Medicine
Fact-checked

At TheHealthBoard, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

How Do I Choose the Best Lorazepam Tablets?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Choice of the best lorazepam tablets depends most on having a legal prescription. The doctor and the pharmacist filling the prescription are most likely to be most involved in choosing the best tablet based on dosage and available stock. The dosage amount may make some pills better choices than others, and patients might ask for stronger or weaker tablets, at times. Patients should also make sure to obtain tablets that meet certain standards, and should only get their prescription filled at reputable locations.

In most regions, lorazepam can’t be legally purchased without a doctor’s prescription. It is a potentially dangerous drug that can cause side effects like heavy sedation. Use over time can result in addiction. When a prescription is not available there are no "best choice" lorazepam tablets. People obtaining the drug without a prescription may face grave medical and legal consequences.

Since lorazepam is a prescription drug, the doctor or pharmacist will be involved in helping patients choose the best tablet.
Since lorazepam is a prescription drug, the doctor or pharmacist will be involved in helping patients choose the best tablet.

Frequently, patients receive a prescription and take it to a local drugstore to be filled. The pharmacist reads the doctor’s prescription and uses a generic drug or trade-name version of lorazepam, in the amount and strength prescribed. Patients do have some choice concerning the tablet size, as assessed by dosage strength.

Essentially, lorazepam tablets are available in 0.5, 1 and 2 milligrams. Patients taking larger doses may want the maximum strength pills, to avoid having to swallow additional tablets. When dosage amounts are low, you may prefer the lowest strength tablets, so that pills don’t have to be divided. Tablet choice may be discussed with the prescribing doctor. Some pharmacists are also allowed to make an equivalent switch, providing it is equal in medication amount to the original prescription.

Different dosages of lorazepam may be prescribed for different conditions.
Different dosages of lorazepam may be prescribed for different conditions.

Differences between generic versus brand-name medications are often debated, and some generic drugs slightly differ in action from brand-name forms. Lorazepam does not show this tendency. Provided generic lorazepam is certified by a reputable agency, like the U.S. Pharmacopeia® (USP), it should work the same as any trade-name version of the medicine.

Patients who take lorazepam should not discontinue its use without first consulting a physician.
Patients who take lorazepam should not discontinue its use without first consulting a physician.

Brand-name and generic drugs have the same active ingredients. Moreover, most of the inactive ingredients in lorazepam tablets are identical, including lactose, cellulose, and magnesium stearate. Some drugs may use different dyes, which could be a matter of concern for people with sensitivity to them.

Lorazepam tablet choice should also consider pharmacy reputation. Most pharmacies are regulated by region, and they must meet safety standards and/or have licenses to do business. Some Internet pharmacies don’t have the same operating rules, and they can’t all be trusted equally. To make a good choice, look to pharmacies with approval from government or professional certifying agencies.

A generic anti-anxiety drug, lorazepam is also marketed and sold under the brand name Ativan.
A generic anti-anxiety drug, lorazepam is also marketed and sold under the brand name Ativan.

For example, in the U.S., patients can use Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS), which are inspected carefully by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy®. If you can’t verify the safety of a pharmacy, you’re advised not to buy lorazepam tablets or any other drugs from it. Pharmacies of unknown quality may sell medications that often don't possess the right active ingredients.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discuss this Article

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Since lorazepam is a prescription drug, the doctor or pharmacist will be involved in helping patients choose the best tablet.
      By: emiliau
      Since lorazepam is a prescription drug, the doctor or pharmacist will be involved in helping patients choose the best tablet.
    • Different dosages of lorazepam may be prescribed for different conditions.
      By: Monkey Business
      Different dosages of lorazepam may be prescribed for different conditions.
    • Patients who take lorazepam should not discontinue its use without first consulting a physician.
      By: LoloStock
      Patients who take lorazepam should not discontinue its use without first consulting a physician.
    • A generic anti-anxiety drug, lorazepam is also marketed and sold under the brand name Ativan.
      By: nadezhda1906
      A generic anti-anxiety drug, lorazepam is also marketed and sold under the brand name Ativan.
    • Exercise may help reduce anxiety without the high potential for addiction that comes with lorazepam and other benzodiazepines.
      By: Ana Blazic Pavlovic
      Exercise may help reduce anxiety without the high potential for addiction that comes with lorazepam and other benzodiazepines.