I have been taking Clonazepam 1mg for a couple if years, with good efficacy. The pill I have been... taking is green, with the number 833 and sometimes the manufacturer's name "Teva" on the tablet. Recently, my pharmacist substituted a yellow tablet, manufactured by Actavis. It is labeled R34. My question: has anyone found a difference is the efficacy or side effects between the green Teva and yellow Actavis versions of clonazepam? I ask because I had one generic substituted for another generic I take of another drug (lamotrigine) and found the substitute did nothing for me and all my symptoms came back. I am more than a little gun-shy of taking a different manufacturer's version of a generic after this last experience. So if anyone has any thing to share with regards to the efficacy of Teva's version of clonazepam versus the Activas version, please let me know. Thanks!
Clonazepam - anyone noticed difference in efficacy /side effects of the Teva & Actavis versions?
Question posted by DJLevy on 9 July 2011
Last updated on 23 February 2022
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
47 Answers Page 3
I used Actavis 1 mg for several years to help me sleep. Worked great. Then in November 2017 my pharmacy said they could no longer get Actavis. They tried me on Accord and Teva which had almost no effect whatsoever. Since I was getting very little sleep the MD wrote the Px for Name Brand Klonopin only and pharmacy worked with MD on process of getting exception for my insurance to cover more than they normally would. It still costs quite a bit out-of-pocket, but I needed effective medication and only found it in the name brand. By the way, the name brand is waaaaay more effective than any of the generics.
Side note: Teva discontinued Lamotrigine. You said you tried another generic that did not work--which brand was it? Just when I had the Klonopin changed cleared up, I'm now having to find a different brand of Lamotrigine that will work well. I don't ever want to relive the nightmare that got me on Lamictal in the first place. Thx.
Have you tried going back to Actavis is it the same formula?
No, I'll check and see if my pharmacy is able to get Actavis again. Thanks.
Do not go back to actavis. It was horrible for me..try accord or Watson. Even sandoz is good I’m on accord blue 1mg C 1
@purplerayn so you don't like the actavis after the earlier praise for them? I think it takes for the original Teva Klonopin to leave your body when transitioning to another generic. I just started taking actavis and slept well last night on them. You think it could be the adderall you're on? Klonopin and Add are two powerful drugs and adderall will give anyone anxiety.
As far as other manufacturers of Klonopin that you mentioned, (Watson and Sandoz) are no longer made and others more then most say they hate Accord. I found it to be lacking greatly in efficiency.
Is Lamictal for anxiety?
My wife has also been taking Clonazepam for many years. Her last refill was from mfg. Actavis. She says that she is having withdrawals since she started on this bottle. She has not been able to sleep at night. All the symptoms that she is taking this Med. have returned! We’re located a pharmacy that we can get them by the old mfg. Accord health.
What brand was she taking before ? From what I hear Accord is the worst
Someone asked where the good prescription was by. It was Accord Health. We are just now getting it filled at Walmart.
My wife has been taking the Accord brand for 4 days now. It works fine as it use to with the Accord manfacturer.
Since I am reading conflicting results on this, my guess is that there are some quality control issues with all of the listed generic manufactures. Accord works for my wife but not for others. Activis did nothing for my wife but works for others. The FDA, or who ever regulates this needs to follow up and do some testing from these different manufacturres and issue recalls for the ones that fail their testing.
Yes as a matter of fact they changed mine to the yellow 1mg instead of the blue I’m actually breaking out in hives and increasing agitation. I don’t like when they do this to me . I have food and due allergies . I’m very agitated as Well and will be calling pharmacy. They have to stay with what your used to or ask your DR for a Do not substitute can not use Generic and have him prior authorization you for approval. Hope this helps
That makes me so sad. I at least have no ingredient sensitivities, knock wood. Hopefully anyone who has to have the name brand (spelled EXPENSIVE) has drug insurance and an understanding doctor. Else, try writing to Roche or whatever company has the original mix.
I've paid out of pocket for my 2 for over 20 yrs. Since for yrs it was about 20% of my net income, due to gabapentin having no U.S. generic.
I've also been using 1mg generic clonazepam for years. I've tried a number of different manufacturers, Teva(green) has been the best for me. Kroger had been supplying Teva for me but switched to Accord(blue) which is terrible. I recently got another script from CVS which was Actavis(yellow) which I've used before, it's decent, maybe slightly less potent than Teva. I've also had Mylan(terrible), and Qualitest(terrible). Hope this helps.
Thanks for info.. I had the same problems as you with the generic clonazepam. Teva was the best but discontinued.. SO leaves Atavis & Accord... it's still hard to get. Good luck to you & thanks for responding..
It appears that the only options now are Accord (Intas Pharma, India), Actavis (Teva, USA) and Genetech brand (USA). Your insurance will fill the brand, as long as your doctor writes the script as "brand necessary". That doesn't mean they will pay for it. For that you will need to get a "Dispense as Written" (DAW) waiver. I was able to get it and got the brand filled. However the brand version gave me chest pains, so I went to the Actavis one. None are as good as Teva was, but this is the new normal (Pharma companies will do what's best for business; I assume that the Teva brand was more expensive to make than the Actavis brand, so Teva chose to only make the Actavis brand after their acquisition of Actavis).
They have Teva they will give it to you . I broke out in hives when the pharmacist saw me he filled a new bottle right away they don’t want lawsuits. What we have is an allergy to the fillers
Hi I have been on clonazepam by n and on Adderall by TEVA as well. Today I went to my pharmacy and was given yellow Actavis clonazepam. So far so good? I also taken a few of them the other day that my dog found, they actually seem to last long and smaller the dose the less needed to re dose actually, now to be honest I wanted to trash TEVA and say oh they’re clonazepam is hands down the best. Well I’ve tried every possible brand of CLONAZEPAM.. TevA Green 833 WHITE 834- both great
Thank you very much for your response. I take it for epilepsy. They fill mine with the “Soclo” blue and it’s not even registering in my labs so my doctor thinks I’m not taking it.
I don’t know what to do. If this keeps happening they are going to take me off of the medication. And I desperately need it. It’s the only thing that controls my seizures. But this Brand is bunk !!
Thank you very much for your response. I take it for epilepsy. They fill mine with the “Soclo” blue and it’s not even registering in my labs so my doctor thinks I’m not taking it.
I don’t know what to do. If this keeps happening they are going to take me off of the medication. And I desperately need it. It’s the only thing that controls my seizures. But this Brand is bunk !!
I just got my meds yesterday and they didnt have Teva only Actavis . I AM NOT FEELING ANYTHING IS IT JUST ME please HELP !!! I've been taking this med for long time for my major anxiety issue. Even since I can recall my parents lock me in a closet and used to abuse me physically to a point I would bleed sometime. Of course at that time i was very young and they changed over the years. But ever since college that's when everything fell apart I keep forgetting thing hard to remember or think.. and believe or not kept getting anxiety attacks every few hrs.. so they had to put me on this medication. Any thoughts weather Actavis works???
Yes. The Actavis does work well... Just take as prescribed by your doctor..
I hoped this helped answer your question.
I hope you feel better soon..
Best wishes
Hi Peter,
I am currently going through the same thing and it is awful.
Was on TEVA .25 daily for 15 years and absolutely loved it until TEVA was discontinued which broke my heart.
So far I’ve tried Mylan, Par, and Roche. With ALL of these different types (even brand) I have had to up my dose to .37 and of course have had breakthrough anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity, sleep issues, fog, and distractability. My advice is this:
1) you may have to up your dose with the new change in meda
2) you might have to try different generics (or brand) to see what works best for you (so far for me TEVA is BY FAR the best)
3) you may have to call around to different pharmacies or do mail order (and make 1 month follow up appointments with your doc)
4) limit caffeine until you figure this out
I’m with you that this is painful... remember that nothing probably will make you (and me) feel the way TEVA did bc they are all different. I talked to TEVA and the new Actavis does not have povidone which is a binder that made TEVA release evenly. Post updates and I will too
You may have to change
Thanks for your concern. ... Actually this my second day I am starting to feel little better. Maybe it's all in my head. Hmm but even if I do feel medication it does not feel same as Teva.
