I have been on clonazepam .5 dosage for the past 2 years now. I had been taking the generic brand Teva, which worked amazing for me! However, for my past two prescription refills, I had been getting orange pills instead of my usual yellow ones. The bottle says that the manufacturer of these orange pills is “Accord”? And since taking this brand, I have felt horrible. My short term memory is messed up, and I have this weird feeling that my body is on autopilot. It’s so hard to explain. My anxiety has been at an increased level. Overall, I feel like I just might be going insane! Is it even possible for a change in the manufacturer of the same brand to cause different side effects? As stated previously, Teva brand worked outstandingly well for me. Does anyone else feel this way with the Accord brand of clonazepam? What do I do? I’m open to any and all advice!
Is Accord generic clonazepam awful for anyone else?
Question posted by Anonymous on 13 June 2018
Last updated on 27 April 2024
82 Answers Page 2
I have had terrible results with Accord, I take .5 mgs for sleep but with Accord I might as well be eating candy, its like taking nothing for some reason.
Ask your pharmacist to order from Teva USA. I use it and if it seems to work. You can ask for your Rx to come from a country other than China.
Omg I have been on clonazepam with accord for over a year. 1 MG. They are horrible! I have had memory loss and like a foggy feeling? I cant even remember basic words and names of people I KNOW! I used to take the Teva brand for severe panic disorder. 1 pill would work. Now with this Accord 3 pills at a time dont even faze me and my anxiety is worse. I just begged my doctor to switch me back
I’ve tried & tried to call my pharmacy to try & replace them Accord brand with Teva brand. They tried to reach Teva manufacturer, but to no avail. The Teva tablets, even the ones not scored, are easier to break than the Accord. I’ve even called another pharmacy, that I’ve filled this medication at & they did not want to give out any info. I told them I filled it there before, I’m in the system, but because it’s a c4 drug, they couldn’t disclose any information; yet I had no problem with the other pharmacy. Sigh!
I was taking 1mg teva the green ones this past month they switched to solco health I have been panicky and full of anxiety.. I called every pharmacy in my area to find out what brand they have and I asked my regular pharmacy if they can order me the teva in and they can so ask your pharmacy if they can or if there willing to do it
Most big chain and family pharmacies will honor a request for a specific product.
Pharmacies stock the least expensive medication when they order to keep your cost down. Occasionally you'll need to spend slightly more for a special request but it's worth it if you think it works better for you.
Tell your pharmacist how different you feel between the two and hopefully the pharmacy will give you the Teva back
The original TEVA is back! I also had to pay for name brand (was not cheap) but many of us contacted the manufacturer and they brought it back.
I've read that it is branded Teva, but it's not the old formula -- it's the Actavis formula, but re-branded as Teva.
Have you had good luck with it? Is it as effective as the old Teva formula?
I weaned myself off Clonazepam doing a slow liquid taper after having so many issues with the pharmacies changing manufacturers, etc. I have been off the med for 6-months and couldn't be happier. What a pain it was to go through so many hassles.
I weaned myself off Clonazepam doing a slow liquid taper after having so many issues with the pharmacies changing manufacturers, etc. I have been off the med for 6-months and couldn't be happier. What a pain it was to go through so many hassles.
I was on Teva clonazepam for a while and it worked well. Then, like everyone else mentioned, I stopped getting that. For a while I got Actavis tablets. They were fine, but not as good as the Tevas. Then for the last year I started getting Accord clonazepam, and it was like I was taking nothing at all. It was useless. I read some of the comments on here and realized I'm not the only one noticing this. I wrestled with whether or not to tell my psychiatrist about this, because I have a lot of fear/anxiety about taking clonazepam in general, and I don't want to seem like I'm drug-seeking. the recent turn against benzodiazepines by so many doctors has me really scared about taking the pills, much less asking about specific manufacturers or brands.
But I finally did tell him. He hadn't heard anything specific about problems with Accord clonazepam, but he did acknowledge that generics can differ from brand names in terms of bioavailability by around 20%. So he agreed to prescribe the brand name with no substitutions.
They work MUCH better, and are much more consistent. Luckily my insurance didn't balk at this, so I get them covered and and the price isn't awful.
