The answer is yes. You can mix these two medications. However, it is essential to be aware of the potential risks associated with doing so.
Dangers of Mixing Klonopin and Xanax
The threats of using drugs alone are significant, but mixing them is far greater.
When substances are combined, the effects can be amplified by the other. Mixing drugs puts people at risk of overdose, even more so than using just one substance alone. Klonopin and Xanax are two medicines that are sometimes used together.
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What Are Klonopin and Xanax?
Klonopin is the brand name for Clonazepam. It’s available in 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg dosages. It’s a benzodiazepine tranquilizer that treats anxiety and panic attacks and is prescribed to treat them. Clonazepam is also prescribed to help those who have seizure disorders.
The neurotransmitter [Dopamine] affects GABAA and glycine receptors in the same class. It acts on the central nervous system, specifically on the GABA-A receptors in the brain, as a benzodiazepine sedative. These receptors sedate and dampen nerve activity in the brain, making them less excitable. According to the National Institutes of Health, medications in this category are among the most frequently taken pharmaceuticals, with more than 112 million prescriptions written for them in 2007.
Alprazolam is the brand name for Xanax, a benzodiazepine tranquilizer. It is similar to Klonopin in that it is classified as a benzodiazepine. It’s administered by physicians to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Its purpose is to alter brain chemicals that might be abnormal in people with anxiety. According to CBS News, more than 46 million prescriptions for Xanax were dispensed in the United States in 2010. It’s the most popular benzodiazepine used.
Must Read: Klonopin for Anxiety
How Common Is Benzodiazepine Abuse?
According to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2.4 million Americans used prescription medications for a nonmedical purpose for the first time in 2009. Each day, on average, 6,600 persons in the United States misused a prescription medicine non-medically for the first time during 2009. Benzodiazepine tranquilizers are more popular among 5 million Americans ages 12 or older who misuse them every year.
Why Do People Mix Klonopin and Xanax?
These drugs also cause the following desired symptoms:
- Reduced anxiety and worry is common reason people take Xanax and Klonopin. It reduces the feelings of uneasiness and fear by inhibiting nerve impulses in the brain.
- Sedation is another common effect of both medications. According to the National Institutes of Health, benzodiazepines cause a sense of relaxation that helps reduce stress, induce sleepiness, and calm the mind.
- Muscle relaxation is also a desired effect of Klonopin and Xanax. People usually take these medications to reduce body tension and tightness.
- Confusion is another possible side effect of Klonopin and Xanax. It may lead to people taking these medications together to achieve a “buzz” or high.
Combining Klonopin and Xanax is popular among people who want to take two separate types of anti-anxiety drugs. This works similarly to mixing Valium and Librium, which have a longer half-life but rapidly affect individuals. Klonopin maintains for a more extended period than Xanax, but Xanax has a shorter half-life and affects people more quickly. Users of benzodiazepines like to feel calm. Individuals who use Klonopin and Xanax to relax, in addition, exist. It’s also conceivable that patients with prior tolerance to one drug are attempting to achieve the same effect as they did before by combining both medicines. They might also be trying to extend the duration of their “high.”
What Are the Short-Term Risks of Taking Klonopin with Xanax?
Users who abuse Xanax without any additional substances are at risk of stomach ailments such as nausea and vomiting. Users that take the drug may experience double or blurred vision. Increased cortisol levels can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, memory issues, lack of attention and focus. They can also have problems with coordination. Drowsiness and confusion are frequent. Slurred speech and a lack of words are possible. These signs are identical to those seen in people who utilize Klonopin. When the two medicines are combined, these side effects become more severe.
Klonopin or Xanax alone isn’t necessarily deadly, according to CBS News. When these medicines are combined with other medications or alcohol, they have become fatal. According to Medical News Today, Xanax can cause mild to severe side effects at high dosages. When combined with Klonopin, the symptoms are amplified.
