Cognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use: a meta-analysis
If I stay on lorazepam long term, how will we monitor for effects on memory and concentration?
Suggestive but preliminary. Not settled. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Included studies were small and observational; the same group's companion meta-analysis (PMID 15033227) found impairment improved but did not fully resolve after withdrawal.
Pooling 13 observational studies of people who had taken benzodiazepines for about 10 years on average, long-term users scored moderately worse than controls across every cognitive domain tested (mean effect size -0.74).
Worth asking
If I stay on lorazepam long term, how will we monitor for effects on memory and concentration?
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
Cognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use: a meta-analysis — Barker MJ, et al. (2004)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.2165/00023210-200418010-00004
DOI: 10.2165/00023210-200418010-00004
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- not recorded
- 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.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "early signal". Suggestive but preliminary. Not settled. It scores 52 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Included studies were small and observational; the same group's companion meta-analysis (PMID 15033227) found impairment improved but did not fully resolve after withdrawal. 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?
Cognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use: a meta-analysis — Barker MJ, et al. (2004). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.2165/00023210-200418010-00004. 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: Systematic review of observational studies. 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.