But yes... the Accord clonazepam seems to be absolutely horrible. If you can get the brand name, do it. It's a much better drug.
Yes. Absolutely. I was switched to a different generic (I'm so sensitive to generics, my dr & pharmacy have notes about it on file so I get the right thing, Embarrassing but true) and looked it up, learned the maker AND now I know why I'm having symptoms I used to get from eating dairy. There are two kinds of dairy in this! Why is lactose in klonopin?
I keep writing and erasing, but aside from wanting you to know it's not just you, I guess I'm wondering if anyone found a better generic. I think if I took another .5 mg it would = what I had before, but this is a daily med for me, I'd run out. Why do these companies mess with medications people take every single day? :( I
I hope you all are doing better and hopefully finding some answers. You're definitely not alone. Hugs and hope.
Come on everybody. As a person who has taken Klonopin for 9 years, unfortunately, can we once and all agree that the difference in Bioavailability between generics is 0.2% and NOT 20%. I have confirmed this with 3 different pharmacists, 1 PA, and 1 Doctor. I am convinced it's a fact.
I never understood all the hate on the generics? You can literally find forums that are all about how terrible ACCORD is as a generic klonopin substitute. However, a few clicks later I'm on a page on how ACTIVAS is just THE WORST generic. Some more clicks later and it's a page on how the NEW TEVA's circa 2019/2020 are JUST AWFUL and FAKE. I've even read articles where the OP had problems with the ROCHE BRAND NAME and said that the TEVA generics were 10x better than the brand name. I've read that Sandoz is better than Activas, but not as good as Accord. Or Accord is better than Mylan, but not Sandoz...
I want to hear from the people that take Klonopin generics for SEIZURES not GAD or Anxiety disorders. The people with seizure disorders know when their meds are not working as they should be. So if anyone takes generic klonopin for Seizure disorders I'd LOVE to hear which generic THEY think is the best.
Glad to hear that clonazepam is working well for you! We all know that everyone reacts to medications differently, and this certainly doesn’t exclude generic medications. For example, individuals might prefer Actavis over Milan, and others may prefer to take Teva over Sandoz etc. Even though the difference between them may be “.2%” as you had mentioned, that doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t feel a difference, or not have their preferences. Some individuals may be allergic or sensitive to inactive ingredients within these generic prescription brands which would cause them react to them negatively. I’m grateful to know that you’ve spoken to and confirmed with professionals on your end, but professionals on my end confirm that some people can actually feel differences between different generics of prescriptions, which is why MANY people have their preference on which generic they would favor to take.
There are several of threads you can find and have already found that are related to comparing generic brands, which goes to show that it is blatantly obvious that some or many individuals can feel a difference either psychologically or physically when having switched to another generic brand. And if you don’t feel a difference when switching between generics, that’s awesome! But don’t disregard the individuals that do feel something when having made a switch.
Regarding your last point, I would also be interested to hear how those diagnosed with a seizure disorder react to Accord clonazepam differently than another generic brand.
As one that works in health care what you can do is have your doctor stipulate in the prescription what tablet to give for example (round yellow 2530 V) which is Qualitest Pharmceuticals Inc Klonopin. As manufacturers have multiple distributors whose names will be on the bottle but the same exact tablet with same markings.
Also you can have them stipulate backups that work well and/or What NOT to give (tablet shape, color, markings) as a complete plan.
Also be sure to double check with the pharmacy you use that they have that information word for word in their system. Get a print out if you can. Go to manager if you have to. Otherwise be prepared to be on the roller coaster of anxiety playing pharmacy musical chairs.
I have multiple med sensitivities so you are not alone. Although I have seen trends on complaints of manufacturers generics it is confounded by the fact that people react differently to different manufacturers.
What may work well for one person may not for another.
We need to organize to seek federal legislation for better standardization in safe inactive ingredients and more strict quality control of bioavalibility (strength of med).
Also for Clear Education to Pharmacies that this is a factual and documented problem. So many are oblivious to this thinking that all generics are the same.
Is this not taught in school and ongoing continuing education courses?
Teva didn't work and was switched to Accord which seemed OK and now
Qualitest! I'm hoping it works the same or better. Feel like a lab rat.