The SAMHSA recorded 57,419 emergency room visits associated with Xanax in 2005. In 2011, there were 123,744 cases involving the drug. 10% of the 1.2 million prescription drug visits to the emergency department involved Xanax. Of all situations, 81 percent involved Xanax combined with another medication, such as Klonopin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of visits to the emergency room for nonmedical use of benzodiazepines increased by 89% between 2004 and 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because Xanax is more toxic than other benzo sedatives, combining it with another benzodiazepine such as Klonopin raises the risk of a fatal overdose.
People who have taken a large dosage of benzodiazepines, mainly when mixed with other medications, can become unconscious or fall into a stupor. Hypotension (low blood pressure) is conceivable. It’s possible that breathing will be difficult or that you’ll have trouble breathing.
Must Read: Suboxone and Klonopin
Overdoses from Alprazolam
The symptoms of a benzodiazepine overdose include coma or death, and they are more likely when Klonopin and Xanax are combined. According to the CDC, prescription drug overdoses caused the deaths of an extra 266 people in the United States from 2003 to 2009. The number of people who died after suffering a fatal alprazolam overdose increased by 233.8 percent.
Suicides can occur due to drugs’ influence on the brain, which may lead to wild swings in mood. Suicides have also been committed due to deliberate substance overdoses, often as an attempt at suicide. According to the SAMHSA, pharmaceuticals were linked to more emergency room visits for suicide attempts than illicit drugs. Benzodiazepine tranquilizers were the second most common drug involved in drug-related emergency room admissions due to suicide attempts. Benzodiazepine tranquilizers were involved in 28.4 percent of drug-related suicide attempts in 2010. Xanax was used in 10.6% of these incidents.
What Are the Long-Term Risks of Taking Klonopin with Xanax?
If you use Klonopin and Xanax together, the long-term effects of benzodiazepine tranquilizer usage may be enhanced. Cognitive impairment can be induced by frequent drug use or abuse. Cannabis consumption might cause or exacerbate the following symptoms: Cannabis users may have difficulty staying attentive or concentrating. They may have a hard time speaking. Memory loss is possible. In general, the damage is minor and mainly affects short-term memory.
As a result, if you’re taking both of these medicines together, there’s a chance your brain will be damaged. Users of these drugs frequently experience delirious states. Long-term Klonopin and Xanax usage can induce depression. It’s also possible that someone who combines these two pills regularly may have psychotic episodes and act out violently. Taking Klonopin with Xanax regularly can cause impulsive actions and mood swings. Depression is another potential side effect.
When two dissociatives are combined, tolerance is likely to develop. This implies that to achieve the same impact. People need more significant quantities of each drug. Taking two benzodiazepines at once raises the chances of becoming addicted, and this risk is amplified with higher dosages of both medications.
Benzodiazepines are highly addicting. They can quickly cause physical dependence and abrupt dose reductions or cessation of usage. When people take two sedatives simultaneously, the dangers are considerably more significant. Alprazolam and Clonazepam, for example, increase GABA activity by enhancing GABA receptors’ activity. The brain’s normal functions are hampered by the medications, resulting in seizures, convulsions, or even death if taken without medical supervision. Suicidal thoughts and tendencies may be induced due to the altered moods. People can begin to experience withdrawal symptoms as soon as five hours after their last use.
When people who are addicted to the technique of combining Klonopin with Xanax cease taking the medications, they may experience sleep difficulties. Anxiety, tension, depression, irritability, mood swings, panic attacks, and psychosis are possible symptoms. Those who quit taking these drugs might experience muscular pains, spasms, and aching. They could have difficulties with attention or memory. Confusion, loss of memory, and altered sense of touch are all possible outcomes. The withdrawal from benzodiazepines can cause headaches, sweating, and heart palpitations. Withdrawal from benzos, especially when using two in this class at once, can produce hallucinations.
