Ativan

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:29 pm

Good evening. I was wondering if anyone takes Ativan or its generic form. I currently don't take any medications but several years ago (prior to my LC diagnosis) I took a low dose of Lorazepam (generic form, not sure of spelling) to take the edge off at my brother's funeral. I didn't see it listed on the medication list posted on here so I was just wondering if it's safe in case I ever need to take something short term. Thanks!

Lucy_B · Post by **Lucy_B** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:39 pm

Hi, Marcia! So sorry to hear about your brother! Until recently, I was using lorazepam pretty regularly. I didn't notice any negative impact on my MC. My main issue was that it seemed to exacerbate depression and cause brain fog, so I stopped taking it. It doesn't work like SSRI's, so I would assume it's safe...but I'm not 100% sure. Tex will probably know. Anyway, I can confirm that I didn't notice any ill effects from it, gut-wise. :) Hope that helps!

Lucy

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:55 pm

Thanks, Lucy. I'm so paranoid to introduce anything new that might start the D again. I hope I don't need it, but you never know.

Post by **tex** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 6:58 pm

Ativan is not known to cause MC flares. The biggest risk is dependence if it's used regularly. Here's an old thread about it:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18017

Tex

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 7:09 pm

Thanks Tex, that's good to know. I don't like to take medication but it's good to know if I do need to take something as needed I won't suffer for it.

Chemgirl · Post by **Chemgirl** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:07 am

I have taken it twice and no digestive issues.

Generally don't like it because it makes me manic. First time I took it I demanded that my husband take me to the pet store and then started crying when he didn't want me to buy anything. Second time was for eye surgery and managed to keep it together, but was shaking after and wired for the rest of the day.

So moral of the story is be careful!

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:49 pm

Thanks, Chemgirl. I had no issues with it when I took it just as needed for a few days. It was a low dosage and I didn't need it for long. It got me through my brother's funeral and the few sleepless nights that came right after his death. I didn't have LC then so that's my concern now.