In the third episode of the popular TV show “White Lotus” the famous housewife from North Carolina Victoria Ratliff often shown reaching for her lorazepam. Now researchers say internet searches for the anti-anxiety drug have skyrocketed since the series aired.
Lorazepam, also known by the brand name Ativan, is a drug known as a benzodiazepine or “benzo.” It is thought to work by enhancing the effects of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.
Researchers in the US say the name lorazepam is mentioned White Lotus has sparked increased interest in the drug and ways to access it.
Dr Olivia Maynard from the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study, said the findings were astounding.
“The fact that this TV show is encouraging people to buy benzodiazepines online is particularly troubling because there is a huge amount of illicit benzodiazepine production out there, and these drugs are often dosed incorrectly and/or inconsistently, and sometimes contain completely different drugs,” she said.
“Some illegal ‘benzodiazepines’ that people have purchased online have recently been discovered to contain nitazenes, a dangerous synthetic opioid that can lead to overdose or even death.”
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego analyzed Google data and found that while searches for lorazepam were stable from January 2022 until the end of the first week of February 2025, they spiked after the release of the third season of “White Lotus” on February 16 and remained at elevated levels for the next 12 weeks.
Overall, the team reports that there were nearly twice as many lorazepam-related searches during this 12-week period than would normally be expected, equating to approximately 1.6 million additional searches.
There was also an increase in queries about how to obtain lorazepam, with around 64% more queries than expected over the 12-week period, reflecting around 30,000 additional queries.
However, there were no such spikes in searches related to alprazolam or clonazepam, benzodiazepines not mentioned in White Lotus.
While the research published in JAMA Health Forumcan't figure out whether people were simply looking for information about lorazepam or purchasing the drug, the researchers say the findings are concerning given the rise in prescribing of such drugs and the increase in the number of illegal online pharmacies selling benzodiazepines without prescriptions.
The researchers also caution that White Lotus does not describe the risks of suddenly stopping lorazepam (noting that it can cause panic attacks, agitation, and seizures) or discuss the dangers of drinking alcohol while taking benzodiazepines. As the NHS website notes: “This can lead to very deep sleep. You may have trouble breathing and difficulty waking up.”
Researchers say the entertainment industry needs to develop “best practice” approaches to dispensing prescription drugs, adding that the use of health dashboards can satisfy curiosity.
Harry Sumnall, professor of substance use at Liverpool John Moores University, said that while signs with additional advice and support are sometimes included at the end of shows, there are other approaches to keeping viewers safe.
“While it would be helpful if entertainment shows included health advice that highlighted potentially harmful foods, I don't think this is a realistic expectation from a creative perspective, and there is a risk that harsh warnings could have counterproductive results,” he said.
“In terms of access to medicines, I think the biggest impact will come from enforcement action against illegal manufacturers and unregulated suppliers, and education of prescribers about over-prescribing.[prescribing] or inappropriate prescribing of clinically useful but potentially harmful drugs remains a problem.”
