Lorazepam and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 15, 2022

For Anxiety "I once thought lorazepam was exactly what I needed, as it helped me stop the fight or flight and be able to sleep and crack on with things. I began using it more often, as the times I didn’t take it, my anxiety seemed worse than it had been before. I only went from 0.5 mg prn to having one nightly until that did nothing anymore, so I went up to 1 mg at night. I started moving the time earlier and earlier as the days went on, and something I once took at bedtime started being at 5 pm. This was over the course of a year or so. I would start having panic and fear until I had it. I decided, because of all the stuff about addiction, that I would stop it for a day or two. The first night, I experienced a tonic-clonic seizure. I completely stopped for about 9 months and then decided to try to have it as needed again. I took it for a day or two, then I experienced my second seizure. The seizures slowly ramped up. I now have epilepsy, which I 100% blame on lorazepam withdrawal and addiction."

• Tir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 25, 2021

For Insomnia "My pharmacy switched to this brand lorazepam, and I started taking it and can no longer sleep. Lorazepam was supposed to be for my insomnia, but this generic of it was horrible. It did not make me tired, it did not turn my thoughts off, it was basically useless, and I had to keep taking it for 60 days because my pharmacy couldn't order the other brand. I don't know how to check this out, but I believe it has too many fillers in it that counteract the medicine. I just got more anxious because I couldn't sleep."

• ins...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 31, 2020

Lorazepam for Insomnia "Ativan ruined my life. My psychiatrist prescribed me 2mg to take every night while trying out an antidepressant. After about 7 weeks, I was addicted to Ativan, and when I tried to stop taking it, I had seizures and panic attacks. I had to keep taking it to stabilize. Then I had to switch to Valium and slowly taper off the benzodiazepines to avoid another seizure. It took me a year and a half to taper off, and I now have chronic fear, anxiety, tinnitus, and insomnia. I wish I never touched this drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2019

Lorazepam for Anxiety "Ativan amplified anxiety so bad I could not stop vomiting."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2019

For Insomnia "I took lorazepam about three nights in a row, and each time it did not help me sleep at all, which was very disappointing, but it did help with my anxiety, at least."

• EEa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 15, 2019

Lorazepam for Anxiety "I absolutely hate it. I was given Ativan last summer when I was having a total mental breakdown. At first, I waited and waited and felt absolutely nothing whatsoever, then I realized that it made me even more anxious and caused me to lash out at my parents. They ended up having to take me back to my house because they just couldn't deal with me. I decided to get some drinks at the bar and then at the cider house, and that's when it finally started to kick in. I was having a lot of trouble talking and had all these weird muscle jerks and having maybe convulsions."

• EJK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2018

Lorazepam for Anxiety "Yes, it will stop panic attacks, but good luck coming off it. I was having severe anxiety after a bad spell of taking Lexapro, which made my anxiety worse and gave me constant panic attacks, so my doctor had me taking 0.5 mg three times a day. I was so grateful to have some relief that I didn't question the dose, but the more I read about dependence, the more nervous I became. I started tapering off it after only a month, and I thought I was going to die. Hallucinating, insomnia where I didn't sleep for days, couldn't keep down solid food, crippling depression, and agoraphobia... it was a nightmare, and I was contemplating checking into a hospital. I eventually transitioned to buspirone and eventually Pristiq. Such a nightmare. I can't recommend Ativan to anyone who may be sensitive to benzos."

• Kan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 9, 2018

Lorazepam for Anxiety "I am the 1% of people who take Ativan and suffer from extreme anxiety and paranoia. If you experience these symptoms, you are NOT alone, but you should stop taking the medication (with help from a doctor). Once I stopped taking it, I felt so much better and was not paranoid or filled with anxiety."

• Jas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2018

Lorazepam for Anxiety "Terrible and dangerous. Muscle jerking, auditory hallucinations, jumpy all day. Even worse anxiety. If it is not life or death, do not take!!!!"

• Bob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2018

For Anxiety "I took a 0.5 Ativan for anxiety last night. It increased my anxiety, and I couldn't sleep."

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

Lorazepam for Anxiety "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 trips to the Emergency Room from side effects. This company knows it can cause suicide and writes it on the label. Do not take it."

• Pau...
• April 20, 2017

Lorazepam for Anxiety "Have been taking this for situational anxiety for many years. It worked to some degree, but I would always feel depressed afterwards, which was awful. Last year, I used it daily, up to 1.5 mg, while I was changing my antidepressant. This was a huge mistake. I soon reached the tolerance and began to get rebound anxiety, which started up every morning. I've been off of it for 10 weeks now and still suffering. This is really hard to come off of. My advice is don't take this more than once a week, and that may be too much. My anxiety is so much worse because of lorazepam."

• Des...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 14, 2017

For Anxiety "I've been struggling with depression but mostly anxiety for 16 years. I take an antidepressant, and last year I tried to change it three times. During this time I began to use Lorazepam daily and began to increase it when it wasn't working for me. Needless to say, this was the worst year ever. My anxiety symptoms were hell. After reading about Lorazepam and the problems with tolerance, rebound anxiety, looping, and withdrawal, I realized my problem was not the antidepressants but Lorazepam. If you take it once a month or several times per year, it could help and shouldn't hurt you, but if you take it every day, you are asking for trouble. My recommendation is to avoid Lorazepam at all costs."

