Third series of TV drama spiked interest in anti-anxiety drug amid warnings over illicit production of ‘benzos’
In the third series of the hit TV show The White Lotus, the entitled North Carolina housewife Victoria Ratliff is often shown reaching for her lorazepam. Now researchers say internet searches for the anti-anxiety drug surged after the show’s release.
Lorazepam, also known by its brand name Ativan, is a type of drug known as a benzodiazepine, or “benzo”. It is thought to work by boosting the effect of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.
Now researchers in the US say the name-dropping of lorazepam on The White Lotus has fuelled a rise in interest around the drug and how to access it.
Dr Olivia Maynard of the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study, described the data as striking.
