Indications
Xyclon is used to treat panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. This condition involves unexpected panic attacks along with ongoing worry about having further attacks and about what the attacks might mean or lead to. Xyclon is also used, either alone or alongside other treatments, for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (petit mal variant) as well as akinetic and myoclonic seizures. It may also be considered for patients with absence seizures (petit mal) who have not responded to succinimide medicines. How well Xyclon works when taken long-term, beyond 9 weeks, has not been formally studied in controlled clinical trials. A doctor choosing to prescribe Xyclon for an extended period should regularly review whether continuing the drug is still of benefit to that individual patient.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Clonazepam shares the pharmacological properties common to benzodiazepines, including anticonvulsant, sedative, muscle-relaxing and anxiolytic effects. The central actions of benzodiazepines come from a strengthening of GABAergic neurotransmission at inhibitory synapses. In the presence of benzodiazepines, the GABA receptor's affinity for the neurotransmitter is heightened through positive allosteric modulation, resulting in a greater action of released GABA on the postsynaptic transmembrane chloride ion flux. There are also animal data showing an effect of clonazepam on serotonin. Animal data and electroencephalographic investigations in man have shown that clonazepam rapidly suppresses many types of paroxysmal activity, including the spike-and-wave discharge in absence seizures (petit mal), slow spike wave, generalized spike wave, spikes with temporal or other locations, as well as irregular spikes and waves. Generalized EEG abnormalities are more consistently suppressed than focal abnormalities. Based on these findings, clonazepam has beneficial effects in both generalized and focal epilepsies.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Pregnancy: Animal studies can't rule out that clonazepam may cause congenital malformations. Epidemiological evaluations suggest that anticonvulsant drugs act as teratogens. But the published reports make it hard to say which drug, or which combination of drugs, is responsible for defects in the newborn. Other factors, such as genetic factors or the epileptic condition itself, may matter more than the drug treatment in causing birth defects. So clonazepam should be given to a pregnant woman only if the potential benefit outweighs the risk to the foetus. During pregnancy it may be given only when there is a compelling indication.
High doses in the last trimester of pregnancy or during labour can cause irregular heartbeat in the unborn child. In the neonate they can cause hypothermia, hypotonia, mild respiratory depression and poor feeding. Pregnancy itself, and also abrupt stopping of the medicine, can make epilepsy worse, and this should be kept in view. Withdrawal symptoms in newborn infants have occasionally been reported with benzodiazepines.
Nursing Mothers: The active ingredient of clonazepam passes into breast milk in small amounts only. Even so, mothers being treated with this drug should not breastfeed. If there is a compelling indication for clonazepam, breastfeeding should be stopped.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.
Side Effects & Interactions
Side Effects
No side-effect data recorded yet.