Clonidine and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Max...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2021

For Opiate Withdrawal "I'm almost 40, been taking opiates for 20 years exactly this month. I was taking 300mg of Oxycodone a day. I knew it would be hard. I got a script of ninety 0.2mg Clonidine tablets. I know I'm taking too many of them, but they really do help the WDs. Without them, I couldn't have done it. I'm on day 2 and it's relieved about 75% of the worst part of the withdrawals. I cannot recommend it enough! If you don't want your doctor to know you are addicted to opiates, simply say you want to try Clonidine for anxiety. Because it sure helps with that. And I also take two 0.5mg Xanax XR tablets a day, which also helps a lot. Bottom line, it can be done! Use the Clonidine for sleep and watch your BP, of course. Best wishes to all, the end is only a few weeks away, and then it's just a matter of getting your mood and old self back. Good luck! I hope this helps at least 1 person"

• HG4...
• June 6, 2015

Clonidine for Opiate Withdrawal "I've been on Norco every day for 10 years. I was on 10-12 pills per day for chronic pain. Without clonidine, I would be hurting like hell. I went to detox at the hospital and left after 14 hours. They wanted me on Suboxone, which is good, but it's just another high to kick after. Been there, done that. I don't need a migraine headache as well. Suboxone causes headaches and is hell to get off. The best bet is to stick with clonidine pills. First day 0.1mg x 5, second day x4, third x3, fourth x2, fifth x1. Your sixth day can be 1 or none, you decide. The only withdrawal symptoms I have from Norco are minor diarrhea, minor pain in the stomach, no eating for days, hard to get to sleep but it's possible...and on day 1, I had depression, but I'm over it now. Life saver."

• OHS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 5, 2023

For Anxiety "Started 4 days ago. 0.1 mg at bedtime. Female, 37, diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, trauma, in chaos mode aka crisis mode by highly trained professionals/psychologist and psychiatrist. Conditions: irregular sleeping pattern, insomnia, heart beating out of chest feeling, fatigue, lack of interest in everything, fearful, anxious, mind spinning, loop patterns within thoughts, inability to concentrate. My psychologist is an angel. Since starting the medication: full night's sleep, no running thoughts, heart rate is perfect, can feel fingers and toes again, relaxed, happy, active in life, smiling. Highly recommend."

• Meg...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 28, 2020

For Anxiety "This drug clonidine was a game changer for my anxiety. I love this drug - it helps me sleep, it calms me down from full-blown panic attacks (it takes about 20-30 minutes to do this). It helps with my ADHD because it calms down my body and lets me focus. I can't take benzos, so it has been really helpful. It takes a while before it stops making you drowsy. I only take half a tab if I'm super anxious during the day. I only take full tabs if I'm having a panic attack or going to bed. WARNING: DO NOT STOP TAKING THIS DRUG COLD TURKEY. I had horrendous withdrawals. I stopped cold after 3 years and was shaking and tremoring, did not sleep for a week, and had severe panic attacks all day every day."

• Rap...
• May 24, 2013

For Opiate Withdrawal "I had withdrawals before... I had no idea this medicine existed! My new Dr. Who, who happens to be my PCP, prescribed this to me when I had been gradually dosing down for about a year from Suboxone. It doesn't stop all withdrawal symptoms, but no sweats, hot/cold flashes. It helps psychologically and is safe to use with anxiety meds like Xanax and Valium. I'm heading into day 3 and had a little trouble sleeping through the night, but I did get sleep and am able to go about my mandatory daily tasks without crawling out of my skin and suffering from 'the ick' for the most part. I'm excited to reach the end of the tunnel - I have been pretty hard on myself during this experience. I 100% recommend asking your doctor for it! Good luck out there."

• I...
• July 26, 2015

For Opiate Withdrawal "I was really bad on pretty much any pain medication I could find. I quickly had a tolerance so high that I was running through 25 tens a day! I must say that Subutex saved my life! However, even after being slowly weaned down off the drug, I still had trouble getting totally back to normal. You won't detox as bad as on tens. The symptoms are very similar. The doctor gave me clonidine. I have to say it helped with most symptoms, except restlessness/sleep and pretty intense lower back pain. For the back pain, a heating pad for home and ThermaCare back wraps for work made it more than doable. After 15 years battling this, it's finally over just in time for my first child. I had to change my old friends, but it's worth it. Keep your heads up."

• Jon...
• October 5, 2016

For Opiate Withdrawal "After being on Suboxone for 7 years, Clonidine was truly what helped me get off. I was at 1-1.5 mg for a year and pretty comfortably tapered down to 0.25 mg every other day before jumping 10 days ago. I've taken 0.1 mg at night and spread 0.05 mg through the day if feeling any mild withdrawal. My only real problem at times was some trouble sleeping days 2-5 and low energy towards the end of the work day, but dragging myself to the gym went a long way. I'm prescribed and take Adderall so I can't say for sure how much it's helped as well, but been super motivated nonetheless to the point of getting new job interviews DURING my first 10 days. Don't let the terror stories online scare you. Taper appropriately and stay active and things will be OK."

