In order to help ensure safe treatment with clonazepam (
Klonopin®), information on the medication should be discussed with your healthcare provider before you begin taking the drug. It is important to know that clonazepam is a controlled substance that has a significant potential for abuse. Since the medicine can cause psychological and physical dependence, you must take it as prescribed (as the risk of abuse and dependence is greater for people taking higher-than-recommended doses for long periods of time).
Clonazepam is part of a group of medications called benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines have various effects on the body, including:
- Reducing anxiety
- Causing sleepiness
- Relaxing muscles
- Stopping seizures
- Impairing short-term memory.
All benzodiazepines can have these effects to some degree, depending on the specific benzodiazepine that is being taken. They work in the brain by enhancing the effects of
gamma-aminobutyric acid (
GABA), a brain chemical that is naturally calming. GABA can slow down or stop certain nerve signals in the brain. This is why clonazepam and other benzodiazepines are known as mild tranquilizers, sedatives, or central nervous system depressants (CNS depressants).
(Click Clonazepam for more information, including how dosing works for this drug, what side effects may occur, and what else you should discuss with your healthcare provider before starting treatment.)
