n. a highly potent benzodiazepine approved for the treatment of anxiety and as premedication in surgical anesthesia. Unlike many other benzodiazepines, it has no active metabolic products and therefore requires minimal processing in the liver. This, together with its predictable duration of action, make it a favored drug in the management of alcohol withdrawal in patients with liver impairment. U.S. trade name (among others): Ativan.