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Is 2mg Of Ativan Lethal For An 80 Year Old Dementia Patient?

Posted on Thu, 13 Aug 2015

Question: My father who was 80 years old with dementia was taken to the hospital with a possible heart attack. which he did not have and he had some swelling in his legs and feet so the ER doctor gave him 40mg of lasix and 2 mg of ativan. He died. I am his daughter and my e-mail is YYYY@YYYY

I want to know if a 80 year old man who was 130 lbs would the dose of ativan be 2mg?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Adult dosage of Ativan is 1 mg to 4 mg.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.

I have read your query and understand your concerns.

I'm sorry to hear that your father died.

The usual dose of Ativan (Lorazepam) given to control agitation in adults ( ICU and ER) is 1 mg to 4 mg, so a dose of 2 mg seems reasonable to me according to your father's weight.

Hope I helped you in some way to peace your mind.

Take care.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj