Length of Time for Klonopin to reach maximum effect

Can someone please tell me the approx. length of time for Klonopin to reach maximum effect (plasma levels?) in the blood?  For instance, if I want to be on a steady 1.5 mg/day, how long would it take from the first pill I take to be fully effective at this level?

 

 

(I'm trying to transition from Serax (Oxazapam)).

 

Thanks!

Kip

Can someone please tell me the approx. length of time for Klonopin to reach maximum effect (plasma levels?) in the blood?   For instance, if I want to be on a steady 1.5 mg/day, how long would it take from the first pill I take to be fully effective at this level?

 

 

(I'm trying to transition from Serax (Oxazapam)).

 

Thanks!

Kip

 

Hi Kip!

 

Well, Colin can answer this so much better than I can, and I'll alert him to this post.

But I can tell you that this depends partly on how fast your body metabolizes benzos. Klonopin has a half life of 18 to 50 hours. This means that depending on your metabolism, your body will clear half of it out of your system sometime in this timeframe.

 

Generally it will probably take about 3 to 5 days to reach maximum effect. I'm basing this partly on my own experience with klon.     

Klonopin has a half life of 36 to 200 hours.  

 

I'm pretty sure the half life of Klonopin is around 18-50 hours.

Klonopin has a half life of 36 to 200 hours.  

 

I'm pretty sure the half life of Klonopin is around 18-50 hours.

 

You are correct, I messed up! Was thinking about valium. 

 

thanks!  I'll change it.

Thanks for your input.

 

So does the revision (18 - 50) mean that it'd take less time for Klonopin to reach full effect?

 

 

Kip

Hi KipDolter,

 

I've just run some calculations, and it will take 3-7 days (depending upon the half-life of Klonopin within you) for your blood levels to reach 90%+ of their full peak value. This is based upon you splitting your daily dose of 1.5mg onto three smaller doses of 0.5mg taken 8 hours apart.

Was thinking about valium. 

 

I thought that was probably what happened.  

 

You know it's a little sad that we've all had to become experts on benzos to help ourselves.    

I find it discouraging that there are still doctors out there abruptly taking people off of these drugs.

 

The other sad thing is I can't trust doctors anymore. Especially psychiatrists - they prescribe all these drugs for off-label uses and hope something "works" eventually. I remember my first psychiatrist scoffing when I told her I was going to try CBT - like it was some sort of new-age witchcraft.

 

I totally agree rv3. 

 

Colin, thanks for helping me out.  A follow-up question to see if this makes sense to you, if I may.

 

In the past, I'd worked my way down to 75 mg of Serax, having used it to withdrawal from alcohol.  At that point, my goal was to switch to Klonopin for an easier taper.  My psychiatrist told me to switch over to 2 mg Klonopin, but to keep taking the Serax for a day and a half after I'd started the Klonopin.  This doesn't make sense to me.  It would seem kind of dangerous to only keep taking the Serax for that short of time, seeing how Klonopin takes so long to build up in your body.  Do you have any take on that?

 

Thanks again,

Kip

 

 

Hi Kip,

 

Well, it is not altogether unreasonable. Because Serax has a half-life of 4-25 hours, it will leave you system more quickly that the Klonopin builds up. You might do this for day. anyway, and then drop the Serax dose you are substituting with Klonopin. In principle, this the correct thing to do, but in practice it is difficult to know the exact doses to use since we do not know how the half-life of particular benzo in particular individual. Be assured, although taking both tablets at the same time will result in a slight boost in your total benzo dose, the Serax will quickly leave you system too. So, the extra day should just help you with the switch.

 

What dose of Serax do you take now? What equivalent dose is your doctor prescribing? You should only substitute part of your dose at a time.

 

 

Given my scenario above, it seems to me like it'd make more sense, because of the different lengths of the drugs,  to switch over to the Klonopin at a greater equivalent (than the Serax), i.e. to 4 mg or something, to get as much of the slower Klonopin in the body as fast as possible.   Then after a few days, taper back down to the equivalent.

 

Kip

Colin, thanks, please ignore my former post.  I was typing it while you were sending.

 

You wrote "Because Serax has a half-life of 4-25 hours, it will leave you system more quickly that the Klonopin builds up."  This is exactly what I'm worried about.  Too much of a deficit from the benzos and a resulting seizure.

 

My doctor's on vacation for two weeks and I'm running out of Serax so I'm having to try to sort this out as best I can.

