An example would be the inappropriate use to relieve anxiety associated with acute severe asthma.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:* confusion, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself; * hyperactivity, agitation, hostility; * hallucinations; or * feeling light-headed, fainting. Do not use Ativan if you are pregnant. Some antidepressants, anti-epileptic drugs such as phenobarbital, phenytoin and carbamazepine, sedative antihistamines, opiates, antipsychotics and alcohol when taken with lorazepam may result in enhanced sedative effects. Potent benzodiazepines such as lorazepam, alprazolam and triazolam have the highest risk of causing a dependence. Avoid using other medicines that make you sleepy. But its poor lipid solubility and high degree of protein binding (85-90% ) mean that lorazepam's volume of distribution is mainly the vascular compartment, causing relatively prolonged peak effects. This medication can increase the effects of alcohol. In 2000, the U. What should I avoid while taking Ativan?Do not drink alcohol while taking Ativan. gov/buyonlineguideBefore taking AtivanDo not use this medication if you have narrow-angle glaucoma, or if you are allergic to Ativan or to other benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), or oxazepam (Serax).