What is known about Lorazepam long term use, does it only help with insomnia for a few weeks?

[RLSSCARER]

I'm interested in knowing if Lorazepam is OK for long term use, does it ween off and stop working for insomnia months later, does long term use worsen symptoms of RLS augmentation

[Elisse3]

I was given lorazepam recently after two many sleepless nights as the meds i was taking stopped working i was extremely anxious and was having panic attacks. first night of taking it i slept well. but only given enough for two weeks as they are addictive apparently. So couldn’t have asked for any more anyway.

[SueJohnson]

A better one is Lunesta. It can be used long term and doesn't develop tolerance although many doctors will tell you otherwise. I have used both and am now on Lunesta.

[Elisse3 in reply to SueJohnson]

Just been to look it up and it’s not been approved in the UK as far as i can see. 🙁

[SueJohnson in reply to Elisse3]

He is in Australia and I researched it and as far as I can find it is approved there.

[ziggypiggy]

I get 12 lorazepam to use as needed each month. This has been over a decade. Still helpful for sleep but they are also for panic attacks relief during the day as well. So depending on how their used I can have a week go by where I don't use any. No noticable withdrawals but then again I also take opiods for RLS to that may mask some downsides of the medication.

[TheDoDahMan in reply to ziggypiggy]

Interesting. May I ask how many mg of which opioid per day you are allotted for RLS? I'm allowed 10 mg per day of methadone, which I find to be extremely helpful. Thank you.

[ziggypiggy in reply to TheDoDahMan]

15 mg Oxycontin. One for day. One for night.

[ziggypiggy in reply to ziggypiggy]

Doctors fo have to be careful with prescribing both opiods and benzos as they supress breathing.

[Grammieof4]

I’ve been taking .5 mg lorazepam frequently for falling asleep. Also some nights take a CBD/THC gummy. I don’t believe I’m addicted to either.

[fiberglass]

My wife who is 86, has been using lorazepam for over 40 years primarily for anxiety and as a sleep aide. One of her doctors over the years has called it a perfect drug. Typically it shows no side effects and it does what it says it does without side affects . Her dose is two 1mg pills a day. It is somewhat additive which only shows up when you stop taking it since there is mild withdrawal. At times she cuts the 1mg pill in half and it works with the lower dose on "good" days. Her only other meds are for blood pressure and hydrocodone (5mg) for back pain resulting from fusion of 4 lumbar area vertebra.

[Geepjul]

Lorazepam is effective in the short term has a short duration of action but is considered to addictive after a relatively short time. it was widely used for anxiety some time ago (30+ years) but ( in the UK) is uncommonly prescribed except in palliative care. It can cause confusion and increase the risk of falls in frailer people but is generally well tolerated in the short term.