Klonopin Vs. Ativan: Which Works Better for Panic Attacks?

Millions of Americans suffer from panic attacks. Sometimes, a simple anti-depressant is the only medication that is needed to put an end to these debilitating episodes. For some people, however, stronger prescription medication is required. Since the 1960s, a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines are the "gold standard" used by psychiatrists to treat people who have panic disorders.

Within the benzodiazepine class, there are many different drugs like Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin. Ativan, also known by the generic name lorazepam, and Klonopin (whose generic name is clonazepam) are two of the most widely prescribed drugs in this class of medications. Both drugs can be habit forming, so it is important to take them only as directed by a doctor. But which medication is better at managing panic attacks?

According to the MedLine drug database, Ativan is an extremely fast acting medication. After taking a dose, your blood level of lorazepam quickly rises, and reaches it's peak within just a couple of hours. This makes it an extremely good drug for treating spur-of-the-moment panic attacks. Because it is so fast-acting, many people report feeling relief within minutes of taking Ativan. Although Ativan works quickly, the effects of the lorazepam also wear off quickly, as the drug has a half-life of 8 hours or less in most people. This means you can take it, get anxiety relief, and then have it wear off without feeling groggy or drugged later that night or the next day.

This is a double-edged sword though. Because Ativan is so fast-acting, and the half-life is so short, some people find that their panic attacks quickly return and they need more and more lorazepam to keep them at bay. Many people have found that this is not the case while taking Klonopin. With clonazepam, blood levels of the active drug rise much more slowly, which means it can take a bit longer to achieve complete relief from an actue panic attack. Once the drug is in your system, though, it has a half-life of 30 hours or more. This means that the drug is still working for more than a day after you take your last dose.


For this reason, Klonopin can be better at controlling chronic panic attacks better than Ativan. Whereas people find they need to take more and more Ativan to achieve the same symptom relief, people taking Klonopin are often able to take a dose just once a day to acheive complete symptom control. If you only have panic attacks once in a blue moon, Ativan might be a great drug to help you combat them when they do come up. But if you are having panic attacks almost daily, klonopin might be the better choice for you. As with all psychiatric medication, only a physician can tell you if lorazepam or clonazepam are right for you.

Klonopin Knocks Me Out

So, my positive thinking didn't go so well today, and I ended up in a near panic attack by 4pm today.  My doctor has prescribed a very low dose of clonazepam (also known as klonopin) for panic situations, and occasionally I need to take a 0.5mg pill to feel better.

The Klonopin definitely makes me feel better and I am glad I have it.  But it really makes me sleepy and just ends up knocking me out.  I guess that is a side effect of all benzodiazepine medications, really...but it kinda sucks.  Sometimes it makes me more sleepy than others....tonight it sent me into a three hour evening nap.  Which of course means I probably won't sleep great tonight.

The good news is that it gives me time to work on other stuff...like my Partylite business and my vision board that I want to create.  But I might be a tired boy tomorrow.  Regardless, I'm determined to make tomorrow a better day.