The television series The White Lotus has been linked to a significant spike in Google searches for the anxiety medication lorazepam, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California San Diego.
The show’s third season, which featured a character casually using the drug, generated an estimated 1.6 million more searches for lorazepam over a 12-week period than would normally be expected.
The study found this increase was specific to lorazepam, which was mentioned in the show, and was not seen for other common benzodiazepines like alprazolam and clonazepam. Researchers also analysed searches related to acquiring the drug.
“We saw significant increases in searches related to acquiring lorazepam as well,” said senior author Eric Leas, assistant professor at UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and affiliate faculty at Qualcomm Institute. “It shows that there might be a subset of people that are actually wanting to figure out how to obtain that medication online.”
“It’s a really interesting phenomenon of how entertainment media can really reflect and drive human behaviour,” said lead author Kevin Yang, resident physician in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
White wine and lorazepam
In the series, the character Victoria Ratliff uses lorazepam, often with white wine, while her husband eventually steals her pills and develops a dependence.
Yang noted this was concerning because the show emphasised the benefits of lorazepam rather than the potential risks, such as dependence, respiratory depression, and cognitive impairment. According to Yang, lorazepam is typically prescribed for short-term use, as studies show almost one in five people prescribed benzodiazepines end up misusing them.
Yang recommended that the entertainment industry develop best practices for this type of content, which could include warnings. He also suggested search engines could provide informational warnings for searches related to obtaining the drug online.
”My suggestion would be to take everything that is portrayed in the media, whether that’s on TV, film or in music, with a grain of salt,” said Yang. “It’s only showing one aspect of the medication, and that there are possible downsides. But ultimately, for things like medications, it’s important to talk with your doctor.”
