Parasite Control An interesting use of clonazepam is in the treatment of schistosomiasis, a disease caused by a parasite found in the feces of snails . Upon contact with the skin, the parasite enters the body and makes its way to the intestines and stomach, causing fever, pain, chills, muscle spasms and death. The mortality rate from this subtropical disease is approximately 280,000 per year. Currently, praziquantel is the only therapeutic drug used, but this may result in a permanent risk of parasitic resistance in future genetically evolved generations. Menezes (2012) combined the current treatment with a synthesized version of clonazepam called meclonazepam. This medication was able to slow muscle contractions, allowing praziquantel more time to find and target the parasite. However, due to increased adverse side effects of the synthesized drug, including psychomotor disturbances, sedation and ataxia, its therapeutic use is not possible at the moment. Further modifications of the synthesized drug are currently being developed to help combat this deadly parasite. Tolerance and Dependence Tolerance and dependence on clonazepam has become a concern in the new era of prescription pill abuse and increasing psychiatric acceptance in recent years. Clonazepam, like most benzodiazepines, can be addictive if not monitored by a doctor. Doses should be increased slowly and then decreased later to prevent withdrawal symptoms and physical and psychological craving for the medication. If tapering is not done correctly or at all, severe anxiety can occur and increase the chances of relapse in addicts or continued use in psychiatric patients. This is why clonazepam is often prescribed for short-term use, with the doc...... middle of paper ......31(2), 333-337.Menezes, C., Rivera, G., Alves, M., do Amaral, D., Thibaut, J., Noël, F., & ... Lima, L. (2012). Synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationship of clonazepam, meclonazepam and 1,4-benzodiazepine compounds with schistosomicidal activity. Chemical Biology and Drug Design, 79(6), 943-949. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0285.2012.01354.xPandurangi, A., Nayak, R., Bhogale, G., Patil, N., Chate, S., & Chattopadhaya, S. (2012). Clonazepam in the treatment of essential palatal tremor. Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 44(4), 528-530. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.99343 Vuilleumier, P., Besson, M., Desmeules, J., Arendt-Nielsen, L., & Curatolo, M. (2013). Evaluation of the anti-hyperalgesic and analgesic effects of two benzodiazepines in human experimental pain: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Plos One, 8(3), e43896. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043896