Do you sometimes feel sensations like fear, a pounding heart, sweating palms, headache, shortness of breath, and sleep problems that can disturb your everyday lifestyle? You are suffering from mental health problems such as Anxiety, and panic attacks. To solve these problems your doctor or healthcare professional suggests you take benzodiazepine medicines. Klonopin Vs Xanax is the commonly prescribed benzodiazepine medicine to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
Here we give information about Klonopin Vs Xanax. Please continue reading the below content to learn more about these medicines, the effects of the drugs, and which is suitable for you or not.
What are Xanax and Klonopin
Xanax and Klonopin are FDA-approved medications To treat various Mental health disorders. Many people ask this- Is Klonopin a benzo, or is Xanax a benzo? Yes, Both medications belong to the benzodiazepine family of drugs and are called “benzos”. Xanax is the brand name for alprazolam, it is used to treat Short-term anxiety, Panic attacks, and anxiety related to depression. Klonopin is the brand name for Clonazepam, it is used to treat anxiety disorders, Panic attacks, and seizures.
Klonopin Vs Xanax: How do they work?
Both Medicines act in the central nervous system (CNS) or on the brain. They enhance an important chemical messenger or neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in your brain. It can create a calming effect that leads to improving your sleep time.
After taking Xanax and Klonopin, they can be directly absorbed in our guts and go to the blood cells. Blood can deliver this medicine effect to our brain and other tissues, it can cause nerve impulses throughout your body to slow down.
This drug has some sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant properties. So Healthcare experts called these medicines minor tranquilizers or sedative-hypnotics.
Similarities Between Clonazepam Vs Alprazolam
(Klonopin) Clonazepam and Alprazolam (Xanax) medicines fall into a similar family drug benzodiazepine. They work in a similar way in the CNS like boosting the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Other similarities between these drugs are:
- Klonopin Vs Xanax For Panic Attacks and Anxiety, are the same class of drugs. Both have Schedule- IV substances.
- Used as both FDA-approved (Panic Disorder) treatment and off-label (Insomnia) treatment.
These two medicines have similar cost prices of $538.00 – $1,514.00. It also depends on the Healthcare provider or pharmacies. - Both medicines have similar drug interactions. They can interact with alcohol, sedatives or sleeping pills, opioids, other benzodiazepines, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, seizure medication, other pain medicines, and antidepressants.
Before taking any medicines tell your doctor about all the medicines you take such as prescription medicines, and OTC medicines, and ask for advice on the right drug interaction which is right for you. - They have some similar side effects and some different side effects. Similar side effects of these medicines are Nausea, Abuse, Vomiting, Misuse, Addiction, Physical Dependence, Excessive Drowsiness, and Difficulty Breathing.
- If you suddenly stop taking these medicines they can have the same withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, dry mouth, flu-like symptoms, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, sweating, tremors, and seizures.
- These two medicines have the same precautions and warnings such as Sedation and difficulty breathing, Potential for abuse, misuse, addiction, dependence, and withdrawal, Pregnant women can not take these medicines because it is harmful to the baby, worsening seizures and depression, It can effect the concentration and driving which cause accidents.
Clonazepam and Alprazolam are the same in several ways, but they also differ in some ways.
Alprazolam vs Clonazepam Differences
Xanax (Alprazolam) and Klonopin (Clonazepam) have some similarities but they differ in several ways including FDA-approved treatment and off-label treatment, generic name, strength, onset of action, half-life, who is approved to take it, and side effects. The differences between Clonazepam and Alprazolam are:
Approved Uses:
FDA-approved Xanax to treat Panic disorder and anxiety. The off-label use of Xanax is Seizures, Insomnia, Depression, Premenstrual Disorder, and Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.
Klonopin is an FDA-Approved medicine used to treat Panic Disorders and seizures. The off-label uses of Klonopin are Anxiety, Insomnia, Restless Leg Syndrome, tic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Generic name:
The generic name of the brand medicine Xanax is Alprazolam and the generic name of the brand Klonopin is Clonazepam.
Strength:
In the market, Klonopin is available as Oral tablets, XR tablets, and ODT. Klonopin is a brand-name medication that is only available as tablets. The tablet’s different strengths are 0.5mg, 1mg, and 2mg. The dissolving tablets are available in only generic form and strengths are 0.125mg, 0.5mg, 0.25mg, 1mg, and 2mg.
In the market, Xanax available as Xanax Immediate Release (IR) tablet and Extended-release (ER) tablet. Xanax ER is generic for Xanax XR. Xanax IR strengths are 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, or 2mg. Its strengths are 0.5mg, 1mg, 2mg, and 3mg. Xanax XR 3mg is commonly prescribed to patients.
