Surely you have heard of the orphidal. This is the name of one of the brands that uses Lorazepam as a drug. Lorazepam is a type of short-lived anxiolytic, that is, its half-life is between 5 and 20 hours. Specifically, it is a benzodiazepine that is used for problems with stress, anxiety, muscle problems, seizures, insomnia or irritable bowel syndrome, among others.
Orfidal is one of the drugs that is currently sold the most, in some cases becoming part of the daily routine. Therefore, we can say that there is an excess in its intake, since it should be very punctual and not exceed 12 weeks. In addition, it has many side effects.
In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you the side effects of orfidal short and long term, how you should take it and how to stop taking it.
Short-term side effects of orfidal
The short-term side effects of orfidal are diverse. It is quite common for the consumption of orfidal to cause problems in different cognitive skills such as the ability to concentrate. The humor changes They are one of the best-known side effects of orfidal.
On the other hand, it is quite common for headaches, nausea either dry mouth. Orfidal side effects also include dizziness or loss of balance. Additionally, in some cases, sexual problems have occurred with the ingestion of orfidal.
Many people who take these types of medications report falling asleep during the day due to the sedative effect. This occurs despite having had a good rest during the night. Similarly, sometimes the side effects of taking orfidal 1 mg tablets are paradoxical effects such as insomnia or an increase in anxiety.
In this article, we tell you.
Long-term side effects of orfidal
Prolonged use of orfidal can have many consequences. Next, we will look at the long-term side effects of orfidal:
- Addiction: both physically and mentally, so when it comes to withdrawing its intake, a withdrawal syndrome would occur. Furthermore, by having an addiction, increases anxiety every time it has not been consumed, in the same way that would happen, for example, with tobacco.
- Memory impairment and in motor coordination: another of the most problematic side effects of orfidal. Although in young people it is not usually noticeable and, after stopping the medication, these functions usually recover, in the elderly it can increase and accelerate cognitive deterioration if it exists. In this article, we tell you the.
- Decreased sleep quality: Due to the adverse effects of orfidal, if we ingest it long term, sleep will be less deep.
- Hallucinations, delusions either depression: other serious long-term side effects of orfidal. In this article you will find information about the.
- Agoraphobia and irritable bowel syndrome: Over time you can develop a phobia of public places or irritable bowel disorder that generates severe pain in the large intestine.
- Cancer or self-harm: associated with prolonged use of benzodiazepines, although it is not usually common. In the following article you will see the .
How to take and how to stop taking orfidal?
As we have seen, orfidal should be considered a specific help for an anxiety or sleep problem and, instead of taking it as a routine, only take it if it is really necessary and you are having some type of anxiety crisis, sleeping problems, etc. In any case, it will always be better to attack the root of the problem by carrying out psychological therapy and leave this type of medication for extreme cases. If you need it, the ideal would be to ingest the minimum amount possible.
It should not be ingested if you are pregnant, since it can cause an addictive effect on the fetus and subsequently develop a withdrawal syndrome. To know how to take orfidal, it is always necessary follow the guidelines of a healthcare professional.
How to stop taking orfidal?
When stopping treatment, you must do so in a gradual way that prevents the withdrawal syndrome already mentioned. This withdrawal always has to be under the supervision of a health professional. The ideal is to reduce total daily consumption by 10 or 25% every two weeks, although this may vary depending on the methodology of the psychiatrist and the patient and their problems.
You must remember that its effect is merely symptomatic and that, if the problem that generates stress and anxiety continues, you will have these symptoms again when you stop taking the medication as side effects of stopping orfidal.
Therefore, it is necessary to insist on go to psychotherapy and that there is psychiatrist-psychologist teamwork so that the drug is taken for the shortest amount of time possible, thus avoiding adverse effects and dependence. Furthermore, in this way the need to ingest it again in the future would also be avoided, since the person will have learned to manage their problems on their own without the need for medication.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Adán, A. and Prat, G. (2016). Psychopharmacology: Mechanism of action, effect and therapeutic management. Barcelona: Marge Medica Books.
- Salazar, M.; Peralta, C.; Pastor, J. (2011). Manual of Psychopharmacology. Madrid: Panamericana Medical Editorial.