A comparison of four treatments for generalized convulsive status epilepticus
Lorazepam's strongest evidence is in emergency seizure care - for my anxiety, what evidence guides the dose and how long I should take it?
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
In a randomized double-blind trial of 518 patients with generalized convulsive status epilepticus, intravenous lorazepam stopped overt seizures in 64.9% of patients versus 43.6% with phenytoin, establishing it as a preferred first-line emergency treatment.
Worth asking
Lorazepam's strongest evidence is in emergency seizure care - for my anxiety, what evidence guides the dose and how long I should take it?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Anxiety disorders
- Short-term relief of anxiety symptoms, including anxiety associated with depressive symptoms
Source
A comparison of four treatments for generalized convulsive status epilepticus — Treiman DM, et al. (1998)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199809173391202
DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199809173391202
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 518
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 64 out of 100 on our published rubric. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
A comparison of four treatments for generalized convulsive status epilepticus — Treiman DM, et al. (1998). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199809173391202. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Funding not disclosed. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is lorazepam (Ativan), ativan FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Anxiety disorders, Short-term relief of anxiety symptoms, including anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.