Recovering from polysubstance addiction is feasible, and the assistance of a skilled specialist may help you throughout the withdrawal process. A supervising physician will gradually decrease the number of each drug over time to enable the body to get used to receiving less. If indications of withdrawal appear, the taper is halted. The extended and gradual tapering technique generally takes place over several months. The length of the taper varies based on how long the drugs were used for and how much was ingested each time; coexisting physical or mental illnesses are also taken into account.
Comprehensive addiction therapy is required after withdrawing from pain medications. Relapse is almost inevitable because only the physical aspect of addiction is addressed during detox without treatment.
How Common Is Mixing Klonopin and Xanax?
According to Addiction Blog, mixing Diazepam with other drugs in the benzodiazepine group is expected. It’s one of the most widely mixed drugs, along with Oxycodone [Percocet], Oxycontin [Oxycodone], and Morphine.
People tend to mix Klonopin with other drugs in the same category, which explains why you’re more likely to observe users of Xanax taking it at the same time. Different combinations include heroin, cocaine, and hydrocodone [Vicodin]. The mixture can enhance positive effects or diminish negative ones. It can also cause more side effects.
The main reason for the increase in Klonopin usage is that it augments opioid pain relief while simultaneously decreasing its adverse effects like nausea and vomiting. Consequently, more people are inclined to participate in polysubstance abuse. The most common drugs women combine with Klonopin are hydrocodone and Xanax. The combinations are more diverse for men and include Oxycodone, heroin, and cocaine.
Detox is only the first step of rehabilitation from addiction. It’s essential to have a solid aftercare plan in place that will help you sustain your sobriety long-term.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Mixing Klonopin and Xanax?
Yes, there are risks associated with mixing Klonopin and Xanax. When these two drugs are taken together, they create a synergistic effect that can be dangerous. The combination of the two can lead to respiratory depression and even death.
It’s essential to be aware of the risks before you decide to mix these two medications. If you’re struggling with addiction to Klonopin and Xanax, it’s necessary to seek professional help. The combination can cause extreme side effects, and quitting this drug combination without consulting a specialist.
When taken in large doses or with alcohol, Klonopin can cause significant respiratory depression, especially when mixed with Xanax. The most expected overdose symptoms are blurred vision, coma, confusion, delusions, loss of consciousness, and respiratory depression.
If you’re addicted to Klonopin and Xanax, seeking professional help is essential. Combining the two can cause extreme side effects, and quitting this drug combination without consulting a specialist is not advised. Detox from benzos should be done in a safe and secure setting under the care of a physician.
So, Can You Mix Klonopin and Xanax?
Yes, there is a risk of severe side effects if the drugs are mixed, so it’s essential to consult a professional before doing so. Detox from benzos should be done in a safe and secure setting under the care of a physician.
To Summarize:
- Each drug should only be taken under the supervision of a physician.
- Xanax and Klonopin are both benzodiazepines that have a high risk of abuse, addiction, and overdose. Mixing these two drugs can increase the risk of severe side effects and death because it causes a synergistic effect.
- The maximum dosage of Xanax is 10mg per day, but the FDA only recommends it for short-term relief (up to 8 weeks). More research is needed before long-term use of this drug can be approved.
- While taking Xanax during pregnancy may have some benefits for some women, there are also risks involved. It’s important to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Xanax while pregnant before deciding.
- Klonopin can cause respiratory depression, congenital disabilities, and other serious side effects.
- Klonopin should not be taken while pregnant unless advised to do so by a physician. If you’re pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor about the potential risks of taking Klonopin while pregnant.
- Combining these two drugs can cause serious side effects, including death.
- If you’re addicted to these drugs and are trying to quit, it’s essential that you seek medical care. Detox should be done in a safe and secure setting with the supervision of a physician.
- Mixing Klonopin and Xanax can cause respiratory depression, coma, loss of consciousness, delusions, blurred vision, and more. It’s essential to seek emergency medical attention if you or someone you know has an adverse reaction to mixing these two drugs.
