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Klonopin - How Long To Kick In & Duration?

507K views 43 replies 30 participants last post by  ellespirit 
#1 ·
I know the answers can vary from person to person, but I'd appreciate general answers to the follow questions. All questions are centered around 0.5 mg dosage of Klonopin (well I'm using generic, if that makes a difference).

How long does it take to kick in, and what is your answer based on? I've read 45 minutes on here awhile back and I'd like to know the authenticity of the claim.

How long does it's effect last? Half-life, duration of effectiveness (hours), etc.

Finally, does the effect decline over time? I can't think of the exact word right now, but for if you take it on a regular basis does it become less effective over time?

Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
I take clonazepam (generic) prn, and if I let a .5 tab dissolve under my tongue I can feel it working within half an hour. Generally, it lasts a long time for me, although I have not taken any recently so I'm sorry I can't give you a definite answer.
I've heard that tolerance can definitely be a problem with benzodiazepines, in that you need more to get the same effect. Personally though, I can't comment. I use them when I can't shut my mind off, or when I have a socially stressful time coming up, like an interview or a presentation. And then, I usually take 2 tabs. Someone who takes them daily instead of as needed will have a better answer for you re tolerance.
 
#21 ·
I disagree. Taken under the tongue goes directly into your bloodstream. It bypasses the stomach. You should start to feel effects with in 5-10 minutes.
 
#5 ·
In general Benzos orally act very fast (30 minutes to 1 hour). If one has a great tolerance then that's another story.
 
#7 ·
It also depends on stomach content of course, and in combination with alcohol Benzos are absorbed faster (but combining these two substances is not the best idea, at least if it's much alcohol).
 
#11 ·
...in combination with alcohol Benzos are absorbed faster (but combining these two substances is not the best idea, at least if it's much alcohol).
Can you provide any link to a source that says benzos are absorbed faster when taken with alcohol?

If one downs their benzos with alcohol I suspect they'll feel relaxed promptly, but then just consuming alcohol alone can make you feel pretty relaxed rather rapidly if you drink enough fast enough.

Certainly two CNS depressants should have more effect than one (an additive effect), but I was not aware that alcohol would have any impact on the speed of benzo absorption.
 
#8 ·
I take 1mg twice a day and it just depends how long it takes to kick in, usually within a half hour to an hour. The half life is aproximately 33 hours depending on the person it might go a couple of hours either way. It stays in your system for awhile! I have been taking it over a year and have not lost any effectiveness from it. It usually lasts at least 8 hours.
 
#39 ·
I take 1mg twice a day and it just depends how long it takes to kick in, usually within a half hour to an hour. The half life is aproximately 33 hours depending on the person it might go a couple of hours either way. It stays in your system for awhile! I have been taking it over a year and have not lost any effectiveness from it. It usually lasts at least 8 hours.
I read your comment and have a question. I am suffering from social phobia and use Clonazepam when I have stress. I am alwayse worried that it lose its effectiveness. How long have you exactly used it? Does it still effective? Do you use any other medication? Is your problem social phobia?
 
#12 ·
http://cienciaforense.com/Pages/Toxicology/Benzodiazepines.htm
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY:

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. Benzodiazepines exert their action by potentiating the activity of GABA. They bind to a specific receptor on the GABA A receptor complex, which facilitates the binding of GABA to its specific receptor site. Benzodiazepine binding causes increased frequency of opening of the chloride channel complexed with the GABA A receptor. Chloride channel opening results in membrane hyperpolarization, which inhibits cellular excitation.

Enhanced GABA neurotransmission results in sedation, striated muscle relaxation, anxiolysis, and anticonvulsant effects. Stimulation of peripheral nervous system (PNS) GABA receptors may cause decreased cardiac contractility, vasodilation, and enhanced perfusion.

The rate of benzodiazepine onset of action is determined by rate of benzodiazepine absorption from the GI tract. The relatively lipophilic BZDs usually are absorbed more rapidly and produce a faster onset of effect than the relatively water-soluble BZDs. Benzodiazepine absorption is especially rapid when ethanol is present and the stomach is empty. Peak blood concentrations of most agents occur within 1-3 hours. After a single dose, the lipophilic agents have a shorter duration of action (shorter CNS effect) than water-soluble agents because rapid redistribution from the CNS to peripheral sites (eg, adipose tissue); thus, lorazepam (water soluble) has a longer CNS duration of action than diazepam (lipophilic).

