Klonopin vs other benzos

[worryingwort]

Wondering how well klonopin worked in relation to other benzo. Any one have any experience?
Like does klonopin work as well as xanax and vallium?

[mystruggle]

it's for people with seizures. my cousin is mentally retarded and she has to wear one due to seizues. it has nothing to do with klonopin itself. but with a seizure disorder.

[Heather3418]

You can get total information about Klonopin by googling it.  I have read several citations and found nothing to indicate that a medic alert braclet needs to be worn while taking this drug.  Only if you are taking this drug for seizures.

According to the citations I researched on Google under Klonopin (Clonazepam) it is the same drug and belongs to the benzo family.  

So Jayson, you were right in your information, according to the research I did.  If there is something else that shows a medic alert braclet should be worn while taking this medication, I would certainly appreciate it, since I take this drug daily for Restless Leg Syndrome.  I was never warned by my doctor to wear a medic alert braclet, while taking Klonopin.  I was only warned not to stop this drug abruptly without decreasing the dosage slowly over a period of weeks.  It really is best to do this under a doctor's supervision, of course!

Heather

Heather

[mystruggle]

It is also recommended that while on Klonopin, one wears an emergency ID braclet stating name, drugs taken, conditon, and the name and phone number of your care provider.

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that is the most absurd and untruthful statement i have ever heard in my life!!!

where on earth did you dig this information up at?

certianly not from roche or any other klonopin/clonazepam manufacturers.

and certainly not from any psychiatrist that wrote a prescription for it for someone with panic or anxiety.

since the poster posted in the anxiety forum there's a pretty good shot they are suffering from anxiety, but who knows.

i think you might be mistaking people that have seizures in general are recommend to wear a bracelet stating all that information. to single out klonopin for this this bracelet thing is simply untrue.... please research things before posting. alot of people on these boards and the internet are very susceptible to hearing scary news and they are already scared enough from panic and most are scared to take meds that can help them. i'm not preaching or yelling at you. i'm new here, but come one now....this is seriously the craziest thing i have ever read about a med. on the internet and that's saying alot...

God Bless. Jayson

[Pa1965]

I've been on the same dose of Clonazepam for 11 years.  My maintenance dose is 2 mgs per day (1 mg every 12 hours).  You are lucky that such a low dose is able to stop your attacks.  

The doctor that placed me on Clonazepam explained to me that I would not develop a tolerance with Clonazepam because it stays at a steady-state in your bloodstream.  I then talked to a psychiatrist that was doing a study on panic medications, and asked for his opinion, to which he agreed with my prescribing doctor.  My pharmacist also explained to me that if I was going to build a tolerance, it would have happened before 11 years.  Then Ryan on the board here had explained in detail why Clonazepam doesn't build a tolerance as opposed to the shorter acting benzos.  He goes by RCA7591 if you want to search his posts.  He's given great detailed explanations which made me feel better as I, like you, was also worried about tolerance, and still am even though I've been told different.  

Take care,
Pam

[jcrowe00]

Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a benzodiazepine not a derivative, ask you Pharmacist and they will tell you that.  It is in the same class as Xanax, Ativan and Valium and the reason it is used for seizures is it had a longer half life then the others and is a better choice. Consider a person that has seizures, they are most likelygoing to have to take something every day for a very long time.  Do you want to take a med that lasts 8 hours or 4?  Typically Xanax lasts 4 hours, Ativan lasts 6 and Klonopin lasts 8 according to my Pharmacist.  All three are a product or "derivative" from Valium.  Valium lasts longer then all of the others but it had fallen out of favor with Doctors because of side effects.  ALL of these meds can cause dependency.

[Baby123]

How long have you been on clonazepam?  I have heard people can build up tolerance to any benzo so what makes this one different?  I am interested because I take it also and have for a long time (16 years) for panic and anxiety.  If it does indeed not build up tolerance that would make me feel alot better about taking it so long.  I worry all the time about the fact that I have taken it so long.

BTW, how much do you take.  I take .5 at night and .25 in the morning.

Thanks!

[Pa1965]

Clonazepam is just the generic form of Klonopin.  They have both been used for seizures, but the FDA has recently allowed their use in panic disorder.  It is very effective for panic disorder.  I have been on the generic version (Clonazepam) for a long time, and it has been a life saver.  It's the best benzodiazepine for long-term maintenance use of panic disorder because of it's long half-life (no inter-dose anxiety or spikes and troughs that you get with the shorter benzos such as Xanax).  Klonopin is more expensive since Roche, the developer of Klonopin, originally did the research and developed the patent, but my pharmacist told me that, by law, Clonazepam, being Klonopin's generic, has to be made equal in quality and potency.  There is controversy on this, however.  Ryan from this board can probably tell you more, but they both have anticonvulsant and anti-panic properties as they are the same drug.  

But speaking from my own experience, Clonazepam works better for the long-term maintenance of panic disorder, and have worked very well for mine.  It has been the only drug to keep panic at by in a 24 hour period, and it's not supposed to develop a tolerance the way the shorter acting benzos such as Xanax and Ativan do.  

I hope this helps,
Pam

[RubyWitch]

Hi! And welcome to the forum. Wish you'd join (it's really easy and FREE!) and if you fill out your profile, we'll all feel like were talking to someone we know a little about, you'll be like family then.
But for now, I'll just give you my very quick and totally non-medical opinion of the drugs you mentioned.
Has your doctor prescribed Klonopin for you? And if so, for what, exactly? And are you sure it's KLONOPIN and not CLONAZEPAM?
I ask because Klonopin is frequently prescribed for seizures like petit mals. It's first action is NOT anxiety or panic and is contraindicated in folks with hypersensitivity to benzos! (Klonopin Func. class is an ANTICONVULSANT, it's Chem. class is Benzodiazepine derivative!)  It is also recommended that while on Klonopin, one wears an emergency ID braclet stating name, drugs taken, conditon, and the name and phone number of your care provider.
If you look up alprozolam or diazepam, the first "action" they are listed for is anxiety or panic attacks. Certainly NOT seizures! And you do not have to wear emergency ID when you're on these meds.
My best advice for you is to call your doctors office IMMEDIATELY and confirm which med they want you on............and personally I wouldn't take anything until I had a very, very clear understanding of what I was taking and WHY!
PLEASE keep us posted regarding this and if you have any more questions, please get back to us.
Peace
Greenlydia