• miz...
• December 30, 2014

For ADHD "My 5-year-old has been diagnosed with ADHD and impulsiveness. I was also concerned about her not sleeping or napping. She was moody and smart-mouthed constantly. Her doctor put her on the lowest dose of Clonidine, and the first couple of nights were a miracle. She slept from 8 pm to 9 am. She was calm, didn't talk back, relaxed, and watched a full movie with me. About a week into the medicine, she still doesn't have a problem falling asleep, but is waking up all night, getting up sometimes before it's light out, and is hyper! So hyper that she is jumping out of her chair sporadically, she can't think straight, she can't focus on anything. We are going to bring this up at the next appointment for sure. It's like once the meds wear off, watch out!!!"

• Med...
• May 21, 2017

For Opiate Withdrawal "I was in a head-on car crash at 50 mph in 2008 and have been prescribed Morphine Sulfate and Oxycodone as a 'breakthrough' drug when the Morphine wasn't doing enough for my chronic pain. I decided it was time to quit, yes, I 'set' my mind to quitting. The two worst parts for me breaking this addiction were the lack of sleep and the hypertension from no longer having the opiates in my system. I am now on day 14 without opiates, and I owe it to Clonidine 0.1 mg. Medical marijuana was the other thing I used. My doctor had not heard of this before, so I educated him, and the rest is history. I was able to just take 1 every 12 hours and will never go through the hell of breaking another opiate addiction. SUCCESS! Thank you, Steven."

• Fox...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 11, 2015

For Opiate Withdrawal "I started taking viks for migraine purposes & ended up taking 20 a day (1000's) for 4 years. Then addiction comes first in life. Then I decided to stop by taking suboxone 8mg per day - it's incredibly hard to get off it. I got addicted to it for a few years then took methadone for about 2 months - curing opiates addiction with opiates not the best idea. It didn't work for me. So now I'm taking clonidine 0.3 mg. It was hell on earth for the first days. Shaking, burning of the body, hot & cold, RLS, and bad insomnia. After a couple of days it starts wearing down. Hanging in there!"

• Mel...
• December 13, 2016

For Anxiety "This medicine made me beyond irate! It's supposed to help with anxiety and insomnia due to anxiety. I've been up for 5 days now with an average of maybe 2 hours of sleep, if that, a night. Complete opposite effect, and I'm so tired. But my brain won't stop running with thoughts. Weird thoughts. On the bright side, my house is spotless, and I've managed to fill my freezer and counter with countless baked foods and pastries. Smh."

• Wal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 28, 2019

For ADHD "Love clonidine! Works well if you have ADHD. Take it if you can’t stand the come down of stimulants. I have an overactive brain and have to stay away from all stimulants, even Strattera, which has a stimulant-type effect to it. Clonidine IR helps with ADHD too, not just the ER. It also helps with anxiety, racing thoughts, and sleep."

• San...
• August 6, 2017

For Opiate Withdrawal "I've had a lot of experience using clonidine for withdrawal symptoms. Though I'm working on staying clean, I've smoked heroin (tar) for a long time, on and off. The dope I was getting was very strong, and because I smoked it, the withdrawal would make me extremely sick to my stomach, so that I'd be throwing up for days, literally every few minutes. I'd end up in the ER. But with clonidine, I'm hardly nauseous (though I still add an anti-nausea med). With clonidine, my withdrawal symptoms are much more bearable, though still difficult. It might make you sleep the first day or two, but I'm generally still pretty sleepless. It must be dosed correctly and be careful. For example, I take 0.1 mg every 4 hours, then a bit less the next day, etc."

• Mel...
• February 26, 2016

Clonidine for ADHD "My son was diagnosed with ADHD in 1st grade. He's now in 6th. We've tried so many meds... Concerta, Intuniv, Focalin, Metasomethingoranother, and more. The stimulants caused massive mood swings. And the other stuff just didn't work well either. He's now on Kapvay, the generic form of it, and so far, so good. He takes 0.1 mg in the morning, and we just increased the evening to 0.2 mg. The only trouble we've had is sleep. He falls asleep but wakes up by 4 a.m. And then, doesn't fall back to sleep until 6 but has to be awake by 7:30. So, right now, he's texting me to bring him coffee. Not sure what to do about the lack of sleep, but I'm really happy with how he's responding otherwise. The mood swings have lessened. Now they just seem tween-typical."

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

For Alcohol Withdrawal "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!"

