Lorazepam 1mg/ml Oral Solution

FOR SHORT TERM (2-4 weeks only) USE

• Symptomatic relief of anxiety that is severe, disabling or subjecting the individual to unacceptable distress occurring alone or in association with insomnia or short-term psychosomatic, organic or psychotic illness.

AS PREMEDICATION

• Before operative dentistry and general surgery

NOT FOR USE

• Long term (i.e. longer than 4 weeks)

• For mild/moderate anxiety

Lorazepam Oral Solution is not recommended for use in children.

Route of administration: oral

Treatment to be given:

• Under close medical supervision

• At the lowest effective dose

• For the shortest possible duration (not exceeding 4 weeks)

Doses should be individualised.

Extension of use should not take place without further clinical evaluation.

Chronic use not recommended (little is known of the long term safety and efficacy; potential for dependence) (see section 4.4).

Increases in the dosage of lorazepam should be made gradually to help avoid adverse effects. The evening dose should be increased before the daytime doses.

When treatment is started the patient should be informed that

• Treatment will be of limited duration

• The dosage will be progressively decreased

• There is a possibility of withdrawal and rebound phenomena which is greater after abrupt discontinuation; therefore, the drug should be discontinued gradually for all patients (see section 4.4). Generally, the duration of treatment varies from a few days to 4 weeks including the tapering off process.

Dosage:

Adults:

• Anxiety: 1 - 4ml (1 - 4mg) daily in divided doses.

• Insomnia: 1 - 2ml (1 - 2mg) before retiring

• Premedication before operative dentistry or general surgery: 2 - 3ml (2 - 3mg) the night before operation 2 - 4ml (2 - 4mg) one to two hours before the procedure

Elderly and debilitated patients:

For elderly and debilitated patients reduce the initial dose by approximately 50% and adjust the dosage as needed and tolerated (see section 4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use).

Patients with Renal or Hepatic impairment:

Lower doses may be sufficient in patients with impaired renal function or mild to moderate hepatic insufficiency (see section 4.4). Use in patients with severe hepatic insufficiency is contraindicated (see section 4.3)

Method of administration

For oral use only.

• Hypersensitivity to lorazepam, benzodiazepines or to any of the other excipients listed in section 6.1

• Severe respiratory insufficiency: respiratory depression; sleep apnoea (risk of further respiratory depression)

• Severe hepatic insufficiency (may precipitate encephalopathy)

• Myasthenia gravis;

Benzodiazepines should not be used alone in depression or anxiety with depression (may precipitate suicide)

Use of benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, may lead to potentially fatal respiratory depression.

Severe anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions have been reported with the use of benzodiazepines. Cases of angioedema involving the tongue, glottis or larynx have been reported in patients after taking the first or subsequent doses of benzodiazepines. Some patients taking benzodiazepines have had additional symptoms such as dyspnoea, throat closing, or nausea and vomiting. Some patients have required medical therapy in the emergency department. If angioedema involves the tongue, glottis or larynx, airway obstruction may occur and be fatal. Patients who develop angioedema after treatment with a benzodiazepine should not be rechallenged with the drug.

Lorazepam should be used with caution in patients with compromised respiratory function (e.g., COPD, sleep apnoea syndrome).

Patients should be advised that since their tolerance for alcohol and other CNS depressants will be diminished in the presence of lorazepam, these substances should either be avoided or taken in reduced dosage.

Anxiety or insomnia may be a symptom of several other disorders. The possibility should be considered that the complaint may be related to an underlying physical or psychiatric disorder for which there is more specific treatment.

Abuse of benzodiazepines has been reported, especially in patients with a history of drug and/or alcohol abuse.

Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.

Tolerance

Some loss of efficacy to the hypnotic effects of short-acting benzodiazepines may develop after repeated use for a few weeks.

There is evidence that tolerance develops to the sedative effects of benzodiazepines.

Dependence

The use of benzodiazepines may lead to physical and psychological dependence. The risk of dependence on lorazepam is low when used at the recommended dose and duration, but increases with higher doses and longer term use. The risk of dependence increases with dose and duration of treatment and is also greater in patients with a history of alcoholism or drug abuse, or in patients with significant personality disorders. Therefore, use in individuals with a history of alcoholism or drug abuse should be avoided.

Withdrawal Reactions

Dependence may lead to withdrawal symptoms, especially if treatment is discontinued abruptly. Therefore, the drug should always be discontinued gradually.

Withdrawal symptoms (e.g. rebound insomnia) can appear following cessation of recommended doses after as little as one week of therapy.

Abrupt discontinuation or rapid dosage reduction of lorazepam after continued use may precipitate withdrawal reactions, which can be life-threatening. These can range from mild dysphoria and insomnia to a major syndrome which may include abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, tremor, and convulsions. More severe acute withdrawal signs and symptoms, including life-threatening reactions, have included delirium tremens, depression, hallucinations, mania, psychosis, seizures, and suicidality. Convulsions/seizures may occur more often in patients with preexisting seizure disorders or in patients who take other drugs that lower the convulsive threshold, such as antidepressants.

The following symptoms have also been described: headache, anxiety, tension, restlessness, confusion and irritability, dizziness, dysphoria, derealisation, depersonalisation, hyperacusis, tinnitus, numbness and tingling of the extremities, hypersensitivity to light, noise, and physical contact/perceptual changes, involuntary movements, nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, panic attacks, myalgia/muscle pain, agitation, palpitations, tachycardia, vertigo, hyperreflexia, short-term memory loss and hyperthermia.

Occurrence of "rebound" phenomena: The symptoms that led to treatment with benzodiazepines recur in an enhanced form. These symptoms may be difficult to distinguish from the original symptoms for which the drug was prescribed.

Drug Abuse

Lorazepam has abuse potential. Patients with particular risk include those with a history of drug and/ or alcohol abuse.

Drug abuse is a known risk for benzodiazepines, and patients should be monitored accordingly when receiving lorazepam. Benzodiazepines may be subject to diversion. There have been reports of overdose related deaths when benzodiazepines are abused with other CNS depressants including opioids, other benzodiazepines, alcohol and/or illicit substances. These risks should be considered when prescribing or dispensing lorazepam. To reduce these risks the lowest effective dose should be used, and patients should be advised on the proper storage and disposal of unused drug to prevent diversion (e.g. through friends and relatives).

Duration

Treatment should be as short as possible. Generally, the duration of treatment varies from a few days to 4 weeks including the tapering off process.

It may be useful to inform the patient that treatment will be of limited duration and that it will be discontinued gradually. The patient should also be made aware of the possibility of "rebound" phenomena to minimise anxiety should they occur.

There are indications that, in the case of benzodiazepines with a short duration of action, withdrawal phenomena can become manifest within the dosage interval, especially when the dosage is high.

When benzodiazepines with a long duration of action are being used it is important to warn against changing to a benzodiazepine with a short duration of action, as withdrawal symptoms may develop.

Amnesia

Transient anterograde amnesia or memory impairment has been reported in association with the use of benzodiazepines. This effect may be advantageous when lorazepam is used as a premedicant. However, if lorazepam is used for insomnia due to anxiety, patients should ensure that they will be able to have a period of uninterrupted sleep which is sufficient to allow dissipation of drug effect (e.g., 7-8 hours).

Psychiatric and paradoxical reactions

Paradoxical reactions have been occasionally reported during benzodiazepine use (see section 4.8). Such reactions may be more likely to occur in children and the elderly. Should these occur, use of the drug should be discontinued.

Specific patient groups

Lorazepam is not intended for the primary treatment of psychotic illness or depressive disorders, and should not be used alone to treat depressed patients. The use of benzodiazepines may have a disinhibiting effect and may release suicidal tendencies in depressed patients. Therefore, large quantities of lorazepam should not be prescribed to these patients. The use of benzodiazepines in these patients should not be used without adequate antidepressant therapy.

Pre-existing depression may emerge during benzodiazepine use.

Caution should be used in the treatment of patients with acute narrow-angle glaucoma.

Patients with impaired renal function or mild to moderate hepatic insufficiency should be monitored frequently and have their dosage adjusted carefully according to patient response. Lower doses may be sufficient in these patients. The same precautions apply to elderly or debilitated patients and patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency.

As with all CNS-depressants, the use of benzodiazepines may precipitate encephalopathy in patients with severe hepatic insufficiency. Therefore, use in these patients is contraindicated.

Some patients taking benzodiazepines have developed a blood dyscrasia, and some have had elevations in liver enzymes. Periodic haematologic and liver-function assessments are recommended where repeated courses of treatment are considered clinically necessary.

Although hypotension has occurred only rarely, benzodiazepines should be administered with caution to patients in whom a drop in blood pressure might lead to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular complications. This is particularly important in elderly patients. Elderly patients should be warned of the risk of falls due to the myorelaxant effect of lorazepam.

Elderly patients:

Lorazepam should be used with caution in elderly due to the risk of sedation and/or musculoskeletal weakness that can increase the risk of falls, with serious consequences in this population. Elderly patients should be given a reduced dose (see section 4.2 Posology).

Excipient Warnings:

This medicinal product contains 20.21mg ethanol (alcohol) per ml. The amount in each ml of this medicinal product is equivalent to less than 1ml beer or 1ml wine. The small amount of alcohol in this medicinal product will not have any noticeable effects.

Not recommended: Concomitant intake with alcohol

The sedative effects may be enhanced when the product is used in combination with alcohol. This affects the ability to drive or use machines.

The benzodiazepines, including lorazepam produce additive central nervous system (CNS) depressant effects, including respiratory depression when co-administered with other medications which themselves produce CNS depression e.g., opioids, barbiturates, antipsychotics, sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, sedative antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and anaesthetics (see section 4.4).

An enhancement of the euphoria induced by narcotic analgesics may occur with benzodiazepine use, leading to an increase in psychic dependence.

Compounds which inhibit certain hepatic enzymes (particularly cytochrome P450) may enhance the activity of benzodiazepines. To a lesser degree this also applies to benzodiazepines which are metabolised only by conjugation.

There have been reports of excessive stupor, significant reduction in respiratory rate and, in one patient, hypotension when lorazepam and loxapine have been given concomitantly.

There have been reports of marked sedation, excessive salivation, and ataxia when lorazepam and clozapine have been given concomitantly.

Concurrent administration of lorazepam with sodium valproate may result in increased plasma concentrations and reduced clearance of lorazepam. Lorazepam dosage should be reduced to approximately 50% when co-administered with sodium valproate.

Concurrent administration of lorazepam with probenecid may result in a more rapid onset or prolonged effect of lorazepam due to increased half-life and decreased total clearance. Lorazepam dosage needs to be reduced by approximately 50% when co-administered with probenecid.

Administration of theophylline or aminophylline may reduce the sedative effects of benzodiazepines, including lorazepam.

Caffeine: Concurrent use may result in reduced sedative and anxiolytic effects of lorazepam.

Grapefruit juice: Inhibition of CYP3A4 may increase the plasma concentration of lorazepam (possible increased sedation and amnesia). This interaction may be of little significance in healthy individuals, but it is not clear if other factors such as old age or liver cirrhosis increase the risk of adverse events with concurrent use.

Pregnancy: Benzodiazepines should not be used during pregnancy, especially during the first and last trimesters. Benzodiazepines may cause foetal damage when administered to pregnant women. In particular, an increased risk of congenital malformations associated with the use of benzodiazepines during the first trimester of pregnancy has been suggested in several studies. In humans, umbilical cord blood samples indicate placental transfer of benzodiazepines and their glucuronide metabolites.

If the drug is prescribed to a woman of childbearing potential, she should be warned to contact her physician about stopping the drug if she intends to become, or suspects that she is, pregnant.

If, for compelling medical reasons, the product is administered during the late phase of pregnancy, or during labour at high doses, effects on the neonate can be expected due to the pharmacological action of the compound.

Infants of mothers who ingested benzodiazepines for several weeks or more preceding delivery have been reported to have withdrawal symptoms during the postnatal period.

Symptoms such as hypoactivity, hypotonia, hypothermia, respiratory depression, apnoea, feeding problems, and impaired metabolic response to cold stress have been reported in neonates born of mothers who have received benzodiazepines during the late phase of pregnancy or at delivery.

Breast-feeding

There is evidence that lorazepam is excreted, albeit in pharmacologically insignificant amounts, in human breast milk. Therefore, lorazepam should not be given to breastfeeding mothers unless the expected benefit to the mother outweighs the potential risk to the infant. Sedation and inability to suckle have occurred in neonates of lactating mothers taking benzodiazepines. Infants of lactating mothers should be observed for pharmacological effects (including sedation and irritability).

Sedation, amnesia, impaired concentration and impaired muscular function may adversely affect the ability to drive or to use machines. If insufficient sleep occurs, the likelihood of impaired alertness may be increased (see section 4.5). Patients should be warned not to operate dangerous machinery or motor vehicles if any of these effects occur.

This medicine can impair cognitive function and can affect a patient's ability to drive safely. This class of medicine is in the list of drugs included in regulations under 5a of the Road Traffic Act 1988. When prescribing this medicine, patients should be told:

• The medicine is likely to affect your ability to drive

• Do not drive until you know how the medicine affects you

• It is an offence to drive while under the influence of this medicine

However, you would not be committing an offence (called 'statutory defence') if:

• The medicine has been prescribed to treat a medical or dental problem and

• You have taken it according to the instructions given by the prescriber and in the information provided with the medicine and

• It was not affecting your ability to drive safely.

Adverse reactions, when they occur, are usually observed at the beginning of therapy and generally decrease in severity or disappear with continued use or upon decreasing the dose.

Most frequently reported adverse reactions associated with benzodiazepines include daytime drowsiness, dizziness, muscle weakness, and ataxia.

