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Frisium
Diagnosis & Treatment > Seizure Medications > Frisium > What are the most common side effects of Frisium?
 

What are the most common side effects of Frisium?

The side effects of Frisium (clobazam) are generally mild and usually disappear if the dose is reduced. The side effects most often reported are:

  • drowsiness
  • dizziness
  • poor coordination
  • drooling
  • restlessness or aggressiveness

If these problems do not go away within several days, or are really bothersome, call the doctor. Sometimes the doctor can help with these side effects by changing the prescription:

  • reducing the overall amount of Frisium
  • changing the amount taken at certain times, such as taking a greater proportion of the Frisium at bedtime to reduce daytime sleepiness
  • prescribing smaller doses, to be taken more often

No one should stop taking Frisium or change the amount they take or when they take it without their doctor's guidance.

Be sure to read about the serious side effects so you will be aware of symptoms that might indicate the beginning of a serious reaction to Frisium. These serious problems are very rare but everyone who takes this medicine should at least be aware of them.

People who have just started taking Frisium (or who have just started taking a larger amount) should be careful during activities that might be dangerous, until they know whether they are having any side effects.

Long-term side effects
Frisium and other benzodiazepines are the medicines that are most likely to cause psychological dependence. When someone takes a benzodiazepine at a certain dosage for more than 2 to 4 weeks, the body (or specifically, the brain's receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA) becomes accustomed to it. Then if a dose is missed or reduced, a withdrawal process starts, characterized by:

  • anxiety
  • increased heart rate
  • tremor
  • generally feeling unwell

Taking another pill relieves all of these symptoms, confirming the person's belief that he or she "needs" the medication.

This is a very dangerous cycle, since long-term use can cause long-lasting changes in the brain's GABA receptors that lead to significant problems such as impaired cognition, decreased motivation, and depression. In this setting, rapid dose reduction can cause severe symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and illness, as well as seizures.

In many of these cases, very gradual reduction of the benzodiazepine (often over many months or years) can lead to a dramatic improvement in attention, concentration, memory, and mood without worsening the seizures, insomnia, or anxiety for which the medication was originally prescribed.