She is, arguably, one of the most famous female singer-songwriters of the 20th century. With an unmistakable voice and a highly successful career, she also had an addiction to Klonopin. Placed on the drug by a therapist to help her battle her addiction to cocaine, Stevie Nicks describes the years she was on Klonopin as “terrible.” While on the drug, Nicks gained weight, dealt with tremors, and ended up checking herself into a drug rehab center to get clean.

He is a young man from London who started using the drug at age 15. Shortly after his first time taking Xanax, Johnny started dealing the medication and became addicted to the drug himself. He says that Xanax altered his personality and made him emotionless. It took him a month to get clean of the drug that he now refers to as “the devil.”

Two drugs. Same outcome. What is the difference between Klonopin and Xanax?

Klonopin Vs Xanax: What Are They?

Klonopin is the trade name for clonazepam, and Xanax is the trade name for alprazolam. Both belong to a class of drugs known as “benzodiazepines.” Benzodiazepines have sedating and sleep-promoting properties, and they are FDA-approved for the treatment of “anxiety, sleep disorders, seizure disorders and [alcohol] withdrawal.”

Klonopin Vs Xanax: What Do They Do?

All benzodiazepines exert their effects by binding to GABA-A receptors in the brain. Imagine that the GABA-A receptor looks much like a child’s shape sorter ball. Each GABA-A receptor has–let us say–two star-shaped pockets where the star-shaped neurotransmitter GABA will fit. Each GABA-A receptor also has one square-shaped pocket where a square-shaped benzodiazepine will fit.

When Klonopin or Xanax bind to GABA-A receptors, these drugs make it more likely that the neurotransmitter GABA also will bind to these receptors. When GABA binds, it can have its inhibitory or calming effects on the central nervous system.

Going back to our analogy of the shape sorter ball, both Klonopin and Xanax are square-shaped, in general, and both drugs will fit in a square-shaped pocket on the shape sorter ball. There are, however, small differences in the square-shaped pockets on the shape sorter balls, how well the drugs fit in these pockets, and where these shape sorter balls are located throughout the central nervous system. It is these small differences that allow each benzodiazepine to work in slightly different ways, as described below.

is a short-acting, highly potent benzodiazepine that “is commonly prescribed for panic disorders and anxiety.” In contrast, Klonopin is a long-acting, highly potent benzodiazepine that is used to treat panic disorders and seizures. Klonopin also supports the release of serotonin–a neurotransmitter involved in mood and memory–in the brain.

Klonopin Vs Xanax: What Are Their Side-Effects?

Side effects of Klonopin and Xanax–as with other benzodiazepines–are dose-dependent. At low to moderate doses, benzodiazepines can lead to “drowsiness, lethargy, and fatigue.” At higher doses, benzodiazepines can result in “impaired motor coordination, dizziness, vertigo, slurred speech, blurry vision, mood swings, and euphoria [. . .] as well as hostile or erratic behavior in some instances.”

One side effect that Xanax has but Klonopin lacks is that of “rebound anxiety.” Because Xanax is short-acting, if an individual stops taking it suddenly, he or she may experience rebound anxiety, or a worsening of his or her anxiety. Because Klonopin is long-acting, individuals taking it should have no issues with rebound anxiety.

When mixed with alcohol, opioids, or any other substances that depress the central nervous system, Klonopin and Xanax can have fatal results. Of all the victims of opioid overdoses in 2015, 23% were also taking benzodiazepines. And, a year later, the FDA released a strong warning against using benzodiazepines like Klonopin or Xanax with CNS depressants, especially opioids. Using these medications together can lead to respiratory depression that is so severe the individual may go into respiratory arrest and die.

Klonopin Vs Xanax: The Bad News About Benzodiazepines

As with most medications, there is a time and a place for the use of Klonopin or Xanax. These medications can be very useful in treating various conditions, especially acute anxiety, panic attacks, and alcohol withdrawal.

The problem is that many people are not using benzodiazepines as these medications were intended. From 1996 to 2013, there was a 67% increase in the number of individuals obtaining prescription benzodiazepines. During that same time, overdoses on benzodiazepines quadrupled. In addition, between the years 2004 and 2011, visits to the emergency room involving benzodiazepine use shot up by 149%, and this benzodiazepine use was categorized as “nonmedical use.” The statistics clearly show that more people are getting benzodiazepines than ever before, and more people are using these medications in an inappropriate and even dangerous fashion.

While benzodiazepines can calm anxiety, decrease muscle spasms, and quiet seizure activity to the benefit of many patients, these drugs also can act on the body like common drugs of abuse. All drugs of abuse induce a large and fast release of dopamine in an area of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens. It is this dopamine surge that gives users their “high” and teaches users, as it were, to use a drug repeatedly to get high. A study by Tan and others in 2010 showed that benzodiazepines induce a dopamine release in an area of the brain similar to the one where drugs of abuse bring about their dopamine surge. As Dr. Michael Soyka observes, “This information makes it clear that benzodiazepines act through mechanisms similar to those of other drugs of abuse.”

Klonopin Vs Xanax: Finding Solutions

If Klonopin and Xanax can act just like illicit substances, then how do we prevent abuse of these medications? Here are some solutions to consider:

• If you are prescribed Klonopin or Xanax, talk to your doctor about why these medications are being prescribed for you. Remember that individuals having certain medical conditions can benefit from these medications and learn how to use them in an appropriate and safe way.

For patients and healthcare providers, when possible, avoid long-term treatments with benzodiazepines (i.e. more than a few months) and significant increases in the dosage of benzodiazepines. By doing this, you may be able to prevent an individual from becoming addicted to benzodiazepines.

If you are addicted to benzodiazepines, please do not feel like you must struggle alone. Help is only a phone call away.