Clonidine for Alcohol Withdrawal User Reviews

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 10, 2014

"It is not an overstatement to say that clonidine probably saved my life. I drank very heavily through most of my twenties. By the time I was 29, I was up to over a fifth of 80 proof a day, if not more. I would drink as much as I physically could, basically. I also drank so heavily because I have always had panic attacks and anxiety, and the alcohol helped calm my nerves, until I woke up, and it was much worse, and the cycle continued. I tried to quit other ways, but the withdrawal was too much. I was honest with my psychiatrist, and she put me on Valium and clonidine. I tried a benzo alone, but it wasn't enough to stop the agitation. The combination made it more bearable. I took it day by day and now am sober going on 2 years."

• Bul...
• December 13, 2013

Clonidine "Clonidine (Catapres) works great for hypertension, cold and hot sweats/flashes, headaches, and overall agitation when undergoing ethanol/alcohol withdrawals. 0.1 mg 3 times daily in conjunction with a benzodiazepine like chlordiazepoxide (Librium) or diazepam (Valium) may be needed depending on alcohol intake or the degree of withdrawal symptoms. Remember to always be honest with your M.D., put pride aside because most likely it isn't anything he/she hasn't heard before."

• CLS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2019

"I started taking clonidine after my last alcohol binge. I was in the hospital for 5 days after having suffered from 2 gran mal seizures from withdrawal. I normally suffer from severe anxiety and insomnia, and alcohol, unfortunately, became my coping mechanism. To the point of near death in excess of 50 times. My doctor wouldn't prescribe me anything that worked for my anxiety, and out of desperation to not be tempted to drink again I did some research and found a new, better doctor. He didn't want to prescribe a benzo, so he recommended this. At first, it didn't seem to be doing anything. My heart was still beating fast and anxiety high, but after a couple of weeks, it started to work and has helped me tremendously. It keeps me calm and my heart is not 'beating out of my chest.' My blood pressure and heart rate are perfect! I am able to sleep most nights and I don't feel so restless and anxious at all. And I don't feel the need to drink!"

• Alc...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 6, 2022

"This stuff works miracles with alcohol and opioid withdrawal, it just doesn't help my stupidity of going back to them and getting rehooked. Opioid withdrawal, it killed 95% of my withdrawal. Alcohol, a good 70% relief of withdrawal symptoms."

• Sky...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2020

"I was prescribed clonidine .25 mg. I had no side effects. It did help with alcohol cravings, but I still could not keep any alcohol in the house. So doing both helped. I could have more energy and my head felt clear. The only thing is I think I might be gaining weight. About 5 pounds in 2 weeks."

• Wor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2014

"I guess I'm the party-pooper here, but I find clonidine didn't do anything for withdrawal. It just made me feel cold (ice cold), weak, totally drained of energy. Like a sick, anemic feeling. Yeah, it'd make me tired but not in a good way like Librium or Ativan. I haven't drank any alcohol in 12 years now, and as I recall it was Ativan that brought me down easy that last time."

• Kei...
• March 6, 2021

"I started to take clonidine for alcohol withdrawal. It worked very well. I ended up staying on it for two years for sleeping. What I noticed is that now it is causing me lots of problems. I cannot take it anymore. I had lots of extras and started to take an extra one a day for anxiety. It just made my anxiety even worse. I was not sure that it was the clonidine that was causing some pretty bad side effects: depression, irritability, shaking, stress, changes in thinking, vision changes, general unwell feeling. For me, it was tolerable, but for some reason, I cannot take it anymore. Be careful on increasing dosing, as a small dose of 0.1 was not giving me many problems. I cannot even tolerate alcohol anymore. My body is basically rejecting all drugs. Most problems people have can be solved with changing your diet to a fruit and vegetable base. Juicing is an extremely powerful healer, as there are so many stories about how people have reversed just about everything with juice alone."

• Sev...
• March 15, 2020

"I'm getting a little worried about withdrawals. I was sober for 3 years, and I started again a year ago, and my intake is going to blow 4 pints of 70 proof a day. I'm not under any medication. I went to the hospital twice, they sent me away because my health insurance got shut off, and it is the weekend, so I can't do anything about it until this week. I could keep maintaining, but with my living situation, I'm not allowed to."

• Anonymous
• February 22, 2020

"Clonidine has helped stop heavy alcohol consumption cravings and anxiety. Since starting clonidine 0.1 mg 2-3 times daily, I don't crave alcohol at all, and my focus is much better."