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• Lorazepam, a common anti-anxiety medication, makes frequent appearances in Season 3 of “The White Lotus” on HBO.
• This type of benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, and certain types of insomnia.
• The drug slows activity in the brain, promoting physical relaxation and reducing anxious thoughts.
• Lorazepam has the potential for dependence and may cause life threatening problems when used with opioid medications, alcohol, and certain illegal drugs.

HBO’s third season of “The White Lotus” is underway. A mostly new cast of guests flock to Thailand’s Koh Samui to stay at the show’s namesake luxury spa and wellness sanctuary. Here, spirituality and a possible whodunnit are served up to loyal fans of the beloved comedy-drama series.

This season begins similarly to others, with plenty of intrigue, leaving behind a string of mysteries about who died and how. The show opened with gunshots and a dead body, this time floating face down in a lotus pond.

As storylines are introduced, a surprising theme running throughout this season is the frequent mention of lorazepam, a prescription medication used to treat anxiety and certain types of insomnia.

Victoria Ratliff, played by Parker Posey, whose Southern drawl brings a distinctive ring to the word “lorazepam,” can’t seem to get through the day without popping these anti-anxiety pills like candy, sometimes downing them with white wine at dinner.

Her overuse of the pills leaves her slurring her words, zoning out, and dozing off at the dinner table. At one point in episode 4 (which was released on March 9), Victoria’s daughter Piper exclaims, “You don’t have enough lorazepam to get through one week at a wellness spa”

In this episode, Victoria’s husband Timothy (played by Jason Isaacs) steps into lorazepam misuse territory to cope with a work-related scandal that could ruin his reputation. While attending a yacht party with their three children, he steals Victoria’s prescription bottle from her bag, drinks a few glasses of what looks like whiskey and becomes incoherent.

If you’re wondering about this drug and whether it’s safe for anxiety, read on. We’ll break down how the drug is meant to be used, the main risks, and other ways to manage your anxiety.

What is lorazepam?

Lorazepam is the generic name for the prescription medication Ativan. It belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which also include:

• Valium
• Xanax
• Halcion
• Klonopin

“Lorazepam is a commonly prescribed medication for anxiety. It’s also used to treat panic attacks and can be used for insomnia,” said David Merrill, MD, PhD, a geriatric psychiatrist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.

The drug works by slowing the activity in the brain, which promotes relaxation in the body and a reduction in anxious thoughts.

However, “the first-line treatment [for anxiety] is typically antidepressants like SSRIs [antidepressants], plus psychotherapy,” Merrill told Healthline.

“Something like cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction — where you get a better understanding of what’s driving your anxieties and how to manage the anxiety when it comes up, versus just popping a pill like is done on a TV show.”

Victoria L. Leigh, DO, FACOI, an internal medicine specialist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, CA, said in certain cases, benzodiazepines may be used first, such as with anxiety experienced by cancer patients and hospice or palliative care patients.

Lorazepam may also be used for short-term anxiety related to a medical procedure, she said, such as when people experience panic symptoms in the confined space of an MRI machine.

One 2024 meta-analysis of previous studies found that benzodiazepines were more effective than SSRIs at reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety. Both drugs were similarly effective at reducing the psychological symptoms. 

However, because benzodiazepines have more severe side effects, including a risk of dependence, SSRIs are often recommended first for generalized anxiety disorder.

Therapy can also benefit people by teaching them to notice internal physiological sensations such as racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, numbness and tingling. These are a normal part of the body’s stress response, said Merrill, not something that is dangerous or harmful.

“If you learn how to counteract those sensations when they come up, whether by taking a deep breath or taking a break from what you are doing, you can keep them from becoming a full-blown panic attack,” Merrill said.

Some people can manage their anxiety without medication, using therapy alone. However, “with more severe cases of anxiety, we see the best outcomes with a combination of meds and therapy, at least over the short-term,” Merrill noted. “Then sometimes people can taper off the medications when their anxiety is under better control.”