Benzodiazepines are metabolized predominantly in the liver by oxidation and/or conjugation. Most benzodiazepines are broken down into pharmacologically active metabolites, which may have longer half-lives than the parent compounds.
 
#14 ·
It's not soluble in water and only slightly soluble in pure ethanol.
 
#16 ·
Ingested, I notice it usually within an hour, slightly faster on an empty stomach. I notice it's strongest effects for about 8 hours and then it slowly tapers down from that to maybe 14 hours total. I take 1mg every night and a 1 mg dose as needed during the day. Your mileage will vary. :)
 
#17 ·
#23 ·
I feel weird because benzos do nothing for my anxiety :(
I have tried xanax and valium which just made me tired and a little more depressed
I have a very anxiety provoking situation coming up next week and was thinking about trying klonopin. Is it possible that it would be good even though the other benzos I have tried didn't help ?
 
#26 ·
I would talk to your doctor about that. Benzos will not treat depression, and can make you feel more depressed. For me, I started taking klonopin to get off of xanax, which I was taking to help with sleep, and to control panic attacks. For me, klonopin was not as addictive. I went from 6 mg of xanax a day and after 2 months went to taking 1 mg of klonopin maybe once a month. They may help you with your situation, but hard to tell.
 
#28 ·
I came across this thread while doing a google search on this subject and was hoping I could get some help with a few questions I had.

My social anxiety has turned me into a shut-in, too scared to interact with people on any sort of meaningful or non-forced level. I'm determined to break this cycle, specifically through exposure therapy, aka forcing myself to go out around other people and have real social interactions; something I've been heavily avoiding due to the overwhelming sense of dread and anxiety that comes with being in those types of situations.


Anyway, I'm new to Klonopin but am counting on it to help me when I make these "exposure" attempts. But I'm understandably pretty terrified about the whole prospect so I'm looking for some absolute (or close to absolute) statistics regarding the onset, duration and timeline of effects with Klonopin. I'm taking it 1mg
as needed, I swallow it with a glass of water, and usually with a few days' to a few weeks' break in between doses...also, if it matters, I'm a 23 year old male, I weigh about 130lbs and I'm taking the "cut-out K" brand name Klonopin, not the generic. I'd be a lot more confident and comfortable if I knew a set time to take it, a set time that it should start kicking in, a set time that the social exposure would occur and also the knowledge of about how long it would be before the med wears off.

So now to my questions...


  • First, could someone please explain to me what exactly it means when the medication "peaks"? Does this mean the time at which it's the most effective, and that it's less effective during the time before and after that peak? Let's say it has an onset time of 1 hour, a peak time of 2 hours, and a duration of 8 hours. Does that mean that the drug will get progressively and noticeably less effective during hours 3 - 8? Or is it at a pretty steady level of effectiveness from onset to the end of duration? (Hour 1 through Hour 8)

  • Second, when people say a 6 - 8 hour duration, does that clock start counting down the moment you swallow the pill or the moment you first start feeling it's effects?
For example, my first exposure therapy will be at a party with a few people I used to be friends with and I plan to be there from 7PM to Midnight (5 hours). Is it a reasonable plan to take the Klonopin at 5PM, give it 2 hours to kick in to its full extent, and then let it ride out the other 5 hours until the party's over? Or will I notice more and more anxiety as the night goes on and I begin to reach the end of the ~6 to 8 hour med duration?

Sorry if this post was too long or confusing...but any help would be much appreciated!!
 
#29 ·
peak means peak plasma concentration. most drugs have a come-up time ..a peak/plateau and then a come down.

6-8hrs is most likely the peak effects you may experience some after affects the drug has a very long half life so at first you may feel the affects long after you've taken it.

if the come up time is 1-2hrs this means 1-2hrs after taking the pill you will have a 6-8hr of efficacy
 
#30 ·
Mine

I take 1mg and it takes effect within 6-9 mins. for me. So I would think it would only take between 5-10mins for ya. :boogie And it lasts about an hour for me , the only down side for me that is , is that I come down afterwards, I become tired and nausea's. I take it as a prn, not an everyday pill, so I havent seen any tolerance build up for me.
Hope I helped ya. And feel free to message me anytime if you have more questions. :)

I know the answers can vary from person to person, but I'd appreciate general answers to the follow questions. All questions are centered around 0.5 mg dosage of Klonopin (well I'm using generic, if that makes a difference).