Adverse reactions are listed by frequency:

Very common (≥1/10); Common (≥1/100 to < 1/10); Uncommon (≥1/1,000 to < 1/100); Rare (≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000); Very rare (<1/10,000), Not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).

± Benzodiazepine effects on the CNS are dose-dependent, with more severe CNS depression occurring with high doses.

β The extent of respiratory depression with benzodiazepines is dose‑ dependent, with more severe depression occurring with high doses.

Drug withdrawal symptoms (see section 4.4)

Symptoms reported following discontinuation of benzodiazepines include headaches, muscle pain, anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, restlessness, confusion, irritability, sweating, and the occurrence of “rebound” phenomena whereby the symptoms that led to treatment with benzodiazepines recur in an enhanced form. These symptoms may be difficult to distinguish from the original symptoms for which the drug was prescribed.

In severe cases the following symptoms may occur: derealisation; depersonalisation; hyperacusis; tinnitus; numbness and tingling of the extremities; hypersensitivity to light, noise, and physical contact; involuntary movements; hyperreflexia, tremor, nausea, vomiting; diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, agitation, palpitations, tachycardia, panic attacks, vertigo, short-term memory loss, hallucinations/delirium; catatonia; hyperthermia, convulsions. Convulsions may be more common in patients with pre-existing seizure disorders or who are taking other drugs that lower the convulsive threshold such as antidepressants.

Pre-existing depression may emerge during benzodiazepine use.

Transient anterograde amnesia or memory impairment may occur using therapeutic doses, the risk increasing at higher doses (see section 4.4).

Paradoxical reactions such as restlessness, agitation, irritability, aggressiveness, delusion, rage, nightmares, hallucinations, psychoses, and inappropriate behaviour have been occasionally reported during benzodiazepine use. Such reactions may be more likely to occur in children and the elderly (see section 4.4).

Use (even at therapeutic doses) may lead to physical or psychological dependence and discontinuation of treatment may result in withdrawal reactions or rebound phenomena (see section 4.4).

Reporting of suspected adverse reactions:

Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

In the management of overdose with any drug, it should be borne in mind that multiple agents may have been taken.

Overdose of benzodiazepines is usually manifested by degrees of central nervous system depression ranging from drowsiness to coma. In mild cases, symptoms include drowsiness, mental confusion, and lethargy. In more serious cases, and especially when other CNS-depressant drugs or alcohol are ingested, symptoms may include dysarthria, ataxia, paradoxical reactions, CNS depression, hypotension, hypotonia, respiratory depression, coma, and very rarely, death. In post marketing experience, overdose with lorazepam has occurred predominantly in combination with alcohol and/or other drugs.

When there is a risk of aspiration, induction of emesis is not recommended. If ingestion was recent, induced vomiting and/or gastric lavage should be undertaken followed by general supportive care, monitoring of vital signs and close observation of the patient. If there is no advantage in emptying the stomach, activated charcoal may be effective in reducing absorption. Hypotension, though unlikely, may be controlled with noradrenaline. Lorazepam is poorly dialysable.

The benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil may be useful in hospitalised patients for the management of benzodiazepine overdose. Flumazenil product information should be consulted prior to use. The physician should be aware of a risk of seizure in association with flumazenil treatment, particularly in long-term benzodiazepine users and in cyclic antidepressant overdose.

Pharmacotherapeutic group: benzodiazepine with anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic properties.

ATC code: N05BA06

Absorption:

Lorazepam is almost completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and peak serum levels are reached in 2 hours.

Metabolism:

It is metabolised by a simple one-step process to a pharmacologically inert glucuronide. There are no major active metabolites.

Elimination:

The elimination half-life is about 12 hours and there is minimal risk of excessive accumulation. At clinically relevant concentrations, lorazepam is approximately 90% bound to plasma proteins.

Oesophageal dilation occurred in rats treated with lorazepam for more than one year at 6mg/kg/day.

Ethanol (96%)

Medium chain triglycerides

In the absence of compatibility studies, this medicinal product must not be mixed with other medicinal products.

This product is incompatible with polystyrene.

24 months

60ml: Discard 30 days after first opening.

150ml: Discard 90 days after first opening.

Store and transport refrigerated (2°C – 8°C).

Keep the bottle in the outer carton in order to protect from light.

For storage conditions after first opening of the medicinal product, see section 6.3

Bottle: Type III Amber glass

Closure: Tamper-evident, child-resistant plastic cap with expanded polyethylene liner

Dosing Device: 1ml oral syringe with 0.01ml graduations and a LDPE syringe adaptor

Pack size: 60ml and 150ml.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.