what are the long term effects of ativan, besides being addicted. that i already am. i've looked on the internet but cant find anything. i take 4-6 1mg pills a day..SOMETIMES more depending on my anxiety..i'm not on anything else right now, i'm suppossed to be on lithium but i'm too scared to take it.
2007-01-24 12:54:39 · 10 answers · asked by atreyu17244 2 in Health ➔ Mental Health
lol..well i'm not retarded and atreyu is a good band..now that i got that ou of the way, i've been on ativan for about a year and a half.. i was out for ONE day and had to go to the ER with withdrawl symptems, at least thats what they told me. i have noticed my anxiety has worsened, so i take more like my shrink says to and take 1-2 at bedtime. i just wish i could wake up and it all be gone.
2007-01-24 13:13:59 · update #1
Please talk about these concerns with your Dr. You are on a very high dose of Ativan. The lithium should even out your moods so that you won't need so much of the ativan you should have been weened slowly off of some or most of the ativan.
2007-01-24 13:02:06 · answer #1 · answered by Pamela V 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I assume you know all the typical side effects such as hair loss (though not all chemo regimes cause hair loss), tiredness, nausea, depression etc- side effects vary from person to person. A few people breeze through it, others find it very difficult. It is three and a half years since I finished chemotherapy, and yes there can be some long term effects. I suffered a certain amount of mental confusion - what is often referred to as 'chemo brain' ; it affected my short term memory, including my memory for everyday words. Many chemo patients have amusing stories to tell about this; a few weeks after chemo ended I stood in a coffee shop struggling to remember the word for the sort of coffee I wanted - in the end I asked for 'unleaded'. The word decaff just wouldn't come. This can continue for some time after chemo ends; I still have attacks of 'chemo brain' but they are getting much fewer and far between. I had to leave a new job a year after chemo because I couldn't manage mental arithmetic and would get tearful trying. I don't have a problem with mental arithmetic now and I assume in time the occasional mental fogginess will end completely. Even if chemo brain never went away, I don't regret having chemotherapy. I'm fit and well and as far as I know cancer-free.
2016-05-24 05:58:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The maximum daily dosage is 10 milligrams. Overdose is possible after that point - maybe after less if you are a small person. Overdose usually results in you falling into a comatose state - so you don't see it coming. It is meant to be a short term use drug. Long term use can result in memory loss, increased anxiety, kidney and liver problems, and a host of other things. Please see a doctor that can advise you. If you are already under a doctor's care - you might consider a second opinion. There are new medications that might be more effective for your specific needs. Only a health care professional can give you the best advice. Good luck.
2007-01-24 13:05:40 · answer #3 · answered by arkiemom 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only side effects that I know of is causing sleepyness. Some times it would make me feel foggy. Instead of ativan, you should see if you can take lexipro instead. It is doing good at controlling my anxiety and it is none habit forming. Of course it will be difficult to stop the ativan if you really are addicted, but you can do it.
2007-01-24 13:04:06 · answer #4 · answered by ragtad 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should discuss this with the doctor that prescribed them.
Drowsiness is the most visible symptom of Ativan addiction. When using in combination with other drugs, symptoms may include ataxia, hypotension, coma, and in rare cases, death.
On abrupt discontinuance of Ativan, withdrawal symptoms may appear. Spasm, tremor, vomiting, and sweating are the most commonly seen withdrawal symptoms. The severity of symptoms depends on the doses received and duration of abuse.
2007-01-24 13:00:37 · answer #5 · answered by Jennifer G 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Activity of central nervous system slowed down. Small dose relieves tension; large dose produces staggering, blurred vision, impaired thinking, slurred speech, impaired perception of time and space, slowed reflexes and breathing, reduced sensitivity to pain. Overdoses cause unconsciousness, coma and death. Many of the deaths due to drugs (excluding alcohol) in Canada are caused by barbiturates and barbiturate-like drugs. Accidental overdoses occur when children swallow pills or when adults with increased tolerance are unsure of how many to take.
CNS depressants should be used with other medications only under a physician's supervision. Typically, they should not be combined with any other medication or substance that causes CNS depression, including prescription pain medicines, some over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, or alcohol. Using CNS depressants with these other substances - particularly alcohol - can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, and possibly lead to death.
2007-01-24 12:58:54 · answer #6 · answered by Neha B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ativan is not particularly harmful, outside of its addicting qualities. If you take it daily you should not stop taking it cold-turkey because you could have a seizure. It can also be fatal if you take a large overdose.
2007-01-24 12:59:12 · answer #7 · answered by Nicole B 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We are all addicted to something. It isn't the Atavan that will hurt you, it's trying to get off of them.
2007-01-24 12:59:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Retardation. You might be too late.
2007-01-24 12:59:29 · answer #9 · answered by Winnipeg76 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
no wonder you like Atreyu....
2007-01-24 12:57:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