Klonopin is the brand name for the generic drug clonazepam. It is a prescription drug used for panic disorder and seizure disorders. It is a benzodiazepine and affects the different chemicals in the brain that causes anxiety.
Serious Klonopin Side Effects
Serious life threatening side effects include hives, breathing difficulties, and swelling of the throat, lips, tongue, or face. There can be mood changes, depression, agitation, irritability, aggression, hyperactivity, or worsening anxiety. A doctor should be alerted if you have the side effects of seizures, pale skin, pounding heartbeat, painful urination, shallow breathing, involuntary eye movements, no fear of danger, confusion, or hallucinations.
More Common Klonopin Side Effects
Less serious side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness, muscle weakness, slurred speech, drooling, sore gums, runny or stuffy nose, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, or blurred vision. There can also be loss of balance, memory issues, headache, insomnia, skin rash, or weight changes.
Precautions for Klonopin Use
You should tell your doctor if you are allergic to benzodiazepines, or if you have liver disease or glaucoma. Also tell your doctor if you have kidney disease, asthma or other breathing problems, depression, a history of addiction, or having suicidal thoughts.
Klonopin and Pregnancy
Klonopin is a category D drug by the FDA. This means it may cause harm to a fetus and give breathing problems to a newborn. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or may become pregnant. This drug may get into the breast milk and harm a baby while it is still nursing.
How to Take Klonopin
Regular klonopin or clonazepam is taken whole with a full glass of water. It is not taken longer than nine weeks at a time without a doctor’s specific instructions. Taking the Klonopin wafer or clonazepam wafer is as such:
Open blister package and get wafer out of the foil without damage Take the tablet with a dry hand and put on your tongue so that it can dissolve Do not chew, swallow, or split the tablet. After it dissolves, swallow a few times and drink some waer.
Source: Drugs.com