 

Kevin

But, waht is your dose, and what equivalent is your doctor going to prescribe?

Colin,

 

Up until July 23, 2008 I was alcohol-free and taking 1 mg of Klonopin a day.  On the 23rd I  slipped and started drinking. 

 

I quit drinking last Saturday, and have been on a lot of Serax the last three days to help with withdrawals.  Maybe as much as 160 mg or higher per day.

 

Also, during those two and a half weeks I was drinking, I was taking Serax in the morning to get me through work.  I know, not a good idea.

 

I'd guess that right now I'm taking 120 mg of Serax.  I haven't discussed with my doctor which dose of Klonopin to switch to, because she's away on vacation.

 

Thanks,

Kip

I'll just add that I have to make the switch from Serax to Klonopin because I'm running out of Serax and have plenty of Klonopin.

Hi,

 

If you switched 20mg Serax for 0.5mg Klonopin, for just one of your daily doses, there is no need to think about a loading dose. Although, yes, you will suffer a drop in your total benzo blood levels when switching to the longer half-life benzo, it will be just small part of the one-sixth of your daily dose that you are switching. Your blood levels will be almost back to normal in a few days, and with only a small overall drop in the meantime. If you were to switch all of your dose to Klonopin in one go, this would be a much greater problem. Substitution should be carried out gradually.

Colin,

 

This is a great plan.  I can't think you enough for your time and help.

 

Kip

Kip,

 

One final note. The 0.5mg Klonopin to 20mg Valium is taken from Ashton's equivalents. There is some disagreement about equivalent doses - this should not be surprising since an equivalent dose will vary from individual-to-individual. Your doctor may also have a different view from Ashton upon what would constitute an equivalent dose. The key is to adjust the equivalent dose according to how you react. If you feel that 0.5 Klonopin for 20mg Serax is too much, then simply substitute for less Klonopin or reduce the amount of Serax you are removing for each 0.5mg Klonopin. There is no sense in upping your overall benzo dose after all.

Colin, thanks again.

 

What I'm doing is reducing my overall daily benzo intake while switching from the Serax to the Klonopin.  I'm calculating based on the ratio mentioned above.

 

I'm being pretty aggressive about reducing.  I figure that since three weeks ago, before I went on alcohol (and Serax), I had made it down to 1 mg of Klonopin a day, I can afford to push it a little.  Any thoughts on that?

 

Sometimes I feel sluggish, depressed, and too drugged, and sometimes I feel on edge, ears ringing, and anxious.  I guess that's part of the process. 

 

Kip

I'm all for pushing, within reason that is. There is nothing wrong with exploring what is the upper taper rate with which you feel reasonably confortable. Don't go too aggressively though - where you feel you can just tough it out and it will better in the end. The problem is that - for many at least - pushing very aggressively does not decrease the total time need for recovery. You might suppose that pushing harder would force your GABA system to return to normal more quickly, but many people seem to have a maximum rate of recovery. This is illustrated by the fact that many of those that taper very rapidly or cold turkey off their benzos, feel very ill for a very long time. If the GABA system will only recover at a maximum rate in an individual, no matter how fast the taper, then quitting rapidly means that you spend a very long time waiting for the GABA system to catch up with lack of benzo - this is why they suffer very protracted and debilitating withdrawal symptoms. Does this makes sense?

It makes total sense, Colin.  I guess what I was getting at is that since three weeks ago I'd tapered down to 1 mg of Klonopin, shouldn't it be fairly easy for me to get back to that level (from the equivalent of 3 mg that I'm on now) in a relatively short period of time?

I'm not sure I follow you. If you have been on an elevated dose for just a few weeks, then certainly you should be pushing your taper before you become fully adjusted to the higher dose.

I'm not sure I follow you. If you have been on an elevated dose for just a few weeks, then certainly you should be pushing your taper before you become fully adjusted to the higher dose.

 

That's what I'm talking about.  I've been on an elevated dose of benzos for the last three weeks because of alcohol-related issues.    It makes sense to me, because of the short duration of the elevated dose, that I can quickly and, more importantly safely, taper down to the dose that I was on (1 mg Klon) three weeks ago.

 

Kip

Yes, I agree. It is well worth trying an accelerated taper down to your regular dose of 1mg. You should then taper more gradually.

I'll keep you posted.  And thanks once again.  You've been a great support.

 

Kip