Do you take Ativan ?

Nurses General Nursing

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For the past few years I've experienced slight to moderate anxiety. Today as I was going over my medication orders with the doctor and I requested Ativan 0.5mg prn. I want to know if any other nurses take anything for anxiety ? It feels kind of weird to me to take it when I'm so busy trying to make my patients less anxious. :o

Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
for the past few years i've experienced slight to moderate anxiety. today as i was going over my medication orders with the doctor and i requested ativan 0.5mg prn. i want to know if any other nurses take anything for anxiety ? it feels kind of weird to me to take it when i'm so busy trying to make my patients less anxious. :o[/quote

is this the first time you've taken a benzo. i hope you have educated yourself on this drug. it's one that when taken for any length of time can not be stopped suddenly due to potential of severe withdrawal symptoms.

i've read that withdrawing from a benzo can be hell and can also be very dangerous. my mom took it for several years and had a very hard time coming off of it.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
i think it's reasonable to suspect the benzo as cause, when the op was acting incredibly tired.

if she hadn't been so overtired, more than likely that one thought wouldn't lead to another.

leslie

Yeah, you have a point. But I always heard that cops were on OUR side, guess that's not true!

And I'd think a cop would understand a nurse being tired....:confused:

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Buspar is an antianxiety agent that is not a benzo. It has to be taken scheduled, usually bid. Optimal results take 3 to 4 weeks.

Another non-benzo anxiolytic to consider is Vistaril. You don't need to take it scheduled.

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Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft work well for anxiety when taken daily. Colanzapan/Klonopin are great for immediate results to calm you down with anxiety and those are taken as needed. Some people take half pills at first to see how the doses affect you but its pretty mild.

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

I went through a particularly stressful time some years back, and my MD put me on a combination of oxazepam and lorazepam. After about three days I was having severely depressed episodes alternating with panic attacks.

I stopped taking both substances and was more or less back to normal within a day. I decided to put up with the mild insomnia and avoid both Ativan and Serepax like the plague....

I prefer a more natural approach, like a cup of warm cocoa before bed. When it comes to anxiety, I seek the source and address it if possible, or if not, accept that I can't change the situation and get on with my life.

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Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.
I went through a particularly stressful time some years back, and my MD put me on a combination of oxazepam and lorazepam. After about three days I was having severely depressed episodes alternating with panic attacks.

I stopped taking both substances and was more or less back to normal within a day. I decided to put up with the mild insomnia and avoid both Ativan and Serepax like the plague....

I prefer a more natural approach, like a cup of warm cocoa before bed. When it comes to anxiety, I seek the source and address it if possible, or if not, accept that I can't change the situation and get on with my life.

I WISH it were that easy...

I have tried that approach over and over.

I was in a horrible/abusive relationship and even once it was over was still tormented by him. I laid awake at night listening for any unusual noises, any car driving by, any head lights, etc. Now it is 2 years later and I still can't sleep. Ativan helps. Sometimes.

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Specializes in PACU, OR.
I WISH it were that easy...

I have tried that approach over and over.

I was in a horrible/abusive relationship and even once it was over was still tormented by him. I laid awake at night listening for any unusual noises, any car driving by, any head lights, etc. Now it is 2 years later and I still can't sleep. Ativan helps. Sometimes.

That's one of those situations where you're actually under potential physical threat, and is extremely difficult to deal with. Not to mention PTSD, which calls for professional help; I hope you're addressing that.

He may be out of your space, but you need to exorcise him from your head....

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

:)

Be careful--I have posted on this several times--if you are pulled over while driving for any reason and they check your urine ANY benzo in your urine --worn off or not-- will land you a DWAI-Prescription Drugs. I was pulled over on my way home after working 17 hours. If I was guilty of anything it was of driving when too tired to be--however they asked me to do a roadside test and being soooo over tired and having not eaten all day I had a hard time with the test. They were really nasty to me--did a BAC which of course was ZERO--I was truly just really exhausted. They then did a urine and found the trace level of benzo I was on. I was being prescribed this legally and was taking it as prescribed. But ended up penalized as a resort. SO PLEASE any of you taking any benzo--even just at bedtime, as it is still in your urine for a period-- know my nightmare! Didn't think that kind of thing would ever happen to me. I am not a big drinker and have never done drugs so it was hard being treated like some addict when I am not--just a tired nurse!

I am sorry this happened to you!... but........what did your lawyer say?.......why did you submit to a urine tox screen?....you are not required to take a urine tox unless in an accident and in most states must have involved injuries. In most states just BAL or BAC required by law unless injury involved with an accident and you appear impaired or altered in soe way! Urine tox screens are routinely done if someone appears altered but they are done in the ED not the PD. I do not want an details of you experience just food for thought to consider as well as with what you said.......it can be considered impaired driving.... so be smart. Driving that tired is more dangerous that being intoxicated......pull over and get some sleep first....before you hurt someone.:)

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Specializes in ER/ float.

Oh for petes sake, take the benzo's prn if they help you get over this hump.

everyone pushing ssri's should try to ween off them w/o side effects. I know this first hand, not from reading about it in a book. Anxiety is very real to those experiencing it. calls for real medication, fast acting also. Hot cocoa? oh ya, that will help when your tachy and sweating like crazy, feeling dread and ready to pass out.:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

My advice to you is to go see your doc and request to go on an SSRI (antidepressant) for a trial. There are a variety of them that are used for anxiety and as you have read from previous poster; they work. Also remember that they take about one month to take effect in most cases and it can take longer and sometimes shorter.

Ativan will leave you with a hangover no matter when you take it. The SSRIs usually don't have those type of side effects. Do a search on them. I know a nurse who took Paxil for social anxiety; she told me it worked great. Other SSRIs have been mentioned and are good picks as well.

I include this link; it is a good succinct explanation of SSRIs and their effects and also talks about them being used for anxiety.

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors

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Oh for petes sake, take the benzo's prn if they help you get over this hump.

everyone pushing ssri's should try to ween off them w/o side effects. I know this first hand, not from reading about it in a book. Anxiety is very real to those experiencing it. calls for real medication, fast acting also. Hot cocoa? oh ya, that will help when your tachy and sweating like crazy, feeling dread and ready to pass out.:uhoh3:

Benzos have a HECK of a lot more adverse effects than SSRIs and have higher potential for addiction. SSRIs will also help prevent the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks long term instead of just popping a pill for a quick fix 'til the next anxiety attack comes along. You should review your pharmacodynamics.

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Oh for petes sake, take the benzo's prn if they help you get over this hump.

everyone pushing ssri's should try to ween off them w/o side effects. I know this first hand, not from reading about it in a book. Anxiety is very real to those experiencing it. calls for real medication, fast acting also. Hot cocoa? oh ya, that will help when your tachy and sweating like crazy, feeling dread and ready to pass out.:uhoh3:

tachy, sweating, feeling of doom...all signs of panic, the most extreme form of anxiety.

while benzo's are appropriate for acute episodes such as above, there's absolutely no reason NOT to try ssri's, for generalized anxiety.

take it from someone who has also experienced the acute and chronic forms.

while i have heard of horrible withdrawal from ssri's, benzo's have a high risk of abuse and dependence...

and are also, an sob to withdraw from.

bottom line is, benzo's should be a last resort, and not a first one.

leslie

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