Lorazepam (Avitan) is an extremely powerful sedative/hypnotic drug.
It is often prescribed to people who suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks. It is also used to help patients sleep through surgery.
It works by suppressing your central nervous system enough to make you feel relaxed. In other words, it slows down your body’s functions so that you can sleep better. Side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, disorientation, and feeling sleepy. Alcohol affects the same neurotransmitters as Ativan does, including GABA.
This rapid onset of effect is due to Ativan’s short half-life. It’s metabolized by the body quickly and achieves peak blood level within an hour. Therefore, it is one of the fastest acting oral benzodiazepines around and arguably more addictive than other benzodiazepines.
Dangers of mixing with alcohol
Mixing Ativan with alcohol is not recommended. While drinking may help you relax, taking Ativan alone can cause drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, and impaired judgment. Taking too much Ativan can also lead to hallucinations, seizures, and death.
Mixing these two chemicals can cause a dangerous situation. Both substances release gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitters at a fast rate, causing an overload of the body. These are sedatives, so they slow down the entire system, including vital functions such as breathing.
Another pitfall of combining these substances is that there’s a high risk of overdosing. The biggest danger comes because there is not any specific quantity known to create overdose – it all depends upon the person’s body, what else they consumed that day, and their particular chemical makeup. Contrary to common belief, overdose does not just occur only after taking too much of an item. Overdose also happens whenever somebody takes the incorrect mixture and produces a chemical reaction that their very own body cannot handle.
Basically, combining Xanax and alcohol causes the nervous systems to slow down and breath rate to drop. When combined with sleepiness, it’ll be easy to see why someone might just drift off into oblivion. If they’re alone, there is a chance they’ll never wake up.
When someone develops a dependency on mixing Ativan and alcohol, they should seek help from a licensed professional. If someone has an official prescription for Ativan, chances are they already have an underlying condition that needs additional care. Additionally, most people aren’t prescribed Ativan for too long because these are generally meant to treat a specific problem.
Getting treatment
If you or someone close to you is suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol, then please reach out to a professional who can help. We offer a wide range of services, including group therapy and medication assisted treatment. We can help.