Long-Term Effects of Clonazepam
The long-term effects of clonazepam have not been studied extensively. One review was found published in the BMC Journal of Public Health, that tabulated benzodiazepine use among all strata in the French population. Authors Airagnes et al reported an astounding 124 billion prescriptions were consumed in France alone in 2010. Although the long-term use of benzodiazepines is not endorsed by regulatory bodies across the globe, the authors found that the practice of prescribing drugs like clonazepam long-term is prevalent.8 Researchers in Germany present similar findings. Janhsen et al reported in their article published in Deutsche Artzteblatt Journal that 230 million doses of benzodiazepines are consumed DAILY in Germany.10 Most trials on benzodiazepines have been short-term, perhaps a number of weeks, as were the 6-week and 9-week long clinical trials that preceded FDA clonazepam approval.9
Since so few studies have been done on long-term benzodiazepine safety, the risks and health adverse effects remain shrouded from view, possibly explaining, at least in part, why such massive quantities of these drugs are still used in populations around the world, even though they can be injurious and are highly addictive.12 One wonders at the groundwater pollution alone as another neglected long-term effect of high-volume prescription drug use. Ankley et al raised similar concerns as far back as 2007 about the massive amounts of prescription drugs (synthetic hormones) seeping into oceans and lakes that began the feminization of male fish.13
It is truly unfortunate that non-toxic alternative mental health treatment options are largely ignored. For nearly two decades now, Alternative to Meds Center has attempted to raise awareness of the benefits of alternatives to clonazepam and other drugs. Traditionally, doctors have been “trained” to pull out the prescription pad before considering or offering solutions like clonazepam alternatives. It is not that they don’t care, so much as they have not been fully educated themselves on the subject. They simply haven’t been trained in what other (non-drug-based) solutions are available for their patients. We see signs that this trend is reversing. When it comes to alternatives for clonazepam, please know there are other options, and there are many reasons why people want to use non-addictive and less harmful treatments than medication. A sampling of clonazepam alternatives is discussed in more detail below.
Are Benzodiazepines Addictive?
Clonazepam belongs to the benzodiazepine class of drugs. Benzodiazepine medication, even after short-term use, is known for its highly addictive properties. The ever-skyrocketing number of prescriptions has led to much concern in drug regulatory bodies about these addictive substances, comparing benzodiazepine dependence to the opioid addiction crisis.12,13,16
The mechanism-of-addiction is theorized but not entirely agreed upon among medical researchers. Some believe that benzodiazepines primarily have a two-fold effect by first weakening inhibitory interneurons that normally suppress the expression of dopamine. Subsequently, without this regulatory effect, dopamine freely floods the CNS which produces a pleasurable, highly addictive sensation.12
Other researchers, such as LaCorte,15 “How chronic administration of benzodiazepines leads to unexplained chronic illnesses,” hypothesize that benzodiazepines create their sedative, anxiolytic characteristics by over-activating GABA (inhibitory) receptors. The research suggests that benzodiazepines cause GABA receptors to become dysfunctional over time, which could explain why benzodiazepine withdrawals are viciously characterized by excitatory effects, such as anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, restlessness, agitation, tachycardia, and so on. These lingering withdrawal symptoms can lead to chronic illness if left untreated, according to LaCorte’s research. Both researchers acknowledge the mechanism of benzodiazepine dependence needs further study to be entirely defined.
Tolerance & Dependence
Benzos are also known for their ineffectiveness over time. They stop working. This indicates tolerance has occurred and is common to virtually all medications. When a drug stops working, original symptoms return, sometimes with a vengeance. This can lead to taking more of the drug to quell the symptoms, or multiple medications to dampen these effects. But if a person then stops taking the medication, another tsunami of reactions occurs, as dependence has set in.17,18
If you have ever described this as feeling trapped, you would not be alone. These are common reactions and yours are not the exception, but more the rule. These are some of the reasons an individual may want to find more healthy alternatives for clonazepam, and find a safe way to transition to being symptom-free without drugs. Many choices exist that can effectively and in a healthful way treat the conditions and symptoms for which clonazepam may have been prescribed.1 In addition to the successful natural options available for mental health treatment, Alternative to Meds Center is medically equipped to help individuals taper off of medication. Traditional mental health treatment with prescription medication is not the only option. You have a choice.
