lorazepam vs midazolam
Side-by-side comparison of lorazepam and midazolam Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Lorazepam is a medicine that can help with anxiety. It belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which slow down activity in the brain.
Midazolam is a medicine that makes you feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy. It can also cause you to forget things that happen while you are taking it.
Lorazepam is used to manage anxiety disorders. It can also provide short-term relief from anxiety symptoms or anxiety linked to depression. However, it is not for the stress of everyday life. Talk to your doctor regularly to see if you still need this medicine.
Midazolam is used to sedate you before a surgery or procedure to help you relax and feel less anxious. It can also be used to help you feel calm during procedures like bronchoscopies or endoscopies. Midazolam can also be used to start general anesthesia before you get other medicines.
Lorazepam works by affecting certain chemicals in your brain. It enhances the effects of a natural brain chemical called GABA. This helps to calm your nerves and reduce anxiety.
Midazolam belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. It works by slowing down activity in your brain and nervous system. This helps to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, and cause sleepiness.
- • Feeling sleepy or drowsy
- • Dizziness
- • Decreased breathing rate
- • Tenderness at the injection site
- • Pain during injection
- Tiredness 13,458
- Feeling sick to your stomach 13,333
- Medicine not working 12,119
- Loose stools 10,352
- Using the medicine for something it's not approved for 10,151
- The medicine did not work 2,984
- Used for a purpose not approved 2,237
- Convulsions 1,373
- Low blood pressure 1,296
- Medicine affecting another medicine 1,088
Taking lorazepam with opioid medicines can cause very serious problems, including slowed or shallow breathing, coma, and death. Only take them together if there are no other options. Lorazepam can be habit-forming, leading to abuse, misuse, and addiction, which can result in overdose or death. Using lorazepam for a long time can cause you to become dependent on it. Stopping it suddenly can cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor will slowly lower your dose to prevent withdrawal.
Midazolam can cause serious breathing problems, including slowed or stopped breathing. This is more likely to happen if you are also taking opioid pain medicines. You must be closely monitored by trained medical staff while receiving midazolam. Make sure the facility has the equipment and medicines needed to treat breathing problems immediately.
Lorazepam may harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding while taking this medicine. It can pass into breast milk and affect the baby.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Midazolam may harm an unborn baby. It is not known if midazolam passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medicine while breastfeeding.
Also Compare — Nearby Drugs
Compare lorazepam with
Compare midazolam with
How to Read This lorazepam vs midazolam Comparison
lorazepam is classified in the Benzodiazepine drug class, while midazolam sits within the Benzodiazepine class. Because both drugs share the same classification, they are often considered interchangeable in theory — but clinical outcomes rarely track that cleanly. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, lorazepam has 59,413 submissions while midazolam has 8,978. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between lorazepam and midazolam — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.