How long does it take to kick in, and what is your answer based on? I've read 45 minutes on here awhile back and I'd like to know the authenticity of the claim.

How long does it's effect last? Half-life, duration of effectiveness (hours), etc.

Finally, does the effect decline over time? I can't think of the exact word right now, but for if you take it on a regular basis does it become less effective over time?

Thanks in advance!
 
#31 ·
The 1/2 life is pretty long, I believe 12 hours or so. I take a .50MG during the week and can feel it last me 2-3 days. I can feel it in my system. I've only reserved it for very stressful situations as propanolol has been my preventative maintenance drug.
 
#32 ·
I performed three "trials" with the Klonopin in the past 9 days and took logs of the results. I went out of my way to do things during the trials that I'd normally avoid due to my anxiety. As I said in my last post, I'm a 23 year old male, 130 lbs, and I don't take it that often so I don't think I have much of a tolerance. In addition, I also take Vyvanse on a daily basis for ADHD which is a stimulant med and, as such, is prone to increase anxiety (but is too helpful otherwise for me to discontinue it, unfortunately) so that may alter the onset/duration times in ways that it wouldn't for people not on that med. Hopefully somebody finds this to be of help.

Trial #1

12/12/2011
The last time I'd taken Klonopin before this was about 3 weeks earlier.

  • Tried doing some basic social interaction in the morning (calling a friend), couldn't bring myself to do it
  • Took 1mg Klonopin on an empty stomach with a glass of water at 1:50PM
  • Began to start feeling some light, mild effects around 2:35PM (45 minutes after initial dose) -- still couldn't bring myself to call the friend
  • At 3:20PM, about an hour and a half after the initial dose, I'd say it reached its full effects. Very noticeable that it had taken effect, a subtle "drunk" type feeling except without nearly as much mental fogginess
  • Around 4:30PM I called the friend and while there was still a little hesitation beforehand, I was able to force myself to do it which is much more than I'm usually able to do.
  • The rest of the night I kept forcing myself to do things that my anxiety normally prevented me from doing; nothing major, but still, things I'd been avoiding for over a year and a half up until that point. Also, my OCD had *greatly* diminished and I found myself able to perform tasks without feeling the need to spend hours going over every tiny detail, which was definitely a relief.
  • Took some Melatonin and fell asleep around midnight still feeling pretty free of anxiety
  • Woke up the next morning, didn't feel any remaining effects of the Klonopin (good or bad) and tried to do some more anxiety-provoking things early that afternoon and was able to do a few but couldn't bring myself to do others. Also, my OCD had returned. The anxiolytic effect of the med seemed to be gone -- this may well be due to the dose of Vyvanse I took that morning which could have counteracted any leftover effects. I remembered everything from the night before, so there was no memory loss or anything else weird.
Trial #2
12/16/2011
4 days since the last time I'd taken Klonopin

I won't include all the details for this one since many are pretty redundant. This time I took a half-tablet (0.5mg), again with a glass of water and again on an empty stomach. Took it at 1:29PM, felt moderate effects about 45 minutes later, full effect again around the hour-and-a-half mark. I had been pre-occupied, worried and stressed with personal issues for the previous 2 days but found myself no longer thinking about them nearly as much after taking the Klonopin. I again forced myself to do anxiety-provoking things I typically avoided, found my resistance to be a little stronger this time (likely because of the weaker dose) but still managed to get a lot accomplished. I was aware that time went by very fast without feeling like much time had gone by at all. Never felt it noticeably wear off at night and woke up the next morning and the effects of the med again seemed to be gone.


