Clonidine

[on the vike-a-go-round and getting off]

Can anyone tell me how to use my clonidine that my mother gave me. I am cutting down from a lortab 7.5 habit of around 6-7 day, sometimes 10 or 12. I feel awful and I have to work. I am getting off this silly merry-go-round. I know the fall will hurt, but I have read that Clonidine will help me a lot. Keep in mind I cannot miss work. I have to tough this out. I will not be cold turkey. I will still be taking around 1.5 pills a day as that is all I have left.

Greg

[granboo531]

     I just had to add to your comments. My heart just went out to all of you as I was reading your postsI. pray for all of you who have not yet found a way to beat this thing called addiction. I was on a search engine reading other trials currently being done using different methods. I found this one using Clonidine. I thought this was a blood pressure medication,I also read about a method that sounds really successful where addicts are being presribed buprenorphine. This is also a partial agonist like Suboxone.
    GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU still fighting this awful disease. Withdrawal was truly hell! I am an addict of opiates for 20+ years.However, I have been clean and sober for 2+years now.  I didn't have the money or the insurance to go to a  rehab.
     Some people don't agree with the method used to treat my addiction, But it has worked for me so far. The addiction will be a part of me for the rest of my life.  I was prescribed Suboxone 8/2 mg by a private psychiatrist who specializes in addiction to help me fight the beast of horrible withdrawal symptoms of opiate addiction. I started at 3 tabs a day sublingual. I am now down to 1/2 tablet a day and hope to wean on off at some point. The KEY is to wean slowly and don't at any time allow the weaning process to threaten the sobriety you have achieved.
    I tried it (withdrawal) on my own....even tried transferring the addiction to other things.. I COULD NOT. Everything doesn't work for everyone. We all are different. Our drug histories are different, some of us are stronger than others.Our body chemistries and brain are different. I can tell you to do whatever it takes to free yourself from this bondage.
     Get down on your knees and pray without ceasing. I also suggest attending and participarting in NA meetings. They are everywhere. And it is so helpful to be around others who have walked this path and are now sober. They understand where your are. All of us don't have friends and families who understand. I didn't. People who haven't been there have a tendency to say "Why don't you or why can't you just quit??"
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.  AND DON'T GIVE UP! There is help for you. Sometimes it just takes a lot of effort to find it. I had called 28 phone numbers the day i found help. Everyone I called kept giving me another number to call. Finally, I found help........ the receptionist asked if I could be there at 2:30 the next day. I was and now here I am. You can make it too.

[Ranifactor]

Is there any hours of interval needed if taken sublingually? (1.5mcg)

[GA Guy]

I took .1mg 2 times daily and .2mg at night to sleep. But, my BP is slightly high already, and I'm a bigger guy. I'd just take .1mg 3 times a day and keep a check on your BP. Even better, just take as needed. It does make you tired as heck. It did me anyway.

[lurker]

The proper dose is .006mg per kg in divided doses, usually 3 times per day - just be careful not to stand up too fast and drink a lot of fluids and you should be okay.  If you tend to have low blood pressure you'll want to start at the lowest possible dose.  I find it helps with everything but the anxiety, but I definitely agree with Ga Guy that it helps.

[FLaddict]

I found it helped me alot with the sweats.chills and anxiety it also helped me from feeling like my heart was gonna beat outta my chest... Only take it for the first week then start of cut back.. clonidine must be tapered.. if you stop taking it cold turky it can cause a spike in bp and hypertension so be careful

[GA Guy]

Oh yeah, it makes you sleepy, too. Make sure to not take it when you're driving. I nearly wrecked because of it!!

[FLaddict]

Clonidine is a med that keeps your Blood pressure down.. are you sure you can work while taking that??  I would test it first to see how you feel.. alot of people get a bit dizzy on it and very tired..

My bottle says to take one 0.1mg 3x per day.. they come if different doses so figure out which ones you have.

[on the vike-a-go-round and getting off]

I have the .2mg's and I can split them. I have taken them before a while back and they did zap me, but I would rather be tired than feel these lousy withdrawals. I did not stay clean long enough to see if they really helped the first time I tried them. Does the clonidine really help?

Greg