Very glad to hear that you feel better!
Last week was really hard on me. I loved TEVA but it’s gone. Weirdly I tried the brand at my regular dose and it really didn’t work well.
I’m on a new generic with an increased dose. Feeling better but not great- I’m gonna give it a couple of days or more to reach a steady state. Post more updates and I will too.
I have also been on the Teva brand of clonazepam for over a decade. My pharmacy (Kroger) switched to Allied Health since Teva has stopped manufacturing clonazepam. Allied Health brand does nothing. Extremely weak. I contacted Teva and they replied back that they are releasing Actavis but I cannot find a pharmacy that carries it. I am in Dallas, TX. I just wrote Teva back to see if they can help me find a pharmacy. For now, I had my doctor re-write my Rx and it is with Walgreens. They said they carry Solco and Accord. I know from research that Accord (a china made brand) is also very weak. I do not know anything about Solco. I am at a loss to find the same potency as Teva. I take 0.5 x 5 daily.
I agree with Janice. Actavis works. No fog headed side effects either like from teva. Until I have a problem I will say I’m fine with this change
Glad to hear that a lot of you are liking Actavis. Are you all basically on the same dose of Actavis vs TEva?
Does it have good anti anxiety effects and does it put you to sleep ok? Would love to hear more comments about it before I go through the hassle of trying roger my hands on it...
I just got my script today for Klonopin Teva 833 I mg. They don't seem to be able to working the way they did and they actually look lighter and the imprint looks different than the other pills from last month I'm confused
Hi, I am so sorry about your past. In the last four months, every time I get my 1 mg clonazepam it has been different. The dark blue ones from Quialist ( not sure of the spelling) took a while to start working, 3 weeks. Then I felt fine. Then the next month I received Teva again, which worked right a way for me. Then the next month I received Activis . There was something about them I didn't like. I would of rather got the Quialist brand. Then this last time I received Teva again. Which is what I've been used to practical my adult life. So I was happy with that. Who knows what I will get next time. I need to remember to look at the cash register before I pay and see what brand they are. If I can't get Teva, I want Quialist. Best of luck to us all.
Completely agree with the writer about caffeine. Taper off to ZERO caffeine... it's a drug and really screws up your body. They make decaf tea, coffee, cola, etc (avoid Mt Dew!!).
I have been taking clonazepam for nearly 20 years and this is the first time I've had an issue with the pill. This manufacturer is Solco. This pill melts in your mouth and seems to be less potent as I can't tell if I took it or not. It has to have some of the drug in it or I would have gone into seizures by now. I called the pharmacy and they are ordering new pills for me (other people have complained). I thought I was losing my mind until I did this search. I have taken the Teva generic in the past with no issues. Always a possibility of a 'bad batch'.
Some thing just happened to me. Stuff is terrible, Trying to get my doctor to prescribe me Actavis instead.
Your trying to get Activis? I was giving the 1mg Activis after being on accord brand for a year , I see it doesn't work . My dr cant prescribe me any other benzodiazepines since I just filled my useless Activis, I need the accord brand!
I've now had this issue several more times. I make sure to keep enough enough pills stockpiled, ask Walgreens to order the manufacturer I normally take. They will do it.
I to take that same exact brand. I take it for epilepsy and anxiety. When they tested my levels for medications with a saliva test for the last two months, the clonazepam has not shown up at all. It is not even registering. My doctor now thinks I am not taking it. And he wants to drop me down. He really thinks that I’m not taking it and it’s terrible. I’ve never had this problem before. I’ve been on the medication for 10 years. I do not have daily seizures. But I was six years Seizure free, When early this summer, I had a breakthrough one. And this is the brand that my pharmacy has used it for the last year. And I only have the medication levels tested like every three months, so, it’s just not registering. I don’t think there’s any active medication in it. At least not enough to show up on it saliva swab And back up
Blood test.
