The White LotusSparks Interest in Lorazepam: What to Know About the Drug — and Why You Shouldn't Drink on It (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Parker Posey’s character on “The White Lotus” is shown frequently taking the anxiety medication lorazepam.Photo:Max;Getty

Max;Getty

“Benzodiazepines are not really recommended to be prescribed long-term because of all the complications and side effects and risks that can go along with it,” Squitieri says — adding that the potential for addiction is absolutely one of those risks.

Stock image of the anxiety medication lorezapam.Getty

Getty

“It’s a fairly short-acting medication, so your body gets used to it. It also wears off fairly quickly, so there’s this kind of habituation that happens where you kind of need more of the medication to get the same effect." And if you stop taking it suddenly, “You can also develop a withdrawal from the medication, which actually could be very dangerous, could result in high blood pressure, seizures; That’s a life-threatening situation, withdrawal from benzos. A lot of people don’t realize that you can’t just stop it if you’re taking it regularly for a very long time.”

While some people do take the medication every day, most people take it sporadically when facing a panic-inducing event, such as if they’re “claustrophobic” or “if they’re going to be taking an airplane flight,” Squitieri tells PEOPLE. As Victoria is shown onThe White Lotus,she mixes the pills with wine at dinner, forgets meeting people, relies on the pills to sleep — and even falls asleep at the table.

Parker Posey’s character on “The White Lotus” is frequently shown taking lorazepam.Fabio Lovino/HBO

Fabio Lovino/HBO

Squitieri tells PEOPLE that the medication can cause memory impairment, especially in older people, as well as “difficulty with focus or concentration.”

While Victoria is shown mixing the pills with wine, Squitieri says it’s “absolutely not” recommended to drink alcohol while taking the medication. “It’s very dangerous to combine,” he says, sharing that the same rule applies to alprazolam, known more commonly as Xanax, and clonazepam, known as Klonopin. “Those are all in the same family. You should not combine any of those medications with alcohol because there’s a risk of respiratory depression, where someone could actually stop breathing, excessive sedation, where they could have a fall, they could lose track of time and blackout.”

Victoria’s reliance on the pills, he says, show “a concerning pattern of use: the combining with alcohol [is] very unsafe. The idea that you can pop it anytime you want to relax a little bit, that wouldn’t be a good use of the medication and a potentially dangerous way of getting dependent on it or developing tolerance.”

“Certainly the depiction of it is not the way we would educate patients to use their medication,” Squitieri said. “It can be an effective medication, but it needs to be very carefully monitored.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

source: people.com