Selling or giving away this medicine is against the law. Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine ben-zoe-dye-AZE-eh-peen that affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced. Clonazepam is also a seizure medicine, also called an anti-epileptic drug. Clonazepam is used to treat certain seizure disorders including absence seizures or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in adults and children. Some people have thoughts about suicide when taking seizure medication.
Your doctor should check your progress at regular visits. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms. Follow your doctor's instructions about taking seizure medication if you are pregnant.
Do not start or stop taking this medicine without your doctor's advice, and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Clonazepam may cause harm to an unborn baby, and may cause breathing or feeding problems in a newborn. But having seizures during pregnancy could harm both mother and baby. If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to evaluate any effects of clonazepam on the baby.
Clonazepam can pass into breast milk, but effects on the nursing baby are not known. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Do not give this medicine to a child without medical advice. Clonazepam is not approved to treat panic disorder in anyone younger than 18 years old.
Follow all directions on your prescription label. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results. Do not use this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Never share this medicine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Misuse of habit-forming medicine can cause addiction, overdose, or death.
Clonazepam should be used for only a short time. Do not take this medication for longer than 9 weeks without your doctor's advice. Do not stop using clonazepam suddenly or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, including a seizure convulsions.
Ask your doctor how to safely stop using this medicine. Call your doctor if this medicine seems to stop working as well in treating your seizures or anxiety symptoms. Seizures are often treated with a combination of drugs. Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication.
Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice. The brand-name medication that clonazepam oral tablets are based on is called Klonopin. In general, generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs do. Read this Healthline article to learn more about the differences between generic and brand-name drugs.
Like most drugs, clonazepam tablets may cause mild and serious side effects. The lists below describe some of the more common side effects that clonazepam tablets may cause. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you more about the potential side effects of clonazepam tablets.
They can also suggest ways to help reduce side effects. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist, or read the prescribing information for clonazepam oral tablets and orally disintegrating tablets. Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks.
But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. If you have serious side effects from clonazepam tablets, call your doctor right away. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline. Try the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at Clonazepam tablets have boxed warnings. Misuse and addiction. Taking clonazepam can increase the risk of misuse and addiction. For example, it may be taken more often than prescribed.
Misuse of clonazepam increases the risk of overdose , and in some cases, death. Dependence and withdrawal. Clonazepam can cause physical dependence. This is a condition that happens when your body becomes used to the drug and needs it to function normally. Risks if used with opioids. Taking clonazepam and opioids together increases your risk for serious side effects. These include slowed breathing , excessive drowsiness , coma , and in rare cases, death. Also discuss all of your medications with your doctor.
If your doctor lowers your dosage or has you stop taking the drug, they may do this slowly to help prevent withdrawal symptoms. Before taking this drug, ask your doctor about all the risks and benefits of clonazepam. Always take clonazepam exactly as your doctor has prescribed. Taking clonazepam tablets may lead to some long-term side effects.
Possible long-term side effects of the drug are described below. Keep in mind that clonazepam tablets are only used for short-term treatment of panic disorder. The exact length of time they should be used for seizures will be recommended by your doctor.
Be sure to talk with your doctor for more information about long-term use of clonazepam. With long-term use, you may become physically dependent on clonazepam. Withdrawal from clonazepam can last from a few weeks to over 12 months.
Addiction increases your risk for misuse, overdose, and in some cases, death. Changes in mental and physical health. Taking clonazepam long term may cause problems with your balance and coordination.
This side effect may be worse in older adults. Long-term use of this drug can also cause certain mental health problems, including:. They can help you decide if clonazepam is right for you.
Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks of this drug with you. How clonazepam affects your body will depend on individual factors such as your age, overall health, and other medications you take. Doing these things increases your risk for serious side effects from the drug.
Instead, talk with your doctor about any concerns you have with clonazepam. When you first start taking clonazepam, you might have excessive sleepiness. This is a common side effect of the drug. Being extremely tired might affect your ability to do daily activities such as working and driving.
It can also affect whether you can do other tasks that require you to be alert. Until you become used to how clonazepam affects you, be careful with any activities that require alertness.
Ask your doctor how not to be tired while taking clonazepam. They may offer suggestions on the best time of day to take the drug to minimize this side effect. In most cases, tiredness with clonazepam is temporary and should go away. If it continues to be bothersome, tell your doctor and ask them how to manage it. Some people may have an allergic reaction to clonazepam tablets.
A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include swelling under your skin, typically in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet.
They can also include swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat, which can cause trouble breathing. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to clonazepam tablets. Clonazepam is sometimes used off-label for anxiety disorders or problems with sleep. But sometimes the drug is used short term and off-label for these conditions. They can give you more information, including dosage recommendations.
Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine. These types of drugs work by increasing the activity of a certain brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA. Increasing the activity of GABA in your brain causes a sedating and relaxing effect on your body.
With sedation, you feel very sleepy. Clonazepam has a half-life of around 30 to 40 hours. This means it takes this amount of time for half of a dose of the drug to leave your body. Clonazepam starts to work quickly and lasts in your system for several hours. How long the drug lasts can depend on:. For example, how long a 0. But in general, each dose works for about 6 to 8 hours. Yes, clonazepam is a controlled, Schedule IV drug. The Drug Enforcement Administration has assigned clonazepam a schedule.
This is because while the drug has a medical use, it can cause misuse , addiction , and dependence. With misuse, clonazepam is taken differently than how it was prescribed.
With addiction, clonazepam is taken even with possibly harmful outcomes. With dependence, your body needs the drug in order to function normally. Clonazepam has a half-life of 30 to 40 hours or longer. Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.
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