General Information: Klonopin is an anticonvulsant drug that is a member of a class of drugs referred to as the benzodiazepine group. Valium (Diazepam) is a better known member of this class of drugs. Klonopin is used most often in children with difficult to control absence (petit mal) seizures and akinetic-myoclonic seizures. One unusualfeature about Klonopin is the development of "tolerance" to the drug. Some children will experience good control of the seizures for one to six months,then the effect appears to be lost and the seizures recur.

Formulations: Klonopin is available in the following formulations:

• 0.5 mg tablet
• 1 mg tablet
• 2 mg tablet
• All of these tablets are scored which means they can be cut in half

Dosage: The usual dosage of Klonopin is 0.08 to 0.2 mg/kilogram of body weight per day. In order to minimize drowsiness, the treatment is started with a low dosage and gradually increased. Klonopin is usually taken two to three times per day.

Therapeutic Drug Levels: The blood level of Klonopin that is found to prevent seizures in most people is between 20-80 ng/ml.

Side Effects: All drugs have side effects. A potential side-effect of Klonopin is the development of hyperactivity, short attention span, and impulsive behavior. Other side effects occasionally seen include drowsiness, incoordination, excessive weight gain, and excessive drooling.

On rare occasion, Klonopin can decrease the white blood count. These cellsfight infection and clot blood. For this reason, children taking Klonopin should have periodic blood counts (CBC).

Toxic symptoms are symptoms experienced when the blood Klonopin level is too high. An overdose of Klonopin may produce extreme sleepiness, confusion and coma. If your child experiences an overdose you should call your local doctor or neurologist.

Drug Interactions: Drowsiness, incoordination and behavior problems may be worsened by using Klonopin with narcotics, barbiturates, hypnotics, antianxiety agents, antidepressants, antipsychotics and other anticonvulsant medications. Inform your neurologist if your child is taking any other medications. Your pharmacist can often tell you if there are any known drug interactions between the medications your child takes.

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