Orfidal: what it is and what are its effects

Orfidal is one of the best-selling drugs today, almost as much as aspirin. The fact that it has become one of the most prescribed drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia is due to a reason: it manages to relax us without interfering with our daily activities. However, be careful, this is a type of benzodiazepine and, therefore, it can cause dependence.

Most of us know someone who includes that little ritual in their daily life: taking a small, and almost insignificant, pill, Orfidal. We may even have it included in our medical prescriptions or, even more so, among those drugs that we have been taking for a long time. However, Are we aware that the administration of this drug should not exceed 12 weeks?

We may know it, we may have read it or we may have been told it. However, things are what they are, life is very demanding, the problems are chaotic and the nights are very long. Hence, it is common that primary care doctors are more than used to prescribing Orfidal month after monthto the point that we have a good part of the population (especially the elderly) unable to start their daily lives without that little pill.

It is effective, there is no doubt, fulfills its purposes: treating anxiety and insomnia. This is what studies tell us, such as the one published by the University of Nottingham in the journal Pharmacology. However, something that we cannot forget is that Orfidal is a psychotropic drug that has side effects and generates dependency.

Orfidal, what it is and what it is for

Orfidal contains an active ingredient that should be familiar to us, lorazepam. We are, therefore, facing a type of drug from the benzodiazepine family that works by acting on the GABA receptors in our brain. What does this mean? Basically, its mechanism of action enhances 5 very specific states: it reduces anxiety, it is amnesiac, it is sedative and hypnotic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant.

Therefore, it is common for specialists and primary care doctors to prescribe it for the following purposes:

Short-term treatment of anxiety and tension states. To treat sleep disorders.Orfidal is usually prescribed along with other psychotropic drugs for the treatment of depression.It is also effective for people with epilepsy. It is usually administered as a treatment for withdrawal syndrome.

What should we know before taking Orfidal?

There are people who go to their primary care centers being very clear about what they want: the Orfidal prescription to sleep better, they want the same treatment that their co-worker, their sister or their yoga teacher follows. We must be very careful with these issues, with the world of psychopharmacology and, especially, with our health.

Let’s not forget that each person is different, that each body responds in a different way and that each organism will adapt better to some strategies and not others. Orfidal is effective, it is useful and it will help us, we cannot deny that. However, We can always start with other types of strategies to manage anxiety or treat insomnia before resorting to the pharmacy..

Therefore, it never hurts to take into account a series of prior considerations:

Orfidal contains 1 mg of lorazepam, a type of benzodiazepine, and, therefore, generates dependence after several weeks. The duration of the treatment should be as short as possible. The treatment must be prescribed by a health professional. It should always be taken before going to bed. We should not consume it if we have to carry out any activity that requires our attention, such as driving.We will never exceed the recommended doses. It is recommended not to take Orfidal if we have respiratory problems, sleep apnea as well as liver or kidney ailments. It is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Effects associated with Orfidal

We have pointed out repeatedly that any treatment with benzodiazepines maintained for more than 12 weeks generates physical and psychological dependence. Therefore, during that treatment time We must also schedule its withdrawal, so that the definitive elimination of this drug is not traumatic for our body.

Do it abruptly, that is, Leaving Orfidal today for tomorrow will cause us to experience a wide range of symptoms as annoying as they are debilitating, such as headaches, increased anxiety, confusion, muscle pain… It must be done well and it must be carried out following the guidelines of our doctors.

On the other hand, Nor can we ignore the side effects associated with the sustained consumption of this type of psychotropic drug.. Although it is true that we are dealing with a relatively “mild” medication that does not excessively alter our daily lives, the problem arises when our body develops tolerance, on the one hand, and dependence on its active ingredients on the other..

In fact, studies such as the one carried out by the Université Pierre et Marie Currie and published in the journal Human Pharmacology remind us that the most common side effect If its use is chronic, it is the impact on our cognitive functions (memory, attention, problem solving…)

Let’s see their efects.

Most common symptoms of Orfidal

Fatigue. Dry mouth.Muscular weakness.Blurred vision. Dry mouth. Concentration problems.

Less common possible side effects

Voltage drops.Skin hypersensitivity.Asthenia (apathy, bad mood, lack of motivation). Problems concentrating, memory failures. Sexual impotence or lack of desire. Nervous system disorders: dizziness, tremors, headache and vertigo. Gastrointestinal disorders such as nausea or constipation.

Symptoms of Orfidal overdose

Changes in speech rhythms: failures in fluency, expression and comprehension.Excessive sweating. Complete lack of strength and energy. Tremors when walking. Coordination problems. Unusual drowsiness.Continuous excitement, nervousness, irritability, feeling of alarm or panic.Pallor.

To conclude, despite the fact that Orfidal is so normalized and we see it in the bags, medicine cabinets and bedside tables of many of our friends and family, let us remember that its use should be limited in time and controlled by a doctor. Life’s problems can be solved in many ways and although drugs are of great help, they are not the only or the best long-term strategy.

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