I Have Had Depression For Over A Year And Could

Posted on Thu, 29 Nov 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I have had depression for over a year and could not take Paxil, Zoloft or Wellbutrin because of a rare heart arythmia associated with these drugs. My doctor gave me Ativan .5 twice a day and I saw an immediate improvement within 2 days. Is that really possible?

Answered by Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (33 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Ativan helps in immediate relief of anxiety

Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for using ask a doctor service

A lot of individuals with depressive disorder have associated anxiety as co-morbid condition. Some times anxiety, restlessness are commonly seen in depression.

Lorazepam or Ativan is a benzodiazepine drug and this immediately help to control the anxiety symptoms. This is the reason you got immediate relief. You can take the drug regularly for few days as per advise and then you can take the drug on SOS basis to keep your mood calm and anxiety free.

Thanks.

I hope this helps, please don't hesitate to ask again if you have some unclear doubts.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar