Tapering Clonazepam In Patients With Panic Disorder After At Least 3 ...

Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Skip to main page content

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation Search: Search Advanced Clipboard Save Email Send to

• Clipboard
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation manager

Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID

Save citation to file

Format: Summary (text) PubMed PMID Abstract (text) CSV Create file Cancel

Email citation

Email address has not been verified. Go to My NCBI account settings to confirm your email and then refresh this page. To: Subject: Body: Format: Summary Summary (text) Abstract Abstract (text) MeSH and other data Send email Cancel

Add to Collections

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Name your collection: Name must be less than 100 characters Choose a collection: Unable to load your collection due to an error Please try again Add Cancel

Add to My Bibliography

• My Bibliography

Unable to load your delegates due to an error Please try again Add Cancel

Your saved search

Name of saved search: Search terms: Test search terms Would you like email updates of new search results? Saved Search Alert Radio Buttons

• Yes
• No

Email: (change) Frequency: Monthly Weekly Daily Which day? The first Sunday The first Monday The first Tuesday The first Wednesday The first Thursday The first Friday The first Saturday The first day The first weekday Which day? Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Report format: Summary Summary (text) Abstract Abstract (text) PubMed Send at most: 1 item 5 items 10 items 20 items 50 items 100 items 200 items Send even when there aren't any new results Optional text in email: Save Cancel

Create a file for external citation management software

Create file Cancel

Your RSS Feed

Name of RSS Feed: Number of items displayed: 5 10 15 20 50 100 Create RSS Cancel RSS Link Copy

Full text links

Wolters Kluwer Full text links

Actions

CiteCollectionsAdd to Collections

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Name your collection: Name must be less than 100 characters Choose a collection: Unable to load your collection due to an errorPlease try again Add Cancel PermalinkPermalinkCopyDisplay options Display options Format AbstractPubMedPMID

Page navigation

• Title & authors
• Abstract
• Publication types
• MeSH terms
• Substances
• LinkOut - more resources

Title & authors Abstract Publication types MeSH terms Substances LinkOut - more resources Full text links CiteDisplay options Display options Format AbstractPubMedPMID

Abstract

High-potency benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder (PD) because of their rapid onset of action and good tolerability. However, there is concern about their potential to cause withdrawal symptoms. We aimed to develop a protocol for safely tapering off clonazepam in patients with PD who had been receiving treatment for at least 3 years. A specific scale for judging withdrawal was also developed, the Composite Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Symptom Scale. We selected 73 patients with PD who had been asymptomatic for at least 1 year and who wished to discontinue the medication. The trial consisted of a 4-month period of tapering and an 8-month follow-up period. The dosage of clonazepam was decreased by 0.5 mg per 2-week period until 1 mg per day was reached, followed by a decrease of 0.25 mg per week. The mean dosage at the start of tapering was 2.7 +/- 1.2 mg/d. In total, 51 (68.9%) of the patients were free of the medication after the 4 months of tapering according to the protocol, and 19 (26.0%) of the patients needed another 3 months to be free of medication. Clonazepam discontinuation symptoms were mostly mild and included mainly: anxiety, shaking/trembling/tremor, nausea/vomiting, insomnia/nightmares, excessive sweating, tachycardia/palpitations, headache, weakness, and muscle aches. The improvement in PD and general well-being was maintained during both the taper and follow-up phases. Clonazepam can be successfully discontinued without any major withdrawal symptoms if the dose is reduced gradually. We recommend reducing the dosage of clonazepam after intermediate-term use by 0.25 mg/wk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

• Clinical Trial Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Comparative Study Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search

MeSH terms

• Adolescent Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Adult Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Aged Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Clonazepam / administration & dosage* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Clonazepam / adverse effects Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Female Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Follow-Up Studies Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Humans Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Male Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Middle Aged Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Panic Disorder / drug therapy* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Panic Disorder / psychology* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Prospective Studies Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / standards Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / etiology Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / prevention & control* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / psychology* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Time Factors Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Treatment Outcome Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Young Adult Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search

Substances

• Clonazepam Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.
  • Wolters Kluwer

• Medical

  • MedlinePlus Health Information

Full text links [x] Wolters Kluwer [x] Cite Copy Download .nbib .nbib Format: AMA APA MLA NLM Send To

• Clipboard
• Email
• Save
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation Manager

[x]

NCBI Literature Resources

MeSH PMC Bookshelf Disclaimer

The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.