# If I chew klonopin will the effect last as long as if I swallowed it?



## LEO123 (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi, Sometimes I get real anxious & have though of chewing it but I just have a limited amount of klonopin for a 1 month use. I take it twice a day. I would like to know if I chew in to get a quick effect of the drug will it effect last as long as if I would swallow it? Thanks


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

It is better to chew Klonopin or place it under the tongue till it dissolves than swallow it because it is absorbed in the mouth, not in the stomach. If it were absorbed in the stomach, it would never get to its target site (the brain) because the liver would break it down. 
Hope this makes some sense?


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

Is this true? So those of us with more active livers that require higher dosing should dissolve it under the tongue.


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## LEO123 (Jul 24, 2009)

bowlingpins said:


> It is better to chew Klonopin or place it under the tongue till it dissolves than swallow it because it is absorbed in the mouth, not in the stomach. If it were absorbed in the stomach, it would never get to its target site (the brain) because the liver would break it down.
> Hope this makes some sense?


I know if one chews the medication that it's effect will act quicker than if one swallows it but I have a different opinion on what you said. First of all if your theory was the case, it would clearly state on the direction that klonopin must be chewed or absorb in the mouth & the reason why. second of all, I believe what's important is that the medication is in a constant amount in the bloodstream to act & do it's job.


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

It is true for the orally disintegrating wafer form of Klonopin but not the tablet form. I didn't even know this latter one existed till I did a google search.



LEO123 said:


> I know if one chews the medication that it's effect will act quicker than if one swallows it but I have a different opinion on what you said. First of all if your theory was the case, it would clearly state on the direction that klonopin must be chewed or absorb in the mouth & the reason why. second of all, I believe what's important is that the medication is in a constant amount in the bloodstream to act & do it's job.


I was referring to only the wafer form of Klonopin, my bad.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

Is it illegal to chew them? Would that be considered prescription drug abuse?

BTW, some medications are dangerous to chew, namely the time released ones.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I doubt it makes any real difference. Benzo pills are 99% filler anyhow, so you end up with a mouthful of a wet chalky substance that you end up swallowing anyhow.

If I'm out and have nothing available to drink I will just chew and swallow a Xanax bar. Xanax doesn't taste good, but I've gotten used to it after doing that hundreds of times. I only chew it when I have nothing around to drink because it's hard to swallow a pill that shape (bar shaped). Little round pills are easy to swallow even without water, but these damn Xanax bars feel like they're stuck in my throat.


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

Makes no difference IME except perhaps a placebo effect. The pills start dissolving in your throat when they hit saliva. I can actually feel diazepam start working within minutes of swallowing it.


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

So klonopin still passes through the liver no matter what you do?


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## zookeeper (Jun 3, 2009)

Cast Away said:


> So klonopin still passes through the liver no matter what you do?


Despite the lab coat I'm inexplicably wearing right now, I am not actually a doctor, so this may be wrong, but...

The effect of a drug is felt while it's in your bloodstream (no matter what the injestion method) _before_ it's filtered by your liver, but eventually it goes through your liver, gets broken down by your liver, and *poof* no more drug effects.

Also, wouldn't chewing the pill be really really ****ing disgusting?


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## LEO123 (Jul 24, 2009)

Well to those with knowledge regarding my question. If I chew it, will it last as long as if I swallowed it. Reply is appreciated.


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## Ash09 (Apr 27, 2009)

Cast Away said:


> So klonopin still passes through the liver no matter what you do?


Yes, blood passes through the liver which breaks down the clonazepam.


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

LEO123 said:


> Well to those with knowledge regarding my question. If I chew it, will it last as long as if I swallowed it. Reply is appreciated.


I've chewed pills up and it made no difference in how fast it started working or how long it lasted. Some people swear dissolving under you tongue works faster. I can't think of any reason *why* chewing a pill would affect how long it lasts.

Here's my theory, take a pill and hold it under your tongue (make sure there's a bunch of saliva.) Feel how fast the pill dissolves. This is what starts happening as soon as you swallow the pill.


