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Klonopin for Depressive Disorders

Depression, whether clinical or due to trauma, can be as debilitating as a physical illness. According to the DSM-IV (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the most common symptoms of depression include lost interest in favorite activities, excessive guilt, suicidal thoughts, weight loss, inability to concentrate, fatigue or lack of energy, and sleeplessness. Doctors often prescribe Klonopin to patients suffering from depression, but usually to augment another medication.

  1. Klonopin

    • Definitively a sedative, doctors frequently use Klonopin to treat epilepsy. The theory is that Klonopin boosts the functionality of GABA, an amino acid that controls energy flow in neurotransmitter brain cells. By slowing transmission speeds in neurotransmitter brain cells to the central nervous system, Klonopin acts as a calming agent.

    Agitation

    • The sedative effect of Klonopin not only helps patients with depression sleep at night, but it also decreases agitation and involuntary recurring thoughts during the day, which are other common symptoms of depression. Patients often need relief of these symptoms before they can clearly address what is causing their depression.

    Panic Attacks

    • The agitation or restlessness that patients with depression experience often leads to panic attacks. Panic attacks occur when agitation or restlessness reaches such heights that it provokes the biological fight or flight response. The feeling of impending danger, however, is false. Regardless of its authenticity, a panic attack causes a rapid heart beat, breathlessness, a false need to escape, and much more. A panic attack can be so frightening that it can cause people to avoid their everyday activities, including just leaving the home. Klonopin plays an important role in that it calms the agitation or restlessness before a panic attack can occur.

    Klonopin vs. Zanax

    • Klonopin is not a fast acting medication. A patient must take it steadily so that it will build up in his system. So, it is not like Zanax, which one would take for immediate relief of anxiety. Similarly, a patient must ween off Klonopin if he decides to stop using it. And, a doctor should monitor the process as it is an emotionally and physically addictive drug.

    Side Effects

    • A small percentage of patients being treated for depression with Klonopin have reported the following side effects: sleeplessness, depression, dizziness, a reduction of intellectual capacity, memory loss and agitation.

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