Clonidine and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I've been taking clonidine for over a month for anxiety, but the psychiatrist said it can help my hypertension as well. So I went ahead and tried it, and after a few days of taking a small quarter to half of the 0.1 mg, I was able to go to half, which I am very proud of because I have severe anxiety when it comes to taking meds! Anyway, I had 3 blood pressure scares in a 2-month time that led me to my P.C. and 5 HBP meds later (2 in which had me in the ER for an allergic reaction). It is safe to say that this medication has been a huge blessing to me for anxiety and hypertension. My numbers for blood pressure are still higher than I'd like, but have gone down several points in 2-4 weeks. I am fairly okay with this one! A little drowsiness and dizziness, but I can get used to that! Give it a try!"

• Gab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2020

For Anxiety "I hate taking this medication, it makes me extremely sick. I also get extremely groggy, weak feelings, fatigue, mood swings, and anxiety. I do not recommend it for anyone unless you're having trouble sleeping."

• Det...
• June 30, 2020

For Insomnia, Stimulant-Associated "We have a 7-year-old son with autism. We have tried Risperidone and Abilify, they worked, but the side effects outweighed the pros. Now we are trying clonidine. With this drug and really all medication, you have to be patient to get the full effect. You do see some changes in the beginning, but not all, as their body gets used to it, it gets more effective. He takes 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 before bed, a total of 0.1 mg of clonidine HCl. My son cannot swallow pills, so you are able to crush the pill to put in yogurt. In the beginning, he fell asleep, now he is better with that. It does calm you and helps with aggressive behavior. It does help with sleep, but again, every night is not perfect, but we have more better nights than not. The one thing we notice is when that dose wears off, you can see the change behavior-wise, sometimes the medication burns faster on more active days. Our son had no weight gain, no increase in eating, just the small nap in the beginning of the first dose."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 12, 2019

For Tourette's Syndrome "My son began trying this medication for his Tourette's at 8. He has mild Tourette's. This medication, .1 mcg, puts him to sleep for at least 12 hours. Sure, he stops having tics, but is out like a light. He's 14 now and just endures his tics, and he hasn't taken his clonidine in probably 2 years. Hoping he grows out of it, but will consider CBDs in the future. Best of luck and best wishes to everyone who is suffering out there. I'm pulling for you."

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2016

For Perimenopausal Symptoms "Having had months of sleepless nights with night sweats, the first time I took this, the best sleep ever, and over the last few days, the same. The impact that has had on me, being able to do things as a single mum and business owner, is phenomenal... mojo is definitely back. I have experienced the drowsiness some experience, where your eyes can hardly open, but was pre-warned and changed things around for that. Finally, glad to get a good night's sleep after months without one!"

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 30, 2024

For ADHD "This helped when I couldn't take stimulants due to abuse issues. It relaxes me, helps with focus and concentration, and helps with emotional stability. It makes me sleepy, so I try to take it at night."

• Flo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 28, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "Been taking it on and off because I have high blood pressure. However, I am a college student and I suffered from severe drowsiness during the day. I was prescribed 0.1 mg at night. I slept well, but during class, I was so sleepy I found it difficult to stay alert. I stopped taking it, and currently, I am on break from school. I restarted the clonidine, and I was hoping I would get used to it, but I still feel drowsy during the day. On the other hand, my blood pressure has still been high, it's been 4 weeks, and I am taking it religiously. I plan to discuss this with my doctor on my next office visit. I am afraid that she is going to increase my dose. I can only imagine how much more drowsiness I am going to feel on a higher dose :("

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2013

For Tourette's Syndrome "I started taking clonidine, one pill 4 times a day about a month ago. It made me sleepy, but most of my tics were gone for the first 2 hours, then just less violent. Until 4 hours when they'd be back full force. My doctor recently doubled my dose, and if I take my first dose first thing in the morning and don't forget a dose, it'll only tic maybe 5-10 times in a day, which is amazing for me. The only downside is that I get very sleepy and have to take a nap to be able to function properly. It has also been amazing for my generalized anxiety disorder. I'm much less nervous."

