Shelf Life Of Ativan

I am a hospice nurse and the discussion has come up as to the shelf life of the narcotics that we use such as Ativan,Morphine, Dilaudid. Is there a blanket time that we can use for all narcotics that have expired expiration dates on the label.

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Okay first, Ativan is not a narcotic, it contains the active ingredient Lorazepam, which is a Benzodiazepine, so rather than treating pain, it is used to treat anxiety, nervous disorders and some severe cases of insomnia.

Learn more:

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Ativan/­

And second no, dispensing expired medications to your patients would be considered illegal under U.S. law.

Are there any other questions?

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Calm down, Nurse Nancy

geeesh

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Um. Yes, lorazepam IS a narcotic...
Narcotic does not mean "illicit drug", that does not make any sense. The way that I see it, people only use the term "narcotic" acephaleously; generally, you hear it from law enforcement officers and the like.

A narcotic is soporific drug, it's in the word itself, narco - which means sleep.
So all drugs that cause narcosis can be considered a narcotic, and although I hear people call compounds such as methamphetamine "illicit narcotics", I strongly believe that saying such a thing is too contradictory to even be taken seriously.

Lorazepam, a narcotic, just like all benzodiazepines. They all cause sedation, and narcosis at high enough dose just like all CNS depressants do.

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Lorazepam is not a narcotic. It is a benzodiazepine.

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nar·cot·ic [när'kädik] NOUN - A drug or other substance affecting mood or behavior and sold for non-medical purposes, especially an illegal one.

ADJECTIVE - relating to or denoting narcotics or their effects or use: "the substance has a mild narcotic effect"
synonyms: soporific · [more]

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I have some clonazepam that's about 5yrs old and it still works like a new prescription.

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I am searching for a new doctor as mine has retired. All offices ask me if I am on any narcotics. I am on Lorazepam for the reason of insomnia. Is this a controlled drug or a narcotic? It is 3mg at nite

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It's actually a Benzodiazepines, not a narcotic. Benzodiazepines suppress the nervous system and are prescribed for a variety of reasons including insomnia and anxiety. They are a controlled substance, under the Controlled Substances Act and are classified as Schedule IV drugs under depressants.

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Why are doctors reluctant to take me as a patient when I am on just 3 mg Ativan for sleep? I do not abuse it.

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