativan to other benzos, and it usually lifts my depression too, even suicidal thoughts (well, for the few hours that it works). Just be very careful not to become addicted, but this is extremely helpful as an occasional tool in stressful situations. Do not take every day for many days unless instructed to, but even then do your research."

• Jasmi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 21, 2018

"This pill has been my safety net for my severe anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and ADHD. I have been taking this pill off and on for 6 years and have never been addicted to it. I take 0.5 during the day, and it actually makes me feel like myself and sometimes even gives me more energy. This pill has been a true lifesaver."

• Margo...
• May 4, 2017

"I was prescribed this a few months ago, getting anxiety while driving. The prescription is '0.5 mg once a day as needed.' I have taken it about 3-5 times a week, a few times, I have taken it twice a day. I have been having family issues recently, and I first thought that was the reason my occasional anxiety has progressed to debilitating (flying off the handle, depressive dying thoughts, chest pains), but after research, I've concluded that I'm actually going through withdrawal when I don't take it every day. Now it's 2:36 AM, I'm scared, my mind won't shut off, don't know how to wean off of this properly. I'm tired, will be calling into work in the morning for lack of sleep. Please do not take this and just get counseling for your anxiety first."

• Anonymous
• July 8, 2009

"Ativan at 0.5mg works for me. No side effects. I just feel calm. My doctor gave me a prescription for 1mg but that causes drowsiness, which finds me napping and losing part of the day. So I am not going to take that strength. He said I could take the 0.5mg 2 to 3 times a day if necessary. I find twice a day is working well."

• Anonymous
• August 29, 2012

"This chills me ever so slightly. I was suffering from anxiety, feeling dizzy, and in a panic that I was really sick. It ruined my summer. I took a half of an Ativan, and it made me feel like myself again. It doesn't make you high, crazy-like, or out of it. It just makes you feel nice."

• Brune...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2018

"I highly recommend this drug. It's a miracle worker! I started having anxiety after my boyfriend and I broke up, I would cry at night and have panic attacks. I only take this drug when I need severe relief, and I'm so thankful it's available. Try it just once if you are having bad anxiety, if it's not for you, then switch. I was nervous trying this because I didn't want to feel high when going on a benzo drug. You definitely don't feel high, you just feel tired and oddly 'okay'!"

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2009

"Overall, great medication. Keep it at a small dose and use it only when you really need it. First, try fighting your anxiety and then if that doesn't help, use your medicines. This drug has been proven to be addictive. I hope this has helped some out there like me suffering from panic attacks and anxiety."

• richard
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 8, 2022

"I've had bouts of severe anxiety since a child. After my mother died I started drinking which began making me worse. It got to the point I could barely move. My uncle took me to the doctors amnd he gave me ativan. I didn't feel the need to drink and didn't wake up with the horrible anxiety. I never took more than one a day at night and never felt the need to increase the dose, in fact some times I'd cut back on it for 6 years and then years and years of anxiety was gone. Suddenly doctors didn't want to prescribe it any more or had you come in and see them so much that you couldn't afford it. So all the suffering is back again because of politics at this moment I suffer. I had another anxiety period so bad I was crippled, they gave me the ativan and it took it all away in 40 minutes. I never had problems with it, never had to increase the dosage but I am made to suffer any way"

• AnSF
• August 1, 2016

"I started off at 0.50 mg, then to 1 mg before bed. I had many issues going on in life, and I was having trouble falling asleep. This helped in the beginning, but my dose is going up and up. I admit, I take this more than I should, so I understand there's an addictive nature to this. Just be careful and talk to your doctor if you notice that. The best part of this drug: I get a good night's sleep, and I'm not waking up 3 times a night."

• Taango
• January 17, 2016

"I have been on this as needed for the last 4 years. I started at 0.5 mg and am currently at 1 mg. I only take it when needed and have not had any negative side effects. I only wish it actually lasted longer. Roughly lasts for 30 to 40 minutes. I have taken it to help sleep, I am a war vet, and it helps to calm down the hypervigilance. I have seen people struggle coming off of this, but they 'usually' are the ones abusing it. It is not an everyday med."

• Analo...
• September 11, 2009

"Ativan has a troublesome history of abuse and ignorance associated with it. People expect some magical pill to solve all their problems on a daily basis, following the advice of a doctor rather than their own body. I lead a stressful life, and sometimes there's no amount of relaxing, watching movies, etc., to get my body to calm down. I always want to get up and run, work out, etc. If used properly, it's a lifesaving medication for me. Losing my hair from stress, Gilbert's syndrome, etc., finally I am able to enjoy my life again, enjoy movies, etc. Used properly, it's a tool I wish to have at my touch at all times available. Responsibility and moderation to all."