• phe...
• February 7, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) for ADHD "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, and 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 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."

• phe...
• February 7, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) for ADHD "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, and 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 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."

• mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 26, 2021

For Anxiety "Take 0.1 mg Clonidine for anxiety when I am feeling anxious. It does not totally take the anxiety away, but makes it more tolerable. Not my first go-to for anxiety. I use Clonidine or Gabapentin to avoid taking too much Ativan. Side effects are pronounced daytime drowsiness and fatigue. Oddly, if I take it at night, my sleep is horrible."

• man...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 24, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I take it at night because my doc said it could cause drowsiness, but I have taken it during the day if I have a BP spike, and I've never had drowsiness or dizziness. Guess I'm lucky considering what I have read here. I also take amlodipine in the morning and don't have any side effects with that."

• SUB...
• June 28, 2010

Catapres (clonidine) for Opiate Withdrawal "I have been on Suboxone (since January 10) for opiate withdrawals, and I am having panic attacks. I was prescribed Catapres this month (the end of June, 10) with my Suboxone, and day 4 on it, so far so good! It makes me sleepy and very mellow, calm-like. I assume it's doing its job, I only have taken it at night. I haven't had to take it for a panic attack yet."

• Emm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I am new to this drug. I've never had high blood pressure before now. Weight gain doesn't help it. I was on Norvasc 5 mg. It made my heart race and my face bright red. I called the pharmacy and asked about cutting it in half. They said it was okay to do. My pill cutter is inaccurate, so it was more like a 2/3 to 1/3 split when I cut it. I am cowardly regarding Rx medicine. I took the 1/3 pill. Same exact reaction - very fast heartbeat and red face. I was only walking from the kitchen to the computer - not exercising. So I had this one (Clonidine) in the ER when I went in for back pain (which turned out to be shingles). It worked quickly in the ER but made me dopey. I'm going to try it for a week. I'm in my mid 60s."

• Bil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2019

For Anxiety "Psychiatrist prescribed 0.1 mcg clonidine once a day for anxiety, then upped to twice a day. I also take 20 mg duloxetine, 20 mg buspirone, and 40 mg dicyclomine every 6 hours for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Clonidine may help a little, but leaves me so drowsy I can barely function. It also causes severe dry mouth. I doubt I’ll be able to stick with it. Xanax works well for me, but I have to restrict use to avoid dependence. A higher dose of duloxetine helps reduce anxiety but causes severe constipation."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2021

For Anxiety "I was given clonidine 0.1 mg to take as needed for anxiety, and it works really well. I am in recovery from drugs and alcohol and cannot take any mood-altering substances. I took meds like Buspar and Vistaril previously for anxiety, and they did nothing. I also have bipolar II disorder (rapid cycling), and I've noticed that when I'm in my depressive episodes, clonidine helps my mood too. I don't know how that works, but it does. I was sensitive to clonidine when I first began taking it, and I would go to sleep. I only take it 3-7 days (1x/day) per month, but my body is used to it now, and I do not get drowsy. I am also pregnant, but I'm okay to take it."

• tap...
• June 18, 2019

For Opiate Withdrawal "I’ve been taking prescription fentanyl, high dose, for 15 years after a bad lupus attack and transverse myelitis that damaged my spinal cord, muscles, and nerves. The end result was chronic, excruciating pain, and my neurologist prescribed fentanyl patches. Now it is considered the evil of all opiates. I am currently on 200 mcg, and my doctors want me to taper down. I tried clonidine for 2 days, but all it did was make me drowsy and gave me a very dry mouth and dry eyes. It did nothing for my withdrawals and the agonizing myoclonic jerks. Some people say they tried it after 3 days of withdrawals, and it worked wonders. Acute withdrawals often don’t last more than 3 days, so if you made it that far, you were probably over the worst of it anyway, and clonidine likely had little to do with your recovery. With or without clonidine, I can’t get through even a few hours of withdrawals yet. I am still hoping to find something to help me get through it."

