lorazepam

Also known as Ativan®, Orfidal®, (±)-Lorazepam, Ativan, Lormetazepam, Methyllorazepam, N-Methyllorazepam, O-Chlorooxazepam

thumb|A box of Lorazepam Orion (lorazepam) tablets

Key facts

Drug.legal_US: Schedule IV
Drug.Verifiedfields: changed
Drug.Watchedfields: changed
Drug.verifiedrevid: 419619495
Drug.image: Lorazepam.svg
Drug.image_class: skin-invert-image
Drug.width: 150
Drug.image2: Lorazepam ball-and-stick model.png
Drug.image_class2: bg-transparent
Drug.width2: 150
Drug.tradename: Ativan, others
Drug.MedlinePlus: a682053
Drug.DailyMedID

~31 min read

Article

24 sections

Contents

Medical uses
Anxiety
Seizures
Sedation
Agitation
Other
Available forms
Adverse effects
Contraindications
Specific groups
Tolerance and dependence
Withdrawal
Interactions
Overdose
Detection in body fluids
Pharmacology
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
History
Society and culture
Recreational use
Legal status
References
External links

thumb|A box of Lorazepam Orion (lorazepam) tablets

Lorazepam, sold under the brand name Ativan among others, is a benzodiazepine medication. It is used to treat anxiety (including anxiety disorders), insomnia, severe agitation, active seizures including status epilepticus, alcohol withdrawal, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. It is also used during surgery to interfere with memory formation, to sedate those who are being mechanically ventilated, and, along with other treatments, for acute coronary syndrome due to cocaine use. It can be given orally (by mouth), transdermally (on the skin via a topical gel or patch), intravenously (injection into a vein), or intramuscularly (injection into a muscle). When given by injection, onset of effects is between one and thirty minutes and effects last for up to a day.