Since the third season of the cult series "The White Lotus," the drug Lorazepam, an active ingredient from the benzodiazepine group, has been receiving increasing public attention. The series portrays the wealthy family mother Victoria Ratliff, who seemingly takes the sedative without hesitation during her stay at a luxurious five-star resort in Thailand.
What initially appears to help with jet lag develops into a worrying consumption habit over the course of the season. Victoria regularly takes the pills and seems increasingly dazed. When her husband also seems to suffer from sleep problems, she offers him her medication and assures him: "They’re not addictive. I just take them when I need it. [...] Not a big deal."
But even after the first dose, he shows signs of dependency. This portrayal raises important questions: How does Lorazepam actually work, and what risks does taking it entail?
What is Lorazepam?
PD Dr. Richard Musil, Psychiatrist and Medical Director of the Oberberg Specialist Clinic Bad Tölz, has explained the drug and its mode of action for us. "Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine with a rapidly onset and reliable anxiolytic effect. The drug acts on the GABA receptors in the central nervous system, enhancing the inhibitory effect of the neurotransmitter. It is generally used to provide quick relief in acute situations."
In what cases do you prescribe Lorazepam?
I use Lorazepam in patients with severe depressive episodes accompanied by restlessness, severe worries, or anxiety. The same applies to patients with schizophrenic psychoses or bipolar disorders. In such cases, Lorazepam is usually administered alongside the initiation of treatment with antidepressants or antipsychotics, as their effects often only set in after days or weeks. Lorazepam bridges this period and provides short-term stabilization.
When do you recommend alternative treatment methods?
Lorazepam should rarely be used as sole therapy unless it is a temporary mental exception without severe psychiatric illness. In most cases, an alternative therapy—with antidepressants or antipsychotics—is started in parallel. In cases of panic attacks or anxiety within the context of personality disorders, I recommend other preparations or entirely non-medication approaches such as psychotherapy.
Lorazepam and the side effects
