Lorazepam 227can produce a withdrawal syndrome. If drug use has been heavy the with-
drawal can include confusion, depression, perspiration, cramps, tremors, vom-
iting, mania, and convulsions. Lighter use can produce lighter withdrawal
such as insomnia and generally feeling out of sorts. Symptoms can be avoided
altogether if a person gradually takes smaller and smaller doses rather than
stopping abruptly.
Drug interactions.Lorazepam generally makes people more susceptible to
effects of alcohol. If a person taking lorazepam simultaneously ingests other
depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, opiates) the total depressant effects deepen.
Although we might expect stimulants to counteract lorazepam’s actions, re-
search has found thatcocainecan boost some of them, with sleepiness becom-
ing particularly greater. Thus cocaine users receiving lorazepam for medical
treatment may require lower doses than normal.
Cancer.Mice and rat studies have not yielded evidence that lorazepam
causes cancer.
Pregnancy.In mice lorazepam increases incidence of eyelid malformation
and cleft palate. Mice having fetal exposure to lorazepam exhibit lasting neu-
rochemistry abnormalities, and rats with fetal exposure demonstrate brain dif-
ficulty. Extrapolating from rat test results, two researchers concluded that fetal
exposure to the drug may result in male offspring having more anxiety than
normal and females having less than normal. Pregnant rabbits receiving lor-
azepam in an experiment produced more birth defects than usual. Persuasive
evidence indicates that the drug passes from a pregnant woman into the fetus.
The drug is not recommended for pregnant women unless the need is dire.
Analysts examining thousands of medical records concluded that lorazepam
does not necessarily cause birth defects but found that the drug may be in-
volved with a deformity blocking an infant’s anal opening. Fetal exposure to
lorazepam is suspected of slowing development of infants’ abilities to move
and think. Case reports say that infants can have withdrawal symptoms if the
mother used the drug during pregnancy, symptoms accompanied by abnor-
mal muscle tone and trouble with eating. Nursing mothers are told to avoid
lorazepam, as infants might be drugged from the amount of lorazepam that
passes into milk.
Additional scientific information may be found in:
Bond, A., and M. Lader. “Differential Effects of Oxazepam and Lorazepam on Ag-
gressive Responding.”Psychopharmacology95 (1988): 369–73.
Funderburk, F.R., et al. “Relative Abuse Liability of Lorazepam and Diazepam: An
Evaluation in ‘Recreational’ Drug Users.”Drug and Alcohol Dependence22 (1988):
215–22.
“Lorazepam.” InTherapeutic Drugs, C. Dollery. 2d ed. New York: Churchill Living-
stone, 1999. L98–L100.
O’Hanlon, J.F., et al. “Anxiolytics’ Effects on the Actual Driving Performance of Pa-
tients and Healthy Volunteers in a Standardized Test. An Integration of Three
Studies.”Neuropsychobiology31 (1995): 81–88.
Schweizer, E., et al. “Lorazepam vs. Alprazolam in the Treatment of Panic Disorder.”
Pharmacopsychiatry23 (1990): 90–93.
Shader, R.I., et al. “Sedative Effects and Impaired Learning and Recall after Single Oral
Doses of Lorazepam.”Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics39 (1986): 526–29.