• Dea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2016

For Anxiety "Before I explain, let me start off by saying I do not take meds, not even for a headache. This is a very rare circumstance. My Dr knows this and will ask me if I'm going to fill the prescription as to not waste either of our time. I usually say no, and we discuss non-medicinal ways to cope. This time I said yes and got 0.5 mg lorazepam, and in the 3 days I've taken them, I'm more anxious!"

• Ben...
• July 6, 2016

For Insomnia "DO NOT take benzos for insomnia - they work great, until you reach tolerance, and then you go into full withdrawal unless you up the dose considerably. By then you probably will have already found the dirty underside of this terrible drug, which is agoraphobia, brutal insomnia, loss of motivation and stunning depression. Next, you'll find out that you cannot withdraw from this drug in a reasonable manner, and the required tapering-off methods could take years. During withdrawal you will have the worst insomnia imaginable, for months on end, and nothing will relieve it, except more benzos than any doctor will prescribe. Don't even start on this evil drug. If you think this is an overreaction, Google 'benzodiazepine withdrawal'."

• Jea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2016

For Insomnia "In an hour, I felt speedy. I was up all night, like I had a late cup of coffee. Three weeks later, I tried it again. Speedy, jittery, all night, no sleep."

• Mol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 29, 2015

Lorazepam for Anxiety "I took lorazepam for 19 days at .5 mg as needed. I was taking them in the afternoon around 4:30. The doctor only gave me 20 pills for anxiety and sent me home. While taking them, I was feeling even worse, I couldn't sleep, I would wake up shaking and scared, and couldn't eat until I took the pill. I decided to stop taking them because I was getting more anxiety and wired thoughts and was shaking all day. So, I quit cold turkey - I didn't know I was to taper off. On the second day of not taking it, I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, walking around feeling like I'm going crazy, a lot of anxiety attacks and panic attacks. I don't feel joy or happiness. The only thing I could think of is I'm having withdrawals. I stopped taking it on December 9, 2015, it is now December 29, 2015."

• And...
• August 23, 2015

For Anxiety "I had a very alarming adverse reaction to Ativan (lorazepam) that I never had with any other benzodiazepine that I'd like to share. My doctor prescribed me 0.5 mg of Ativan for my anxiety that I've had since childhood. Within an hour of taking my first dose, I began to experience scary hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. This never happened whenever I took Xanax, Valium, or Klonopin, so I don't know what made Ativan different. Not only did Ativan increase my anxiety, but it also caused these disturbing adverse side effects! I personally did not have a good experience with this drug and threw the rest away. Please be very careful with it!"

• ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2023

Lorazepam for Anxiety "The only word I can use to describe how I feel after taking only 0.25 mg of Ativan is 'weird.' It has ramped up my anxiety, but I still feel a calming sensation on top of it. It's making focusing harder, and I'm a bit uncoordinated. I expected some side effects, but I definitely didn't expect it to make my anxiety worse. It's really unpleasant."

• khi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 11, 2021

For Anxiety "I took it on and off for a few years, and it was so helpful for me; just started it again after 3 months, and the Watson's (yes, they do vary), which I took before had a completely different effect; very unpleasant, so I discarded them. I've received since then a different generic (Leading Pharma), which actually gave me anxiety. Something has changed. I received it in the hospital (IV), and that was not the case."

• Res...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2019

For Anxiety "Lorazepam. Doctor gave me this at the hospital to deal with anxiety. Got a prescription for 8 tablets. I took the first tablet the following night, and that was the worst night of my life. I was dreaming while awake, afraid to sleep for fear I would die in my sleep, having to use the fan in the winter because I was hot. Took 3 more tablets at different times and had the same negative results. Sleepless, with my heart pounding, I took a spoonful of Buckley's, which calmed me down, and I was able to sleep. Meantime, I flushed the other 4 tablets down the drain. I now do my Buckley routine every time I have anxiety. I would rather be addicted to Buckley's."

• Res...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 26, 2017

Lorazepam for Anxiety "Makes me more anxious. Higher doses are worse."

• Scc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 25, 2016

For Anxiety "I took 2 mg one night at the ER because I was having a panic attack, and it worked quickly. But tonight I took 1 mg before going to the mall on Black Friday because I knew it would be crowded and I'd get overwhelmed, so I took 1 mg in advance before I went, and it did nothing for me whatsoever. I left overwhelmed and very irritated after 15 minutes. I'm home now and feeling very irritated by the whole experience."

• fox...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2016

For Anxiety "WITHDRAWAL HELL! I was prescribed this medication after extreme anxiety that was not getting better with citalopram. I was only given 2 by GP (I am in the UK), and then it worked so well on my anxiety I went back for more. They shouldn't have prescribed me 2 months' worth because when I was told I wasn't allowed anymore, my body went into meltdown. Over three weeks later, I'm still suffering from the withdrawal symptoms: severe anxiety, insomnia, spaced out feeling, double vision, tremors, sweating, auditory hallucinations! Awful, awful, awful. It may seem great when it's helping you, but when you stop, be prepared to give up your life... This has been the worst time of my life, hands down, and I'm three weeks on and only marginally better."

• Til...
• December 5, 2015

Lorazepam for Anxiety "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."