Clonidine

[CMT508]

Hey eveyone.  I was recently put on Clonidine to help with anxiety and I am currently on Effexor.  Does anyone have any past experiences with Clonidine?  Does it work?  Do I have to build it up in my system?

Thanks
C.

[barfungun]

Clonidine is being used for anxiety, my doctor just put me on it also. Very low dose to start out

[promicarus]

This is untrue-clonidine is becoming more and more widely used for anxiety, especially anxiety related to PTSD, cPTSD, ATD, and other forms of anxiety of trauma-related etiology--especially panic and nightmares.

[jaqfam3]

please check with your physician. It is used also for anxiety. Also add

[dory13]

I just wanted to say that my psychiatrist just prescribed clonidine for anxiety. I am on Klonopin also.
I couldn't find much info on using clonidine for anxiety, but at least now I know it's been prescribed for other people with anxiety too.
I do NOT have high blood pressure.

[ILADVOCATE]

It all makes sense but I think one thing we should be careful of here is when we use the term "doctor". Some people feel more comfortable referring to a psychiatrist as a doctor and a psychiatrist is of course a medical professional but some people don't have good health insurance and a standard physician prescribes their psychiatric medications which is not advisable. I am assuming you are seeing a psychiatrist and as for Clonidine and Effexor interacting I have not heard of that one but you should ask them to look it up. They all have a PDR and more importantly I know my psychopharmocologist has a palm pilot where he can look up any medications and see how they interact and has access to information that only a physician would. Even my doctor does. And if people feel that are being underserved they should never change anything on their own but they should seek a referral to a trained psychopharmocologist. As for myself the Klonopin has been of some use in treating tardive dyskinesia. The Clonidine was much better. When I was on it, I could go out. I became homebound after that because the Clonidine and Tizanidine both alpha blockers were much better at controlling dystonic spasms. But the Clonidine brought me into an agitated mixed state and the Tizanidine caused suicidal ideations. Depression is a common side effect of Clonidine and unlike naturally occuring depression medication enduced depression is hard to watch out for because it creeps up on you. But some people I know did well on Clonidine but its often not well tolerated.
     It really all depends. I know from that mood disorders website (that is run by a well kwown highly reputable mood disorders specialist albeit one I haven't seen) the phrase "any medication can cause any side effect" from the psychiatrist on there applies. I had extra pyramidal side effects from Lamictal and that's unheard of but my psychopharmocologist believed it to be factual, reported it to the FDA and its now a statistic. And the advanced tardive dyskinesia I had started when I was on a full dose of Lamictal and I asked him and he said it was a "possibility". He doesn't know because I was on an antipsychotic then and antipsychotics definitely cause tardive. And he's looking over one documented case of Lamictal enduced movement disorders I showed him from the web. But because those are not common documented side effects I wouldn't tell other people its one to watch out for in Lamictal but Stephen Johnson's syndrome ("the rash") is and Clonidine causing depression is most definitely a common side effect and why my psychopharmocologist was reluctant to use it, my neurologist used it for dystonic spasms and my psychopharmcologist eventually had me go off it.
   But the best thing to do with medication interactions is to make sure every provider knows what the other is prescribing. And psychiatrists can easily access a database of information to see what could happen and if you ask them to there's no reason they can't check for you. Knowing a medication can cause side effects, even long term ones is information people should know and doesn't prevent people from taking mediation. I know the Zofran can cause liver damage. I get liver function tests once a year. But on Depakoate I had to get them once every several months. And on Lithium, of course for different reasons I had to get them monthly. And Clozaril weekly.
  One shouldn't get overly worried but being an informed consumer and knowing what could happen is another story. Many people take Topomax without problems. And a few develop long term side effects. My friend who took Topomax said "I don't read about the side effects. I don't want to worry myself" and he developed gastritis which turned into Barrett's esophogitis which is pre-cancerous. When I started Topomax I had extreme pains in my stomach and stopped it right away with my psychopharmocologist's permission. On the other hand when I started Zofran it helped with the schizoaffective disorder. As it turns out its in research as an adjunct for that. And for me it has a mood stabilization effect. My psychopharmocologist explained to me how its related to mood stabilizers with its effect on serotonin. Its essential to know what you are taking something for, the side effects and the beneficial effects and what it should be working on. That's what being an informed consumer is about and how you make the most out of treatment.

