what is lorazepam for
Lorazepam is also used to treat insomnia, epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal, and nausea and vomiting from cancer treatments. The drug belongs to a class of medications called benzodiazepines, and is available as oral tablets, an oral concentrate solution, and an injection. In injection form, lorazepam injection is used in emergency situations to treat prolonged epileptic seizures.
Children and the elderly â The safety and effectiveness of lorazepam is not well determined in children under 18 years of age, but it is used to treat acute seizures. Dose requirements have to be individualized, especially in the elderly and debilitated patients in whom the risk of oversedation is greater.
There is a very effective protocol that can be used to withdraw patients from narcotics, using clonidine for the physical withdrawal symptoms and lorazepam for the anxiety, while switching them to an antidepressant for pain control.