Is lorazepam habit forming? 

When used as prescribed, lorazepam can cause the following side effects:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• tiredness
• weakness
• unsteadiness
• nausea
• diarrhea or constipation
• appetite changes
• restlessness
• blurred vision
• changes in sex drive or ability

More serious problems, such as life threatening breathing problems, sedation, or coma, can occur if lorazepam is used alongside opioid medications such as codeine, oxycodone, and tramadol.

Drinking alcohol or using certain illegal drugs alongside lorazepam can also increase these risks.

“Benzodiazepines are generally safe when used as directed,” said Merrill, “but they have the potential to be habit forming, so you can become physiologically or psychologically dependent on them.”

People who are using illegal drugs or other substances should not use lorazepam. People with a history of alcohol dependence or abuse should not use lorazepam unless recommended by their doctor.

“Because lorazepam is short-acting, its onset is faster, making addiction more likely,” Leigh told Healthline. In addition, “withdrawals from this medication are more abrupt than the longer-acting medications in this family.”

Once dependence occurs, “if lorazepam is stopped suddenly, withdrawal symptoms can lead to seizures, altered [thoughts], and can be fatal,” she said.

How to recognize lorazepam dependence

Lorazepam and other benzodiazepines can cause physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms, even when taken as directed. 

The severity of withdrawal symptoms depend upon the dose you are taking, how long you’ve been taking the drug, other sedating drugs you are taking, and other factors.

Symptoms of withdrawal include:

• agitation
• poor memory
• insomnia
• anxiety
• panic attacks
• irritability
• headache
• muscle fatigue
• weakness
• tremor
• seizures

Merrill said other signs of lorazepam dependence include:

• needing to fill your prescription early
• using the drug above the amounts or more often than recommended by your doctor
• having to use someone else’s pills because you ran out early
• using the drug alongside alcohol in order to manage your anxiety symptoms
• neglecting your responsibilities at work or in your personal life

If you are experiencing physical dependence or if you had withdrawal symptoms when you tried to stop taking lorazepam, ask your doctor about tapering your dose. Tapering means taking smaller doses over the course of a few or several weeks until you can safely stop the drug.

Other ways to manage anxiety

Many non-medication options have been shown to help relieve anxiety symptoms. Some of these may include:

• psychotherapy
• mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
• EFT tapping
• acupressure 

“Focusing on exercise can also help to balance the ‘fight or flight’ nervous system response that drives anxiety-related feelings,” said Leigh. “Reduction in alcohol consumption and focusing on a balanced diet can also impact the ‘gut-brain axis’ and can improve mental health as well.”

For Amanda Armstrong, founder of Rise As We and author of “Healing Through the Vagus Nerve,” the missing link to healing from anxiety is often the autonomic nervous system.

This part of the nervous system controls unconscious processes such as breathing, heartbeat and digestion. It’s also in charge of keeping us safe through the body’s fight, flight, fawn and freeze responses.

“Understanding the role of the nervous system really shifts the paradigm from ‘I’m broken,’ to seeing that your symptoms make sense when put into the context of basic biological needs, your past trauma history, and how that gets stored in your body,” said Armstrong, who is based near Washington, D.C.

When viewed through the lens of the nervous system, anxiety symptoms are a survival response, one that makes sense in the context of the human body and a person’s current and past experiences.

Other factors can also contribute to anxiety, such as sleep deprivation, being overstressed or over-caffeinated, suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, or lacking connection to other people and community.

In her practice, Armstrong teaches clients two types of tools for managing their anxiety.

First are tools that people can use in the moment if they are feeling anxious or having a panic attack. This includes visual orienting (slowly looking around your space), biting into a lemon, and certain kinds of breathing.

These help people move up what Armstrong refers to as the autonomic nervous system ladder — away from the sympathetic activation response (also known as fight or flight mode) toward a state of calm and connection.

