Ativan for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 2)

• lena
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2014

"I have only taken my Ativan 3 times in the past month that I have had it. I really try to take it only on the times I can't control my anxiety and cannot work because of it. I am so against taking medication including this one but the second and third time I took it, I was happy I did. It allows me to function and get through the day feeling good. It really does take the edge off and also calms my heart rate, as it usually is always beating faster throughout the day just from being anxious. Even though I still get paranoid about having to take this medication when I really need it, I end up being glad I did. It works! I personally have no side effects either from this med."

• Zion
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 29, 2019

"I’ve done research as I suffer from anxiety I had a doctor prescribe me Xanax and from all I’ve read online they are almost identical to each other. I would rate Xanax much Lower than Ativan. Ativan truly cures anxiety and all I need is 1 pill for 3 days and I feel normal and functioning. Xanax makes you feel drunk and wake up with an anxious “hangover”. Must be my genetic make up but I highly prefer Ativan just do not abuse it. You must respect this medication"

• eddie...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 29, 2013

"I was in the E.R. for my usual anxiety, waiting to be sent to a mental health treatment facility. I lay there for seven hours. I was tired but I could not sleep. It's like the voices around me were getting louder and louder. I eventually exploded. It took three security people and a nurse stuck me in my thigh from a distance with Ativan; it was great. The anxiety demons went away and I felt normal. I was later prescribed Ativan. I've tried many medicines in my twenty-seven-year battle with depression, social anxiety, anxiety, O.C.D., and P.T.S.D. Nothing works like Ativan."

• Jader...
• August 23, 2016

"I've got severe anxiety and panic attacks. I've been using lorazepam/avitan for a couple years now to help stop my panic attacks. I can always count on it to work. Last night my anxiety was through the roof. My mind wouldn't stop racing, my chest hurt, and it felt like I was being stabbed in the gut repeatedly. I want to cry but I knew if I did I would for sure have an attack and wasn't sure if I could cope right since I was home alone. I keep a vial of my prescription on my keys and took one tablet. In about half an hour I no longer felt like I was dying and was able to get some rest a little after that. I think if I didn't have this med I would have ended up at the hospital last night."

• Anxie...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2014

"Given that I've had issues with addiction, my previous psychiatrist would not prescribe me any benzos and instead prescribed me Vistaril, which I found pretty useless. For someone with acute panic and anxiety issues, benzos really should be the first and last word on the topic. Ativan is great. Because of my addiction history, I am very careful with it and never take it more than prescribed. It is enough to make me feel "evened out" during the day without making me loopy, euphoric or sleepy. And at night, it puts me out without giving me a "hangover" the following day like Valium does."

• RaeRae
• March 26, 2015

"I take 0.5mg everyday before I head out to work. I had my panic at work, and this keeps me calm and able to get through the day. Some days are more stressful than others and I may have to take another 0.5mg, but I never go over the dose I was prescribed. I am so glad my doctor gave me this!"

• Want...
• September 16, 2015

"I have been taking Ativan for 20 years. It was prescribed for me when my husband was in hospice care and I was struggling to care for him and our young daughters. I have GAD and it is the only thing that calms my mind and makes me feel normal if I am in high anxiety mode. I have reduced my amount needed to one half of the .5 pill to help sleep and the other half if I wake up too early and cannot get back to sleep. I also use it to fly. I have no hangovers and never feel fuzzy. It is a miracle drug for me."

• MeepM...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 4, 2016

"I'm speaking from nearly 10 years suffering from severe generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. On a 1-10 scale, I'd say my anxiety is at a 12 on most days. My first panic attack brought me to the ER where I was introduced to the world of psychiatric meds, specifically, Ativan. What I will say to all of those who consider taking any benzodiazepines for their anxiety or panic attacks is that there is no benzo I would rather choose than Ativan. It provides not only relief from anxiety and panic attacks, but generally quells anxiety prone symptoms such as nausea, irritability etc., most effectively. I have never experienced much of a withdrawal effect, if at all, and the smaller half-life means less accumulation in your system."

