What Are The Side Effects Of Prolonged Intake Of Ativan?

Posted on Mon, 15 Feb 2016

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

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 Answered on

Fri, 15 Apr 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : How dangerous is Ativan to overall health? I have had insomnia for many years and have taken Ativan for quite some time. It calms my racing thoughts and helps me sleep. My doctor wants to take me off the med due to it wrecking my health.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (43 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
CNS problems mostly...

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

ativan is not usually supposed to wreck your overall health. It usually only causes central nervous system (CNS) side effects, although other side effects are also possible. One very serious concern is addiction. Patients who use such drugs may get addicted to them and cause harm to their health due to their addiction.

Using benzodiazepines for short-term is acceptable. Long-term use is not recommended.

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