Clonazepam for Anxiety Disorder

Although the prescription drug clonazepam is used to prevent seizures, doctors also prescribe it for the treatment of panic attacks in people who suffer from anxiety disorder.

Function

• Doctors do not fully understand how the drug works, but clonazepam is known to increase amounts of a brain chemical known as gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the body. GABA works as a central nervous system inhibitor, meaning that it decreases activity of your brain and spinal cord, which can decrease panic attacks.

Time Frame

• Clonazepam typically is prescribed for the short-term relief of panic attacks in patients with anxiety disorder, as the effectiveness and safety of the drug when taken for more than nine weeks is unknown, RxList reports.

Dosage

• Doctors typically prescribe 1 mg of clonazepam for use once per day, according to RxList. It is customary for doctors to slowly increase a patient's dosage to this level when treatment begins and gradually taper off the dosage as treatment ends.

Risks

• The most common side effects of clonzepam for panic disorders include loss of coordination, behavior problems such as drowsiness, depression, dizziness, loss of coordination, nervousness and difficulty concentrating. Some patients develop suicidal thoughts when treatment with clonazepam first begins.

Considerations

• Clonazepam has the potential to cause harmful effects upon fetal development and rarely is prescribed to treat panic or anxiety disorder in patients who are pregnant. If you have a history of depression, lung disease, breathing problems, glaucoma or kidney or liver disease, it may not be safe for you to take clonazepam, the Mayo Clinic warns.