Clonidine for ADHD User Reviews (Page 2)

• Walte...
• April 6, 2016

"We have child with Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), he is not 6.5 years old and since 1 year suffered very bad sleeping quality. Waking up suddenly in the night, 2AM-3AM and cannot rest properly until 5AM or 6AM. Very nervous during the day, not having good attendance at special needs school. Melatonine, from 2 to 3 mg 1 hr before sleeping, was helpful to falling asleep quickly, but not effective to avoid night wake up or iperactivity. Since 3 weeks we started clonidine 0.1 mg, 1 tab night time before sleep, and it works very well. Since day 1 he is calm and rests well. Few nights he woke up but not nervous or crying/shouting, just calm for a couple of minutes and back to sleep. Also at school and during the day he's more quiet and calm."

• Jackb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2020

Clonidine ER (clonidine) "Currently taking clonidine ER 0.2 mg at bedtime. I started out at 1 pill for a week then moved up to 2 pills. I am a 63 female and trying it out for adult AHDH but I have mainly ADD starting projects leaving unfinished, lack of concentration and focus. So far I feel it’s helping, I’ve been able to help my 9 year old granddaughter with remote learning, finish errands, get things done around the house Etc. So far I’ve had no side effects that I know of. I’m excited to see further down the road how it works. It’s a tad pricey but I use good rx so much cheaper. The regular clonidine is much cheaper but I wanted to try the extended release. I also use this for my high blood pressure and it works great!"

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2012

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 6 yo tried this after Intuniv failed. It made him constantly tired and irritable, and actually made his impulsiveness worse since he just seemed cranky and emotional all of the time. It also constipated him to the point that ended up with fissures. It never made a meaningful dent in his ability to concentrate or sit still, and he became more argumentative in school and less willing to comply. I've yet to meet anyone that these work for, but it sure would be nice if there were a non-stimulant that worked. We're on stimulants now and still haven't found a miracle there, either. I will say that it didn't affect his appetite, which was nice."

• pheno...
• February 7, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 6 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD last year. I saw signs during the preschool years as he was kicked out of three schools. This has been a trying year as we started him on Concerta, Focalin 2.5, & Focalin ER, Intuniv:(Although the stimulants were great and we saw the benefits, it was difficult for me to see the negative side effects (tics and meltdown). I had mentioned to my doctor a month ago about Clonidine to reduce side of effects of stimulants. She declined as she was uncomfortable with providing adult medication to children. However, she contacted me about Kapvay which has been wonderful. Day 6 and a bit sleepy unlike Intuniv (sedated). I will keep you up to date."

• Mom...
• November 29, 2016

"My 11-year-old son has been diagnosed with PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome).. Clonidine is so effective with my son that we only give him 1/8 of his pill. If I give him 1/4 he is very tired in the morning. He is also on a very small dose of Prozac. He takes Clonidne as needed for anxiety as the Zithromax (antibiotics) got rid of his tics so he doesn't need the Clonidine anymore for that. But sometimes his anxiety acts up at night and Clonidine relaxes him so he can sleep. He also has 1/2 a 3mg of melatonin but he can only take melatonin now that his tics are gone because before it made him tired while he was wired and that was uncomfortable. Anyway, Clonidine is the best medication for his anxiety, but if we give him the diagnosed amount he is a zombie in the morning"

• Mary...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2017

"My son used various stimulants for yrs for ADHD and ODD. Now 10, newly diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and still struggling because of impulsiveness & high metabolism, the docs added non-stimulants. Intuniv dropped his bp way too low. Clonidine IR worked GREAT the 1st 2 days, then okay. Changed to Kapvay for long-acting effects, but we stopped because of awful insomnia for 2 weeks. I rated Clonidine IR as an 8 because when we went back to Clonidine IR, his insomnia stopped and it decreased his impulsiveness. It just stinks that he has to take it over and over again because it's short acting."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2015

"My son is 5 and was born with FAS, has been diagnosed with adhd and autism. He was prescribed clonidine a few weeks ago and has really started to stutter. He has had issues with being overly excited while speaking. Maybe he had a slight stutter that is now worse, we are not sure. He also takes Adderall and risperidone. For any parents with kids that have sleep issues, we use liquid melatonin at night. 3mg works great for him, may not work for all, but thought I would share."