The other group of tools helps reduce people’s anxiety symptoms long-term. Part of this proactive approach is helping people understand what might be contributing to their anxiety symptoms, including:

• past trauma
• current life stressors
• lifestyle habits
• relationships
• micronutrient deficiencies
• health conditions (i.e., thyroid issues or hormone imbalance)

Once clients have mapped out these factors, Armstrong asks: “What feels meaningful, and what feels accessible for you to take on right now?”

While Armstrong said there’s a time and a place for the use of anti-anxiety medications, she empowers clients by educating them about how their bodies work and giving them tools to manage their anxiety.

This approach can also pave the way for deeper work with a therapist, whether it’s talk therapy, shadow work, or somatic parts (aka inner child) work. If the nervous system is well regulated, therapy is often more productive.

Overall, “the approach I use gives you an entire new framework for understanding yourself, and navigating your world and your symptoms in a way that is not associated with brokenness,” Armstrong told Healthline. “There’s also more space for compassion and curiosity.”

Takeaway

In Season 3 of the HBO series “The White Lotus,” some characters appear to pop lorazepam like candy. This prescription drug is used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia due to anxiety or situational stress.

Studies show that benzodiazepines such as lorazepam are effective for treating both the physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety. However, antidepressant SSRIs are more commonly used first because they have a lower risk of severe side effects.

Lorazepam carries a risk of dependence and potential for misuse. This drug can also cause life threatening breathing problems, sedation, or coma when used alongside opioid pain relievers, alcohol, or certain illegal drugs.

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• The growing measles outbreak in the U.S. has reached 301 confirmed cases, surpassing the total number of cases in 2024.
• The CDC issued a measles advisory for travelers and healthcare professionals as experts continue to urge vaccination against the disease.
• High vaccination rates help protect those who can’t be vaccinated due to medical treatments or compromised immune systems.

More than 300 measles cases have now been confirmed in 14 states across the United States.

In its weekly update on March 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 301 confirmed cases of measles in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.

That’s more than the 285 measles cases reported in all of 2024.

Of the 301 cases reported in 2025 so far, 229 are in adults and children under the age of 20. CDC officials have attributed 280 cases to three different outbreaks in the country.

Texas had the most cases, with 259 reported as of March 14. New Mexico had the second-highest number, with 35 cases.

The CDC added that 95% of all cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

So far, 50 of the cases have resulted in hospitalization. One death from measles has been confirmed, that being an unvaccinated child in Lubbock, TX. The death of a person who had measles and was unvaccinated is under investigation in Lea County, NM.

However, the measles spread isn’t limited to the United States.

An analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF states that there were more than 127,000 measles cases in Europe in 2024. That’s double the number recorded in 2023 in that region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. It’s also the highest number of cases recorded since 1997.

More than half of the European cases required hospitalization, and 38 deaths were reported in the region. The report noted that nearly 360,000 measles cases were reported worldwide in 2024.

The measles spread has prompted the CDC to issue an advisory for U.S. residents and healthcare professionals.

In it, the CDC recommends medical professionals to emphasize the importance and effectiveness of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to parents and unvaccinated adults.

They add that physicians should consider measles a possible diagnosis in anyone with a temperature above 101 degrees Fahrenheit and/or a rash or cough who has traveled internationally or domestically to a region with a measles outbreak.

They advise travelers to make sure they are fully vaccinated before heading to their destinations. They add that travelers should monitor themselves for 3 weeks after returning for any symptoms of measles.

“Measles is a highly contagious disease that can turn deadly,” said Anne Liu, MD, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics immunology and allergy at Stanford University. “People who are unvaccinated and people who are immunocompromised should be quite concerned about the growing footprint of this outbreak.”

Vaccinations prevent spread of measles

Experts say the reason measles is spreading so quickly is simple: it’s one of the most contagious diseases on the planet.

“It’s unbelievably contagious. It’s the most contagious disease we’ve ever seen,” said Danelle Fisher, MD, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.

She noted that people with measles can be contagious 4 days before symptoms emerge and 7 to 10 days afterward.

