Klonopin or Clonazepam is a popular drug effective in treating various kinds of seizures and panic disorders. But since it is more addictive than other Benzodiazepines, illegal acquisition of this drug is a common occurrence. As many people abuse the drug for its sedative effects, standard drug tests easily detect its presence. It is only natural to want to know how long does Klonopin stay in your system to steer clear under all circumstanced.
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What is Klonopin?
Klonopin is an excellent medicine used to control and prevent seizures. The medicine is an antiepileptic or anticonvulsant drug that can treat panic disorders.
As it calms your nerves and brain, it helps you relax. So, Klonopin belongs to a specific class of drugs known as benzodiazepines.
How to use Klonopin?
Knowing how to use Klonopin is crucial before searching figuring out how long does Klonopin stay in your system.
The best way of using Klonopin is by taking the medicine by mouth. You should always go through the medication guide written on the packaging of any medicine.
The right dosage depends on your age, your body’s response to the medicine, and the seriousness of your condition. While Klonopin is a safe medicine, you should not rely on it for a long time.
The medicine should not have any negative effects if you don’t take it for more than 2 weeks. So, if you require something for prolonged use, it is better to switch to a different medicine.
How long will Klonopin take to work?
It is better to know how fast it’ll work before figuring out how long does 0.5 mg Klonopin stay in your system. To get the desired outcome, you must wait at least an hour after you take the medicine orally. The standard time the drug needs to give relief is between one and four hours.
So, doctors don’t prescribe Klonopin for short-term treatments of anxiety or panic. Medicines like Ativan and Xanax work better when it comes to immediately calming a panicked person. Both medicines will start working within minutes after a patient consumes them.
You should never take Klonopin or other anxiety medications without taking the opinion of your healthcare provider. These medicines come in different dosages and you won’t be able to decide the right dose for yourself. Moreover, Klonopin may react with other medicines you are taking. So, always consult a doctor before exposing your body to any new medicine.
Are there any side effects of taking Klonopin?
The reason why doctors prescribe Klonopin is because it reduces panic attacks and the chances of having seizures.
Despite the therapeutic benefits, some patients have reported certain side effects of using this drug:
- Feeling of exhaustion
- Dizziness and drowsiness
- Loss of hunger
- Irritability, attention problems, and lack of concentration
- Depression
- Nausea
- Balance and coordination issues
Serious side effects, although rare, include impaired speaking, low BP, difficulty breathing, anhedonia, and respiratory depression.
But how long does Klonopin stay in your system? Keep reading to know all about Klonopin’s detection.
Can a pregnant woman take Klonopin?
During pregnancy, you must not take Klonopin unless you have no better alternative. There is evidence that proves Klonopin can cause harm to an unborn baby.
Mothers of newborn babies who frequently took Klonopin during their third trimester have reported various symptoms. That’s because the drug can pass into a woman’s breast milk and affect the nursing infant’s health.
Nonstop crying, trouble feeding, shallow/slow breathing, and shaking can be visible in such babies. This does not mean you should suddenly stop taking the medicine without discussing it with your physician.
Untreated seizures can harm a fetus and an expecting mother. Hence, you must not discontinue the medicine unless your doctor advises.
Can you combine Klonopin with other drugs?
As per the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), several drugs react with Klonopin. Use of ketoconazole, nefazodone, cimetidine, itraconazole, and fluvoxamine with Klonopin may increase your blood sugar levels.
Using Klonopin simultaneously with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, and phenytoin will reduce the effectiveness of Klonopin. Doctors also warn patients not to combine Klonopin with sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medicines, opioids, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, and anticonvulsants.
Drowsiness is among the major side effects of having Klonopin along with these drugs. Combining alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines can have serious implications. Studies have revealed that mixing alcohol with Klonopin can have dangerous consequences like coma, slowed breathing, and even death.
How long does Klonopin stay in your system?
A drug’s half-life is the amount of time needed to eliminate half of the drug’s dose from the body. Klonopin has a long half-life which is 30-50 hours.
So, it stays in the human body longer than various other drugs that have shorter half-lives.
Now you might want to know how long does 1 mg Klonopin stay in your system.
Clonazepam or Klonopin can stay in your body as long as 6-9 days after you take the medicine.
Clonazepam, the active ingredient present in Klonopin, plays a key role in impacting the half-life of the drug. If the half-life of the drug is 30-50 hours, 50% of it will take 48 hours to leave your body.
But how long does 2mg of klonopin stay in your system?
Based on Clonazepam’s half-life, you can calculate how long the medicine will take to leave your system completely. After you take the final dose, Klonopin ideally stays six to nine days in your body.
Klonopin’s metabolite 7-amino-clonazepam can be detected in your urine up to 4 days after you’ve consumed the medicine.
What factors influence how fast Klonopin will leave your body?
On average, you can expect Klonopin to get cleared from your system within 9 days. However, there are some other things to consider.
Various factors affect how long Klonopin will remain in your body. These include:
- Age
- pH of urine
- overall health
- gender
- weight
- urine concentration
When you took your last dose, the amount of Klonopin you took, and how frequently you have taken it are three other significant factors. So, all these things impact if Klonopin will show up on a drug test.
