Klonopin Clonazepam: Side Effects, Uses, Dosage, Interactions, Warnings

what is clonazolam used for

And it may increase the risk of serious side effects in a child who’s breastfed. So be sure to ask your doctor if it’s safe to take clonazepam while you’re breastfeeding. They may discuss alternative ways to feed your child while you’re taking the drug. For more information about clonazepam’s boxed warnings, see the “What are clonazepam tablets’ side effects? But sometimes the drug is used short term and off-label for these conditions.

Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration

Keep your medication in a safe place to protect it from theft. Selling or giving away this medication is dangerous and against the law. The use of this medication may increase the chance of suicidal thoughts or actions. Pay special attention to how you are responding while on this medication. Any worsening of mood, or thoughts of suicide or dying should be reported to your care team right away.

Clonazepam tablet brand-name versions

For panic disorder and restless legs syndrome, clonazepam should take around 1 hour to start working. Follow the instructions on your prescription label carefully when using this medicine. Don’t stop taking clonazepam without talking to your doctor. Your dose of clonazepam will depend on your medical condition, age, and other factors. If you no longer need to take Klonopin and have leftover medication, it’s important to dispose of it safely. This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident.

Clonazepam may interact with other medications

Make sure your hands are dry when you open the blister packet of these tablets and put one in your mouth. The tablet will dissolve as soon as it becomes moist. Your doctor will explain how you should take clonazepam tablets. They will also explain how much to take and how often. Both drugs may also be used off-label for other uses. This is when a drug is used for a purpose other than what it’s approved for.

The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause their body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in their body for a longer time. Their doctor may start them on a lowered dose or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in their body. The risk of serious problems such as severe dizziness, sleepiness, and trouble breathing may be increased if you drink alcohol while taking clonazepam.

Restless Leg Syndrome

If doses are not equally divided, the largest dose should be given before retiring. Taking clonazepam increases your risk for misuse and addiction. (For example, it may be taken more often than prescribed.) With addiction, clonazepam is taken even if it causes harmful outcomes. Misuse and addiction increase the risk of overdose and even death. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to clonazepam tablets.

If you’d like, ask your doctor for more information about the uses, benefits, and risks of clonazepam. When you first start taking clonazepam, you might have excessive sleepiness. Generic drugs are thought to be as safe and effective as the brand-name drug they’re based on. In general, generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs do. Read on to learn more about how clonazepam works, its side effects, interactions, and more.

These side effects may be more likely in people taking high doses of Klonopin. Some of these side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But if they become more severe or don’t go away, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Klonopin is not approved to treat panic disorder in children. So there is no approved children’s dosage for this use.

what is clonazolam used for

Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Do not use clonazepam if you have acute narrow-angle glaucoma. If you do not know what type you have, talk with your healthcare provider before taking clonazepam. Clonazepam should not be used if your liver is not working as well as it should be. If there is a concern alcohol misconceptions about the health of your liver, your healthcare provider may do tests to determine if it is working well enough to take this medicine. While less common, the most serious side effects of clonazepam are described below, along with what to do if they happen.

This means that you’ll likely take two, three, or more doses, spaced throughout the day. Be sure to take Klonopin according to your doctor’s instructions. You should take Klonopin according to the instructions from your doctor or other healthcare professional. If you don’t have insurance, you can ask your doctor or pharmacist about online pharmacy options.

It can help address chemical imbalances in the brain and reduce the number of panic attacks. Klonopin is used to treat certain seizure disorders (including absence seizures or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) in adults and children. Klonopin is typically known as an add-on medication, which increases the ability of all the drugs to manage your seizures or panic disorder. Taking Klonopin and drinking alcohol can increase your risk for dangerous side effects.

  1. @hiker2024 I have found for myself, that going off almost any medication is best done slowly.
  2. Taking more than the recommended dosage of Klonopin can lead to serious side effects.
  3. This medication may cause accidental overdose and death if taken by other adults, children, or pets.
  4. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

There are no known interactions between clonazepam and foods or nonalcoholic drinks. Tell your healthcare provider about your recent and current mental health problems, especially if you have had thoughts of suicide or dying or have ever attempted suicide. Do not share clonazepam with other people, even if they have the same condition as you.

The drug is not approved to treat panic disorder in children. Other drugs are available that can treat seizure disorders or panic disorder. If you’re interested in finding an alternative to Klonopin, talk with your doctor. They can tell you about methamphetamine oral route side effects other medications that may work well for you. There are reports of sedation, poor feeding and poor weight gain in infants exposed to benzodiazepines through breast milk. There are no data on the effects of clonazepam on milk production.

what is clonazolam used for

The maximum dosage of Klonopin for panic disorder is 4 mg per day. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms. Suicidal thoughts or actions can be caused by things other than medicines. If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, your healthcare provider may check for other causes. Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients with panic disorder below the age of 18 have not been established.

Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients. Tolerance to Klonopin may develop from continued therapy. Tolerance to the therapeutic effect of Klonopin may develop; however, little tolerance develops to the amnestic reactions and other cognitive impairments caused by benzodiazepines. The adverse experiences for Klonopin are provided separately for patients with seizure disorders and with panic disorder. Klonopin use during pregnancy may cause adverse effects in the fetus and it is secreted in breast milk.

They’ll continue adjusting your dose every 3 days or so until your seizures are well managed. The risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior was generally consistent among drugs in the data analyzed. The finding of increased risk with AEDs of varying mechanisms of action and across a range of indications suggests that the risk applies to all AEDs used for any indication. The risk did not vary substantially by age (5–100 years) in the clinical trials analyzed.

If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk with your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. Keep in mind that you may be able to get a 90-day supply of Klonopin. If approved by your insurance company, getting a 90-day substance use and co-occurring mental disorders national institute of mental health nimh supply of the drug could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost. If you’re interested in this option, check with your doctor or your insurance company. These are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The sections below will look at these in more detail. A dose of Xanax will affect a person for a few hours. A dose of clonazepam can last around three times longer. Whether prescribing clonazepam or Xanax, a doctor will usually start at the lowest possible dosage, regularly reassess the dosage, and consider reducing it, for example, if panic attacks stop. Clonazepam can also treat seizures, whereas Xanax does not.