I also take for seizures. Same exact brand and dosage. Problem is, my doctor thinks I’m not taking it because it’s not showing up on my labs. My other medications are showing up on my labs but not this one. So now he wants to bring me down or cut me off completely and I just realized by going to the site this is a problem. Unlike some of the comments on here I’m not taking 5 mg pills , Or not looking to get high. I’m just looking for it to keep control of my seizures and anticipatory anxiety. But it’s not working. And like I said if it’s not showing up my labs then it’s not in my system. What the heck is going on and I don’t even know what version to ask my Pharmacy to order. I use a small family owned Pharmacy, When I seizures were really bad and I could not drive they would deliver my medication to my home. They are extremely polite and will Always try to get the brand that I need. Or that I prefer.
But I don’t even know what to ask for at this point. My doctor thinks I’m not even taking it. It’s a really bad situation and I need some help on this. Please get back to me.
I have noticed massive difference among generics. Accord is one of the worse for me it made me feel really bad the next day, and didn't do much but scramble my brain. I way prefer Teva but seems like it is getting harder to find.
I talked to Teva, they are no longer producing klonopin .5 or 1mg. They bought Actavis and now it is only being produced by them.
Yes, that's what I heard too. It has to be filled with another generic brand & all I can find is Actavis in 5mg or Accord in 1mg in my area, CA, USA ..I dont know if this is permanent or a temporary replacement.. Teva most likely will not be available at least in certain areas. Has anyone tried 5mg Actavis?
Teva will no longer be making any Clonazepam they own Actavis which is a very good brand , in my opinion better than the Teva . I take the Actavis .5mg and have been for several years they work very well.
After being on Teva 0.5 mg 1/2 AM, 1/2 PM for 20 years I first tried Myland and it was terrible! It was like I didn’t take anything. I switched to the name brand Klonopin and that was terrible! By the 6th day I felt sedated and could not function. I am on the Actavis manufactured by Teva and doing fine on it. I’m extremely sensitive to medication so this a good thing that it is working.
Cat love,
Same thing happened to me with the brand!! I loved TEva, tried Mylan which sucked and then tried brand by Roche and had a panic attack!!! I didn’t know what was happening!!!
I’m ok but not great taking some ODT tablets from Par. I don’t want to totally drive my Dr crazy so I’m
fine (I guess) with Par ODT for now... are the Actavis effects same as TEVA? Good sleep induction and good anti-anxiety properties? What do you think??
My doctor said by law the manufacturer is allowed to put 10% less of the actual medication in a generic brand and most doctors believe they are actually putting less than 10%. Therefore you need to take higher dosage just to get your prescribed dosage
Ive been pescribed 20 2mg tablets daily since 2005 and ive found that I can taste more diazepam in tje teva blues and the activis disolve far to fast in your mouth so given tje choice in activis and teva strips of 10mg pills that tje teva 10mgs have more taste to them so thats the brand name I would go for in a heartbeat
Teva, In my opinion, is more potent for clonazepam
This is the exact reason I found this. The yellow ones are way less effective for some reason. My next psych appt is late feb. Costco gave me the yellow and cvs the green. How is it even possible they are different?
While the Food and Drug Administration insists that the active ingredient found in the generic forms of any medication is identical, both chemically and in dosage, to the brand name original, the fact is that not all generics are formulated identically. Binders and fillers may vary. My experience is that one manufacturer's generic of, in this case, Clonazepam (brand name Klonopin) works as expected, another manufacturer's generic is significantly less effective. I once talked with an FDA scientist who told me that the FDA was aware of this but is unwilling to back away from its stance that all generics are as safe and effective as their brand name counterparts. Which means that, regarding generic meds, let the buyer beware. Personally, I have found that generics made by Teva (the green pill Pickles123 mentioned) are consistently safe and effective.
When your doctor orders the prescription, be sure he/she directs the pharmacist to use Teva only (or which ever other manufacturer's generic you've found safe and effective) and check the box "Dispense as Written". Then when you pick up your meds, check to make sure it is the right manufacturer. Usually, pharmacies are very compliant with their customers' wishes in this regard. They are as aware of this issue as we are, but large chain and big box pharmacies usually order massive quantities of whatever manufacturer's generic is least expensive. Still, I have never had a problem with my pharmacy (a Rite Aid) accepting a prescription I rejected because of the manufacturer issue, and ordering what I want. It just adds a couple of days. If your pharmacist refuses, find a new pharmacy. If your insurance insists that you get 90 day supplies by mail, you are kind of stuck. You might try calling your meds-by-mail supplier and ask if you can specify a particular manufacturer's generic be mailed to you when refills are sent. If no luck there, ask your prescribing doctor to contact you insurance provider to obtain a pre-authorization so that the doctor's prescription may be filled by a local pharmacy for that particular drug. As onerous as this all seems, it is the only recourse we hade to insure the quality of our healthcare in the U.S. Good luck.