• orang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 25, 2017

"This review is more frustration with my doctors than this drug. I was diagnosed with inattentive type ADHD over a year ago, although I've had it for my entire life. Because my heart rate was high, I was initially put on Strattera. Didn't work, massive headaches, gross night sweats. Gave up for a while. Finally got a new doctor and she puts me on Catapres because it helps with anxiety (which I have bundles of) and prescribing a stimulant would lead to "questions about her qualifications" (seriously tho). Taking it at night with my Trazodone does help put me to sleep, but has long-lasting lethargic effects during the day that end up causing ironic panic attacks at work because I hate feeling sedated when I need to be alert. Back to square one"

• gotpigs
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2023

"I was diagnosed with ADHD/BPD at 15 years old and am 47. I was on Lamictal/Wellbutrin for 20/10 years respectively and then tapered off both due to some other medical issues. Was off all psych meds for 3 months until things were so bad I couldn't stand it anymore. No motivation, always wanting to be on the go, mind wouldn't stop, irritable, etc. Have to be careful what I take because of other meds, so my doctor tried Clonidine XR because I was getting a caffeine habit. So far I have been on it for 2 1/2 weeks. There was effective relief after the first dose. I felt calmer and could focus. It was a miracle for me! Now this is technically a blood pressure drug and I don't have a problem with HBP. I actually run on the lower side and my typical BP reading is around 105-110/64-68 with this. I do get a headache and get tired so I take a supplement with a sip or two of caffeine when this happens and don't bend over a lot at once or stand up quickly. However, that is a small price to pay for my (and my family's) sanity!"

• Quiet
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2021

"Just started clonidine today, testing out the idea with my psychiatrist that as a 31 yo F, I’ve had undiagnosed ADHD since childhood. It is far too early to make lasting claims, but for me the effect was shocking within a short time of taking it. I would describe it as, literally the volume on my thoughts has been turned down. My thoughts would often be so rapid, and escalate to catastrophizing before I could even catch them. I can think clearly and even sit through a movie, which is something I struggled with significantly, since a very young age. I started with .05 and found that while it helped me quiet my mind, it didn’t seem to be quite enough for sleep. Will try the prescribed .1 dose tomorrow!"

• JESSICA
• April 29, 2010

"My son just recently start taking this and so far so good, it helps him sleep at night and also he has had a wonderful 4 weeks at daycare, which is unheard of for him! It just really calms him down but doesnt make him doped up."

• CDano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2019

"Sadly, Clonidine left me feeling lethargic, foggy and ultimately, depressed after 3-4 weeks of daily use. Rather that persevere, I decided to stop with the trial and felt better within 48-72 hours. I've given it two stars because it did help me to sleep for longer but it didn’t improve my quality of sleep nor did it reduce symptoms of anxiety/RSD."

• susan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 11, 2016

Kapvay (clonidine) "My granddaughter started Kapvay and she is almost 10 years old. She has been diagnosed with ADD. She was using Intuniv, but 1 mg not enough for attention and 2 mg made her so so tired. Started Kapvay and WOW…cannot sleep….huge blister on her lip….legs hurt so bad. She is almost 10 but small, she weighs 47 pounds (she was 2.8 lb preemie-11 weeks early). Have to stop medicine. I also read that it was not a great choice for ADD alone."

• Amich...
• June 29, 2015

Kapvay (clonidine) "My son is 6 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, Aspergers syndrome, and possible bipolar disorder. We have tried so many medications, Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin XR, Risperadal, Seroquel, and regular Clonidine. He is now taking 300 mg of Trazadone which doesn't help, 15 mg of Abilify, and Kapvay. I've spaced the three medications out but he still wakes up at 9 am and goes to bed at 3 am. I am at a loss right now because the psychiatrist says he's limited as to what he can put him on but the Trazadone I swear seems to wire him up. He's wide awake as I am writing this post. The Kapvay does make him cranky and irritable during the afternoon, any advice please."

• Clau
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 6, 2018

"My son is 9 years old and he takes clonidine for ADHD he takes it twice a day - half in morning and other half a night. It made him really angry and saying really Bad Things I tried changing telling the doctor to change the medication but she does not want to so instead of changing it she gave me hydroxyzine for the anger but now she gave me clonidine three times half in the morning half in the afternoon and half in the night"

• Mary...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2020

"My son is 14 years old and he takes clonidine for ADHD - one upon waking and one an hour before bed to support his long lasting Vyvanse (he's got a very high metabolism). We've used it for 3+ years and having needed to adjust, it has worked well. Has anyone had trouble with extended/habitual coughing? For the past year he's been cleared by ENTs, pulmonologists, etc., but we recently read about nasal and cough problems and think this is the cause. Anyone?"

• MaryChi
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2017

Kapvay (clonidine) "My son has used various stimulants for 5 yrs. Still struggling because of impulsivity & super high metabolism, the docs wanted to add non-stimulants. We started w/ Intuiv, which dropped his bp way too low (75/43) so stopped after 2 wks. Tried Clonidine IR and it worked GREAT the 1st 2 days, then fine (not great, just fine). The doc changed to Kapvay for long-acting effects, but we stopped after 2 wks because he got awful insomnia (took 2-3 hrs to fall asleep instead of his usual 15 mins). Last night we went back to Clonidine IR - he fell asleep quickly and slept great! I give Kapvay a 2 because it decreased his impulsivity a bit, but the insomnia was awful, he got more aggressive/emotional, and really affected him negatively."

• ADDCo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 1, 2020

"I occasionally take half of a 0.1mg clonidine (0.05mg) if my stimulant medication is causing too many side effects and generally causing me to "freak out." It's really beneficial at slowing down your thoughts and helping to maintain focus; but if you don't have a tolerance to this medication you will definitely become very sleepy and more distractible lol! I find it's really great at cancelling out the negative side effects of stimulant treatment (namely adderall IR in my case), while still maintaining the focus from the stimulant."

• Rx2009
• October 27, 2009

Catapres (clonidine) "I used it to come off of oxycodone and it helped some. My doctor continued it as an adjunct to my ADHD medicines and it was a nice mellow touch. Discontinued after a year; I take enough medicines as it is."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2020

"3 yr old son prescribed low dose clonidine, without even a diagnosis of ADHD. First few days he was sleepy but improved his mood and impulsiveness. After 4 days it made his behavior drastically worse, and within 2 weeks we discontinued."

• Jacob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2021

"I was prescribed this for sleep, since I take Adderall in the morning and my job had gotten so crazy lately. I would come home and didn’t feel like I could actually relax. So I was prescribed a dose of 0.1mg ER at bedtime. By the second time my anxiety had gone through the roof and I felt like If I fell asleep I wouldn’t wake up! Some people tried to tell me that it was just in my head and that I should give it a chance, but I honestly think I’m too young to be taking a blood pressure medication, and I never want to feel that way again. Xanax felt safer than that medication..."

• NTG
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2018

"Trying this med for numerous reasons. Works for blood pressure but pulse jumps up over 100 at rest. Possibly due to using Diovan (valsartan) as well. Prescribed by psychiatrist to counteract effects from hypertension from taking add meds. BTW, clonidine is prescribed for children, but will lower blood pressure. Be careful if you do have low blood pressure. But give it a try for a week or at least speak with your doctor if you have other symptoms."

• Amum
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 17, 2021

"My son's biphentin (Methylphenidate) slow release wears out by midday sometimes. Son has 0.2mg clonidine twice daily as needed as I can't get him out the door to go outside etc without it. So he has one before we can go anywhere to avoid a problem. One at bedtime if that's needed mostly it isn't but sometimes but it is to help him sleep through the night. The clonidine is amazing. Without it phobias to guess etc, his emotions all get the better of him and affect the day for hours. After this medication he can focus, stay calm and function so well. It's a fantastic medication, we used to have huge problems at home and out and about, but not when he's on this one. I have to give it before we go anywhere. Thank you to the producers of clonidine."

• Skippy
• June 29, 2015

"Well my Doctor boosted my ADHD medicine Adderall XR to 30 mg and I have a hard time falling a sleep even after a 14 hour work day. So he prescribed clonidine to counter my Adderall XR. Adderall helps me function at work really well. But my sleep disorder has worsen. I was taking Xanax and Ambient to sleep, but since I started adderall XR I had to stop taking the other two medications. What helps you sleep?"

• kelly...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 15, 2022

"I (age 28) take clonidine for a few things— I have ADHD (combined type but more affected by my inattentive symptoms), bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, OCD, complex PTSD, Autism, tics It works for me quite well, especially in terms of generalized anxiety (the very physical symptoms) and ADHD. It’s even helped me take the edge off of hypomania (bipolar). My only complaint is that I take it morning and night and I’ve noticed my blood pressure spiking midday, and wondering if my new blood pressure issue is related to the drug withdrawing or a separate issue altogether (I am overweight). Will be checking into that. Either way, clonidine .1 twice a day works for me alongside several other drugs— Effexor Xr, Rexulti, Depakote ER, Concerta, and Vistaril, as needed."