Ativan PRN for panic attacks?

Hello. So I saw my pdoc last night and I told her about my unexpected panic attacks. Well, I told her before and she forgot. And she prescribed me Ativan. I know this is also used recreationally by teens to get high. And I was just wondering how have you guys reacted to it. I'm a teen, so I'm kinda scared about getting high because I like my brain a lot. So what are some of symptoms you experience while taking this? Thanks for any help .

Social anxiety disorder, ASD, GAD, OCD, and panic disorder

Lexapro, 10 mg; Ativan 0.5 mg PRN

Sorry you are having such anxiety that your doctor is prescribing Ativan. Must be pretty intense. It will take Ativan (or any other drug in that class such as Valium or Xanax) about 30 minutes to kick in. Panic attack don't lasts that long so by the time the med would be kicking in, the anxiety is diminishing ... maybe not completely gone but leaving. Better to develop some good coping tools to get through acute anxiety/panic. Or work on the things in your life that are driving the anxiety i.e. too much stress, negative thinking, bad relationships or whatever the case may be.

Someone here suggested letting your body go limp like a 'noodle' when you feel anxiety coming on. I've tried it and it really helps. Anxiety can't thrive in a limp, relaxed body. Another good one is to know that no one has ever died from a panic attack :-) It's true.

I think the thing we all fear is embarrassing ourselves with our anxiety. Someone will see us or find us out. I know that has been some of my problem. I'm older than you but when I decided 'so what' if someone knows it helped immensely. Doesn't make me a bad person ... just one of many who gets anxious.

I took either Ativan or Valium (their pretty similar to each other and I can't remeber which one) when I went on a plane not too long ago because I tend to freak out fly. Usually I either take Buspar, which doesn't work for me at all, or Klonipin (also similar to Ativan), which really helps, if I need something PRN for my OCD freak outs. However, Klonipin lasts for a long time and the plane ride wasn't that long so we figured it would be best for me to take something else that was shorter acting. Benzos always just make me feel calmer or sleepy, depending on how anxious I was when I took it. I really have no idea how people manage to get high off of them. Your doctor wouldn't prescribe it to you if they though it was going to make you high. I'm a teen too. It's nice to see another person around my age on here! I hope you start to feel better soon!

Hello. I have really intense panic attacks. Dizziness, heart racing, shaking, sweating, hot flash, chest tighten, lightheaded, intense anxiety. Mine usually last an hour to two hours. My pdoc told me it'd take 10 mins to work.

And yes, I know I won't die. I mainly worry about fainting.

So I don't know how I'm going to be on it. I'll try it when I'm at home so I can see how my body will react to it.

It's sort of a vicious cycle when you start reaching for a pill to stop the anxiety then a person starts anticipating anxiety and becomes anxious and takes a pill to stop it and then becomes hooked. Little lulu had some great points. They are used recreationally but as downers.

I was on ativan a number of years ago for panic and sleep. It worked well enough I guess, but the benzo that works best for me is klonopin.

I agree, and it's soooo easy to get hooked on benzos. I wish I never tried them.

Best thing for a panic attack is to breathe into a paper bag. You can stop a panic attack within a few minutes. The reason you get the physical symptoms is from breathing too deeply= too much oxygen= lightheadedness, hyperventilating, tingling extremities etc. By breathing into a bag you're forced to take in more Co2, and voila, the physical symptoms go away.

Just take the smallest possible dose (like break the pill in half) the first time to see how it affects you. I have used it PRN for panic a few times, and found it helped within 15 minutes or so. One warning: Don't mix it with alcohol--it can be really dangerous (like could stop your breathing).

If Benadryl makes you sleepy, a small dose of that can also help with panic (my p-doc OKed using that on occasion before she gave me an Ativan prescription). Just regular Benadryl (or generic), not like with decongestant or anything in it.

Be careful with Ativan. It is a benzo, and it can be addicting. Use it as needed.

how often are you having panic attacks?

i dont know if the term has changed...

my anxiety can be like this, often is, when im not completely disconnected...
using benzos can help but if you experience anxiety like i do then you will quickly become dependent on the ativan... become tolerant... even risk becoming phsyically addicted... in which you will have withdrawals if you try to stop taking them...
i dont want to frighten you, but it is important that you know the risks of using an addicting medication...
rather than later becoming addicted and wishing someone would of told you...

if you experience panic attacks periodically and want to use the ativan a couple times a week maybe even that wouldn't be too bad, but the more you use it the more frequent you will start to use it and eventually probably using it daily and even multiple times a day...

a more consistent medication to such anxiety state i think is better... something that wont cause you to become addicted and dependent so much...
you can even develop rebound anxiety when using something like ativan...

i love benzos, but i have severe anxiety and have become dependent although not physically addicted... im not taking anything for it right now and deal with the other effects of severe anxiety...

but it all depends on your usage, how often you have these panic attacks and what the state of your anxiety is...

im not a doctor, no professional, and by no means want to question your doctors judgement! so please talk to him or her about it and discuss safe proper use of that kind of medicine...

like i said, if you experience a generalized anxiety state pretty much constantly... something different that you take consistently might be a better choice...
an SSRI, buspar, maybe some antipsychotic, something that will level it out...

benzos can be dangerous if misused...

anxiety sucks, sorry that you having problems with it... therapy can really help you develop techniques and methods how to cope with anxiety and ways to "discharge" it rather than letting it elevate into full blown panic attacks...

i hope i didnt scare you, im just concerned for you being young and using a stronger medication .. the risks are high if you use it too frequently...

I took Ativan several years ago for severe anxiety and it didn't help me at all. All it did was slow my reflexes and muscle movements down so much it was debilitating. I hated that stuff!!

--Ceara1010

I take Xanax as needed for anxiety. I am an alcoholic, 29 years sober, and I had a hard time trusting my pdoc (an addiction specialist who is himself a sober alcoholic) that I would be ok taking it. I told him every appointment that I was scared of it. After several years, I am not as scared.

I do respect the medication and that it is dangerous to me to take too much. I take less than 1/2 dose when I need it. Like said above, it either relaxes me or makes me sleepy, depending on how anxious I was before taking it. It works pretty fast for me, I'd say no longer than 10 or 15 minutes.