Lorazepam was first introduced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 1971 under the brand names of Ativan and Temesta.

Medications distributed from Internet sales may contain dangerous ingredients, or may not be distributed by a licensed pharmacy. The ease of addiction to Lorazepam, (the Ativan brand was particularly cited), and its withdrawal were brought to the attention of the British public during the early 1980s in Esther Rantzen's BBC TV series "That's Life!", in a feature on the drug over a number of episodes. Lorazepam has relatively potent anxiolytic effects and its best-known indication is the short-term management of severe anxiety; the FDA advises against use of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam for longer than 2–4 weeks. Synergistic adverse effects may also occur when lorazepam is administered with other drugs such as opioids or other hypnotics. It is fast acting, and useful in treating fast onset panic anxiety. drug company Mylan agreed to pay $147 million to settle accusations by the F. Lorazepam's relatively short serum half-life, its confinement mainly to the vascular space, and its inactive metabolite results in interdose withdrawal phenomena and next-dose cravings. government study of pharmaceutical-related ED visits by SAMHSA found that sedative-hypnotics in the United States are the pharmaceuticals most frequently used outside of their prescribed medical purpose, with 35% of drug-related emergency room visits involving sedative-hypnotics. Due to its poor lipid solubility lorazepam is absorbed relatively slowly by mouth and is unsuitable for rectal administration. The injectable solution comes in 1 mL ampoules containing 2 mg or 4 mg lorazepam.