The Dangers of Klonopin

Klonopin is a drug classified as a benzodiazepine. It is also called “Clonazepam”. The drug is often prescribed to alleviate or prevent seizures in persons with epilepsy. More often though, it is also prescribed for general anxiety, or for its sedating effect. After as short a time as 2 – 3 weeks, not only psychological dependence can develop, but also physical dependence. More about this is below under the sub heading of “Klonopin Withdrawal”.

After taking klonopin, it is not uncommon for the person to experience allergic reactions, such as the throat swelling up where you think you can’t breathe, rashes, hives, sores in the mouth and throat, yellowed skin or eyes, hearing blank-outs, suicidal thoughts, depression, a feeling of worthlessness, and even hallucinations can result. A very common result of taking klonopin is the heavy sedated feeling, where a person feels “zombie-like”. Some people experience seizures after starting Klonopin.

Klonopin Withdrawls: After even a short time on klonopin, a sudden cessation can result in some very grave problems. Anxiety and racing heart, tremors, and whether or not epilepsy was in your original diagnosis, it is common for seizures to occur. Suicidal thoughts and depression can worsen to dangerous extremes. For these reasons, it is advisable to only begin a gradual tapering program (similar to detox, but slower and of longer duration usually) with medical supervision.

A type of pattern can occur with klonopin (as with all other drugs) where a person skips a dose, or decides to quit, and then suffers a very difficult series of withdrawl symptoms, such as are outlined above. When the person takes another pill, these symptoms seem to be instantly relieved. So it is possible to believe that these symptoms are “your mental illness coming back”. This is not borne out in fact, as most often, these withdrawal symptoms were not present before one began to take the drug.

If you are considering starting to take Klonopin, or any other prescription drug to alleviate mental or emotional stress, or for whatever reason, take the time to research other possible solutions to the problem. If you are overly anxious, before starting a prescription of dangerous and unpredictable medication, why not try signing up for yoga classes, or mineral baths, or other holistic treatment options. Mineral baths are an ancient remedy and because they allow absorption of minerals into your system, this can have a soothing and calming effect. There are no dangerous side effects using these mineral salts, called “epsom salts”. They are easily obtained in almost every grocery store or pharmacy outlet. This treatment can help alleviate such varied symptoms as anxiety, insomnia, racing heart, and so on.

If you would like to gain more information on programs that help people to safely come off Klonopin or other prescription medication, please call one of our friendly and helpful counselors. We are here to help you and advise you so you can avoid unnecessary difficulty with prescription medications.