<div class="" data-article-body="true">The latest season of “The White Lotus” delivered big ratings for HBO - and fueled a surge of Google searches for a risky antianxiety prescription drug featured on the show, according to research published Friday.The paper, published in JAMA Health Forum, highlights Hollywood’s outsize cultural influence and the common use of benzodiazepines, a class of anxiety-relieving medications that can cause physical dependence and agonizing withdrawal symptoms.<a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/#/bundle/postmost?method=SURL&amp;location=YAHOO&amp;initiative=feed" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. </a>The third season of the show, which depicts well-heeled guests at a luxury resort in Thailand, includes a storyline of a mother hooked on lorazepam pills and her husband who starts to steal and take them as he faces financial ruin and criminal charges.Researchers from the University of California at San Diego found that Google searches for lorazepam and two benzodiazepines with different names remained stable for years before the release of the show’s third season in February. Searches for lorazepam skyrocketed for the next 12 weeks, nearly 99 percent higher than expected - representing 1.6 million additional searches. During that time, searches for similar drugs, alprazolam and clonazepam, remained at expected levels, the study showed.Many of the queries asked how to get lorazepam, although that doesn’t mean viewers bought them, said Kevin Yang, the study’s lead author and a psychiatrist specializing in addiction at the UC-San Diego School of Medicine. “But it’s at least a good indicator of public interest in that medication,” he said.Yang got the idea for the study on his couch while watching “The White Lotus” with his now-wife. “It almost felt as if it was being glorified,” Yang said.- - -A long historyBenzodiazepines - which include drugs such as Xanax and Valium - are commonly prescribed for anxiety, bouts of panic and insomnia.The sedative drugs are highly effective but should not be used longer than two to four weeks because of the risk of dependence, said Alexis Ritvo, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a member of the nonprofit Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices.“Very rarely are people adequately educated about that before they’re given a prescription for these meds,” Ritvo said.The medical community has long known about the dangers of prolonged use of benzodiazepines, or benzos, as they are often called.In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued stronger warnings for benzodiazepines, detailing the risk of abuse, addiction and withdrawal symptoms. The updated boxed warning came amid rising concerns about benzodiazepine abuse, with the agency estimating half of prescriptions were for longer than two months.Stopping the drugs abruptly after prolonged use can worsen anxiety and insomnia, leading some patients to start again on higher doses. Withdrawals can last months or even years. Nicole Lamberson, a physician assistant who began taking prescription Xanax for anxiety in her early 20s, spent eight years battling withdrawal symptoms. During that time, she became gaunt and bedridden, afflicted by bedsores.“I was crippled with panic, anxiety, terror, racing thoughts, suicidality. I was fully dissociated,” said Lamberson, medical director of the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of the medications.Patients have access to other pharmaceutical anxiety medication, including SSRIs and buspirone. Earlier this year, the American Society of Addiction Medicine published new guidelines for reducing doses for patients who have been regularly taking benzodiazepines.Long-term benzodiazepine use poses other risks such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating and brain fog - particularly dangerous for elderly patients susceptible to falls.Benzodiazepines can also amplify the effects of other prescription drugs or alcohol. “If you have an opioid problem or alcohol problem, adding benzos to the equation is like pouring gasoline onto a fire,” said Wayne Kepner, a Stanford University addiction researcher involved in the “White Lotus” study.(Victoria, the mother taking lorazepam in “The White Lotus,” slurs at dinner while drinking wine.)Researchers have also noted cases of “designer” benzos - which are not approved for medical use but can be purchased online - creeping into the illicit drug supply, an added wrinkle to the nation’s drug crisis. Sometimes known as “benzo dope,” the mix of opioids such as fentanyl and benzodiazepines slows breathing and heart rate and lowers blood pressure, increasing the possibility of an overdose.- - -Cultural imprintBenzodiazepines have long made appearances in popular culture, reflecting their common use as a prescription and recreational drug.Books, TV shows and movies have depicted or hinted at housewives grappling with suburban malaise by taking Valium. The hard-partying stockbroker in “The Wolf of Wall Street” mentions taking Xanax to “take the edge off.” Hip-hop artists rap about them, and not always to glorify - Future’s “XanaX Damage” is about the drug’s harms.“We have a culture of, ‘You work hard, keep going, you shouldn’t feel pain, you shouldn’t feel distress,’” said Ritvo, the addiction psychiatrist. “If you feel anxious, if you feel overwhelmed, then you should do something to take that feeling away.”An HBO spokesperson did not return a request for comment.The visibility of benzodiazepines on “The White Lotus” could serve as a learning moment, the study researchers said.In the paper, they noted the surge in Google searches showed “a level of engagement that few public health interventions achieve in such a short time frame.”Yang and Kepner, in an interview, suggested that such shows could include disclaimers on benzodiazepine misuse or steer viewers to help lines or websites, as is often done when media touches on suicide, child abuse or gambling. “There needs to be some discussion on guardrails,” Kepner said.On “The White Lotus” (spoilers ahead), Victoria Ratliff appears to be spared excruciating withdrawal as her husband, Timothy, raids her lorazepam supply and descends into a detached, drugged haze. He considers killing himself and his family but eventually runs out of the drug and finds peace.Related Content<a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/11/13/trump-administration-ends-penny-production/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=nss_yahoo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:So long, penny. The Treasury has officially stopped producing one-cent coins.;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">So long, penny. The Treasury has officially stopped producing one-cent coins.</a><a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/11/12/thanksgiving-recipes-turkey-stuffing-potatoes/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=nss_yahoo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:These Thanksgiving recipes are modern takes on retro favorites;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">These Thanksgiving recipes are modern takes on retro favorites</a><a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/11/11/ahmed-al-sharaa-syria-us/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=nss_yahoo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Syrian president details plans to work with Americans he once fought;cpos:4;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Syrian president details plans to work with Americans he once fought</a></div>

