# lorazepam (ativan) no effect on me...



## ANCIENT (Aug 9, 2005)




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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

The reason its not working for you is you are simply not taking a high enough dose.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Noca said:


> The reason its not working for you is you are simply not taking a high enough dose.


 :agree That would be the most likely answer. Lorazepam (Ativan) comes in 0.5, 1, and 2 mg tablets. You doc gave you the smallest they've got, so it's likely a dosage issue.


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## arthur56 (Jul 31, 2005)

many judge the effectiveness of a benzo by the inital sedation, in other words, by how hard it hits them after that take the tablet, this sedation can vary a lot, some never get any, but it usually eventually reduces as your system gets used to the med


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## L0raz3pam (Sep 14, 2006)

Try taking two 0.5mg tablets at a time.

The higher the dose the more drunk you will behave. In other words, when I've taken too high a benzo dosage, I act as if I've had too much alcohol, including loss of balance. But, unlike being drunk on alcohol, your mind/brain remains very sharp.

Be careful, Ativan and other benzo's are habit-forming. If you take them too frequently, you become dependent on them and you will need higher and higher dose to achieve the same effect. In other words, they are addicting.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

L0raz3pam said:


> The higher the dose the more drunk you will behave. In other words, when I've taken too high a benzo dosage, I act as if I've had too much alcohol, including loss of balance. But, unlike being drunk on alcohol, your mind/brain remains very sharp.


Everyone is different. I've never experienced anything that even remotely resembles being drunk from benzos.



L0raz3pam said:


> If you take them too frequently, you become dependent on them and you will need higher and higher dose to achieve the same effect. In other words, they are addicting.


The idea that you'll need ever higher doses is largely a myth, a myth that is often used by docs who don't have the balls to actually give their anxiety & panic patients what they need. Tolerance is possible, but it's not typical. For some, like me, there is no choice other than high doses of benzos on a daily basis. I only use my Xanax when needed -- in my case, that happens to be multiple times a day because my anxiety is extreme and constant and many other meds have failed me.


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## L0raz3pam (Sep 14, 2006)

I think others should chime in. I can't be the only one who's gotten "drunk" on high doses of benzos.


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

When I first began taking Xanax, I was taking the XR version. My SA was particularly high one morning, so I took one tablet and then bit another in half and took the two halves, so I got 1mg of Xanax immediately and 1mg released throughout the day. I remember having slurry speech and feeling all funny and giggly that day at school. It's sad now, though. It would take probably 5mg+ at once to make me that drunk-feeling again.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

korey said:


> It would take probably 5mg+ at once to make me that drunk-feeling again.


I think there has been a grand total of 3 times when I got so highly agitated that I took 6 mg of Xanax at once. (My doctor is fine with me taking up to 4 mg at a time if needed -- I won't tell him about these few incidents.)

Even after 6 mg Xanax I was still not drunk-like at all. Well, one time I was, but it's wasn't due to the Xanax. The intoxication was because I was so agitated that I washed the Xanax down with a partial bottle of fortified wine. When the wine was gone I then went to whiskey for further calming. I ended up going to bed after that.

My all time highest dose for any 24-hour period was 17 mg -- which I took leading up to & during the SAS gathering in Milwaukee on July 1st. The other four SAS members there can certify that I most certainly did not appear at all intoxicated.


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