Surely you have heard of the orfidal. This is the name of one of the brands that Lorazepam uses as a drug. Lorazepam is a short-lived type of anxiolytic, that is, its half-life is between 5 hours and 20 hours. Specifically, it is a benzodiazepine that is used for stress, anxiety, muscle problems, seizures, insomnia or irritable bowel syndrome, among others.
Orfidal is one of the drugs that are currently sold the most, in some cases becoming part of the daily routine ingestion. 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 a multitude of side effects.
In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you the side effects of orfidal in the short and long term, how you should take it and how to stop taking it.
The short-term side effects of orfidal are diverse. It is quite common for the consumption of orfidal to cause problems in different cognitive abilities such as the ability to concentrate. The humor changes they are one of the best known orfidal side effects.
On the other hand, it is quite common for headaches, sickness or dry mouth. Orphidal side effects also include dizziness or loss of balance. In addition, in some cases, sexual problems have occurred with the intake of the orfidal.
Many people who take this type of medicine claim to fall asleep during the day due to the sedative effect. This occurs despite having had a good night's rest. Similarly, sometimes the side effects of taking orfidal 1 mg tablets are paradoxical effects such as insomnia or an increased state of anxiety.
In this article, we tell you what it is for, dosage and side effects of Lorazepam for sleep.
As we have seen, the orfidal should be considered a specific help in the face of an anxiety or sleep problem and, instead of taking it as a routine, only take it if it really is necessary and you are having some kind of anxiety crisis, trouble sleeping, etc. In any case, it will always be better to attack the root of the problem by doing psychological therapy and leaving that type of medication for extreme cases. In the case of needing it, the ideal would be to ingest the minimum amount possible.
It should not be ingested if you are pregnant, since it can generate an addictive effect on the fetus and subsequently develop a withdrawal syndrome. To know how to take the orfidal, it is always necessary follow the guidelines of a healthcare professional.
How to stop taking orfidal?
When stopping treatment, you have to do it in a gradual way to prevent the withdrawal syndrome mentioned above. This withdrawal must always be under the supervision of a healthcare professional. The ideal is to reduce the 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 problem.
You must remember that its effect is merely symptomatic and that, if the problem that generates stress and anxiety continue, you will have these symptoms again when you stop taking the medication as side effects of stopping the orphidal.
Thus, it is necessary to insist on go to psychotherapy and that there is a psychiatrist-psychologist teamwork so that the drug is taken for the shortest amount of time possible, thus avoiding adverse effects and dependence. In addition, 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, in 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.