Thanks for writing. It'd be a huge legal mess for big pharma if the truth were out. I'm going to have to get another rx for the green ones and for the white lamictal (generic) because since the 19th I've barely slept (no exaggeration- last night not even a minute and just tried to nap and that lasted 12 minutes) ill let u know how it goes !
After I was put on the generic for Lamictal (Lamotrigine) I found the blue diamond shape tablet manufactured by Teva was effective and safe. Once a mail-based pharmacy, which my insurance required me to use, sent me a white tablet version (I think the manufacturer was NorthStar). This med didn't work for me at all. Only by changing insurance companies was I able to get relief with Teva's product. If you are happy with the white tablets, more power to you. From my experience, Teva for Lamotrigine and Clonazepam, and Sun for Metformin, are alway effective.
Different generic brand. The good ones are not being manufactured anymore. Check the brand name on your bottle.. Teva 1mg are green, Teva .5 are yellow, but NOT available in my area in CA. So stuck with Accord 1mg are blue, .5mg are orange, now I have .5mg Actavis which are pink with R 33 inscription & have to double up 2 take a 1mg (2 pink .5mg to get 1 mg affect.. Bummer
I to take clonazepam. I take 1 mg tablets three times a day for epilepsy. It also helps With my anxiety and panic. But the last two refills that I had, I have felt no effect.
The biggest clue is they are not showing up in my saliva drug screen and I never miss a dose because I am afraid of having another seizure. I think it’s really messed up. But I don’t know if my insurer will allow for the brand-name which I am willing to pay for. But these blue ones that they are giving me are simply not working and like I said they are not even showing up in a saliva screen and I never miss a dose. They should show up because my other meds do. My doctor now thinks I’m not taking them. So he wants to drop down my dosage. But I am going to try to convince him to give me one more try and try to get the pharmacy to order something else. I do use a family owned/private pharmacy and they will usually carry what I ask them to. If they can get it.
The ones I take have a little V on it and they are blue
With four numbers on the back I don’t know them off hand. As I do not have them in front of me. If anyone has any suggestions on what has the most active ingredient because I think this is really messed up. Especially since it’s not even registering on a saliva screen that I am taking it. That tells me there’s something wrong with the medication.
DJLevy YES,I find the purepac/activas 1mg yellow R34,SIGNIFiCANTLY WEAKER than the Teva 833 1mg.I mean WAY weaker to the point they are almost straight garbage..Try to stay with the Teva 833 1mg mint green colored clonazepam Target and CVS are the only two pharmacies that I know for a fact that carry the Teva clonazepam.Honestly the Teva brand are better than the K-CUT Roche name brand clonazepam IMO.If you live somewhere that doesnt have a Target or a CVS try going to a privately owned pharmacy and if they dont carry the Teva brand 9/10 they will be happy to order the brand that works for you and they will keep them in stock for you especially if ur a consistent customer...
but YES the purepac/activas yellow R34 1mg is garbage in my opinion.I have been searching for a few years now trying to find someone that agrees the yellow R34 1mg just dont do the job..For a quick example I can easily take 8-10 yellow ones and never even know I had taken any.However,with the teva brand I can take 4-5 and they totally kick my ass with the nods and HARDCORE amnesia which i HATE. So the conclusion is obvious the teva generic brand are SUPERIOR to the purepac/actavis yellow R34s... Hope this helped...
For anxiety, it works. Focus on the subtlety and quit expecting a head change. That's the whole point.
I have the same problem. However, I am stuck with a 90 day supply of useless yellow R34’s. Suggestions?
