Need an Ativan expert?

Question

my roomate has attempeted to kill herself for the second time in two weeks. Tonight she took ativan 1mg 20 tabs.
She announed this to my daughter while I was at work who called the paramedics but they didnt take her as she is a nurs and knows exactly what to say to avoid a 72 hour hold.
Any help you can give will be appreciated as we are sitting here worried sick.
Will she just sleep for a very looong time or will this kill her
Thanks in advance

my roomate has attempeted to kill herself for the second time in two weeks. Tonight she took ativan 1mg 20 tabs.
She announed this to my daughter while I was at work who called the paramedics but they didnt take her as she is a nurs and knows exactly what to say to avoid a 72 hour hold.
Any help you can give will be appreciated as we are sitting here worried sick.
Will she just sleep for a very looong time or will this kill her
Thanks in advance
Any advice will be appreciated. We are currently doing 30 minute room chacks to make sure she's alive.

She refused medical help and is still her ein my home, up in her room with her door locked

Answer 1

overdose symptoms: most common= coma, confusion, difficulty breathing, lack of breathing

if she still is breathing, awake even after few hours...she most likely did not overdose enough and will be okay.

if she did go to a hospital, there is an intravenous medicine that could be given to counteract it.

sounds like she's not yet ready to commit suicide...she's just calling for help. it's good to see that she at least has u to be there for her. i hope she realizes that she does have support...she just needs to endeavor to take the next steps.

Answer 2

Legally, a paramedic cannot force a person to go to the hospital if she is oriented to person, place, time, and event, and doesn't want to go. Some states can force a person to go if it is a suicide attempt, but you would need to get the police involved. As a nurse, I'm sure you understand this. I've had to allow people to refuse transport, when I KNOW medically they need to be seen, but if they are oriented and don't want to go, there is nothing I can do (except try my hardest to make them understand the consequences of refusal - usually, death).

Ativan (also known as lorazepam): From what I read, the usual dose is 2-6 mg, divided into daily smaller doses. The dosage range is 1-10 mg daily. 20 mg sounds like one heck of a lot! Symptoms of a lorazepam overdose include sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, a slow heart beat, difficulty breathing, difficulty walking and talking, an appearance of being drunk, and unconsciousness.

You really need to worry about respiratory depression. If she stops breathing, or if her respirations slow to less than 10-12 a minute, you need to call the paramedics again. If she stops breathing, you will need to begin rescue breathing for her until they arrive.

If she is unconscious and can't be awakened with painful stimulus (such as a sternal rub) then you need to call the paramedics again. If she's not responsive, she can be treated and taken to the hospital under the context of implied consent.

If you think it was a suicide attempt, you need to get the police involved. They might be able to force her to go to the hospital. Otherwise, if she is oriented and doesn't want to go, then there is nothing you can do, unfortunately. It's her choice to be an idiot and take too much of her Ativan.

I don't know if that amount of Ativan will be enough to kill her or damage her organs, or if it will just put her to sleep for a while. It depends on her individual tolerance to the drug, her size, etc.

It might not be a bad idea to contact your local ER for advice. They may be able to talk to her and convince her to go get checked out.

Hope everything works out...

Answer 3

Call 911 tell them she overdosing. Once they come tell them she is refusing medical treatment and you have chosen to 302 her. To 302 someone to a hospital means you admit her without her agreeing to accept treatment due to her being a danger to herself.You can only do this if you are 18 years old if your not tell an you know what is happening and explain that you need them to 302 her because she is a danger to herself. If you do choose to 302 her there is nothing she can say or do to stop them from taking her to the hospital. The soonest she could sign herself out of the hospital would be 72 hours after admittion.And if they feel she is not ready to leave the doctor can say that she can't.

Answer 4

Hey, she needs some serious intervention. I have been on Ativan for about 2 years and I have been off of it for about 7 months now. This is a benzodiazepine tranquilizer and if she's taken 20 she won't be around long that's for sure. She needs to be in a detoxification facility and work with the NA meetings. It's hard, damn hard, but if she lives through this, she has to get help and get help now. You will be an enabler, that is she knows she has a place to live and knows she can have her way with you and other people, as well. Now, I am not trying to be a hard *** on you, but you have got to get her out of your house and make her see that she needs to get clean. If you have to call the police to get her out, you will only be helping her the best way you can and try to save her right now. Obviously, she needs the help with other issues that led her to this addiction. It sucks, but it has to be done. Hey, nurse or not the mental health nurses are about as tough as they come, they have heard it all. Don't expose your daughter to her behavior anymore, she doesn't need to see it. Get her out, do it right now!
Good luck to you my friend, you will be the best friend she ever had if you make her see the truth. You might get a call from the morgue to identify her one of these days.
I hope it works out for both of you.

Answer 5

you want to ask the well-being care specialist who prescribed you those meds. by no potential ask people on line about medicine as anybody can inform you something and also you're purely doing extra damage than solid even as it contains your well-being to boot as your youngster's. So communicate with a well-being care specialist or a nurse on your community section.

Answer 6

i take 1 mg ativan , it will just calm her nerves, but be very careful becuase she can def overdose on it , especially if shes suicidal, i u need to call the hospital. cause if somethin happens to her , youll be traumatized with that memory , she needs to get help if he loves u guys , or leave the home and go to hospital