I called around my town to every Pharmacy because I recently found out Teva relaunched their clonazepam. So I called and till I got a hold of Safeway and found out they carry Teva as their number one brand unless they get something different if they can't get Teva. But I haven't had that problem yet and I'm happy to get my Teva back. Robert from Arizona
I'm still experiencing this with pharmacy personnel, even pharmacists. They can be so knowledgable about many things yet completely ignorant and arrogant but others especially with this being posted in detail on the FDA's own website and multiple studies on it.
This should be a reminder to anyone in whatever field they work in is to be constantly learning and competent in your profession and follow the golden rule as you will need compassion one day.
I have recently got the original Teva brand back. My little country pharmacy searched high and low to meet my needs. I hope this is a possibility for others. I switched pharmacies due to the fact I was told I get what they got and too bad by my first pharmacy. I knew there were pharmacies who would attend to my needs somewhere. Found 1 right in my little town. Don't know if the big chain stores will special order for you. Good luck everyone in these uncertain times right now were dealing with. Prayers
My pharmacy, Ralphs, switched to Accord because it’s so cheap about a year ago. I have severe GAD and take .5mg 4x daily. I took Accord and felt absolutely NOTHING. My anxiety attacks increased. I called Ralphs to complain, and they told me that they have not received any other complaints and refused to order Teva. I found an independent pharmacy that carried Teva and switched my prescription over, however they don’t have a discount program like Ralph’s. I’m on Medi-Cal and sometimes they don’t pay for my prescription, forcing me to pay $90 for 120 pills. Ralph’s price is around $15 for 120 pills. It’s infuriating to say the least. I have read numerous complaints about Accord online, I believe it’s made in India. Horrific generic medication IMO.
ACCORD is wonderful next to ACTAVIS which was bought out by TEVA. TEVA didn't want to make Clonazepam anymore so they bought out ACTAVIS to do it. I have been on Clonazepam for 25 yrs. 1mg. 3xday. Last year as I was getting older and saw a PHSYC, for two months he had me on 2mg. Accord. It worked so well but after 2 months I said let's go back to 3 1mg a day. This doctor had put me on an unusually high dose of Remeron, 66.5 mg at bedtime, what a mistake. It caused forgetfulness and memory loss. It took 4 months to get most of my memory back. I went to my Family Practice Doctor for over25 yrs. Beginning in January we moved me back to the 2mg. Clonazepam but something was wrong the first month it was beginning to handle the panic disorder and anxiety less and less. The second month was with drawls. I started investigating and found out instead of Accord this time they filled it with ACTAVIS. The worst month in 26 yrs.
I understand not every medicine effects each person the same. I found the article on here about the WEAK dosage in ACTAVIS,for which I am grateful. Wallmart was so kind that they put on my record to just give me Accord. I had notified them about the article on here and gave them the website and I also emailed my doctor. We have to be advocates for our own health and medications. I have seen a complaint on MYLAN also. Request the one that works best for you from your Pharms. This has been a very eye opening experience. Take charge of our lives and Meds. Thank you.
Babette53
I have spent my night emailing Walmart and my Doctor. I am pushing for them to get TEVA back into the stores. Write Walmart and you doctors and list the two sites on here about clonazepam
Call TEVA 888-838-2872 then push #3 then #5. Go get them
Tigers be proactive !!! Good luck to all. I have dealt with this since I was 22. I finally found a Physc in 1995 25 yrs ago who told me what it was and it is hereditary and gave me clonazepam that was 25 yrs ago. I am 70 and suffered with it most of my life. Don't wait !!
I have called my doctor sending him the links to this site I have also contacted Walmart in 2 emails. We are our own voices, God bless all.
This just came up at my last doctors appointment. I asked him if the brand could be affecting my anxiety. My mother in law passed away in the fall but stressors have reduced and I still haven’t been sleeping as well with my .5mg dose and still anxious after my .25 mg afternoon dose. He said FDA can only control so much and active ingredients consistency may very among manufacturers. Additionally inactive ingredients vary and may alter effectiveness. I’m so glad you asked this. Back to Activis for me!
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