Can Klonopin misuse reflect on a drug test?
Standard drug tests can detect the presence of several prescription drugs in the human body.
Like several other benzodiazepines, Klonopin generally shows up on a drug test. However, if you haven’t misused Klonopin, there is no reason to panic before a drug test.
Just take your doctor’s prescription/note to prove that you have taken the medicine solely for health reasons.
What type of drug test can detect Klonopin?
Drug tests can detect Klonopin’s presence by showing positive results for up to 30 days.
The four types of drug tests path labs perform to detect Klonopin include:
- Hair tests
- Saliva tests
- Blood tests
- Urine tests
How long can Klonopin stay in hair?
Klonopin’s metabolites can be detected in a person’s hair samples up to 30 days after the consumption of the medicine. However, other tests are more reliable than hair follicle tests.
How long will Klonopin remain in your urine?
The most preferred method to test benzodiazepines is a urine test. Klonopin stays in your urine longer than other tissues or bodily fluids. So, a drug test can detect its metabolites in urine between 2-4 weeks after the last dose.
How long can blood tests identify Klonopin in your body?
Klonopin can be metabolized quickly in your body. Hence, Klonopin will stay in your blood long after its effects have disappeared.
So, a blood test done within a week can reveal if a person has taken Klonopin.
Does Klonopin remain in a person’s saliva?
Saliva is another bodily fluid where Klonopin may remain for days. So, if you go for a saliva test within 5-6 days after taking Klonopin, the results will show positive.
Can you become addicted to Klonopin?
As Klonopin soothes your agitated nerves, many people enjoy the relaxed feeling. When someone takes a prescription drug just to feel good, it is an instance of drug abuse. Drug abuse can be dangerous when ignorant people mix a drug with alcohol or other drugs.
The abuse potential of Klonopin is less than many other drugs like opioids, methamphetamine, and cocaine. However, if you take the medicine for a long duration, developing an addiction is not uncommon.
Many patients who have taken Klonopin for months have admitted becoming dependent on the drug. So, if it is challenging for you to stop taking Klonopin, it indicates that you are addicted to it.
In that case, you must consult a physician at the earliest and look for proper addiction treatment.
Klonopin withdrawal and its risks
Your body will revolt if you stop taking Klonopin abruptly. Most people experience muscle aches, depression, and anxiety when they try to stay away from Klonopin. These are called withdrawal symptoms and they happen when you have become dependent on Klonopin.
Withdrawal symptoms are disorientation, hallucinations, gastronomical issues, excessive sweating, tremors, headaches, and nightmares. However, if you are taking Klonopin for a brief period, no need to worry.
Withdrawal symptoms are common only after prolonged use.
What to do when you have Klonopin overdose?
Patients should never double the dose of Klonopin even when they have missed a dose. Klonopin overdose can be responsible for various problems like confusion, decreased reflexes, and unconsciousness.
If someone has carelessly or accidentally taken an excess of Klonopin, treat it as a medical emergency. Instead of waiting for the symptoms to appear, rush the person to a poison control center.
What to do if I am unable to quit Klonopin?
A person addicted to prescription drugs like Klonopin cannot reduce the physical dependence without medical help. Detoxification is the first step to recovery and it gets rid of toxins from your body.
A medical detoxification program guarantees you the safety and treatment mandatory in this situation. However, you must spend some time choosing the right addiction treatment for yourself.
Some of the common options include group therapy, medical services, addiction education, skill-building sessions, individual therapy, and post-recovery lifestyle alterations.
While some people prefer inpatient programs, outpatient programs work for others. So, you must remember that no single addiction treatment works for all individuals.
This explains why you must research well and look for a reputed treatment center that has accomplished doctors. They will suggest a treatment plan tailored to meet your requirements and the plan needs to be continually updated and reviewed.
In order to keep relapse at bay, the treatment will also address mental health issues. This means arriving at the root of the problem.
For example, if you began taking Klonopin to deal with panic disorder, the treatment for your panic disorder must continue parallelly. Otherwise, you might again start taking Klonopin when you are panicky in the future.
Final thoughts
Buy Klonopin only from a certified healthcare provider or a licensed pharmacist. But more importantly consume it only when you are prescribed to do so. These two things will ensure that you are using it for the good effects and not the bad.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does 0.5 mg of clonazepam last?
When someone takes clonazepam (0.5 mg tablet), it begins to do its work within one hour after consumption. Its effects can last 8-12 hours based on an individual’s conditions.
2. How long is clonazepam safe?
According to doctors, Clonazepam is a useful and safe medicine when taken as per the guidelines of a doctor. If you are worried about physical dependence, don’t have the medicine for more than 2 weeks. With long-term use, there can be emotional or physical dependence.
3. How long does 1mg of clonazepam last?
If 0.5 mg of clonazepam does not work for someone, the doctor might increase the dosage. While both 0.5 mg and 1 mg last for 6-8 hours, 1 mg tablets are more effective in severe conditions.
4. What is the active life of clonazepam?
The half-life of clonazepam is 30-50 hours. For healthy adults, a 2 mg dose of clonazepam will reach the peak of its effects within 4 hours.