The latest season of “The White Lotus” delivered big ratings for HBO - and fueled a surge of Google searches for a risky antianxiety prescription drug featured on the show, according to research published Friday. The paper, published in JAMA Health Forum, highlights Hollywood’s outsize cultural influence and the common use of benzodiazepines, a class of anxiety-relieving medications that can cause physical dependence and agonizing withdrawal symptoms.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the

‘The White Lotus’ sparked online interest in risky anxiety pills, study says

Chinese food is quite possibly of the most different and delightful culinary practice on the planet. With a rich history crossing


A few Exemplary Chinese Dishes, Which Are Famous Around the world


A pediatric dentist and an anthropologist explain how baby teeth and adult teeth help humans chomp their food over a long lifespan.

Why do people have baby teeth and adult teeth?

With a spotlight on the Brazilian Amazon, where agriculture drives a significant chunk of deforestation and planet-warming emissions, many of the activists, scientists and government leaders at United Nations climate talks have a beef.  Protesters gathered outside a new space at the talks, the industry-sponsored “Agrizone,” to call for a transition toward a more grassroots food system, even as hundreds of lobbyists for big agriculture companies are attending the talks.

At UN climate conference, some activists and scientists want more talk on reforming agriculture

The DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division seized 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills and 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder from a Colorado storage unit.

DEA seizes 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills in Colorado storage unit

NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Drugmakers plan to raise U. prices on at least 350 branded medications including vaccines against COVID, RSV and shingles and blockbuster cancer treatment Ibrance, even as the Trump administration pressures them for cuts, according to data provided exclusively ​by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors.

Exclusive-Drugmakers raise US prices on 350 medicines despite pressure from Trump

The release schedule for "Stranger Things" Season 5 is as follows: The first four episodes will be released later today, followed by the next three episodes on Christmas Day and then the grand finale on New Year's Eve.

'Stranger Things' character guide: The nerds, the newcomers and the rest of the Season 5 cast

Here's how expensive it really is in America right now, in 10 charts.

Trump said affordability is a ‘hoax’ in his Pennsylvania speech. What do the latest numbers show?

Astronomers have detected a "free floating" rogue planet the size of Saturn drifting through the Milky Way some 10,000 light-years from Earth.

Astronomers detect rare 'free floating' exoplanet 10,000 light-years from Earth

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil stressed the importance of fair competition and better market access for German companies on Sunday ahead of a trip to China. "Access to critical raw materials and the reduction of Chinese overcapacity in sectors such as steel and electromobility are of great importance for the economy and jobs in Germany," Klingbeil said before departing for Beijing, where he is due to arrive on Monday.

German finance minister seeks better market access in China talks

Wellness has the wonderful ability to change our bodies as well as our personalities and spirits. For some, setting out


Strengthening through Wellness: Individual Preparation Achievement


The woman behind 'Stop the Insanity!" opens up about hair, fame and the struggle to find work at 67.

She was the ultimate '90s fitness influencer. Now she's delivering Uber Eats — and rebuilding her life.

Baking can be many things: an act of creation, connection, control.  “Baking is how I best connect with the world around me -- making something wonderful and sharing it with others and seeing how much joy they receive from something I made with my own hands,” says chef Joanne Chang, co-owner of Flour Bakery in Boston and an author of baking cookbooks.

The many ways that baking is winter therapy. With a delicious ending

Highlights from a cometary trio that captured our imaginations.

How 2025 became the year of comet: The rise of interstellar 3I/ATLAS, an icy Lemmon and a cosmic SWAN

Picking the right distributed computing administration is fundamental for organizations and people hoping to use the force of the cloud