Alternatives to Clonazepam Does Not Mean “Finding a Better Benzo”
Often times when an individual asks their doctor about an alternative to this medication, the physician will put them on another benzodiazepine or other kind of prescription medication. Prescribing multiple medications or switching from one to another too quickly can also cause serious side effects, dependency problems, and discontinuation reactions. Other drugs may turn out to be just as ineffective. Other risks become more apparent the longer the drug is used.17,18,19
There is often a frenzied attempt to try this or that drug, one after another, leaving the person worse off than before. It doesn’t have to be this way.
There are many effective alternative treatments for anxiety or other symptoms that don’t rely on prescription medication. The real way to get to the bottom of anxiety or other unwanted symptoms is by figuring out the underlying cause. We work to find and correct the underlying reasons that are causing the original symptoms which resulted in being medicated.
Talk Therapy: Useful Clonazepam Alternative Treatment
We provide cognitive behavioral therapy as one of the many natural alternatives to clonazepam.4,5 While “anxiety” has become almost normalized or popularized as a “common mental illness,” 3 anxiety and stress could be thought of as signposts, indicating that something is out of balance, something needs to change its course.
In addition to CBT, we offer an exciting array of different genres of counseling including art and music therapies, equine-assisted therapy, and more so that many approaches can be considered and selected, to get the desired result.
Correcting Root Causes
Instead of simply agreeing that anxiety or panic attacks are a mystery with no known cause, lab testing for nutritional deficiencies linked to psychiatric symptoms can help discover more about the cause. And that gives a solution that is within reach. Correct the vitamin or mineral deficiency. Flood the body with the precursors to the neurotransmitters that need boosting. Regulate blood sugar through diet choices and skip the Aspartame, coffee, and other disruptors of mood, calm, and sanity.32-37
Meaningful counseling can also help a person relieve stress related to past trauma, concern about ongoing stressful situations in life, or other frictions and upsets. One research study published in The Psychiatry Advisor found CBT more effective than medication for psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety.38 A person can begin to safely face their fears in a familiar and comfortable environment by collaborating with a therapist. In addition to talk therapy, activities like mindfulness meditation, massage, and acupuncture are relaxing, healing, and generally good for the body and therefore can help manage anxiety and insomnia effectively without drugs.2
Neurotoxins and Anxiety
At Alternative to Meds Center, we have observed in most cases of anxiety, that the individual has accumulated neurotoxins including toxic heavy metals which are producing over-stimulation to their nervous system. These can be discovered through lab testing.
Something caused the original symptoms which led to being medicated with a benzodiazepine. One of the most prominent characteristics of panic disorder is the unpredictability of when a panic attack will occur. Unless causative factors are investigated, one may feel there is no “trigger” and so the disorder becomes plagued with fear of recurring, unpredictable symptoms.6 We use natural, safe, and proven approaches that stabilize brain function. We know from testing and assessment for each client, which clonazepam alternatives can provide the most relief in natural, non-harmful ways. Eliminating toxic accumulations has shown particularly strong efficacy in providing relief. Blending cleansing with a corrected diet and targeted supplementation, allows the person’s neurochemistry to rehabilitate, and begin to function well again, without anxiety or other symptoms related to neurotoxicity.
When a person wants to end the use of this medication, clonazepam withdrawal symptoms can emerge such as severe anxiety and other extended withdrawal symptoms without professional help. Benzodiazepines are the class of drugs we most often address since attempting to come of them without proper help and guidance is typically extremely difficult.
Clonazepam Alternatives at ATMC
Alternative to Meds Center has developed comprehensive programs in our pristine and comfortable inpatient facility, that provide a safe exit route from harsh drugs like clonazepam. Our methods are designed to not only provide relief but to lay out a gentle path to getting off medication safely and resolving the triggers or factors that caused the person’s symptoms in the first place.
You can learn more about the underlying reasons for the symptoms that benzodiazepines were prescribed to treat, and about our effective natural, non-drug-based programs. We invite you to call us and learn more about the help available to you today if you are seeking clonazepam alternatives and natural relief of anxiety or other untenable symptoms.
Read Our eBook on the Alternatives to Benzodiazepines
Exercise 19
We help individuals who are struggling with anxiety, panic, or other conditions, and can’t put up with the side effects and risks of physical benzodiazepine dependence.17 We also help those who are not responsive to clonazepam (Klonopin) and continue to suffer from anxiety, panic, or other overwhelming symptoms.
