Hi, I have a problem that I dont know how to deal with. I have noticed recently that I have started to forget things. I mean not the kind when you cannot remember what you had for lunch yesterday, but really serious stuff. I literally have black outs. It has started to affect my work. As a reason for this memory loss I think I should blame Lorazepam. I have been using this drug occasionally for the insomnia. Could I be right about the connection between Lorazepam and memory loss?
Hi, you didnt say how often you use Lorazepam for your insomnia. Lorazepam is a very serious drug from the group of benzodiazepines. My mother used to take this drug for her anxiety and it really used to calm her down. And as soon as she felt better her doctor would take her of Lorazepam. That is why it is very strange your doctor prescribed Lorazepam to you for insomnia. At least I find this drug way to strong for the treatment of your problem. You should definitely see your doctor right away. It could be that Lorazepam is responsible for your black outs. And even if it is not, having black outs is a serious thing. You really dont have the time to contemplate to what might have caused them. They mean something seriously wrong is going on in your head. And only a doctor can figure out the problem. Good luck!
I took Lorazepam for 3 days and I already quite. I couldn't remember what i did or ate or hanged out with the day before i took the med. It was kind of scary. I was taking it for panic disorder, but thank god im getting better w/o the medication. I fight through it by myself. You should definitly find the problem that is causing you not to sleep well ( your bed, stress, bathroom or what ever) then try to work the problem out w/o using any medications. If that doesn't work, then go your local GNC store and they have some over the counter medication that will put you to sleep. But becareful not to get used to them. Just use them when you really need them no exeptions. Moreover, internet articles show that Lorazepam causes impared memory, so i would stop right way if i was you. Good luck
Nightmare living hell is the best way to descibe this medicine it takes your soul from you and your memory. Please stop taking this medicine it will steat your life from you. You are in my prayers
i have the same problem. have been off of loraz about 8 months and have memory blanks.
arcey wrote:
yeah and something else, it is kind of aggravating.
will this eventually go away?
does any body know?
faustine wrote:
Hi, I have a problem that I dont know how to deal with. I have noticed recently that I have started to forget things. I mean not the kind when you cannot remember what you had for lunch yesterday, but really serious stuff. I literally have black outs. It has started to affect my work. As a reason for this memory loss I think I should blame Lorazepam. I have been using this drug occasionally for the insomnia. Could I be right about the connection between Lorazepam and memory loss?
i have the same problem. have been off of loraz about 8 months and have memory blanks.
yeah and something else, it is kind of aggravating.
will this eventually go away?
does any body know?
I know this post is over a year old, but I thought I'd add to the discussion in case my experience helps someone else. Please forgive me if the following post is over-long and goes beyond the scope of the original question, but I have written it with the best of intentions.
I am a chronic pain patient with a rare genetic disorder. I have taken numerous powerful drugs in varying doses and combinations for many years for the discomfort resulting from my condition as well as the inevitable stress and depression it has caused. In many cases, I believe the treatment has been worse than the disease, and I am hoping to get off all of these drugs and try to pursue treatment for my complex medical condition without the pharmaceuticals.
To your point... In the past, I have been prescribed other drugs in the benzodiazepine family (Valium, Xanax) for both sleep and anxiety without obvious incident. Because Ativan is considered the "mildest" of this class of drug, it is the only "benzo" my current doc will prescribe.
Unlike the narcotics, I have never become habituated/addicted to any benzos (though I did take them daily in varying doses for months at a time), and while I have previously received some small short-term benefit from the other two drugs, I never really felt like Ativan did anything. I was considering asking my doctor if it would be reasonable to increase my dose.
Long story, but last week I received a text from a friend that left me scratching my head. To bottom-line it for you, I had spent a full day with her that I couldn't remember! This included two hours of driving on the highway and several hours of talking together in a doctor's waiting room. I remembered agreeing to drive her to this appointment on a day we had spent together a week prior. But until I confirmed the details with her, I wasn't sure I had actually taken her there. She was kind and patient in helping me to jog my memory by reconstructing the day, and when she told me details of stops we made and conversations we had, I had a vague recollection of these incidents. But the memories were very hazy, as if they had happened to someone else or in a dream. In reality, it's a nightmare.
In an effort to further restore the gaps in my memory (which span at least two days), I have talked to other friends and reviewed my internet history. It appears that after I got home from the day with my friend, I did a number of internet searches on Ativan and how much is safe to take. I will admit, I have done such things before and "experimented" based on information I found before I consulted my doctor. My best advice to anyone reading this: learn from my mistake!
Inspection of my bottle of Ativan revealed that at some point I had taken more than the 1mg per day prescribed—I may have taken as many as four. I doubt that I took this many at one time, but whether I did that, or it is merely the cumulative effect that created the memory gaps, I have no idea. The fact that I cannot remember is one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me in the long history of treatment for my complicated illness.
