Ativan is a drug mainly used for the treatment of anxiety disorders. It belongs to a group, or family of drugs known as benzodiazepines. This family of drugs has a calming effect on your nerves and work to slow down atypical brain activity, which is a common problem for anxiety patients. Ativan, like any other drug of the benzodiazepine group of drugs boosts the effects of certain neurochemical that your brain is creating called GABA. What this specific chemical does is transmitting impulses between brain cells and brain regions. Ativan restores the balance of these neurochemicals to their normal levels.

Ativan, also known as Lorazepam, is not used only to treat anxiety as it can be used to treat other conditions as well. Using Ativan for anything else save the treatment of anxiety is called ?of label? usage of Ativan. But, don?t worry if your doctor writes you a prescription for this drug if you are not suffering from anxiety disorders or attacks. He is not trying to harm you. Your doctor knows exactly what he is doing. Just don?t try to use Ativan yourself without a doctor?s prescription and consult with your doctor about its uses if he decides to give you Ativan for other purposes than the treatment of anxiety.

Ativan is commonly used as a prescription drug. It is usually prescribed and given in the form of tablets or pills, although in the hospital environment it can be given to the patient as an injection. This is usually done when the patient needs to be sedated before a surgery. As for the tablets, which are the most common form in which this medication is given, there are three dosages that your doctor can prescribe to you: 1/2 mg. 1 mg and 2 mg. Your doctor can prescribed based on your condition and how difficult your anxiety is.

This medication is taken orally with some water. It can be taken both before or after a meal. Normally, the doctor will instruct you to take Ativan 2 or three times per day, based on the severity of your problems and your reaction to this medication. If some side effects begin to show, the doctor will lower your dosage. The single prescribed dosage to one patient is almost never larger than 2 mg.

Never take more Ativan than you are previously prescribed. This can be quite dangerous, more so because of the fact that this drug can be highly addictive if you use it in higher dosages. This is especially possible if you previously had drug or alcohol related problems. In case you develop dependence on Ativan, you can expect one of the following withdrawal symptoms: seizures, insomnia, increased heart beat, hallucinations, high fever, rapid breathing and some others. In order to avoid these symptoms, you need to slowly decrease your dosage in consultation with your doctor, stopping with its use abruptly will make you more susceptible to the withdrawal symptoms of Ativan.