Lorazepam

********* has anxiety-reducing effects and its best-known indication is the short-term management of severe anxiety. In the US, the FDA advises against use of *************** such as ********* for longer than four weeks. It is fast acting, and useful in treating fast onset panic anxiety.


********* can effectively reduce agitation and induce sleep, and the duration of effects from a single dose makes it an appropriate choice for the short-term treatment of insomnia, especially in the presence of severe anxiety or night terrors. It has a fairly short duration of action.

Withdrawal symptoms, including rebound insomnia and rebound anxiety, may occur after seven days' use of *********.

Seizures
Intravenous ******** or ********* are first-line treatments for convulsive status epilepticus. ********* is more effective than ******** and intravenous phenytoin in the treatment of status epilepticus and has a lower risk of continuing seizure that might require additional medication. However, phenobarbital has a superior success rate compared to ********* and other drugs, at least in the elderly.

*********'s anticonvulsant properties and pharmacokinetic profile, make intravenous use reliable for terminating acute seizures, but induces prolonged sedation. Oral ***************, including ********* are occasionally used as long-term prophylactic treatment of resistant absence seizures; because of gradual tolerance to their anti-seizure effects, *************** such as ********* are not considered first-line therapies.

*********'s anticonvulsant and CNS depressant properties are useful for the treatment and prevention of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In this setting, impaired liver function is not a hazard with *********, since ********* does not require oxidation, hepatic or otherwise, for its metabolism.

Sedation
********* is sometimes used for individuals receiving mechanical ventilation. However, in critically ill people, propofol has been found to be superior to ********* both in effectiveness and overall cost; as a result, the use of propofol for this indication is now encouraged, whereas the use of ********* is discouraged.

Its relative effectiveness in preventing new memory formation, along with its ability to reduce agitation and anxiety, makes ********* useful as premedication. It is given before a general anesthetic to reduce the amount of anesthetic required, or before unpleasant awake procedures, such as in dentistry or endoscopies, to reduce anxiety, to increase compliance, and to induce amnesia for the procedure. ********* by mouth is given 90 to 120 minutes before procedures, and intravenous ********* as late as 10 minutes before procedures. ********* is sometimes used as an alternative to midazolam in palliative sedation. In intensive care units ********* is sometimes used to produce anxiolysis, hypnosis, and amnesia.

Agitation
********* is sometimes used as an alternative to haloperidol when there is the need for rapid sedation of violent or agitated individuals, but haloperidol plus promethazine is preferred due to better effectiveness and due to *********'s adverse effects on respiratory function. However, adverse effects such as behavioral disinhibition may make *************** inappropriate for some acutely psychotic patients. Acute delirium is sometimes treated with *********, but as it can cause paradoxical effects, it is preferably given together with haloperidol. ********* is absorbed relatively slowly if given intramuscularly, a common route in restraint situations.