• Polinda
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 28, 2016

"An excellent medication, out of all meds I tried, none were as effective for managing my PTSD symptoms. Completely prevented flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety at night, and allowed me to fall asleep very calmly. However, I can't give it a 10 because I gained tolerance to the doses incredibly quickly, meaning I had to keep raising the dose to get the same effect, which is dangerous because it is a drug you can become physically addicted to. I would highly recommend this med to those seeking a short-term fix while they are becoming stable on another long-term med, but would not recommend it as a long-term fix due to tolerance and addiction possibilities."

• Lisbeth...
• June 5, 2013

"One of the first medications given to me to help with my social anxiety and panic attacks. Never failed me, and actually helped me get past my anxiety during job interviews and applications, which normally had me throwing up and shaking beforehand. I never took it often enough to get much tolerance, although within a year, I admit, about 2 times when I had extra I took it recreationally."

• Tilcat
• December 5, 2015

"Highly addictive medicine. Very angry I was put on this. I have worse anxiety and hand, feet, and head tremors. Docs give out benzos too easily. Then they do not want to help you get off them. It is awful. They treat you like a pill seeker instead of slowly weaning you off. More doctors need to use the Ashton Method of withdrawal. Taking someone off benzos too quickly can induce anger, crying spells, depression, and even seizures. Too many doctors do not want to help patients get off these pills, and it is wrong."

• Johnny...
• February 15, 2016

"Saved my life and made my life manageable. So far superior to numerous SSRIs, SNRIs, off-label gabapentin, Serax, than any of the 10 other antidepressants I tried. Wasted 3 years of my life. May be addictive for addicts and alcohol abusers, but if taken as prescribed, I've had minimal side effects. I'm not dizzy, falling, etc."

• y-thi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 7, 2016

"I've been taking a low dose of Ativan for years. It worked well for my anxiety, although it seems to wear off extremely fast. I actually split the pill in two, take a half before bed, and take the other half when I wake up at night. The only problem is after my old doctor retired, I found nobody would prescribe it. All the newer doctors would rather give out antidepressants. I had to quit taking it cold turkey last month. Now I'm on an antidepressant and some strong sleeping pills in order to get enough sleep. The results are inconsistent. Some nights I get only 3 or 4 hours, some nights I sleep 10 hours and still feel tired. I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble. Ativan was so cheap that it didn't matter, I don't have insurance."

• Magy
• July 2, 2014

"I was diagnosed with Graves/hyperthyroidism in Feb 2014. I was given 1 mg of lorazepam on one of my trips to the ER because of my hyperthyroidism. This medication is the best in its class. I also occasionally take propranolol 10 mg for heart palpitations, they both work perfectly together. Already had RAI 4 weeks ago but am having bouts of hyper until the thyroid is completely off. The 0.5 mg doesn't do much, but the 1 mg is excellent."

• BWilm...
• May 30, 2013

"Though I've rated this medication an 8 (when I first started taking it, I would have rated it at 12!). I must caution anyone who uses it to use it strictly as directed by your (presumably responsible/knowledgeable psych/med doc)."

• heart...
• March 24, 2016

"Instead of calming me down and relaxing me from my anxiety and panicky feelings it made them extremely worse. I thought I was going to loose my mind. Well actually for a brief time I did. It caused me to have a nervous breakdown. This was only on the second day I took it. I didn't know what was going on or what was happening. I thought I was going to loose my mind and before I knew it I slit one of my wrist. I have never had any intention of doing this before taking Ativan. Thankful help came and I got 8 staples put in my wrist were I cut it. I will never take this medicine ever again. I just warn to be very careful taking this medicine. I have never had any reactions to medicines before until this medicine I took back in Sept 16, 2015."

• Lauren
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2023

"I was given seven 0.5mg pills for the extreme side effects of a high Latuda dose. It helps so much. Its like the rain cleared. Oh my God. I love Ativan. I see why its so controlled, I'd love to replace all my medications with Ativan."

• JR1224
• February 15, 2016

"I recently started getting anxiety. It started very slow and began to get worse. I went to the hospital very anxious one day. They did all tests and, as I already knew, found nothing. I asked for something to calm me down. They gave me 1.0 mg Ativan IV. The minute the nurse pulled the needle out, I was ready to go home as if nothing happened. Slept like a baby that night. I was good for like 4 days until I started to feel anxious again. I just started Zoloft today, which takes some 1 or 2 weeks to work, and Ativan for in case I get another attack before Zoloft kicks in. For me, Ativan has been great."