Ativan vs. Clonazepam - Online Medz Online

While Ativan and Clonazepam work in similar ways, they have some differences in how they are used. Both Ativan and Clonazepam are intermediate-acting benzodiazepines, meaning their effects may last longer than similar drugs. Let us learn more about these drugs and their differences in this blog.

What is Ativan?

Ativan (or lorazepam) is a prescription drug commonly used in treating the symptoms of anxiety disorders. Ativan can be used alone or with other medicines. People also use Ativan to treat severe agitation, trouble sleeping (or insomnia), active seizures, including status epilepticus, and alcohol withdrawal. Ativan is also given before surgery to make the patient sleep. Ativan belongs to the drugs class anxiolytics, antianxiety agents, benzodiazepines, and anticonvulsants.

What is Clonazepam?

Clonazepam belongs to a group of medications known as benzodiazepines. Clonazepam works by increasing the levels of a calming chemical, gamma-amino-butyric acid (or GABA), in the brain. Depending on your health condition, Clonazepam can control involuntary muscle spasms, panic disorder, seizures or fits due to epilepsy, and sometimes restless legs syndrome. This medicine comes as tablets and as a liquid that you swallow. Buy Clonazepam online from our website because we are the most reliable online pharmacy store in this country.

Clonazepam works by increasing the levels of a calming chemical in the brain. This helps relieve anxiety, stop seizures, and fits or relax tense muscles. Clonazepam enables you to feel calmer, reducing your feelings of anxiety. It also makes you feel sleepy and relaxed and can make you feel confused when you first start taking Clonazepam. This usually gets better as you get used to taking Clonazepam. This drug is not likely to be addictive if you take it for a short time (i.e., two to four weeks). If you take it for more than two to four weeks, you will need to reduce your dose gradually before you stop taking Clonazepam.

What are the main differences between Clonazepam and Ativan?

Klonopin is the brand name for Clonazepam. It commonly treats panic disorder and seizures. Ativan is the brand name for lorazepam. It treats anxiety and attacks. Doctors also normally use the injectable form of Ativan for anesthesia before some surgical procedures.
Clonazepam stays in the body relatively long, with a half-life of about 30 to 40 hours. This means that a person can still feel the lingering effects of Clonazepam for some time after taking it. Ativan has a half-life of 20 hours in the body.
Ativan comes in oral and injectable forms, whereas Clonazepam comes only in oral form.
The standard dosage of Clonazepam is 0.25 mg twice per day, while the usual dosage of Ativan is 1 mg twice per day.

Conditions treated by Ativan vs. Clonazepam

Both Clonazepam and Ativan are FDA approved to treat seizures. Clonazepam can treat myoclonic and akinetic seizures and those resulting from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Ativan can treat a more severe type of seizure known as status epilepticus.
Doctors prescribe Clonazepam for treating the symptoms of anxiety and recurring panic attacks. Ativan is commonly used to treat anxiety or anxiety due to depression. One can use both medications off-label for other anxiety disorders like a social phobia.
Ativan is FDA-approved to treat insomnia, while some doctors prescribe Clonazepam off-label for sleeping problems.
Other off-label uses for Ativan and Clonazepam include treating alcohol withdrawal and agitation.

Is Clonazepam or Ativan more effective?

In general, both Clonazepam and Ativan are effective drug treatments. Because one can use them for various purposes, their effectiveness may vary depending on the condition you are using them to treat.
A multicenter study found the active ingredients in Clonazepam( or Klonopin) and Ativan (or lorazepam) to be equally effective for treating anxiety disorders. There weren’t any significant differences between these medicines when looking at improvements in anxiety and sleep scores.
But, the study found that there were fewer side effects with Clonazepam (27.7% versus 44.9%).
Another study compared the usage of Ativan and Clonazepam for status epilepticus, i.e., a severe type of seizure. Although Ativan is approved and more widely used for status epilepticus, the study found Clonazepam a helpful alternative. Klonopin or Clonazepam is sometimes used off-label for this purpose.
Clonazepam and Ativan have similar side effects, primarily affecting the central nervous system (or CNS). As CNS depressants, these medicines can cause dizziness, drowsiness, unsteadiness or problems with coordination, and impaired thinking or memory. Both medications can cause or worsen depression in some individuals, especially those with untreated depression.

Conclusion

Clonazepam (or Klonopin) and Ativan (lorazepam) are similar benzodiazepines that work in identical ways. While both the medications can treat anxiety disorders and some seizures, both the drugs have differences in how long they work. Ativan can also be used as a premedication for anesthesia, whereas doctors usually do not use Clonazepam.