[januarybabe]

I took Rx for Lorazepam given for MRI anxiety. This was today and I hardly notice any nerve pain.

I am on 3000 mg gabapentin Daily.

Is Lorazepam worth looking into? Do I ask MD for it?

[Dr. Smith]

Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine, and IMO, using it for that purpose would be very risky, and not a good longterm solution.

Lorazepam has a relatively high physical addiction potential.
....
Long-term effects of benzodiazepines include tolerance, dependence, a benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, and cognitive impairments which may not completely reverse after cessation of treatment; however, for most patients, cognitive impairment is not severe. Withdrawal symptoms can range from anxiety and insomnia to seizures and psychosis. Due to tolerance and dependence, lorazepam is recommended for short-term use, up to two to four weeks only. Adverse effects, including anterograde amnesia, depression and paradoxical effects such as excitement or worsening of seizures, may occur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam

Doc

[sick-of-being-sick3]

Lorazepam

is a sedative http://www.drugs.com/search.php?searchterm=Lorazepam+

i am on it for stress and panic anxiety attacks there also trying to regulate my sleep with it

allot of ERs will give shots of Lorazepam to sedate out of hand patients

it could be a sugar pill effect you and your mind think and convinced its helping and it does

i also refer to doc

your physician will know if reputable and good and can help you

http://www.drugs.com/search.php?searchterm=gabapentin

lyrica beta blockers some over the counter and others help

have a full spectrum blood test all vits minerals low t or whatever it is in woman every test a to z not cheap but worth it even the stupid called not necessary tests can show new things

they found my vit d was bottomed out and on that it helps pain

good luck

if stuffs missing or low it can increase pain

[Kathi49]

januarybabe, I believe, if not mistaken, lorazepam is short acting. And I am not surprised one bit that it helped with nerve pain. After a couple of a years of trying Neurontin, Lyrica, Elavil, etc., etc., my Neurologist, as a last resort, put me on Xanax. That stopped the burning sensations I had with small fiber neuropathy. But since I didn't want to take 3 a day while working (too sedating) she then put me on Klonopin which is longer acting. Yes, benzos are highly addicting and withdrawals can be very, very serious. In any case, you can google neuropathic pain and benzodiazepenes and you'll see the correlation as to why they help. You might have to get down into the weeds but the bottom line is, yes, they can be prescribed for neuropathic pain. Btw, I have been at a dose of .5 mg for about 7 years now. Which is very, very low. I asked my Neurologist why it is that I have not had to go up. Not yet anyway. She just said my body is using what it needs. Personally, I am grateful for it and will probably be on it the rest of my life. But nothing else helped OR made me extremely loopy. I just could never adjust to the other meds; just overly sensitive to the majority. I don't know if I would ASK the doc for a benzo. But it wouldn't hurt to let he/she know that it helped and take it from there.

[mrsD]

Benzos work in the short run and may in the long run
Lead to habituation .
They work on the GABA neurotransmitter system
like anti seizure drugs. This system often becomes
Tolerant therefore.

If you search "benzo" or benzodiazepine
In our search function you will find more
detailed explanations that I cannot do
On this iPhone right now.

So yes in the short run they may offer relief
but may lead to more pain in the future because
The GABA receptors change.

[KatLC]

Originally Posted by januarybabe

I took Rx for Lorazepam given for MRI anxiety. This was today and I hardly notice any nerve pain.

I am on 3000 mg gabapentin Daily.

Is Lorazepam worth looking into? Do I ask MD for it?

I have been noticing recently that my painkillers do little to help with my PN but taking diazapam (a muscle relaxant similar to lorazepam) makes the pain go away completely. My theory is that a good deal of my pain is related to muscle tension which may be what you are experiencing as well.

Unfortunately those drugs are not good to take on a regular basis. I used to be on Lorazepam for general anxiety and my doctor told me it was ok to take up to three times a day. She however did not warn me that your body quickly builds up a tolerance and I got to the point where I would have sever panic attacks if I didn't take the medication. I ended up going though a very unpleasant withdrawal when I accidentally misplaced my meds after moving to a new apartment.

I wouldn't try using Lorazepam daily as a pain killer but it may be helpful once in awhile if the pain keeps you from sleeping well. I would also suggest looking into therapeutic massage or other non drug related ways to relive muscle tension.

[terig]

Originally Posted by januarybabe

I took Rx for Lorazepam given for MRI anxiety. This was today and I hardly notice any nerve pain.

I am on 3000 mg gabapentin Daily.

Is Lorazepam worth looking into? Do I ask MD for it?

I too found this drug helpful....did you ever get an answer from an MD...
I was given it to help me sleep, I find it very strong, and usually only take half a pill now...I am afraid to take it during the day.....lv to know if the MD said to use it for pain?

[januarybabe]

Originally Posted by terig

I too found this drug helpful....did you ever get an answer from an MD...
I was given it to help me sleep, I find it very strong, and usually only take half a pill now...I am afraid to take it during the day.....lv to know if the MD said to use it for pain?

I did take during day for MRI. I never did ask MD for this drug.

[Nervous1]

januarybabe,

When I go each month for IVIg infusions, I am given Lorazepam for nausea etc.
I have noticed that I do not have any real pain to speak of while I am on the Lorazepam. I have quite a bit of muscle tension as well, so I assume that it really calms down the tension and the pain receptors . Since I only take it for the two day infusion schedule, my tolerance does not build up and it works quite well. If I thought it were a long term solution and I could function on it, I would take it all the time. But, unfortunately, one would not want to take Lorazepam long term.

N1

Originally Posted by januarybabe

I took Rx for Lorazepam given for MRI anxiety. This was today and I hardly notice any nerve pain.

I am on 3000 mg gabapentin Daily.

Is Lorazepam worth looking into? Do I ask MD for it?