"Chris Cornell's Family Thinks Ativan May Have Played Role in Suicide. How Safe Is the Drug?" - Amanda MacMillan
The anti-anxiety medication is a sedative, and can impair judgment. But one expert says it's unlikely to make a non-suicidal person take their own life. Ativan (and its generic version, lorazepam) is an extremely common drug, prescribed to millions of people every year, says Asher Simon, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. (Dr. Simon did not treat Cornell.) And overall, he says, "it can be an incredibly effective and very safe medication."
- Asher B. Simon, MD, Associate Director of Residency Education, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai