DEAR DR. GOTT: Your article on Ativan was interesting and informative. From a personal point of view, I would like to tell you that my wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease for some 12 years now, was prescribed Ativan while recovering from a radical mastectomy/chemotherapy/radiation. The prescription continued for six years.
During an evaluation at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Gerontology Center, she was advised that Ativan is a destroyer of short-term memory. That fact and the damage done to the entire body by chemo and by estrogen earlier in prior years, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, all played a part in the development of Alzheimer’s, in my opinion.
Thanks for letting me vent. My primary purpose in writing was to talk about the destruction of short-term memory by the Ativan. Thank you for the help you have brought to so many people.
DEAR READER: Ativan (lorazepam) is prescribed for anxiety disorders and anxiety associated with depression. As a general rule, drugs in this category should be prescribed short-term, perhaps up to four weeks. Treatment extension beyond that should not occur without reassessment by the prescribing physician who can determine if extended use of the drug is appropriate. Abrupt withdrawal may result in symptoms of anxiety, tension, depression, confusion, irritability, dysphoria (unease), hallucinations, delirium, agitation, panic attacks, and a great deal more. The effectiveness of lorazepam long-term (more than four months) has not been assessed by systematic clinical studies.
This drug can produce increased central nervous system (CNS) depressant effects when administered with other CNS depressants such as anti-psychotics, antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, alcohol and barbiturates.
In one test study of 3,500 patients treated for anxiety, the most frequent reporting was sedation, followed by dizziness, weakness and unsteadiness. Other adverse reactions included memory impairment, disorientation, confusion, and more. Overdose symptoms can present as lethargy, mental confusion and drowsiness. Elderly and debilitated patients may be more susceptible to the sedative effects than are others.
Breast cancer treated with chemotherapy and radiation must have been traumatic enough within itself for your wife and her loved ones, so I can understand why she may have required a prescription such as lorazepam; however, I am not sure six years on the drug was appropriate. Nonetheless, I do not have access to her medical records and cannot pass judgment. If her medical evaluation brought that to light, then I guess the link has been established. It’s a shame you didn’t have the information available prior to initiation of the drug. Alzheimer’s is, unfortuantely, a common cause of dementia and memory loss. I cannot say whether you wife’s use of Ativan was a contributor, however.
Readers who would like related information can order my Health Report “Alzheimer’s Disease” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 US check or money order payable to Dr. Peter Gott, PO Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039 or through my website’s direct link www.AskDrGottMD.com/order_form.pdf.