• sus...
• November 1, 2009

For ADHD "My 14-year-old son has ADHD. He was diagnosed 8 years ago. He was prescribed Vyvanse in May 2008. It wasn't working. He gained weight and inches. He couldn't sleep. He became aggressive and lazy. His heart began to race and his old tics returned. We were referred to a psychologist. He prescribed clonidine. His failing grades went to A's. It controlled his moods, calmed his heart, and the tics disappeared. Also, he sleeps well now. We are thrilled. He is also more organized."

• Kjb...
• May 26, 2016

For Insomnia, Stimulant-Associated "I've been on this medication for about a year. I personally like to take short breaks from the medication and switch to melatonin, as I've found that in just non-stressful situations, such as holidays, I prefer to take melatonin over clonidine because I'm not stressed or I don't have to wake up early. I suffer from EXTREME restless legs (my whole body) all day and night, it never stops. And extreme insomnia. When I sleep without medication, it normally takes me about 3 hours to fall asleep, and I wake up every 10-20 minutes, and it takes me about 5-10 minutes to fall back asleep. So obviously, I don't get much sleep. But with melatonin and clonidine, it has helped manage the majority of my nighttime problems (daytime we haven't found a solution)."

• 604...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2012

For Opiate Withdrawal "I tried to quit opiates on my own, and I couldn't do it. I was so dependent on them I would vomit, sweat, light-headed, aching bones... just miserable if I didn't have opiates in my system. I went into a detox program and opted out of doing either a methadone or Suboxone quick taper program. I instead went on the 'opiate protocol,' which was clonidine and Seroquel. I was amazed how effective it was. I went through none of the nasty initial withdrawal symptoms. After 5 days, I started feeling secondary withdrawal symptoms (nausea, irritable, bad insomnia, sweating, night chills, shakes, aches)."

• Saz...
• September 23, 2016

For Perimenopausal Symptoms "I would approach taking this drug with caution. I have M.E. and am super-sensitive to drugs. I took 3 25 mcg tablets over 24 hours as advised and felt awful. Panicky, detached, agitated, couldn't sleep, irritable. It was toxic to me. I would try half a pill to see if you can tolerate it. I felt like I was losing my mind and would rather have night sweats! Hope this is helpful."

• Anonymous
• April 19, 2009

For Insomnia, Stimulant-Associated "This medicine has been wonderful. My 7-year-old daughter had insomnia from the medicine for ADHD. It was awful, she couldn't get to sleep and was having difficulty in school. I wasn't thrilled about giving her more medicine, but clonidine has helped her so much."

• kal...
• October 20, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I've used clonidine before for high blood pressure. I don't think I had hot flashes at the time, but I wanted to give my two cents' worth regarding a couple of things. It absolutely will make you sleepy for a couple of weeks, then it wears off. The sleepy part, that is. Also, you get dry mouth. The sleepy part is great at night for those of us with insomnia, but during the day, it's not feasible. Lastly, I need to comment about how much people are saying they're taking. No way it's 25 mg, probably 0.25 mg! I overdosed on this medication when I was much, much younger. It would be very dangerous for someone to take a dose like that! Please don't play with these pills. If your doctor says one pill, take one pill. I may try them again for hot flashes, as HRT made my migraines worse."

• DrJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 22, 2019

For Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome "I have dysautonomia and the ‘hyper’ POTS. Taking this clonidine for insomnia, night sweats, and tachycardia at night. I still wake up a couple of times a night to urinate, however: 1. Within an hour of taking, I’m ready to sleep. 2. I’m not drenched in sweat. 3. I can get back to sleep. I went from 2-3 hours of sleep to 6/7. Huge difference."

• Swe...
• October 26, 2013

For Perimenopausal Symptoms "I take 150 mg twice a day. I was originally taking it twice a day for hot flushes, which worked straight away, and I was overjoyed at not even suffering any hot flushes (I was getting between 15 to 20 a day). However, I stopped smoking over 6 weeks ago, and the clonidine has now stopped working altogether. I am back to the hot flushes with a vengeance and will need to consider HRT, as I cannot concentrate due to the hot flushes and insomnia waking up to 4 times a night. Consequently, more work is suffering."

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

For ADHD "My son used various stimulants for years for ADHD and ODD. Now 10, newly diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and still struggling because of impulsiveness and high metabolism, the docs added non-stimulants. Intuniv dropped his BP way too low. Clonidine IR worked GREAT the first 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."

• Ann...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 8, 2022

For Anxiety "I have not experienced any good effects with this drug for my panic attacks. It seems it makes them worse. It makes my head feel heavy, like dizzy and like I will pass out. It made my restless leg worse. I pee all night, like up to 10 times when I take this. My sleep is terrible when I take it. It is in 15-40 minute increments where I am waking up. I will have waking dreams where I am talking aloud and doing motions with my body. I feel like this drug is not for me. Hoping the doctor can find me something else that works."