Unlike other posters, I don't want to label this drug as evil or say no one should ever take it. I have a friend who has taken Ativan for years in increasing doses, and to my knowledge, she has never experienced anything like this. However, it seems obvious from the comments here and from other research I have done that it does cause memory loss in some people. I also want to make it clear that in all my years of taking some rather serious drugs, I have never experienced anything even remotely like this.
Since I was prescribed the Ativan "as needed," I felt safe in discontinuing it without talking to my doc first, but I do have an appointment scheduled. If you have been taking such a drug for a long time and/or are habituated to it, you would be wise to contact your doctor before changing your dosage. He or she will advise you as to whether you should discontinue usage immediately or dose yourself down slowly to prevent other side effects. (Withdrawal is hideous.)
My best advice to anyone reading this is to seriously evaluate your use of any powerful drug. It is not enough to just trust your doctor--you need to do your own homework and be your own advocate. I'm sure there are those out there who will say this or that drug helped them immensely. I believe that this class of drugs, as well as anti-depressants and other psychiatric meds and pain medications can certainly be of assistance taken short-term. But after years on and off so many different drugs, I really wish I had just refused all of them and tried to find other ways to deal with my pain and stress. Doctors and the pharmaceutical industry will claim that certain drugs are "benign" or not habit-forming, but I believe almost any drug can cause problems for a particular person in certain situations or combinations.
Many researchers believe that using certain drugs long-term can literally rewire your brain, and not always with positive results. You will almost inevitably develop a tolerance and need more of certain drugs to achieve the same effects. In the past, I do feel I have taken a variety of drugs against my own better judgment because I trusted my doctors without looking into them further. I am not bashing any of these doctors because I feel that by and large, they were well-intentioned. However, it is rare to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes with any doctor, especially after the first visit, and this is precious little time for him/her to get to know you and your habits and prescribe treatment. You will get more out of your short interactions with medical professionals if you have done your due diligence and come prepared with questions.
I hope I don't sound overly preachy, and I want to make it clear that everything I have written is based on my experience and that of friends with similarly complex medical conditions. I believe we have been conditioned in this country to expect treatment for everything in our lives to come in pill form. The pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars keeping people hooked on powerful drugs. Lest you think I am a snake-oil touting advocate of alternative medicine, I assure you, I am not. While there are numerous helpful remedies outside the scope of Western medicine, many so-called alternative drugs and treatments are obvious frauds. Sometimes it’s hard to trust anyone, especially when you are stressed, sick or scared.
I’m certainly not telling diabetics to toss out their insulin in favor of Chinese herbs. And acupuncture will not set a broken leg. But a healthy diet and good exercise plan will prevent a variety of ills. Yoga, meditation and techniques like mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can augment almost any medical plan, and I firmly believe they can replace the use of powerful pharmaceuticals in many people. I know it’s easier to swallow a pill than to spend hours exercising or cooking a healthy meal, especially when you lead a busy life. But I truly believe my life would be infinitely better if I had made different choices early on. Most of my life now is spent alone on the sofa with my computer on my lap or the tv remote in my hand. Before I was drugged into oblivion, I rode my bike to work and swam every day. I strongly believe that my reliance on pharmaceuticals above the simple things like exercise and meditation has robbed me of a meaningful life. The Ativan story is just the latest installment in my downward spiral. I have rambled long enough, so I won’t go into any more detail about my sad story. I just hope there is someone out there who will hear my cautionary tale and go down a different road. And I hope I can claw my way back to some semblance of sanity and wellness…
I am a chronic pain patient with a rare genetic disorder. I have taken numerous powerful drugs in varying doses and combinations for many years for the discomfort resulting from my condition as well as the inevitable stress and depression it has caused. In many cases, I believe the treatment has been worse than the disease, and I am hoping to get off all of these drugs and try to pursue treatment for my complex medical condition without the pharmaceuticals.
To your point... In the past, I have been prescribed other drugs in the benzodiazepine family (Valium, Xanax) for both sleep and anxiety without obvious incident. Because Ativan is considered the "mildest" of this class of drug, it is the only "benzo" my current doc will prescribe.
Unlike the narcotics, I have never become habituated/addicted to any benzos (though I did take them daily in varying doses for months at a time), and while I have previously received some small short-term benefit from the other two drugs, I never really felt like Ativan did anything. I was considering asking my doctor if it would be reasonable to increase my dose.
Long story, but last week I received a text from a friend that left me scratching my head. To bottom-line it for you, I had spent a full day with her that I couldn't remember! This included two hours of driving on the highway and several hours of talking together in a doctor's waiting room. I remembered agreeing to drive her to this appointment on a day we had spent together a week prior. But until I confirmed the details with her, I wasn't sure I had actually taken her there. She was kind and patient in helping me to jog my memory by reconstructing the day, and when she told me details of stops we made and conversations we had, I had a vague recollection of these incidents. But the memories were very hazy, as if they had happened to someone else or in a dream. In reality, it's a nightmare.
