https://bigpharmausa.com/ativan-vs-valium/ Ativan and Valium are both used to treat anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Both drugs are members of the benzodiazepine family of medications. According to the current understanding of neuroscience, anxiety disorders are a result of excess neural activity in the brain. Ativan and Valium share many similar side effects, including:[1,3,5] Drowsiness, Dizziness, Sedation, Impaired coordination, Nausea, Fatigue, Confusion, Irritability, Constipation, reduced blood pressure, reduced, slurred speech weakness.