Lorazepam prescriptions skyrocket after The White Lotus reference in hit TV series.
Searches for the anti-anxiety medication surged following its prominent mention on The White Lotus. According to researchers, these spikes in interest occurred around the show's third season release in February and persisted for several weeks thereafter. This represents a 1.6 million additional searches compared to expected levels.
Internet searches for lorazepam doubled, while queries about how to obtain the medication increased by 64%. However, other benzodiazepines such as alprazolam and clonazepam were not affected by the reference.
Researchers warn that this trend raises concerns, given the growing misuse of prescription medications. Without proper context, viewers may believe lorazepam is a safe solution for anxiety, rather than understanding its potential risks and the need for medical supervision.
Critics are also pointing out a lack of education in The White Lotus about stopping lorazepam use abruptly. Dr. Olivia Maynard notes that benzodiazepines can cause severe withdrawal symptoms such as panic attacks and seizures.
Experts stress that entertainment industries should adopt responsible best practices to address concerns surrounding medication portrayals. While incorporating health information panels may help, some argue that relying solely on these measures could be counterproductive.
Ultimately, addressing the misuse of prescription medications will require a multi-faceted approach. Harry Sumnall, a professor at Liverpool John Moores University, emphasizes the importance of enforcement actions against illicit manufacturers and prescriber education in preventing over-prescribing.
Searches for the anti-anxiety medication surged following its prominent mention on The White Lotus. According to researchers, these spikes in interest occurred around the show's third season release in February and persisted for several weeks thereafter. This represents a 1.6 million additional searches compared to expected levels.
Internet searches for lorazepam doubled, while queries about how to obtain the medication increased by 64%. However, other benzodiazepines such as alprazolam and clonazepam were not affected by the reference.
Researchers warn that this trend raises concerns, given the growing misuse of prescription medications. Without proper context, viewers may believe lorazepam is a safe solution for anxiety, rather than understanding its potential risks and the need for medical supervision.
Critics are also pointing out a lack of education in The White Lotus about stopping lorazepam use abruptly. Dr. Olivia Maynard notes that benzodiazepines can cause severe withdrawal symptoms such as panic attacks and seizures.
Experts stress that entertainment industries should adopt responsible best practices to address concerns surrounding medication portrayals. While incorporating health information panels may help, some argue that relying solely on these measures could be counterproductive.
Ultimately, addressing the misuse of prescription medications will require a multi-faceted approach. Harry Sumnall, a professor at Liverpool John Moores University, emphasizes the importance of enforcement actions against illicit manufacturers and prescriber education in preventing over-prescribing.
! So like, people are getting prescriptions for lorazepam left and right after watching The White Lotus? It's not even healthy 
! I get that the show did a good job of portraying anxiety, but now people are gonna start taking meds without knowing the risks? That's just reckless 
. And yeah, I'm totally with Harry on this - we need to crack down on those illicit manufacturers and prescriber education too 
. It's not just about adding health info panels to shows (although that helps), but also about tackling the root issues. We can't just rely on entertainment alone to fix this problem 
. Anyway, I'm all for awareness and responsible portrayals in media... let's keep talking about this! 
That sounds super painful and I can see why Dr. Maynard is warning us about it.
And what's up with the lack of education in The White Lotus about stopping lorazepam use abruptly? I guess that's kinda what happened when people were watching and suddenly wanted to try it out...
Like, shouldn't we just be talking about this stuff in real life already? I feel like we need a bigger solution than just health info panels or whatever... maybe something like more education and awareness campaigns? 
Do we really need TV shows to tell us that medication can have consequences, or should we already know better from our everyday experiences? It's a complex issue, but I think it highlights the need for more nuanced conversations around health and wellness. 
. I remember when I was younger and used to take it for anxiety, but I had to be so careful not to rely on it too much. Now, with all these new people getting prescriptions left and right, I'm scared they're not taking the risks seriously enough 
.
So I guess The White Lotus finally helped people realize that lorazepam isn't just for sleeping on the beach... but it's still not cool to self-medicate with prescription meds, lol. It's like, we get it, anxiety is real, but don't try to solve your problems with a pill from the internet 
. Anyway, I hope this is a wake-up call for everyone involved in the entertainment industry – let's get some real education in there, stat! 
.
. We need to tackle the root cause of over-prescribing and misuse, which is like, super complex 
. Let's hope we can get a handle on this before more people get hurt 
.
. we need more than just panels, we need action 
. and btw, how easy is it to get this stuff anyway? 
. I'm all for raising awareness about anxiety meds, but come on, can't the writers do some real research this time? like, have you seen how they handled the withdrawal symptoms? it's like, "oh, don't worry, you'll be fine"... no you won't 
. seriously though, this is a big deal. we need to be careful about what we're glorifying in entertainment. maybe they could've done some serious research on the effects of benzodiazepines before including it in the show 
! like, i know it's not all bad that people are talking about anxiety meds, but at the same time, its kinda wild to think that a TV show reference could cause such a huge spike in searches... and then you read this part about how people might just be using it for anxiety without even knowing the risks 
.
I'm talking 3am gaming sessions, midnight forum browsing... sometimes I feel like I need a panic attack meds 
"just take a pill and you'll be fine"... nope, not how it works. We need more education on this stuff!