For the first time, I just took an ativan

[CreekDog]

i feel fine...now.

if there's one thing that can shake me up is news of death, etc.

[UndertheOcean]

1. Be careful , Ativan can wreck your liver ..

[CreekDog]

3. it's just 1mg and only for rare use for certain anxiety related symptoms that warrant it

i've had this prescription for 2 months and it's the first time i've used it. does make me spacey-er i notice and calmer. i mainly wanted it for this and to take when on an airplane.

[Haole Girl]

2. I looked it up....

definitely do *NOT* drink while taking that drug.

:scared:

[CreekDog]

4. yeah i noticed that regarding a lot of these drugs

i almost never drink, but when i was in New Orleans i temporarily took an SSRI and an occasional valium. then i noticed, just after 1 drink i was gone. the effect was unmistakable, just at very low doses.

[NewEnglandGirl]

5. 1 mg. is the higher strength

People are most often given the .5 mg.
Taking one once in a while will never hurt you. Just be aware of how it effects you before driving etc.

[CreekDog]

6. ah, ok, how long does it last?

before they'd given me 5mg of valium (almost never took them except for plane rides and a couple of weeks of major stress) and i noticed they just sent me to sleep for hours. in the process, i taught myself ways of dealing with anxiety without pills, although there is a specific type of anxiety that when i feel my body reacting a certain way, i take the pill. generally it's when the stress is taking on a life of its own and i'm getting physically anxious and can't stop the symptoms from increasing.

[NewEnglandGirl]

7. Ativan lasts usually about 6 hours

depending on the person's metabolism. Valium gives the person a different feeling, more of a sedated effect. The newer tranquilizers, like Xanax and Ativan tend not to do that, it's not such an obvious, dramatic calm. They're fine occasionally or to get a person through a temporary rough time and they have their place because extreme stress can make you really sick.

[CreekDog]

8. thanks for the info

:hi:

[NewEnglandGirl]

9. You are welcome

Feel better ! :hi:

[CreekDog]

10. i do already

thanks :pals:

[no name no slogan]

11. My late, great great-aunt used to take one a night before bed

For forty years. She passed away a couple years ago, a day shy of her 93rd birthday.

Ativan is relatively safe, but like other drugs in the Benzo family (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin) it can be addictive for some people.

As long as you take it responsibly as prescribed, you'll be just fine.