![\"Study](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/lorazepam.jpg\")
This is how reel seeps into the real!Whether popular web series will be able to help you look inward and check the dysfunction within or not, it certainly can be trusted to trigger a spike in a new \u201cdisorder\u201d: a new study has revealed a striking surge in Google searches for the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam following the release of Season 3 of HBO\u2019s popular series The White Lotus.What happened?Read below.<\/p>\n
The White Lotus effect<\/p>\n
In a striking example of how television can shape real-world behavior, the recent University of California, San Diego<\/a> study found that the release of The White Lotus Season 3 triggered a significant increase in Google searches for lorazepam, a potent benzodiazepine commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia. According to the study published in JAMA Health Forum<\/a>, search interest was nearly 99% higher than expected over a 12-week stretch following the show\u2019s February 16, 2025, release \u2014 amounting to about 1.6 million additional searches. What is lorazepam?<\/p>\n Lorazepam, commonly known by the brand name Ativan, is a prescription medication belonging to the benzodiazepine class of drugs. It acts as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, i.e., it slows down activity in the brain and nervous system.Lorazepam is FDA-approved and widely used for the short-term treatment of several conditions, like anxiety disorders (including anxiety associated with depression), and insomnia (related to anxiety or temporary situational stress). It\u2019s also used as a pre-medication before medical or dental procedures (like surgery) to relieve anxiety, induce sedation, and cause amnesia so the patient does not remember details of the procedure.<\/p>\n Why this surge is concerning<\/p>\n Medical experts say the trend is worrying because lorazepam comes with serious risks \u2014 especially when misused or taken without proper supervision.According to Dr. Kevin Yang, a psychiatrist at UC San Diego who co-led the study, the show The White Lotus portrayed lorazepam in a casual, even glamorous way, failing to show the major dangers. On screen, characters combine lorazepam with white wine, slur their words, and fall asleep \u2014 echoing risky real-life behavior.Yang warns that while lorazepam is clinically useful for short-term anxiety, the show glosses over serious risks like dependence, cognitive impairment, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms.However, this could be especially harmful because long-term benzodiazepine use is not harmless. In fact, prolonged or repeated use can lead to tolerance, dependence, and misuse. And stopping lorazepam suddenly can trigger withdrawal symptoms like panic attacks, agitation, or even seizures \u2014 risks the show did not care to highlight. What makes lorazepam risky<\/p>\n![\"Lorazepam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/lorazepam-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Strikingly, the spike was very specific to lorazepam. Searches for other popular benzodiazepines \u2014 like alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam (Klonopin) \u2014 stayed flat during the same period. The research team also tracked \u201cacquisition-related\u201d searches, such as \u201chow to get lorazepam\u201d online. These queries rose by nearly 64%, representing roughly 30,000 more searches than expected.<\/p>\n![\"Lorazepam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/lorazepam-3.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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