What's the safest dose of ativan to be taking for a girl who is...?!


Question: What's the safest dose of ativan to be taking for a girl who is!.!.!.!?
5'1 , 120lbs, and doesn't eat the most balanced diet!.

Yes, currently you could say I"m abusing my prescription!. I"m originally on !.5mg 3 times a day to tone my anxiety, but it hasn't proven effective and I need to speak with my doctor!. But I have taken 4 mg, 5mg at the most by now, because well!.!.!. it's just been!.!. a night!.!.!.

Pass no judgment!. I'm just looking for the answer to my questionWww@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
I do not judge you, nor blame you!.

I hope this helps you!.

How does it work!?

This medicine contains the active ingredient lorazepam, which is a type of medicine called a benzodiazepine!. Benzodiazepines are used for their sedative and anxiety-relieving effects!.

Lorazepam works by acting on receptors in the brain called GABA receptors!. This causes the release of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain!.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are stored in nerve cells in the brain and nervous system!. They are involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells!. GABA is a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural 'nerve-calming' agent!. It helps keep the nerve activity in the brain in balance, and is involved in inducing sleepiness and reducing anxiety!.

As lorazepam increases the activity of GABA in the brain, it increases its calming effect and results in sleepiness, a decrease in anxiety and relaxation of muscles!.

Lorazepam is used to calm severe anxiety and related conditions, such as acute mania, excitement or agitation!. Benzodiazepines such as lorazepam are effective at quickly reducing the symptoms of anxiety and agitation that occur in a manic or hypomanic episode of the psychiatric illness, bipolar affective disorder!. Benzodiazepines help calm the individual while the main medicines for this condition (mood stabilisers) begin to take effect!.

Lorazepam is also given for its sedating and anxiety-relieving effects as a pre-med before surgery or medical investigations that may be uncomfortable or prolonged, for example bronchoscopy or endoscopy!.

Lorazepam injection is also sometimes used to control repeated epileptic fits or seizures when a patient does not recover conciousness between fits (status epilepticus)!. It works in this instance because the increased activity of GABA in the brain helps to calm excessive electrical nerve activity in the brain that is responsible for causing seizures!.

What is it used for!?

* Acute anxiety states

* Acute excitement

* Acute mania

* Relieving anxiety and causing sedation prior to surgery or medical procedures (pre-med)

* Repeated fitting with no recovery of conciousness between seizures (status epilepticus)

Warning!

* This medicine is generally only suitable for short-term use!. If it is used for long periods or in high doses, tolerance to and dependence upon the medicine may develop, and withdrawal symptoms may occur if treatment is stopped suddenly!. For this reason, treatment with this medicine should usually be stopped gradually, following the instructions given by your doctor, in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as rebound insomnia or anxiety, confusion, sweating, tremor, loss of appetite, irritability or convulsions!.

* This medicine causes drowsiness, muscle weakness and impairs concentration and alertness!. These effects may continue into the following day and are made worse by drinking alcohol!. If you are affected you should avoid potentially hazardous tasks such as driving or operating machinary!. Avoid alcohol!.

* This medicine is not recommended as a pre-med or to treat acute anxiety states in children under 12 years of age!. Ativan injection must not be given to children under three years of age!.

Use with caution in

* Closed angle glaucoma

* Decreased kidney function

* Decreased liver function

* Depression

* Disease affecting the airways or lungs (respiratory disease)

* Disease involving the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease)

* Disease of the blood vessels in and around the brain (cerebrovascular disease)

* Elderly people

* History of alcoholism or drug abuse

* Personality disorders

* Weak or debilitated people

Not to be used in

* A sudden worsening of any underlying lung disease (acute pulmonary insufficiency)

* Abnormal muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)

* Allergy to benzodiazepines

* Breastfeeding

* Severely decreased liver function

* Slow, shallow breathing (respiratory depression)

* Syndrome involving short spells when breathing stops during sleep (sleep apnoea syndrome)

This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients!. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy!.

If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately!.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding!. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby!. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine!.

* This medicine may be harmful to an unborn baby and so should be avoided during pregnancy, particularly in the first and third trimesters and during labour, unless your doctor considers there are compelling medical reasons for its use!. Seek further medical advice from your doctor!.

* Significant amounts of this medicine may pass into breast milk!. It should not be used by breastfeeding mothers as it may be harmful to the nursing infant!. Seek medical advice from your doctor!.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways!. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine!. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect!.

* Headache

* Blurred vision

* Depression

* Drowsiness

* Confusion

* Blood disorders

* Muscle weakness

* Restlessness

* Loss of memory (amnesia)

* Skin rashes

* Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain

* Low blood pressure (hypotension)

* False perceptions of things that are not really there (hallucinations)

* Dizziness

* Unexpected increase in aggression (paradoxical aggression)

* Unexpected excitement (paradoxical excitement)

* Crying

The thing you have to remember is that this type of medication can take up to 6 weeks before it works effectively!.

Don't abuse it, as it can cause you to become even more depressed, and could cause organ failure/damage

If you GP feels that you need to take a higher dose then the GP will incraese it to a safe level!.

BlessingsWww@Answer-Health@Com

If you are looking truly ONLY for an answer to your question, you will ask your doctor or the nurse!.

You are playing russian roulette by upping your own dosage without discussing this first with your doctor!. You could have physical repercussions already from doing so that you don't recognize, or are not yet rearing their ugly heads!.

You already have one problem as a result!. You are now self-medicating which is a good way to harm your own body!.

If you ask this kind of question at Yahoo, you WILL have people passing judgment on you, so if you don't want judgment passed, don't ask this here!.!.!. call your doctor who's got a vested interest in keeping you healthy and unharmed!.

You haven't done this just once, you've done it numerous times!. That's obvious from your comments!. Taking 8 to 10 times the prescribed dosage is a good way to harm yourself!. It's a controlled drug for a reason!.!.!. and you probably should be taken off of it totally as you are abusing the drug and acting like an addict!.
GWww@Answer-Health@Com





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