[ILADVOCATE]

Some confusion. He was speaking about Clonidine, a blood pressure medication used off label to control mood disorders. Klonopin is an anti-anxiety medication which is a benzodiazepene. I have been on it for years. The only risk is the potential of building up a tolerance to it which has been of concern in me as I have had to gradually up the dose with my psychiatrists permission. But generally its safe long term. One thing to remember is just because two medications have similar names they can be totally different. The FDA is aware of this and is trying to change this. I know because the first medication I ever took was Anafranil. The pharmacist's assistant made a mistake and gave me Aprasinil a blood pressure medication. All I knew is the pills looked different and I didn't take them but if I had it would have been dangerous. It was reported to the pharmacy and they took corrective action. But this is still a problem that can occur. Everyone should know the exact name of what they are taking and we all did here but there still was confusion. It shows what happens when mistakes are made on a larger scale when prescriptions are given in a hurry in emergency rooms.

[jan2281]

I have been on Klonopin for about a week now and it does make me feel better...I have no side affects, It was given to me because I have anxiety issues and alot of body twitches...my doctor also put me on amitriptyline and the use of both of them together makes me feel a lot better...I was taken PAXIL, and the paxil gave me verve damage....well good luck to you..

[CMT508]

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.  Honestly.  This is what this site is for right?  Sorry if I wasted anyones time without giving all symptoms. " G."

C.

[ILADVOCATE]

I was on Clonidine and couldn't tolerate it. I was taking it for spasms from tardive dystonia as well as a mood stabilizer. Some people find it tolerable though. I found it best in patch form as the pills ran out and the patch only had to be applied once a week. It did have a calming effect of course and its primary use is for high blood pressure. The side effects to watch out for that I experienced and are relatively common are abnormal heart rhythms, a marked increase in appetite, lowering of sex drive and most importantly depression or other mood changes. The last one is important because if you find yourself becoming increasing depressed, that's common as a side effect from Clonidine and why its not used as often as other medications. However, when I knew some people with Tourrette's (another use of it) who used it, they found it perfectly tolerable and effective. I'd suggest the best way to get the information is to read the package insert or if you can't understand it ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain more. You can also look it up online but make sure the website is medically valid. Its a known anti-hypertensive with an increasing number of off label psychiatric uses.

[RubyWitch]

I'm glad you are apparently on the correct medication. It WOULD have been very helpful, and saved me the time and trouble, if you had mentioned your extreme high heart rate and the fact you have high blood pressure.
In future, when writing for advice, please be sure to mention little details like that.
Greenlydia

[CMT508]

It is Clonidine.  I think they prescribed it to me because I get extreme high heart rate in certain situations like I am going to pass out.  Seems to be working as I also have high blood pressure.  I will keep you all posted.

C.

[RubyWitch]

Are you SURE you've given us the correct name of this drug? Clonidine is an antihypertensive.............NOT an antianxiety med. Even it's "unlabeled" uses do not include anxiety issues. Two of it's many side effects are anxiety AND depression. Besides hypertension, it's UNLABELED uses are for severe pain, opioid withdrawl, ADHD and menopausal symptoms.
First, check your pill bottle to make sure you've got the name right. If it IS Clonidine, I would contact my doctors office immediately! This medication can sometimes be confused with "CLONAZEPAM," the generic name for Klonopin, which IS prescribed as an antianxiety med.
Let me add here that I am NOT a doctor and your's may have had reason to prescribe this medication for you. I do not mean to second guess him as I am totally unqualified to do anything of the sort.
Do, please, let us know what you find out.
Peace
Greenlydia

[lysaabbey]

I was placed on it for hot flashes, and it helps my chronic belly pain from autoimmune disease. When I was working as an ER nurse I frequently observed it being used for opiate withdrawal, and for sleep in children with ADHD. It seems to be a one man band. :)