Lorazepam (Ativan)

ATI-format individual drug card with NCLEX-focused assessment, safety, teaching, and source attribution.

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Lorazepam (Ativan)

ATI class: Benzodiazepine / Anxiolytic / Anticonvulsant

Action

  • ATI/source-folder candidate for Lorazepam (Ativan); verify mechanism against the source table before validation.

Therapeutic use

  • Review under Anxiolytics / Seizure medication safety.

Nursing assessment

  • Assess anxiety, seizure activity, withdrawal severity, sedation level, respiratory rate, and oxygenation.
  • Check fall risk before and after dosing.
  • Review concurrent opioids, alcohol, or other sedatives.

Administration

  • Verify route against the order and source table.

Side effects

  • Verify common side effects against the source table.

Adverse effects

  • Sedation
  • Respiratory depression
  • Hypotension
  • Falls
  • Dependence and withdrawal

Interactions

  • Opioids, alcohol, and other CNS depressants increase respiratory depression risk.
  • Other sedatives increase fall and oversedation risk.

Contraindications

  • Hypersensitivity to benzodiazepines
  • Acute narrow-angle glaucoma

Precautions

  • Use caution with respiratory disease, sleep apnea, older adults, substance use disorder, pregnancy, and hepatic impairment.
  • Abrupt discontinuation after chronic use can cause withdrawal and seizures.

Client teaching

  • Avoid alcohol, opioids unless specifically ordered and monitored, driving, and hazardous tasks.
  • Use fall precautions.
  • Do not stop chronic therapy abruptly.

Medication outcomes

  • Therapeutic response with no priority adverse effects.

Antidote / rescue

  • No specific antidote is seeded; hold/question unsafe doses and manage toxicity per provider, facility, or poison-control guidance.

NCLEX priority cues

  • Airway and breathing concerns override anxiety symptoms.
  • Benzodiazepines plus opioids or alcohol can be dangerous.
  • Withdrawal from sedatives can cause seizures.

Medication classes

BenzodiazepinesAntiepileptics

Source attribution

Google Drive source topic: Anxiolytics / Seizure
google-drive
Sentinel pharmacology API reference
sentinel-api
Manual ATI-format NCLEX candidate normalization
manual-seed

Related study cards

Shows the medication class, ATI cues, source references, and connected study cards for this drug.

12 study links
Med classmedication class
Antiepileptics

Calms abnormal neuronal firing so seizures are less likely to start or spread.

Med classmedication class
Benzodiazepines

Enhances GABA, the brain's braking system, to reduce excitability.

ATI cuePrecaution
Abrupt discontinuation after chronic use can cause withdrawal and seizures.

ATI medication precaution concept.

ATI cueContraindication
Acute narrow-angle glaucoma

ATI medication contraindication concept.

ATI cueNCLEX Priority Cue
Airway and breathing concerns override anxiety symptoms.

ATI medication nclex priority cue concept.

ATI cueClass
Anticonvulsant

ATI medication class concept.

ATI cueClass
Anxiolytic

ATI medication class concept.

ATI cueNursing Assessment
Assess anxiety, seizure activity, withdrawal severity, sedation level, respiratory rate, and oxygenation.

ATI medication nursing assessment concept.

ATI cueMechanism of Action
ATI/source-folder candidate for Lorazepam (Ativan); verify mechanism against the source table before validation.

ATI medication mechanism of action concept.

ATI cueClient Teaching
Avoid alcohol, opioids unless specifically ordered and monitored, driving, and hazardous tasks.

ATI medication client teaching concept.

ATI cueClass
Benzodiazepine

ATI medication class concept.

ATI cueNCLEX Priority Cue
Benzodiazepines plus opioids or alcohol can be dangerous.

ATI medication nclex priority cue concept.