Trial #3

12/20/2011
4 days since the last time I'd taken Klonopin

  • Didn't get much sleep the night before (unrelated issue)
  • Took 1mg Klonopin on an empty stomach with a glass of water at 1:06PM
  • Felt light-to-moderate effects about 30 minutes later
  • Moderate effects at the 1 hour mark
  • Moderate-to-full effects at the hour-and-a-half mark
  • Mostly-full effects at the 2 hour mark
  • Again pushed myself to talk to people and do other anxiety-provoking tasks, this time more difficult ones than before: accomplished some of them, still avoided others
  • That evening around 6 or 7PM (5 or 6 hours after initial dose) I started to notice some "shakiness" in terms of effectiveness -- one moment I'd be doing alright, talking to somebody freely without anxiety even coming into the picture at all, then the next a sudden quick wave of anxiety would come over me and I'd stop what I was doing and have to take a breather. These "waves" of anxiety were short-lived for the most part, though.
  • Around 8PM I noticed the effectiveness start to wane overall. I started feeling more apprehensive about things, started noticing my OCD returning as well.
  • By midnight the effects seemed to have worn off almost entirely, with the anxiety returning and preventing me from doing things like finishing an e-mail to an old friend I wanted to get back in touch with.
  • Woke up the next morning (this morning), again with the Klonopin's effects gone.
So there are my own results after 3 logged trials with it. I can't say the "long half-life" is at all noticeable for me...I'm not sure why it seemed to wear off earlier during the third trial. A lack of sleep the night before is all I can think of. I certainly hope a tolerance didn't build so quickly that by the third time taking it in a 9 day period (with 3 days between each dose) it was already less effective.
So my results are definitely different than a few others here...for example, I never felt it kick in within 6-9 minutes or wear off after only an hour like afraid2goinpublicreported and I also have not been able to feel any residual effects the next day after taking it (18 - 36 hours after initial dose) so the long half-life is imperceptible.

Overall it's a very effective "band-aid" that will temporarily alleviate much of my anxiety and OCD, but once it wears off it's back to square one. I'd love to take it every day so that I could put an end to my constant, daily struggle with anxiety but after reading so many horror stories about addiction, tolerance, withdrawal, rebound anxiety and worse, daily dosing doesn't seem like an option. And I've already tried SSRIs, Tricyclics and Anti-Psychotics, those just made me comatose and useless (even at low doses) so no luck there either. Sigh.

Anyway, hope somebody finds this info useful, and if anybody has any tips on more effective ways to use it or any ideas on why it wouldn't last as long the third time, I'd love to hear them. :)
 
#34 ·
Anyway, hope somebody finds this info useful, and if anybody has any tips on more effective ways to use it or any ideas on why it wouldn't last as long the third time, I'd love to hear them. :)
Not sure if you're still around, as your post is from about 4 months ago, but I can fully empathize with your situation. I had a very similar period in my life a few years ago. Couldn't bring myself to even talk to friends I'd known since childhood. Rarely ever left the house. Etc. Just know that it WILL get better bro (if it hasn't already). I speak from experience. The past few years of my life have been FILLED with ups and downs, highs and lows. But I can honestly say I'm MUCH BETTER now than I was then. It just takes a combination of finding the right medication, pushing yourself to do things you don't want to do, and possibly even some psychotherapy (although it's not for everybody).

Anyways, to try to answer some of your questions: I understand your concern about tolerance and addiction. However, sometimes daily dosing IS the best way to increase your quality of life. I have been RX'd Klonopin, Xanax, and Ativan in the past. In my personal experience, I've found Klonopin to be the most helpful, with Xanax as a close second, and Ativan was essentially uesless for me. The fact of the matter however is that NOTHING will ever COMPLETELY "cure" your anxiety. It's caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that can only be somewhat balanced out with medication.

The thing about Klonopin is it has a VERY long half-life, so using it on a daily schedule, IMO, is the BEST way to prevent the "wearing off by the next morning" that you mentioned. Very similar to the need for SSRI anti-depressants to be used on a strict daily schedule in order to "assimilate" them into your system, and allow their brain-chemistry-altering effects to be at work 24/7.

Now, even though I personally have never had too much of a problem with developing a tolerance for benzos, it is CERTAINLY a possibility for some people. So I would recommend you try out this type of treatment regiment under the strict monitoring of your doctor. But it can definitely be MOST effective if you are careful about it. In fact, it is probably the main reason why I have been able to reduce what was once EXTREMELY SEVERE anxiety to a MUCH more manageable level.

All in all, the medication really just allows you to feel comfortable enough to take on the task of rebuilding those relationships with friends/family that you have lost. Once you have done that, you will begin to feel MUCH more comfortable in your own skin, and you most likely will find that the medication is almost no longer needed anymore. Seriously. It's all a mental thing! Once you can begin to break out of the prison that is your own mind, you will start to wonder why you were ever so anxious all the time in the first place...

Well, I know that was a pretty long post, and I may have gone off-topic a little bit, but I hope it helps you in your battle with the mental demon anxiety can be. Even if just a little...
 
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