• Flykate
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 25, 2014

"I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder and take this nightly to sleep. This medication works wonderfully for relieving the physical symptoms of GAD which is what it was intended for. Yes this is addictive and has side effects that can affect memory however I don't think I could live without this medication. Anti-Depressants don't touch my anxiety where as this does."

• nancy
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 6, 2023

"I have GAD and severe panic attacks. Went to E.R. and was prescribed Ativan 1 mg daily. I have been taking them now for 2 years. I really believe this medication helped save my life. I am now weaning myself off (under medical care) and am taking .5 mg in the morning and 1 mg nightly. My goal is to only need to take them if I am having a panic attack. I would highly recommend this medication to anyone who feels debilitated by anxiety symptoms, like shortness of breath, chest tightness, and feeling like you're dying from anxiety."

• ether...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2015

"I suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I previously took Xanax, but it was too short acting for me. I needed a benzodiazepine that was longer acting, since my anxiety goes on for a long time. I like that Ativan lasts 6-8 hours, in which I need for times of long time anxiousness. However I have realized that smoking cigarettes lessens the effectiveness of benzodiazepines, so I will have to work around that. Anyway, Ativan is great for people like me who have anxiety and panic attacks."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 21, 2015

"Thank God for Ativan. Even though when the stressful situation came up, instead of having a panic attack I was able to stop it with the calm. I do wish it could erase those trigger moments but I'm so glad I can stop them and manage them better with Ativan. I also really like that I can take it on a work day with no side effects or that fuzzy high feeling. It has not affected my sleep or anything else. It's a lifesaver for me. I'm back!"

• Kat
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 28, 2018

"Have had depression and anxiety for most of my 65 years. I have been treated for depression and am now on bupropion 300mg/daily. It does not help with my anxiety which includes muscle stiffness and all over pain. After my husband died and left a bottle of Ativan, a script he had been on for years, I started taking 1mg in the morning and at night. I was amazed at the relief I received. I've used Ativan many times in the past but no doctor will give it to me on a long term basis sighting addiction. My husband took it daily for years. Why am I not able to get a long term prescription? Ativan is a lifesaver for me, eliminates the muscle stiffness and pain and gives me energy. Doctors need to understand that patients know what helps their issues and allow them the medication needed in order to have quality of life, which I don't have right now."

• Anxio...
• March 11, 2008

"Be careful when using Ativan. Do not take doses more than 1 or 2 mg. It is easy to get carried away and addicted to Ativan. I find that it is a very effective treatment for anxiety when the RECOMMENDED DOSES are used though."

• Anony...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 22, 2023

"In 2020 my anxiety was really bad. The doctor kept convincing me to take Ativan when I have anxiety attacks, I refused at first because of the danger I’d heard of using Benzos. Once my anxiety got so severe I couldn’t breathe so I went ahead and tried it at 0.5mg Ativan, it took about 30 minutes and then I became completely calm and didn’t feel anxious. A year comes I’m taking 1 mg every night to help with my insomnia, my anxiety gets severe at nighttime and it’s the only pill that has helped me. I also have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), I’m on the spectrum, Borderline personality disorder (BPD), and severe anxiety. No antidepressant has ever worked for me. I tell the doctor how I’m taking 1mg every night to help me and the doctor tells me I’m only supposed to be taking it as needed. So he stops giving it to me and I’m forced to stop taking it and now I’m back to having anxiety attacks."

• adrie...
• February 7, 2008

"My doctor put me on Lorazepam 0.5mg tablets (the generic Ativan) after having several panic/anxiety attacks at work. She called them 'chill pills' and told me to take them when I feel an attack coming on (I work in a HIGHLY stressful environment during tax season), the drug worked wonders. I take one when I feel my chest getting tight and when I have difficulty breathing... aka an anxiety attack... and 10-15 minutes later I feel calm and a little less 'uptight'. Good stuff!"

