Taking Ativan 0.25mg For Anxiety. Will It Be Safe To Drink Alcohol?

Posted on Wed, 27 Feb 2013

Question: Hello I sometimes take .25mg of ativan for anxiety and was wondering if I can have a drink about 7 hours later?

Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (41 minutes later)

Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.

The duration of action of Ativan (Lorazepam) is 6 - 12 hours. Both Ativan and alcohol act on the same receptors in the brain (called GABA) and hence there can be interactions. So, ideally, it is better to avoid alcohol for 12 hours after taking the medication.

However, 0.25mg of Ativan is a very minimal dose and so, it is unlikely to be causing a major interaction with alcohol taken after 7 hours. But to be on the safer side, I would advise a time gap of 12 hours.

Wish you all the best.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (37 minutes later)

Thank you. I'm prob going to stay away from the alcohol!

If I take closer to .75 mg of ativan how many hours do I need to wait to take a 1 mg lunesta on a sleepless night?

Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (13 hours later)

Hello again,

It would be advisable to wait for 12 hours. Anything less than 1mg is considered as a small dose for Ativan. So, the same time gap would hold good for a .75mg dose also.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar