Klonopin Detox, Side Effects, Withdrawal, & Treatment

What is Klonopin?

High-potency benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam (Klonopin), commonly treat panic disorder (PD) because of their prompt onset of action and good tolerability.  However, there is concern about their potential to cause withdrawal symptoms. Klonopin detox at a medically supervised facility can lessen the severity of the symptoms and make the withdrawal process significantly more accessible and more comfortable to endure.

Clonazepam, alone or in combination with other psychoactive substances, can lead to distressing effects on health, such as motor and cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, and aggravation of mood and anxiety disorders. Prolonged use of clonazepam may lead to physical dependence and tolerance.  There is, therefore, a need to find safer therapeutic alternatives for treating seizures and anxiety disorders.  

Greater awareness of its frequent nonmedical use is also needed to achieve a safer overall benefit of this medication.  [1]

Klonopin is the brand name of clonazepam.  Clonazepam is used alone or in combination with other medications to control certain types of seizures.  It is also used to relieve panic attacks or sudden, unexpected extreme fear attacks and worry about them.  

The drug works by decreasing abnormal electrical activity in the brain as well.

Health Risks of Benzodiazepine

In 2019, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 16 percent of overdose deaths involving opioids also involved benzodiazepines, a type of prescription sedative commonly prescribed for anxiety or to help with insomnia.  Benzodiazepines (sometimes called “benzos”) work to calm or sedate a person by raising the level of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the brain.  Common benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and clonazepam (Klonopin), among others.

Every day, more than 136 Americans die after overdosing on opioids.  However, between 1996 and 2013, the number of adults who filled a benzodiazepine prescription increased by 67%, from 8.1 million to 13.5 million. The quantity obtained also increased from 1.1 kg to 3.6 kg lorazepam-equivalents per 100,000 adults. Combining opioids and benzodiazepines can be unsafe because both types of sedate drug users suppress breathing—the cause of overdose fatality—in addition to impairing cognitive functions.

Unfortunately, many people have prescribed both drugs together.  In a study of over 300,000 continuously insured patients receiving opioid prescriptions between 2001 and 2013, the percentage of persons prescribed benzodiazepines rose to 17 percent in 2013 from nine percent in 2001.  The study showed that people using both drugs are at higher risk of visiting the emergency department or being admitted to a hospital for a drug-related emergency.

Limitations and Warnings 

In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new guidelines for prescribing opioids, including Klonopin. They advise that clinicians avoid prescribing benzodiazepines concurrently with opioids whenever reasonable.

Both prescription opioids and benzodiazepines now carry FDA “black box” warnings on the label highlighting the dangers of using these drugs together.  People being prescribed any medications should inform their doctors about all the other drugs and medications they use.  Patients should discuss the potential dangers of using various drugs and substances with their doctors, including alcohol.  [2]

Learn more:

• Benzodiazepine Detox

• Dilaudid Detox
• Panic Attacks Treatment
• Prescription Pill Detox
• Klonopin and Alcohol
• Klonopin Addiction
• Is Klonopin Dangerous?
• Detox Programs
• Tramadol Detox
• Prescription Pill Detox

75K + people

Over 75,000 individuals were admitted to the emergency room in 2011 due to complications caused by Klonopin.

Source: NIDA

15 %

Fifteen percent of Americans have a bottle of some type of Benzodiazepine in their medicine cabinet.

Source: NIH

You can become physically and psychologically dependent on and develop a substance use disorder to drugs like Klonopin.  Dependence means that your body has become customary to the presence of the drug, and you need to keep using it to feel normal and to prevent Klonopin detox withdrawal symptoms.

Over time, you can also build up a tolerance, demanding more substance to achieve the same effects. [2]

As the first step in the treatment process, detox helps you discontinue using Klonopin as safely as possible. Then, as your body clears the substance, a supervised detox program can help you manage the physical and psychological symptoms of Klonopin detox withdrawal.

• Nausea or Vomiting
• An increase in sweating or pulse rate
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Hand Tremors (Shakes)

• Visual, Tactile, or Auditory Hallucinations
• Unintended and purposeless movements, such as fidgeting or pacing
• Grand mal Seizures

• Medical Supervision and Care
• Medications to Approach Withdrawal Symptoms

• Manage any co-occurring physical or mental health symptoms
• Minimize the risk of certain withdrawal complications such as seizures

Treatment programs for opioid addiction, including benzo drugs such as Klonopin, usually start with detoxification, followed by either inpatient treatment or some specified procedure of organized outpatient treatment (partial hospitalization or concentrated outpatient programs).

Only a finely managed treatment facility provides a controlled and comfortable setting where drug detox can occur;  while providing Klonopin withdrawal support and medications to help decrease the possibility of complications and difficulties.

If you or a loved one is dealing with dependence or addiction to opioids like Klonopin, contact our treatment support at We Level Up New Jersey to find the best treatment option and Klonopin detox for you.