Taken overdose of Larezapen for sleeplessness. Not responding. What to do?
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Practicing since : 2005
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iv tried every thing under the book n nothing seems to b working , I went to my dr today n he gave me larezapen 1mg he said take two but if nothing take 3 , iv took 6 n I'm still up at 2pm the morning , I'm so frustrated !!!!!
Posted Mon, 30 Apr 2012
in Sleep Disorders
Answered by Dr. Hema Yadav 50 minutes later
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Lorazepam is a sedative which may take 90 to 120 minutes to start action after oral ingestion and higher than prescribed dose can lead to toxic symptoms. Usually not more than 10 mg in divided dose is prescribed. Please do not take more than recommended dose as it can cause serious side effects and sometimes is lethal (10 gm/kg).
In your case you might have experienced “paradoxical effects” caused by more than required dose.
In some cases, there can be paradoxical effects with benzodiazepines, such as increased hostility, aggression, angry outbursts, and psychomotor agitation. These effects are seen as more common with lorazepam than other benzodiazepines.
Paradoxical effects are more likely to occur with higher doses, in patients with pre-existing personality disorders and those with a psychiatric illness. It is worth noting that frustrating stimuli may trigger such reactions, even though the drug may have been prescribed to help the patient cope with such stress and frustration in the first place.
As paradoxical effects appear to be dose-related, they usually subside on dose reduction or on complete withdrawal of lorazepam.
Kindly consult your doctor for a change of dose or alternative anxiolytic like xanax. And please do not take any more than prescribed dosage to prevent life threatening complications.
Hope I have answered your query. Should you have any additional concerns, I will be available to address them.
Regards
Thanks for posting your query.
Lorazepam is a sedative which may take 90 to 120 minutes to start action after oral ingestion and higher than prescribed dose can lead to toxic symptoms. Usually not more than 10 mg in divided dose is prescribed. Please do not take more than recommended dose as it can cause serious side effects and sometimes is lethal (10 gm/kg).
In your case you might have experienced “paradoxical effects” caused by more than required dose.
In some cases, there can be paradoxical effects with benzodiazepines, such as increased hostility, aggression, angry outbursts, and psychomotor agitation. These effects are seen as more common with lorazepam than other benzodiazepines.
Paradoxical effects are more likely to occur with higher doses, in patients with pre-existing personality disorders and those with a psychiatric illness. It is worth noting that frustrating stimuli may trigger such reactions, even though the drug may have been prescribed to help the patient cope with such stress and frustration in the first place.
As paradoxical effects appear to be dose-related, they usually subside on dose reduction or on complete withdrawal of lorazepam.
Kindly consult your doctor for a change of dose or alternative anxiolytic like xanax. And please do not take any more than prescribed dosage to prevent life threatening complications.
Hope I have answered your query. Should you have any additional concerns, I will be available to address them.
Regards
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