Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Increasing the dose may overcome tolerance, but tolerance may then develop to the higher dose and adverse effects may persist and worsen. To be sure this medication is not causing harmful effects, your doctor may need to check your progress on a regular basis. * Acute intoxication – Lorazepam may interact synergistically with the effects of alcohol, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances. This medication may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. 1. Withdrawal symptoms can range from anxiety and insomnia to seizures and psychosis. With long-term use of benzodiazepines it is unclear whether cognitive impairments fully return to normal after cessation of therapy; cognitive deficits persist for at least 6 months post-withdrawal, but it is possible that longer than 6 months is required for recovery of cognitive function. The anxiolytic effects may also be detrimental to a patient's willingness and ability to fight for breath. Patients are ideally nursed in a kind, non-frustrating environment, since, when given or taken in high doses, benzodiazepines are more likely to cause paradoxical reactions. Lorazepam has relatively potent anxiolytic effects and its best-known indication is the short-term management of severe anxiety; the FDA advises against use of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam for longer than 2–4 weeks.