Lymphedema Caused by Lorazepam

hmmmm...

I'm not buying it either.... though I have been taking ativan quiet consistently since diagnosis a year ago, much less frequently over the last month or so thankfully. But today, my PT suggested a sleeve, so of course seeing this post TODAY freaked me out...

Hi Redsun, first, Im really sorry what you've gone through. By the sounds of it you've had some bad reaction or something. I believe you're correct that it is addictive, but I'd be cautious about saying as a statement of fact "There is no safe level of benzodiazepine for the body." Can you enlarge on how you know that for sure? I don't remember seeing LE as a possible side effect for this medicine.

Interesting to hear how addictive Ativan is - I have not had any problems with dependency whatsoever. I know what will trigger my anxiety so I'll take it, but that's like once in a blue moon, so maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones.

Amy

All about lorazepam:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam

Nothing on LE yet.

Taking Ativan occasionally or for short periods of time is not where the addiction risk lies (just as taking prescription pain meds for limited time does not pose addiction problem). The risk comes with long term daily use. The addictive potential under those circumstances is well documented, but again we are not talking about occasional use. As far as a link between Ativan and LE, I have been unable to find documented evidence of that

Glennie,

Thank you. Any connection between Ativan and LE, that you are aware of

I love you glennie19!

I've been taking Ativan occasionally for six years (since my diagnosis) usually on scan days and sometimes when I cannot get to sleep - yes, my drs. warned me at the beginning that it is highly addictive but if you don't take it constantly day after day, year after year then should be just fine. Don't have LE and have never heard of this as an se.

Redsun, wecome! I'm so glad the issues you've been struggling with have been resolved--that's really good news after so long a time! And Glennie, thanks for sharing your expertise with us. Addiction is a scary thing to think about, so that clarification is sure helpful.

Redsun, I'm interested in your statement about LE being "chemically induced." (And I sure do hear you on the fact that nobody in the medical community gives us all the information about LE that we need! Grrrrrr!) Having spoken about this with some of the experts in the LE field, I just wanted to clarify how "chemically induced" might work. There are many prescription and OTC drugs (though lorazepam is not generally considered to be one of them) that can cause swelling. Since our lymph systems have been compromised by breast cancer treatment, this swelling may, in fact, trigger LE, when the edema overwhelms the system and the fluid stagnating in the tissues can't be efficiently moved out. These drugs can also cause LE flares in those of us who already have LE, for the same reason--more fluid in the area than our compromised systems can handle. In that way LE might be "chemically triggered," even if it isn't actually induced by the drugs--in fact, it's induced by the damage to the lymph nodes by surgery and/or radiation. (Chemotherapy, especially the taxanes, can also trigger LE in a lymph system already compromised, for the same reason--those drugs cause edema.) The fact that what was diagnosed as LE resolved when you stopped taking lorazepam might suggest that you dig deeper to discover the mechanism that was at work in your particular situation. As Glennie suggests, it might be a unique allergic reaction--whatever the cause, it would be helpful to you to know how it worked so you can avoid it with other drugs and/or treatments.

May you never have to deal with this "swell" condition again!

Gentle hugs,
Binney

I've learned a lot from this conversation, so thanks to all of you for your research and for sharing your expertise. What a wonderful environment this is, to ask questions and receive well-thought answers from people who share our frustration that we and the medical community don't know enough about LE. I'm incredibly grateful for every piece of the LE puzzle that I find here.

Yes, it is strange isn't it?

Sometimes they say truth is stranger than fiction. That's the case here. Something doesn't tally that's for sure. Its not my business to post what the MOds have given us the freedom to delete, but to be clear:

vlnrph, I don't know how many resgistrants are spammers and the like but clicking on the "Member List" in the Left pane will show you there are numerous people registered and have 0 topics 0 posts even on the first page and earlier than Redsun. eg,

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Redsun definitely posted in September last year. The only thing I can think of as to why the figures don't tally is Im pretty sure there were no responses to that thread and so when it was deleted, the whole thing disappeared off the map so to speak so that may have "zero'd the counter"..

Screenshot 1/ The thread title was different but ended in Lorazepam as you can see, so Ive included the first 2 words of the post.

Screenshot 2/ Here on the top level of in the LE forum you see the title (Ive included the 1st letter this time) and "0 posts 0 views". Also the positioning and view counts on the post below, would be likely indicators of the timing.

Screenshot 3/ When I did the screengrabs according to Windoze Explorer.

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Shelley, that is a very low dose. Please don't stress about needing this to help you sleep.  It is doubtful that you would become physically dependent on such a low dose.  Can you take Benadryl?  Perhaps consider using Benadryl on alternate nights to help you sleep?  (but do not take if you are on tamoxifen)