In an effort to further restore the gaps in my memory (which span at least two days), I have talked to other friends and reviewed my internet history. It appears that after I got home from the day with my friend, I did a number of internet searches on Ativan and how much is safe to take. I will admit, I have done such things before and "experimented" based on information I found before I consulted my doctor. My best advice to anyone reading this: learn from my mistake!
Inspection of my bottle of Ativan revealed that at some point I had taken more than the 1mg per day prescribed—I may have taken as many as four. I doubt that I took this many at one time, but whether I did that, or it is merely the cumulative effect that created the memory gaps, I have no idea. The fact that I cannot remember is one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me in the long history of treatment for my complicated illness.
Unlike other posters, I don't want to label this drug as evil or say no one should ever take it. I have a friend who has taken Ativan for years in increasing doses, and to my knowledge, she has never experienced anything like this. However, it seems obvious from the comments here and from other research I have done that it does cause memory loss in some people. I also want to make it clear that in all my years of taking some rather serious drugs, I have never experienced anything even remotely like this.
Since I was prescribed the Ativan "as needed," I felt safe in discontinuing it without talking to my doc first, but I do have an appointment scheduled. If you have been taking such a drug for a long time and/or are habituated to it, you would be wise to contact your doctor before changing your dosage. He or she will advise you as to whether you should discontinue usage immediately or dose yourself down slowly to prevent other side effects. (Withdrawal is hideous.)
My best advice to anyone reading this is to seriously evaluate your use of any powerful drug. It is not enough to just trust your doctor--you need to do your own homework and be your own advocate. I'm sure there are those out there who will say this or that drug helped them immensely. I believe that this class of drugs, as well as anti-depressants and other psychiatric meds and pain medications can certainly be of assistance taken short-term. But after years on and off so many different drugs, I really wish I had just refused all of them and tried to find other ways to deal with my pain and stress. Doctors and the pharmaceutical industry will claim that certain drugs are "benign" or not habit-forming, but I believe almost any drug can cause problems for a particular person in certain situations or combinations.
Many researchers believe that using certain drugs long-term can literally rewire your brain, and not always with positive results. You will almost inevitably develop a tolerance and need more of certain drugs to achieve the same effects. In the past, I do feel I have taken a variety of drugs against my own better judgment because I trusted my doctors without looking into them further. I am not bashing any of these doctors because I feel that by and large, they were well-intentioned. However, it is rare to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes with any doctor, especially after the first visit, and this is precious little time for him/her to get to know you and your habits and prescribe treatment. You will get more out of your short interactions with medical professionals if you have done your due diligence and come prepared with questions.
I hope I don't sound overly preachy, and I want to make it clear that everything I have written is based on my experience and that of friends with similarly complex medical conditions. I believe we have been conditioned in this country to expect treatment for everything in our lives to come in pill form. The pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars keeping people hooked on powerful drugs. Lest you think I am a snake-oil touting advocate of alternative medicine, I assure you, I am not. While there are numerous helpful remedies outside the scope of Western medicine, many so-called alternative drugs and treatments are obvious frauds. Sometimes it’s hard to trust anyone, especially when you are stressed, sick or scared.
I’m certainly not telling diabetics to toss out their insulin in favor of Chinese herbs. And acupuncture will not set a broken leg. But a healthy diet and good exercise plan will prevent a variety of ills. Yoga, meditation and techniques like mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can augment almost any medical plan, and I firmly believe they can replace the use of powerful pharmaceuticals in many people. I know it’s easier to swallow a pill than to spend hours exercising or cooking a healthy meal, especially when you lead a busy life. But I truly believe my life would be infinitely better if I had made different choices early on. Most of my life now is spent alone on the sofa with my computer on my lap or the tv remote in my hand. Before I was drugged into oblivion, I rode my bike to work and swam every day. I strongly believe that my reliance on pharmaceuticals above the simple things like exercise and meditation has robbed me of a meaningful life. The Ativan story is just the latest installment in my downward spiral. I have rambled long enough, so I won’t go into any more detail about my sad story. I just hope there is someone out there who will hear my cautionary tale and go down a different road. And I hope I can claw my way back to some semblance of sanity and wellness…
I can totally relate to your concern!!
