Ativan Overdose

As is the case with all medications, you can take too high a dose of Ativan. Signs of an overdose of Ativan can range, but will usually include trouble breathing, lowered blood pressure and even coma. There are treatment options for taking too much of this medication, including dialysis, medications, pumping the stomach and treating the overdose symptoms.

Is it Possible to Take Too Much of Ativan drug?

Ativan is a prescription medication that is most commonly used in the treatment of. As is the case with any medication, a person can take too much, or overdose on Ativan. The exact effects of taking too much Ativan will likely depend on a number of things including how much was taken, and if there were any other drugs, medications or alcohol involved. Large doses of Ativan can have many different symptoms and can even result in death.

The Recommended Dosage of Ativan

In most cases, the recommended dosage of Ativan in adults ranges from two to six mg daily. The doses are divided into smaller doses throughout the day. Most of the time, the largest dose is to be taken before bed with a total daily recommended dosage of Ativan ranging from 1 to 10 mg daily. When treating anxiety:
Most of the time, the beginning dosage of Ativan to treat anxiety is two or three smaller doses that toal 3 mg daily. When treating anxiety related insomnia:
In this case, Ativan is recommended to be taken only before bed in doses ranging from 2 to 4 mg. Most often, the starting dosage of Ativan in older patients and those who are weakened due to other health reasons is recommended at 1 to 2 mg daily, divided evenly into smaller doses. This will help to prevent over-sedation from occurring. Your health care provider can adjust the dosage as needed.

Signs of Potential Ativan Overdose

When a person takes too much Ativan, there are different symptoms that might occur. Some of the more common symptoms of an overdose include but are not limited to:

• Disorientation
• Sleepiness
• Fatigue
• Sedation
• Problems speaking clearly
• Walking unsteadily
• Feelings lethargic
• Feeling sluggish
• Movements are uncoordinated
• Muscles feel weak
• Lower than normal or very low blood pressure
• Trouble breathing
• Appearing to be in a stupor
• Hypnotic stare or state

When Ativan is combined with other medications or alcohol, overdose symptoms which are life threatening are more likely to occur.

List of Complications from an Overdose of Ativan

Many sources have found that there are very serious potential complications for Ativan overdose including:

• Death
• Lapse into a coma

Ativan overdose complications are considered to be secondary symptoms, conditions or disorders that occur because of taking too much of this type of medication. In most cases it can be hard to tell the difference between symptoms of the Ativan overdose and complications which come from it.

How an Ativan Overdose is Treated

Treatment for an Ativan overdose will depend on several factors. If too much Ativan was taken recently, the doctor may decide to pump the stomach or give a combination of certain medications to offset the effects of Ativan. Once the drug is absorbed into the blood stream, it might be useful to do dialysis to remove it from the blood. An antidote for benzodiazepine overdose known as Flumazenil or Romazicon has been found to be helpful. Treatment of an overdose might include care of the symptoms or conditions resulting from the overdose. Some examples of supportive care include:

• Infusion
• Treatments for complications that might occur

If you feel that you might have taken too much Ativan, it is essential that you seek immediate medical attention.