Patient/caregiver was educated on the side-effects of using Lorazepam as follows:
Respiratory depression
- Lorazepam, especially when taken in high doses, can lead to depression of respiratory center in the brain and difficulty breathing. Severe cases might also lead to emergency situations, such as, respiratory arrest and can result in serious debility and death.
- Avoid taking Lorazepam along with any other drugs carrying the potential for causing central nervous system and respiratory depression, such as, OTC cough syrups or narcotic pain medications, as the individual influence of these medications on respirations can get added up, thus leading to severe respiratory depression and can even be fatal.
- Individuals with history of breathing issues, such as, asthma and COPD, must exercise extra precaution in watching out for any compromised breathing function.
- Report any episode of exacerbation of SOB and breathing difficulty to your physician appropriately, for any change in plan of care to be considered.
Central nervous system side-effects
- Lorazepam use can result in episodes of confusion, hallucinations, dizziness, and light-headedness.
- Individuals taking Lorazepam can also present compromised memory and forgetfulness. Individuals taking Lorazepam can develop anterograde amnesia, which is a compromised ability to form new memories after the intake of medication.
- Lorazepam use, especially in individuals with history of anxiety and bipolar disorder, can result in exacerbation of depressive symptoms, changes in behavior, irritability, compromised sexual drive, and provoke thoughts of suicide.
- Discontinuing or significant reduction of Lorazepam dose intake abruptly, after prolonged use, can result in exacerbation of anxiety, relapse and rebound of the panic episodes, precipitation of seizure episodes, muscle spasms, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms of insomnia and behavior changes. Discontinuing the medication should be gradual, using tapering doses, and only as recommended by your physician.
Other constitutional side-effects
- Individuals taking Lorazepam can also present with sexual dysfunctions, such as, compromised interest in sex, difficulty attaining and maintaining erection, and/or difficulty having an orgasm.
