How does Ativan help?

Answer 1

lorazepam (Ativan) is a highly potent benzodiazepine (same class of drugs as Valium, Xanax, etc.) used to treat anxiety. It is also adminstered often before surgery and can be used for short-term relief of insomnia. It is useful for panic attacks as it sets in fairly quickly and can be taken sublingually leading to rapid absorption into venous circulation. ***Be careful as it is addictive and can cause terrible withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it abruptly.

Answer 2

ATIVAN is a "benzodiazepine" (generic-Lorazepam) belonging to the ""pam"" familyas I call it...ie...Valium (DiazePAM); Klonopin (ClonazePAM); Xanax (AlprazolAM)Serax (OxazePAM); Centrax (PrazePAM) and a few others. Ativan can HELP you ifyour doctor has diagnosed you with an anxiety disorder. It relieves the symptoms of anxiety and works rather quickly. If you have to go before a largecrowd and you have a panic attack, or if you are anxiety riddled after a majorcrisis ie... death, divorce, etc...it can help you calm down. It may causedrowsiness and make you less alert, so you have to exercise caution. Generallyit's prescribed for short term use; 4-5 months. It can be addictive. Mostcommon side effects are: dizziness, excessive calm, unsteadiness & weakness. Itshould not be taken with other sedatives or sleeping pills unless DIRECTED TOby your doctor. Also don't drink alcohol while on Ativan. It helped me whenmy wife passed away unexpectedly. But you can't stay on it forever; I also found a good licenced therapist then weaned off of the tranquilizer. It's Avery effective short-term Band-aid. HOPE THIS HELPS

Answer 3

Ativan is a benzodiazepine (Xanax, Valium, Librium, etc.) It acts by binding tightly to GABAA receptors in the brain (the same ones stimulated by alcohol) which potentiates the inhibitory effect of the available GABA, leading to sedatory and anxiolytic effects. GABA is actually an amino acid that is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in humans. It controls excitability/relaxation and also muscle tone (which is why Valium is sometimes prescribed for muscle spasms). Basically, Ativan wraps tightly around these GABA receptors and elicits a sense of well-being and lowers anxiety mimicking and enhancing the body's neurotransmiiters that control stress and anxiety at these receptors. (Ativan is also used for seizures but I'm not sure about the pharmokinetics there.) == == I do not know the chemical or scientific way that ativan works. I take it when I am having severe anxiety or panic attacks. It slows down my thinking process enough for me to handle what is happening. About 20 minutes after I take it I am so calm that I usually go to sleep, though. (Think happy, drooling stages) I also take klonapin, another anxiety medicine on an as-needed basis. It isn't nearly as strong as Ativan, so I take that at work instead. I can't tell you how many times Ativan has saved my life, literally. Sorry I don't have a technical answer for you.

Answer 4

Ativan is used for a couple of different things. It is used mostly to treat anxiety. It can also be used before surgery to calm you down, it can be used for nausea/vomiting caused by certain cancer treatments and is used for insomnia caused by anxiety.

Answer 5

It is a benzodiazapine and is used as a central nervous system supressant.

Answer 6

It slows down the rate causing the mucsles, to relax.