I was prescribed lorazepan years ago for anxiety, OCD, and bipolarity, it was not effective (along with a cocktail of other drugs) so I took myself off of all medications. Then I recently was given a prescription to it again becasue I was getting an fMRI scan so it was supposed to calm me down to better handle the small space in the tiny machine. I hate to admit that I was given an abundant amount so I continued to use the pills during anxious moments. Each time I apparently participated in a series of events that I have absolutely no recollection of. The dangerous part for me was that I had such little recall that I even had a few glasses of wine (HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED) and this really solidified my inability to remember anything. I apparently went out one night with my boyfriend and went to numerous places and felt completely crazy when he brought it up days later. It was as though he was telling me about a dream that I had vague recollection of but was my dream...not his. Long story short, it seems as though you can conduct yourself in a somewhat normal way yet when you are made aware of what happens it's as though someone else was occupying your body OR you just simply don't remember one iota of what went down.
Every single time I took lorazepam (dosages ranging from one pill to 6 pills) I experienced memory failure. Experiences are a very unique and individual ordeal so perhaps this medication works effectively for some but after reading these posts, memory loss a high price to pay in the face of whatever the reason is that one was prescribed this drug. Proceed with caution for those just starting to take these as a prescription!!!!
I was prescribed lorazepan years ago for anxiety, OCD, and bipolarity, it was not effective (along with a cocktail of other drugs) so I took myself off of all medications. Then I recently was given a prescription to it again becasue I was getting an fMRI scan so it was supposed to calm me down to better handle the small space in the tiny machine. I hate to admit that I was given an abundant amount so I continued to use the pills during anxious moments. Each time I apparently participated in a series of events that I have absolutely no recollection of. The dangerous part for me was that I had such little recall that I even had a few glasses of wine (HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED) and this really solidified my inability to remember anything. I apparently went out one night with my boyfriend and went to numerous places and felt completely crazy when he brought it up days later. It was as though he was telling me about a dream that I had vague recollection of but was my dream...not his. Long story short, it seems as though you can conduct yourself in a somewhat normal way yet when you are made aware of what happens it's as though someone else was occupying your body OR you just simply don't remember one iota of what went down.
Every single time I took lorazepam (dosages ranging from one pill to 6 pills) I experienced memory failure. Experiences are a very unique and individual ordeal so perhaps this medication works effectively for some but after reading these posts, memory loss a high price to pay in the face of whatever the reason is that one was prescribed this drug. Proceed with caution for those just starting to take these as a prescription!!!!
I prescribed lorazepam for anxiety and last Tuesday I took one before work. which was the most dumb thing I could of done. It left me in a "zombie"blike state. I had an anxiety attack when I got off work 6 hrs later so I took another one. When I woke up Wednesday morning I couldnt remember anything. I still cant remember what I did on Tuesday. I didnt even know how I got home after work. My mind was a complete blank. Since then I stopped and it hasnt happened since. I also was perscribed it 4 yrs ago for the same thing and let's just say I dont remember much that happened then either. Its a strong drug. Im going to see my doctor tomorrow for this reason.
Oh my gosh! I wondered if I was going crazy, but it sounds like memory loss can be a disturbing symptom of Ativan. My son got married this past weekend, and my sister was here from out of town, and had a few ativan tabs to quell her anxiety. She asked if I would like one to calm my nerves before the wedding, and I took one...not knowing the dose or anything. Well, at the wedding I had a few glasses of wine, and from what my daughter and others told me, I became very loopy and "drunk" and had a few embarassing moments that I have ABSOLUTELY NO RECOLLECTION OF!! They told me of my dance with my son, and the garter toss, and their wedding dance....and I can't remember any of it! This frightened me so very much, that I will never take any drugs like this again.....ever. I lost a most precious moment in my and my son's life by missing out on the events of his wedding. I have seen pictures of myself at the wedding during the times I cannot remember, and it was the eeriest thing ever to not remember any of it. Please think twice before doing something like this. I will always regret it and be saddened by the fact I missed my son's special wedding moments.
Doctors are the problem, not the solution. I would recommend NEVER go to your doctor,which seems to be what everyone loves to say.. M y doctor has had me on ambien and lorazepam for almost 20 years. I am trying to deal with my 25 year insomnia by myself, alone.
i have memory blanks and can't remember the simplest things on the job. thanks to lorazepam.
How are you doing? Have you been able to get off some of your meds? I am dealing with very similar problems, would you be willing to visit more with me? Melanie
i wasnt going to answer but reading ur post i couldnt help say that although i agree that doctors are the problem and not the soloution BUT u saying never go to a doctor isnt really a sane and intelligent thing to say . u shouldnt tell ppl like that
Thank you I wish I read this long ago but I didn't know until it happened to me. You just told my story. I am trying to deal with this negligence. I disagree as far as the doctors they are supposed to have your health in mind not a time clock and a perscription pad. Maybe there wouldn't be so many deaths and lost people I am a victim of there abuse and have NO problem saying that now I need further medical attention. Your post was so long ago I don't know how I stumbled on this but obvious there has been no attention or care by the medical field. I am sickened by this.