Exact Answer: 1 month
Clonazepam is also known by the brand name Klonopin. Clonazepam is a drug, is a sedative medicine prescribed by a doctor to treat panic attacks and seizure disorders. It is specifically designed to treat Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, akinetic seizures, and myoclonic seizures. Klonopin belongs to the benzodiazepine family of medicines which is thought to work by increasing the function of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. This drug must be taken only after the doctor has prescribed you to take it. This cannot be treated like any other drug because Clonazapem has many side effects and on overdosage, there might be serious and life-threatening effects.
How Long Does Clonazepam Stay in Your Urine?
Many people contemplating sobriety wonder how long Klonopin will be in their system. The half-life of Klonopin’s active ingredient, clonazepam, must be considered to decide how long it will last in the bloodstream after the final dosage.
Clonazepam has a long half-life of withdrawal. The withdrawal half-life of a drug is the time it takes for half of a single dose to clear the body. Clonazepam has an elimination half-life of 30 to 40 hours. This means that it will take one or two days for just half of the Clonazepam to clear the system. Clonazepam has a long half-life and will stay in the body for weeks. Below is the table that depicts different tests and till what time the drug is seen in the test.
| Test | Period of time till the drug is seen in tests |
| Urine test | 1 month |
| Hair test | 28 days |
| Saliva test | 5 to 6 days |
In the urine test, the drug is found for a month whereas in the other two tests the time period is less comparatively. Medicine will take up to 5 half-lives to finally leave the body. Clonazepam is expected to remain in the bloodstream for six to nine days after your last dosage, based on an estimation of clonazepam’s 30- to 40-hour half-life. Klonopin and its metabolite 7-amino-clonazepam are also detected in urine for about four days after the previous use.
Why Does it Take That Long for Clonazepam to Leave the System?
Clonazepam takes six to nine days to leave the system. However, it is dependent on the person taking the medication. Any of the factors that affect how long it takes for a substance to leave your bloodstream are as follows:
- Liver functioning act with age
- Dosing (low vs. high)
- The frequency at which the
- The time span for which the drug is used
- And also depends on the other drugs taken by the patient
As previously mentioned, learning how long an opioid can last in someone’s bloodstream can help detect a potential relapse or suicide condition, or it can help quantify the time it takes for someone to detox from the medication and seek medical help.
Someone who has been taking Clonazepam on a daily basis and then decides to stop abruptly may have withdrawal symptoms. If an individual is not getting medical attention, benzo withdrawal can be very dangerous. Since Klonopin increases the effects of GABA, which calms the central nervous system, withdrawal means the reverse happens, and the central nervous system becomes overly stimulated. This will have the following consequences:
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Shaking
- Stomach Cramps and
- Muscle Cramps
Anyone who takes more Clonazepam than is prescribed, or who takes the recommended dosage too often, is at risk of overdosing. Using various medications, other mental conditions, and addiction are also risk factors that raise the chance of an overdose.
Taking too much Clonazepam can result in harmful physical effects such as:
- Somnolence
- Confusion
- Coma
- Weak reflexes
When a person gets addicted to Klonopin, it can be very difficult to avoid using it. People who take the medication on a daily and long-term basis develop withdrawal effects after they stop using, which is why they want to use it even when they try to stop. It is possible to recover from clonazepam addiction. Admitting to yourself that your Klonopin use is no longer safe is the first step toward seeking treatment.
It’s quick to minimize the gravity of the addiction. Many people find it difficult to face their addiction. You will benefit from professionally prescribed recovery, drug monitoring, treatment of underlying mental health conditions, community and individual counseling, and an aftercare maintenance package if you visit an alcohol treatment center.
Conclusion
It is suggested that everyone should take a drug only after the doctor has prescribed you to take the drug. And at the same time just because you are suggested to take a drug due to various reasons it does not mean that you take the drug however you wish to.
Because many drugs out there have many effects, where some of them include life-threatening effects. As it always said that “Too much of anything is injurious to health”, in the same way too much of Clonazepam or any other drug is injurious and can sometimes lead to death. Take the drug according to the doctor’s instructions.