e.

The anterograde amnesia and sedative-hypnotic effects of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam are sometimes used by predators on unwitting victims as date rape drugs, or for the purpose of robbery; however, alcohol is the most common drug involved in such crimes. In the elderly, falls may occur as a result of benzodiazepines. What are the possible side effects of Ativan?Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction to Ativan: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. It has a fairly short duration of action (Venable and Aschenbrenner 2009). 5. Keep track of how many pills have been used from each new bottle of this medicine. fda. Lorazepam also has abuse potential; the main types of misuse are for recreational purposes or continued use against medical advice. To avoid amnesia (or excess sedation) being a problem, the initial total daily lorazepam dose should not exceed 2 mg. Symptoms of floppy infant syndrome and the neonatal benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome have been reported to persist from hours to months after birth.