William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, notes that vaccines are the only protection against measles.

“Vaccination is the way to prevent measles. There are no other ways. Although it has been in the news recently, vitamin A cannot prevent measles,” Schaffner told Healthline.

Fisher agreed. She said people who have had the disease or are fully vaccinated don’t have much to worry about.

“You’re not going to get sick and you’re not going to spread it,” she told Healthline.

On the other hand, people who are unvaccinated or whose immunity has waned over the years are at significantly higher risk.

Fisher said people in these categories should view measles much like the world viewed COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines against that disease were available.

In fact, Fisher said if there weren’t a measles vaccine, the current outbreak would probably spread around the globe in just a few weeks.

“Vaccinations are the reason this is not spreading even more,” she said.

Fisher urged parents to ensure that children have received their recommended vaccines. She also recommended that adults who are unvaccinated or are unsure about their vaccination status get immunized.

She said the vaccines not only protect an individual but also children and adults who can’t get vaccinated due to medical treatments or compromised immune systems.

“It’s incumbent on all of us to protect the most vulnerable in our society,” Fisher said.

Schaffner agreed. “There are many children and adults living among us who are immunocompromised. If they were to contract measles, they would get very sick,” he said. “We all protect them by being vaccinated and creating a ‘cocoon’ of protection around them, making it difficult for the virus to get past us to find them.”

What else can you do to prevent measles?

Experts say there are precautions you can take in addition to vaccines to lower your risk of contracting measles.

Fisher cautioned unvaccinated people from taking planes, trains, or any other form of mass transportation. She said this group should only consider essential travel.

She added that you can also make adjustments at your job to lower the number of people you come into contact with. People who work at or visit schools or healthcare facilities should take extra precautions.

In addition, Fisher advised everyone to be cautious around anyone with a cough or other symptoms of measles.

“Be very wary of anyone with any kind of upper respiratory illness,” she said.

Even going to the grocery store might be risky for those who aren’t vaccinated.

“As this outbreak spreads, the areas of safety are going to get smaller and smaller,” Fisher said.

What to know about measles

Measles caused more than 3 million illnesses annually in the U.S. before the vaccine became widely available in the mid-1950s. Those cases resulted in 48,000 hospitalizations and 500 deaths annually.

The CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine. The first dose is usually given between 12 months and 15 months of age. The second dose is usually administered between 4 years and 6 years of age.

The virus is transmitted through the air or by direct contact with a surface that has droplets that contain the virus.

Symptoms will usually appear within 14 days. Those symptoms include:

• widespread skin rash
• high fever
• cough
• sore throat

About 30% of measles cases lead to some form of complication, the most common being ear infections and diarrhea. Serious complications are rare, but they include:

• pneumonia
• encephalitis
• subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Liu said there is also a long-term consequence to measles.

“One of the lesser-known features of measles is that it can wipe out part of a person’s immune memory from prior infections, leaving them vulnerable to infections they have previously had and successfully battled,” she told Healthline.

“These are preventable illnesses,” Liu added, urging the importance of vaccination. “Many people are being hospitalized for measles because of the severity of their illness, not for quarantining purposes.”

Schaffner agreed that measles should not be taken lightly.

“The public should be aware of the current measles situation,” he said. “Stay informed and make sure that you and your family are fully vaccinated against measles. If you have friends whom you know are not vaccinating their children, urge them to speak with their doctor about their concerns. Reach out and make them feel comfortable that vaccination is best for their family and for the entire community. We’re all in this together.”

Takeaway

The number of measles cases in the United States in 2025 has surpassed 300. That’s more than the number of cases reported in all of 2024.

The largest outbreak this year has been in Texas, where 259 cases have been confirmed.

Officials at the CDC say 95% of the cases nationwide are in unvaccinated people or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Experts say fully vaccinated people will not get sick from the disease, nor will they spread it. They urge parents to ensure their children have received the two recommended doses of the MMR vaccine.

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