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

It will still pass through the liver. However it is true that more is absorbed when dissolved in the mouth than the stomach. Also it will hit the bloodstream faster if absorbed through the mouth rather than swallowed. It's commonly suggested to dissolve xanax under the tongue if you need immediate results. The problem is withstanding the taste. There's no laws against dissolving meds in your mouth but there can be health risks for some though and for some medications it probably doesn't hold true that they are easily absorbed in the mouth. It would be best to check with your doctor on each medication.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

Theoretically, if any drug hits your bloodstream faster, it is not only going to be a more powerful effect, but also wear off more quickly. I don't know how huge the difference is with something like benzos though.


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## LEO123 (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks for all your opinion. I guess I'll just swallow them. My main goal is to have it last as long as it can.


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## ThirdEyeGrind (Feb 7, 2006)

Just swallow it. Unless its that name brand wafer looking kind which is meant for putting under the tongue. Besides that, there's really no difference.


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## LEO123 (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks


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## Ozzhole (Feb 10, 2012)

I swallowed my clonazepam at 11:30 am. at around 2 pm i had a huge anxiety attack convulsively crying hard where i didn't realize snot was out of my nose until it drooped over my mouth. 

did it not work?? should i take another pill but place it under my tongue? the doctor recommended that i take one a day... but i don't know if i messed that up by swallowing it.. 

Also... what time of the day should i take it? I commute to school and i have college final terms coming up. I can't risk getting tired or fatigued while on these meds.. 

please someone help me, i'm scared


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## baranok (Nov 17, 2011)

Thomas Paine said:


> Is it illegal to chew them?


10/10


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

It's like Thomas Paine said, sublingual will create a bigger peak that drops off faster as well, while swallowing it will create a smaller peak that lasts longer (call it more time released). So it's true that sublingual will have a more immediate effect, however, it will be out of your system faster as well.


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## baranok (Nov 17, 2011)

so sublingal use makes your tolerance go higher a bit then


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

baranok said:


> so sublingal use makes your tolerance go higher a bit then


If sublingual use will lead to tolerance sooner? Not directly I think. If the people who use it sublingual are the ones who are chasing a high (which is probable ), then yes.


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## rik (Jan 4, 2010)

No difference for me. chew,swallow,under tongue


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## Vicodinightmare (Jun 4, 2012)

Ozzhole said:


> I swallowed my clonazepam at 11:30 am. at around 2 pm i had a huge anxiety attack convulsively crying hard where i didn't realize snot was out of my nose until it drooped over my mouth.
> 
> did it not work?? should i take another pill but place it under my tongue? the doctor recommended that i take one a day... but i don't know if i messed that up by swallowing it..
> 
> ...


What dose are you taking?....0.50mg?? That's what my doc prescribed me and it's not working either. I've been taking double doses. It helps a little. Try taking more. As long as you're not taking any narcotic pain killers or Ambien, you'll be fine. They make clonazepam up to either 4 or 8 mg. Can't remember. Better check the net on that one . But yeah, anyway, if I still feel anxious, I take more. Sometimes I'll take 4-6 of the 0.50 strength to calm me down, then when I see my doc next, I'll have her increase my dose, as should you. That's my 2 cents. Good luck brotha. I know first hand how terrifying panic attacks can be. Some people, who haven't truly had one, can never understand the level of complete disability it causes.

~PeacE-N-LovE~


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## reef88 (Mar 5, 2012)

UltraShy said:


> I doubt it makes any real difference. Benzo pills are 99% filler anyhow, so you end up with a mouthful of a wet chalky substance that you end up swallowing anyhow.
> 
> If I'm out and have nothing available to drink I will just chew and swallow a Xanax bar. Xanax doesn't taste good, but I've gotten used to it after doing that hundreds of times. I only chew it when I have nothing around to drink because it's hard to swallow a pill that shape (bar shaped). Little round pills are easy to swallow even without water, but these damn Xanax bars feel like they're stuck in my throat.


I wonder what do they fill these pills with?


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## AskingForaFriend (3 mo ago)

baranok said:


> 10/10


 My psych literally told me to chew one up if I was having a panic attack and that it acts just like Xanax.


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## AskingForaFriend (3 mo ago)

My psych literally told me to chew up a clonazepam if I needed if I was having a panic attack and that it would act just like Xanax does. But yeah…it def does NOT.


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