• lan...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 25, 2017

For Insomnia, Stimulant-Associated "I've been taking this medicine since I was little (4-6 years old?). It helped for a few years, but now suddenly the side effects have been hitting me hard for 2 years. I definitely don't recommend this medicine for sleep, as it is a high blood pressure medication. It makes my blood pressure extremely low, to the point my legs give out and I can't help but fall to the floor. I get very pale, drowsy, lightheaded, weak, and it's not nice. It doesn't really help me 'sleep' anymore, I wake up 2-3 hours later, and sometimes I wake up more than once. And the pills always seem to be in my system, I experience side effects every day. I totally regret my mom putting me on this medicine."

• Aus...
• September 8, 2015

For Anxiety "My psychiatrist prescribed this for me for my anxiety (I worry about every little thing), and it worked, but it made me extremely drowsy during the day. I was taking 0.1 mg three times a day. I am a full-time college student, so that didn't work out too well. I couldn't really tell if it was helping with my anxiety or not. I only took it for two weeks."

• No...
• April 27, 2016

For Perimenopausal Symptoms "I was hopeful that clonidine would help for my hot flashes, mainly so I could sleep better at night. I took one .2 mg tablet at bedtime as directed and felt horrible the whole next day. I was extremely sleepy, spacey, and queasy. Would much rather suffer the hot flashes, as despite them I was able to drive, work, and work out just fine compared to that day."

• Anonymous
• February 4, 2009

For Opiate Withdrawal "Works great for the withdrawal from Dilaudid and OxyContin, which I have been on for at least 2 years. The sweats were awful part of the withdrawal, and this patch has taken all that away. Just a little dizzy and drowsy, hoping that will pass. It's only been 2 weeks."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2019

For Insomnia, Stimulant-Associated "Got on this for chronic insomnia. Seemed to help the first day but not after that. It made me lose my vision for a second when I stood up out of bed and consistently woke up for the day at 3-4 a.m. if I could fall asleep around 11. Left me feeling so groggy in the day I couldn't really function at work. Worse than no meds and insomnia."

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

For ADHD "I occasionally take half of a 0.1 mg clonidine (0.05 mg) 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 canceling out the negative side effects of stimulant treatment (namely Adderall IR in my case), while still maintaining the focus from the stimulant."

• Deb...
• January 26, 2016

For Tourette's Syndrome "My son is 12 years old. He has had the tics for 8 years. The neurologist put him on clonidine, 1 tablet a day as needed. He just started taking it 2 days ago. We will see how it goes from here. It breaks my heart to see him going through this. During these times when he has the tics, I try my best to make sure he has no added stress. It does get him sleepy after an hour or two with one pill. And it seems to slow the tics down a bit."

• Nig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2023

For Anxiety "Took the first dose to lower anxiety and regulate emotional reactivity from GAD, complex PTSD, OCD, and ADHD (combined type), and ASD. Being a night owl with all those conditions, I struggle with sleep avoidance insomnia (aka revenge bedtime procrastination), especially during stressful, high-demand times when I don’t get enough solitude and downtime during the day. Times like these are the reason I’m trying this medication. The biggest thing to consider is timing the dose based on when you need to wake and get going in the morning. Last night, my willful hermiting self decided to take the new pill at 12:45 a.m. without regard for morning me, who had to get up before 8 a.m. Felt extra groggy and cranky, of course. Lesson learned: take clonidine the optimal number of hours before scheduled wake-up time. Based on other reviews, I’m guessing about 10 hours. Will need to experiment and track times/effects to fine-tune. Hope it helps with all my angst-related issues — time will tell."