I agree. The green Teva 1mg were perfect for me for over 10 years. These stupid yellow R34’s are worthless. I’ve upped my morning dose, but have to cut back on my evening dose so that I don’t run out. And I’m stuck with a 90 day supply!!! Grrt
TEVA clonazepam is no longer manufactured. Period. It's like your favorite lipstick shade... all you will find is what is left. And there will be no more. Actavis, though they are chalkier, dissolve too fast, and I HATE the color, have worked just fine for me the past 2 months. (The blue Accord brand, however... absolutely never ever again for me.)
I don’t take it for a high. I have epilepsy and anxiety. Point is, they aren’t showing up on a saliva screen where is my other medications the levels are showing up correct. These are showing up as not in my system. That is a huge issue. It’s not about giving high for some of us. I take this solvo with a V and 2531. They don’t register on my medication levels at all. No wonder I have breakthrough seizures.
I find that the GREEN TEVA brand clonazepam marked 833 works better for me compared to the ACTAVIS YELLOW R34 ones. I've heard differences in effectivness vary from person to person based on so called inactive ingredients. If I were you in would demand the ones that work best for you.
The green Activus generics DO NOT WORK. I took the light yellow for 5 years. They were fine. I'm getting the "distributer doesn't offer the Teva's anymore." Are Pharmacies allowed to switch distributers for a certain medication?
The yellow R 34 ones are Actavis and the TEVAs are green marked TEVA 833. I believe you have it backwards.
I just call customer service at Teva. They are no longer making .5 Teva light yellow 833. They have replaced it with actavis. You'd have to call to see if it has the same properties as Teva.
They do not have the same. I asked. They are different. Best advise is to go to brand name if possible.
I was on Teva .5 mg & Teva no longer makes it. Only actavis brand & accord are available in my entire area.. .5mg actavis are pink w R 33.. .5mg Accord are orange With 2. Anyone taking these?
Yes. I found out about a month ago local pharmacies have no say in the Clonazepam brand. Only now in 2018 Accord or Actavis are available. I tried Accord for about 2 weeks in .5mg... Preferred Teva but can't get anywhere, so was changed to .5mg today by Actavis.. I haven't tried it yet but sound
Like it isn't that great either.. So if that's all available, what can we do? Apparently effectiveness is in the inactive ingredients... Pharmacist told me it shouldn't really make a difference... or very little if any..
The same amount .5 for a 3 month supply is $800 for the name brand. I'm finding that Accord is doing the job as well as the Teva. Though my mail in pharmacy cannot guarantee that I would get that manufacturer with each refill. I did this time. So fingers crossed that they don't switch. Good luck to you all.
U r right. Teva brands not manufactured. Clonazepam is hard to fund in my area, CA , USA pharmacists "grab" whatever generic brand they can find. Accord & Actavis right now are the most available to my understanding & I never hear that the brand name Klonopin is ever available... Bummer
If you get your doctor to check off "no substitute", you can get the name brand... Klonipan. However, it will cost you an arm and a leg.
Do you know if Actavis still makes the 1mg yellow Clonazepam? I was on them for 23 years and then recently my pharmacy said that they were on back order. I tried every pharmacy in northwest montana and no one carries them. I looked the brand up online and found they had been discontinued... still not sure if that is the case. If so, do you know of a good quality generic that is not sedating and tranquilizing? .5 Northstar brand is not pleasant. Thanks!!
Yes they are, mine did and never told me!
If I were you, I would call the pharmacy and tell the pharmacist what you just told us and that you want or even better DEMAND that they change it back or you'll go elsewhere. I have been through something similar, I was getting my 2mg Klonipins at Walgreen, they said "Watson" on them and didn't work so I transferred my account to CVS and they are "Teva." Although I think my tolerance level has been raised to a point where I get no euphoria from them, I still think the Teva ones work better than Watson in keeping my anxiety down. prevent seizures and panic attacks. Honestly I didn't know it they were working or not but when I ran out of em 3 days early I could definitely tell that they were working. I got lucky and my Doc called me in an emergency, early script. I wish you well and hang in there
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- Clonazepam uses and safety info
- Clonazepam prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Clonazepam (detailed)
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