What could cause anxiety and agitation if a patient stops taking antipsychotic medication?

Hii,

I read your query and understand your concern.

Lorazepam is a rapidly addicting drug, which means it is very likely that your mother is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. It is not a good choice for an elderly person to take as and when required. Since she took it frequently for a month, sudden stoppage would cause withdrawal symptoms like tremors and anxiety. Since she has been feeling a recurrence of anxiety symptoms for the last month, it could also indicate a possibility of another bout of depressive episodes happening in a while. You can try to slowly reduce the dose of Lorazepam to half, continue it for a couple of days, reduce it to half again for another two days, and stop. Observe her for a week. If you feel she has other persistent symptoms of depression like the past episode, you can restart Sertraline (Sertraline Hydrochloride) 25 milligrams and increase it to 50 milligrams after a week.

Consult with her doctor and take the medicine with their consent.

Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Yes, slowly stop that medicine and reduce the current dosage to half. I guess your mother is taking 0.5 milligrams tablet once per night, so make it into 0.25 milligrams per night for a few more days, then if possible, reduce further and stop. It is a pretty addictive drug, so she might experience some withdrawal symptoms, which will resolve. Be mindful of another episode of depression in case symptoms persist. Consult with a doctor and take the medicine with their consent.

Thank you.