• final
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2013

"This is the one thing I can always count on to help me when I am in need . I have dealing with anxiety and depression my whole life I am 23 . It is great for calming you down I don't know what I would do without it"

• 23 Male
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2014

"I have been taking Ativan for a few days while I wait for Lexapro to kick in. It has been a life saver. It has allowed me to eat and sleep, which has been huge in this fight against anxiety. It really helps mellow me out and take the edge off."

• soucis
• February 27, 2017

"I know that many, including myself are not in favour of the pharmaceutical industry yet, when this drug literally saves your life, i.e. prevents suicidal ideation, can you really hate the industry, then? Think about that."

• Anonymous
• September 4, 2010

"I developed anxiety very fast and didn't know what it was until one day when my heart was beating out of my chest and I started worrying about my life changes. Went to ER twice in a month thought I was going to have a heart attack. I am 25 and I never knew anxiety can be this bad. I started taking Ativan and it's been 4 months now. I started with 2 a day and now I'm taking one a day. It's a great pill not many side effects, a bit disoriented sometimes but I can sleep better and eat more. I am planning on staying on it until my life gets back on track and once everything settles down I will get off of it. Anxiety is a hard thing to deal with on your own. Only if you have it you understand."

• Allen
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 11, 2016

"I have had a prescription for Ativan for about 6 years. This was given to me after a diagnosis of GAD that was taking over my life. I have tried many SSRIs, SNRIs, and several off label drugs, but none helped. Most actually seemed to make my condition worse. I would take 0.5 - 1mg of Ativan on occasions when I felt out of control, and it would bring me relief. I have taken 0.5 - 1 mg in a day only as perscribed. Sometimes I have taken it daily for three months at this dosage. I was always terrified about the withdrawals you read so much about if you stop taking this, but I am perhaps one of the lucky ones who, at this dosage, can simply stop with no bad effects. I regularly stop for months at a time."

• Garne...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 18, 2019

"With diagnosis of PTSD, anxiety, major/clinical depression, adult onset ADD with BPD on the side, ativan has been in my life for a while and I have never had a problem with it and its never negatively effected my life. It's maybe saved my life a few times."

• RAG
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 16, 2022

"I've taken ativan as a last resort during my time with it, in other words using it as needed and not a set schedule like some of the other people here. It has always been the 0.5mg dose that I have. From the times I have used it, it has worked wonders in helping deal with anxiety or panic. Not only that but I think another important aspect of ativan for many people is it being recognized as a "saftey net". Just knowing it is there as a way out can make one feel more calm when going through a difficult time and ultimately not even taking it and it still works."

• RollaB
• August 16, 2015

"Ativan is a miracle drug. Whoever invented it should have received the Nobel Prize. Zero adverse effetcs, completely safe. I am going through chemo and my beloved old companion cat which I had for over 14 years died after many months of poor health. I felt gripping anxiety for weeks, it felt like my chest was going to explode. I was faced with vet bills and wasn't working. Ativan worked in less than an hour, I felt such relief, and only after 1mg. I take it once, sometimes twice, a day and my life is bearable. Please don't suffer. If you experience anxiety ask you Dr for Ativan, even 0.5 mg may work."

• Hypoc...
• March 11, 2019

"I was diagnosed with panic disorder at 8 years old, and when I was 13, the panic attacks became severe. My psychiatrist finally prescribed me 15 pills per month of 1 mg of Ativan. I’m now 18, and just went through a really hard time. I relapsed into severe anxiety, had to quit all my schooling. My panic attacks can last for hours, and this is the only thing that provides relief during those sleepless nights. If it weren’t for Ativan, I’d have gone to the hospital 30 times now. It is pretty easy to become dependent. I’m tapering off, went from 0.5 mg per day to 0.25 mg, to skipping days. The withdrawal symptoms are not terrible, but they’re definitely uncomfortable. I suffered vertigo, insomnia, and increased anxiety. Advice to anyone taking this medication: Never cut cold turkey. Although rare, it can cause seizures if you stop the medication suddenly. Also, it’s very easy to become dependent on it. Please be careful."