Lorazepam is a short-acting benzodiazepine commonly used for the short-term relief of anxiety symptoms related to anxiety disorders and anxiety associated with depressive symptoms such as anxiety-associated insomnia. It is as well used as an anesthesia premedication in adults to relieve anxiety or to produce sedation/amnesia and for the treatment of status epilepticus. Some off-label indications of lorazepam include rapid tranquilization of an agitated patient, alcohol withdrawal delirium, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, panic disorder, delirium, chemotherapy-associated anticipatory nausea and vomiting, and psychogenic catatonia. Lorazepam allosterically binds on the benzodiazepine receptors in the post-synaptic GABA-A ligand-gated chloride channel in different sites of the central nervous system (CNS). This binding will result in an increase on the GABA inhibitory effects which is translated as an increase in the flow of chloride ions into the cell causing hyperpolarization and stabilization of the cellular plasma membrane. According to the binding site of lorazepam, we can observe different activities as the binding in the amygdala is known to help mainly in anxiety disorders while the binding in the cerebral cortex helps in seizure disorders.

Lorazepam Pathway References