Ativan, which is also called Lorazepam, is a prescription drug that is used to calm down people with anxiety. The drug that is often called a sedative-hypnotic is made from Benzodiazepines, which are a group of drugs and medicines. Doctors sometimes also give this drug to people who have trouble sleeping. In fact, the drug is very different from most others in its class because doctors use it to calm down patients before an operation or other medical procedure. Not only that, but Ativan is often given as an injection in the hospital to calm nerves when someone is having seizures or something similar. The anxiety pill can be taken in two different ways: as tablets or as a solution that is injected into a vein.
Ativan is made so that it binds to the benzodiazepine receptors on the post-synaptic GABA-A channel. Basically, it helps increase the conductance of chloride ions by shifting them into the cell to make them more stable. This is done by making the inhibitory effects of the GABA receptors stronger. Ativan works to slow down activity in two different parts of the brain, the amygdala and the cerebral cortex. This helps with both anxiety and seizure disorders.
Not much can be learned about how Ativan works from what we know about what the GABA receptors do. GABA receptors control sleep and other ways the brain calms down. So it’s easy to guess how the drug works on these receptors to change how relaxed you feel. When it makes GABA work better, it slows down the functions of the CNS to make you feel calm.
Ativan is a pill for anxiety that works quickly. Because of this, it has a long half-life. The drug Lorazepam has a half-life of up to 12 hours, which means that the amount of drug in the body drops by half every 12 hours. The liver is where most of the metabolism happens, and the medicine leaves the body through urine. It may stay in the body for up to 9 days after the last time it was used. Also, because it is in the hair, it stays in the body longer.
If you think this medicine will only help with your anxiety and have no other effects, it shows you don’t know how drugs affect your body. When used for a long time, Ativan can cause side effects, dependence, and even overdose, just like most other medicines.