Lead: Researchers at the University of California San Diego report a sustained rise in internet searches for lorazepam in the weeks after the release of the third season of the HBO series The White Lotus on 16 February 2025. The study finds searches stayed elevated for 12 weeks, amounting to almost twice the expected volume and roughly 1.6 million additional queries. Queries specifically about how to obtain lorazepam were about 64% higher than expected, equal to roughly 30,000 extra searches. Authors and outside experts warn this interest may increase exposure to illegitimate suppliers and public-health risks.
Key Takeaways
- UC San Diego researchers analysed Google search trends and identified a surge in lorazepam-related searches beginning on 16 February 2025 and persisting for 12 weeks.
- Overall search activity for lorazepam during that window was nearly double expected levels, translating to about 1.6 million additional searches.
- Queries about how to obtain lorazepam rose by approximately 64%, an increase that equates to about 30,000 extra acquisition-focused searches.
- No comparable increases were observed for alprazolam or clonazepam, benzodiazepines not mentioned in the series.
- The findings were published in JAMA Health Forum and cannot determine whether searches led to purchasing or simply information-seeking.
- Experts caution about risks from illicit benzodiazepines, including inconsistent dosing and contamination with dangerous opioids such as nitazenes.
Background
Lorazepam (brand name Ativan) is a benzodiazepine prescribed for anxiety and related conditions; it enhances the action of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. Benzodiazepines are clinically useful but carry risks including dependence, dangerous withdrawal, sedation, and respiratory depression when combined with alcohol or other central nervous system depressants. Over the past decade some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have documented rising benzodiazepine prescriptions and concerns about diversion.
The third season of The White Lotus portrays a North Carolina character, Victoria Ratliff, frequently reaching for lorazepam on-screen. The name-checking of a specific prescription drug in a popular series gives researchers an opportunity to measure cultural effects on health-seeking behaviour. Separately, the last several years have seen growth in online marketplaces and unregulated vendors marketing prescription medicines without prescriptions, increasing the potential hazard when public curiosity rises.
Main Event
The UC San Diego team examined Google search volumes from January 2022 through early February 2025 and found a stable baseline until the release of The White Lotus season 3 on 16 February 2025. After the premiere the relative search volume for lorazepam jumped and remained elevated for 12 consecutive weeks. Compared with modelled expectations, the observed total queries over that period were almost twice the predicted volume, equating to an estimated 1.6 million extra searches.
Interest in how to obtain lorazepam increased markedly: acquisition-focused queries were about 64% higher than expected across the same 12-week window, which the authors estimate as roughly 30,000 additional searches. Crucially, the study did not detect parallel spikes for other benzodiazepines such as alprazolam or clonazepam, which were not mentioned in the show, suggesting a specific name-recognition effect rather than a general rise in benzodiazepine interest.
The paper, published in JAMA Health Forum, notes important limitations: search behaviour cannot be directly equated with purchasing or use, geographic detail may be incomplete in public Google trends data, and the analysis cannot identify whether queries led to safe, prescription-based access versus illicit procurement. Study authors, public-health experts, and clinicians cited the pattern as worrying because illegitimate suppliers may exploit sudden spikes in demand.
Analysis & Implications
The immediate public-health concern is that elevated curiosity can translate into attempts to acquire drugs outside regulated channels. Illicit benzodiazepines sold online are frequently produced without quality control; testing programs and forensic reports have found samples with inconsistent doses or with other potent compounds present. Experts have flagged nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids, as contaminants in some illegal benzodiazepine supplies, raising overdose risk if consumers unknowingly ingest mixed substances.
At the population level, a transient media-driven surge in search interest may have several downstream effects: increased informal sharing of drugs, pressure on prescribers from patients requesting specific medications, and expanded markets for unregulated vendors. Regulators and law enforcement face practical challenges in identifying and shutting down illicit manufacturers and online sellers, particularly those operating across borders or using encrypted channels.
For clinicians and health systems, the pattern underscores the need for clear patient communication about the benefits and risks of benzodiazepines, safer prescribing practices, and screening for problematic use. The study’s authors recommend engagement with the entertainment industry on ‘best practice’ approaches to depicting prescription medicines—options include voluntary information panels, contextualising risks, or providing signposts to clinical resources—but experts warn these must be balanced against artistic freedom and unintended consequences from didactic messaging.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Expected (model) | Observed | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorazepam total searches (12 weeks) | Baseline model | ≈ baseline × 2 (≈ +1.6 million) | ≈ +100% |
| Acquisition-focused lorazepam queries (12 weeks) | Baseline model | ≈ baseline × 1.64 (≈ +30,000) | ≈ +64% |
| Alprazolam / Clonazepam searches | Baseline model | No significant increase | 0% |
The table summarises the study’s principal quantitative claims as reported: an approximately twofold rise in overall lorazepam queries and a 64% jump in acquisition-focused searches over 12 weeks after the show’s premiere. The magnitudes are relative to a statistical model based on pre-release search behaviour (January 2022–early February 2025) and are subject to modelling assumptions described in the JAMA Health Forum paper.
Reactions & Quotes
Public-health academics not involved with the study expressed alarm at the potential for media to increase unsafe access routes. Dr Olivia Maynard of the University of Bristol emphasised the risk from illicit production and contamination; her remarks highlight toxicology and supply-chain dangers.
That a TV show is prompting people to look into buying benzodiazepines online is particularly worrying given widespread illicit production and variable dosing.
Dr Olivia Maynard, University of Bristol (expert commentary)
Separately, a substance-use specialist noted the difficulty of imposing health messaging on creative works and stressed other policy levers—enforcement and prescriber education—may have greater impact on safety than on-screen warnings.
While health signposting can help, realistic change is more likely through enforcement against illicit vendors and better prescriber practices.
Professor Harry Sumnall, Liverpool John Moores University (substance-use expert)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the increased searches directly led to purchases of lorazepam or greater consumption is not established by the study.
- The geographic distribution and demographic profile of users behind the searches are not fully resolved in publicly available trend data.
- Specific links between the programme’s depiction and any individual cases of harm, overdose or adverse events remain unproven in the published analysis.
Bottom Line
The study documents a clear temporal association between the public release of a TV series that names lorazepam and a substantial, sustained rise in online searches for the drug. Although search data alone cannot prove intent to buy or use, the magnitude of the increase and the rise in acquisition-focused queries merit attention from public-health authorities, clinicians, and media producers.
Policy responses should prioritise reducing access to unregulated vendors, improving prescriber education on safe benzodiazepine use and tapering, and considering pragmatic ways for entertainment producers to direct viewers to reliable health information without undermining creative expression. Surveillance of drug supply and prompt action against illicit manufacturers remain critical to limit harms if increased consumer curiosity converts into demand.