Typically used for their sedative and hypnotic functions, benzodiazepines, a class of tranquilizers, can be considered medical manna for individuals suffering medical disorders attributed to excess neural activities. But these medicines are not to be taken without proper caution. In January of 2019, an article in Chicago Tribune referenced a U.S. survey suggesting that one in every five persons using benzodiazepines, or “benzos” are they are sometimes called, have abused such substances.
Klonopin (generic name: clonazepam) is a prescription drug under this classification. Hollywood actress Lena Dunham brought this particular benzodiazepine to the spotlight when in October of 2018, she publicly admitted dependence and eventual sobriety from the drug. Not unlike the case with other benzodiazepines, Dunham’s struggle with clonazepam abuse is neither isolated nor new. As such, understanding the use and misuse potential of this medication can be the difference between the successful treatment of a mental condition and the development of an unhealthy drug habit.
Overview, Use, and Possible Misuse
The medical application of Klonopin is often in the treatment, even prevention of seizures and panic attacks. It is also used in the treatment akathisia, a movement disorder characterized by the inability to remain still and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or childhood epileptic syndrome. Being a member of the benzodiazepine class, these drugs work by stimulating gamma-aminobutyric acids (GABA), neurotransmitters that inhibit neural activities in the central nervous system. This mechanism has a calming effect on the brain.
In the market, it is sold in scored orange tablets containing 0.5 mg of the active ingredient clonazepam, in unscored blue tablets containing 1 mg of the active ingredient, or in unscored white tablets containing 2 mg of the active ingredient. A K-shaped puncture appears in all these tablets, along with an imprint signifying the amount of clonazepam content.
At its purest form, clonazepam is light yellow in color and a crystalline powder in structure, with a molecular weight of 315.72.
Street names for clonazepam vary based on the region and on what substances it’s being mixed with. Clons, K-pins, tranks, and Super Valium are names which refer to this prescription drug or a mixture therewith.
Misuse of Klonopin often involves intake of the drug together with alcohol, heroin, or cocaine to magnify the resulting euphoric sensation. However, misuse may also come in the form of excessive consumption of the drug, specifically when users take in more than what is prescribed in a misguided attempt to expedite or intensify desired results. Addiction is a possible side-effect in either case. Adverse effects of substance abuse include impaired muscular coordination, hysteria, coma, and organ failure, particularly of the heart and lungs.
Strength and Staying Power
The body may experience the therapeutic effects in 1 to 4 hours after oral ingestion and can completely metabolize the majority the drug, leaving less than 2% of the substance to be excreted through the urine. It has an average half-life of 30 to 40 hours, meaning it takes about a day or two for 50% of the drug to be flushed out from the body.
Individuals who will be taking a drug test may be concerned about how long this drug can be reflected in the results after its last intake. In this regard, it is worth noting that the drug can be detected in the blood, saliva, and urine up to five or six days after it was last taken and in the hair up to four months.
Therapeutic effectivity in the treatment of targeted conditions may also be reflective of its strength. Several studies reported that a three-month Klonopin medication produces 30% patient recovery from seizure disorders while a six-to-nine-week medication can treat DSM-IV category panic attacks.
The Dangers of Abuse
This drug falls under the Schedule IV substances category of the DEA, making it less potent for misuse than Schedule III drugs like cocaine and opium. Nonetheless, it is a potentially habit-forming substance, with dependence starting once a person takes more than 20mg daily in a duration longer than what was prescribed by the appropriate medical personnel. In fact, Klonopin was reportedly the second most misused drug of the benzodiazepine class in 2011.
Meanwhile, the combined use of the drug with alcohol and Schedule III substances only increases the risk of developing an addiction to the same.
Among the short-term effects of use are slight memory loss, confusion, degraded body coordination, drowsiness or sleepiness, and allergic reactions. Meanwhile, long-term use has a number of side effects, including ataxia, asthenia, vertigo, dysarthria, respiratory complications like nasal or chest congestion, and dermatologic diseases like alopecia and facial edema. The brain depressant function of this drug is magnified when taken with other neural depressants.
This benzodiazepine is not suitable for nursing mothers and pregnant women, as they can cause fetal damage.
Common signs and symptoms of Clons drug overdose include increased aggression, impaired speech, slight loss of memory, and loss of consciousness. These symptoms can be alleviated using one or more of available treatments from the periodic monitoring of vital signs to the introduction of intravenous fluids into the system. It is also important that overdose patients are able to breathe sufficiently.
Several substances can be used in treating an overdose. When low blood pressure results from excess intake of the drug, such can be medicated using levarterenol or metaraminol. Activated charcoal is another form of medication and is used to absorb the substances inside the body. Meanwhile, flumazenil and romazicon can be used to counteract the effect of Klonopin.
Treating Klonopin Addiction
Persons who have stopped Clons medication may experience withdrawal symptoms for around 2 to 7 days after their last dose of this long-acting drug. These signs and symptoms may include loss of appetite and even sudden weight loss, lack of concentration, excessive sweating, sleeping difficulties, frequent or otherwise persistent headaches, muscle spasms, and increased irritability. In cases of overdose, suddenly stopping one’s medication can result in the manifestation of an epileptic syndrome.
Treatment of Klonopin addiction may involve medication, therapy, or a combination of both. Medications used in the treatment of overdose, such as flumazenil and activated charcoals are also used in the treatment of addiction. Phenobarbital, a drug under the barbiturates class, can be used to minimize seizures and anxiety associated with the treatment process, and so can several other potentially anxiolytic drugs, for instance, Tegretol (generic name: carbamazepine) and Tofranil (generic name: imipramine).
Recovery groups, reward systems, and CBT are programs that patients may opt to avail instead of or in addition to taking in medication.
The wide misuse of Klonopin is merely a call for vigilance. Cooperation between patients and medical practitioners is essential not only in ensuring the effectiveness of the drug in the treatment of the condition for which it is prescribed but also in avoiding the many adverse effects of misuse – may it be unintentional or otherwise.