Onset & Duration:
Xanax has a faster Onset action than Klonopin. It starts to take effect in 30 minutes and reaches peak levels in the blood in 1 hour. Effects last for 6 hours. Klonopin takes longer to start effect and can take up to 2-3 hours to produce its full effects. Effects last for 6-12 hours.
Half-life:
Klonopin has a longer half-life than Xanax which means it provides a longer effect than Xanax. Klonopin’s Half-life is 18 – 60 hours unlike Xanax’s half-life for immediate-release tablets is 11 hours and Xanax XR half-life is 10-12 hours.
Who can take these medicines?:
Klonopin is approved for Adults 18 years or older and the Doctor’s observation children up to 10 years of age with seizure disorder can also take this medicine. Xanax is only approved for Adults, Children never take this medicine because it is a highly sedative substance. The doctor can prescribe the right medicines for you.
Side effects of Klonopin vs Xanax:
Xanax: Drowsiness, Headache, Dry mouth, Drowsiness, Dizziness, Fatigue, Blurred Vision, Slurred speech, upset stomach, Vomiting, Memory issues, sleep problems, Attention issues, Mania, Irritability, Thinking Problems, Muscle weakness, Increased Salivation, Hallucinations, etc.
Klonopin: Drowsiness, Clumsiness, Delirium, loss of balance, Dizziness, Runny nose, sore throat, Depression, fatigue, cognitive problems, skin rash, weight changes, Paranoia, Porphyria, Difficulty Speaking, Abnormal or Impaired Cognitive, Nervousness, etc.
Side effects occur in different from person to person. It depends on the patient’s condition, medical history, weight, and other factors. So, it’s best to ask your doctor about the side effects of these medicines, which will help you in the future.
Klonopin Dosage Vs Xanax Dosage
Initially, Doctors or healthcare providers prescribe 0.25mg of Klonopin twice per day for treating panic disorders. After 3 days, the doctor can change to the previous dosage. It fully depends on the patient’s condition.
For Panic Attacks, Doctors Prescribed Xanax 0.5 mg three times daily. According to the patient’s condition with a maximum dose of 10 mg per day. The doctor may change the dose in 3 or 4 days. You can use 0.5-1 mg once per day. The dose of Klonopin’s maximum dosage is 6 mg per day. For anxiety, Xanax is prescribed for Xanax 0.25– 0.5mg per day three times. The maximum dose is 4mg daily.
People always ask healthcare providers this question- How Much Klonopin is Equivalent to Xanax or how many mg of clonazepam equals 2mg of Xanax? However, there is no equivalence amount between Xanax and Klonopin because their potential is different and depends on various factors like age, patient condition, weight, medical history, and many other factors. According to research, Klonopin 1mg is roughly equivalent to a dose of 0.5-1mg of Xanax.
Xanax Vs Klonopin: Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons of Xanax:
It is a short-term medicine, a short period of time to cure panic attacks and anxiety, takes less than 30 minutes to start the effect medicine, the dose is easily changeable based on the response, in the market available as quick-dissolving tablets or liquid for people who have trouble swallowing pills.
This medicine can cause memory problems, drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion, and can cause addiction so it is not suitable for long-term use, if you suddenly stop the medicine then withdrawal symptoms can occur, Pregnant women should avoid taking this medicine and Xanax and alcohol together and smoke cigarettes it is not suitable because it affects the effect of the medicine.
Pros and Cons of Klonopin:
When you interact this medicine with other benzodiazepines it has less chance of causing anxiety, it is available in low-cost generic, in the market available as an ODT table which can dissolve on your tongue.
This medicine can cause memory problems, drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion, it can increase suicidal thoughts and behavior, it is unknown whether this medicine can work well in children, the most important disadvantage is it takes a longer time to start the effect of the medicine.
Clonazepam vs Alprazolam which is stronger
Which is More Powerful Klonopin or Xanax? On a long-lasting effects basis, Klonopin is more powerful than Xanax. However, The medication best for your needs can depend on many factors like weight, age, Medicine formulation, medical history, and response to the medication.
Is Klonopin stronger than Xanax? Xanax onset action is better than Klonopin. But Klonopin has a longer effect than Xanax, which means it has a longer half-life than Xanax. So you need to take less klonopin than other medicines. Consult t with your healthcare provider or doctor for a better option.
Here, we provide information about Klonopin vs Xanax. We hope that it can help you to understand these medicines, their merits, side effects, and drug interaction. Hope you can overcome your mental problem and live a healthy life. If you need more information then visit our link or contact us. We can promise you that help you to solve your all medical problems.