Is Taking Clonazepam Together With Clobazam Safe For Treatment Of Seizures?

Posted on Sat, 22 Mar 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 22 Mar 2014 Answered on

Fri, 11 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I suffer from absence, focal and petite mal seizures for 11 years. I have been taking Depakote daily the entire time. My current dose is 1250mg daily. Due to my extensive list of allergies my neurologist was finally able to add Onfi to my medicine to help control the seizures that I was still having. Before the Onfi I would take Clonazepam after my seizure clusters. Since I have been taking Onfi I have been seizure free until this past couple days. I have had several seizures including one where I blacked out. My doctor told me to quit taking the clonazepam when I started the Onfi but my question is can I safely take one since I am having several seizures today? I called my Dr. at the Cleveland Clinic but didn't hear back from her today.

Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Moderate risks, CNS depression is the issue Detailed Answer: Hi. Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. Let me see if I can fill you in on the interactions between ONFI and Clonazepam. Using clonazepam together with clobazam (thats the Onfi) may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people have also experienced some impairment in thinking and judgment. So I know you're probably smart about all this but I should just warn you. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. If you were my patient i'd tell you to skip the stuff all together. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. So Overall, the main worry I would have when you take these two meds together is that the synergy between them would make your Central Nervous system very drowsy and may interfere with breathing. I hope this helps you to decide what to do. Feel free to follow-up whenever you want! Thanks again fro coming to HealthCareMagic.com

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj

Follow up: Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (4 hours later)

If I skip a dose of Onfi would that make it safer to take the clonazepam to control the seizures? Or is it not safe to skip a dose to take the other meds? I don't drink alcohol or drive so thats not an issue. Part of my aura's are PVC's and on a bad day like yesterday a heart monitor has recorded 11,000. So that in itself can be tiresome .

Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Try and stagger the meds Detailed Answer: Hi there, Thanks for following up! Instead of skipping Onfi, you might want to try and stagger the doses of these meds by a few hours. That way your brain can get used to the effect of both of these drugs without too much of a shock to the system. Does that make sense? I'd also like you to keep yourself well hydrated so the drugs get broken down by the liver more easily. I am assuming you have no restrictions on the amount of water that you can drink. If you do, just make sure you are drinking as much PLAIN water as you are allowed. I hope this helps. You can always follow-up with me whenever you want. Take care and let me know how it goes!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj