clonidine

Alisa - posted 3 days ago

My 5 year old is on Clonidine due to sleep issues too. He has been on it for several months now and is starts him on his REM cycle but after about 3-4 hours is wears off. The thing about Clonidine is that it is usually used to treat high blood pressure too. In small doses it helps kids with ADHD and their hyperactivity but in large does it can be very harsh on them. Also, they cannot just be taken off Clonidine, it must be weaned off because it can be very dangerous and push their blood pressure up. The only reason he is still on it is because he needs it to help him sleep and because we need to wean him off of it completely. This is not a medication that I would recommend long term. We have also started using Melatonin sustained release to help with his sleep and it is making a big difference.

Robin - posted on 05/09/2013

Korbens Mom, My son started out super agressive with even company that he liked. At 3 years old I knew we had a problem. Now 7 on 25mg of adder all and only a clonidine if he cant sleep , he wakes up screaming like someone is attacking him , yelling for me. At first i would go in and answer to find out he wasnt really awake. Now im not giving me the clonidine because im sure its doing this.( tested against a month of no clonidine) He would sleep late but sleep with no issues so i guess we are stuck with sleeping late.. I can not take seeing my little boy in such horror when he is sleeping. Then waking up so angry and not even knowing why, when you ask him whats wrong. I dont know much about defiant disorder but if i had to guess id say he is big time developing it or its waking up. It can be so profound Im not sure even how to react because you can tell it isnt really him. Can anyone offer advice for this issue. Im completly feeling so helpless with the defiance it is utterly off the wall for his age even at school. There are no new issues at home or school either. WE just cant put our finger on this.

Asianae's - posted on 12/18/2012

hello.
I am a mother of a 2yr old girl. Its been a long battle with sleep and behavior issues since i can remember. Asianae' has had already 2 sleep studies done, in 2 different states. there has still not been any medical reason on why she has numerous arousals during her sleep. First it was sleep apnea, then was told it was behavioral. She never napped, wakes up in the middle of night and wants to play and is constantly exhausted. She is very impulsive and is real moody. It has been diffucult being that she suffered brain damage @ birth which of course damaged one side and made her delayed. So that only makes the job harder to figure out the problem. Today she had her regular neuro follow up and this is where he suggested clonidine.... I was shocked but also willing to try it. I feel if the child is deprived of their sleep then there is obviously a medical reason why. A day with her became to be unmanageable. Tonight is the first dose. I'm hoping for positive results for the benefit of a good day for her and our family.
I wish you luck and hope that soon you find what works best for your son. I did allot of reading and heard some bizarre feedback. Others going crazy that a child so young on a med like this. Well this took almost 3yrs to come to this and is more then just an adhd matter. Its all on a trial and error basis. not everything works for every child but if you feel that your child is struggling and really needs help then go with your gut. wishing you the best and i will get back and let you no how the experience has been......

Jen - posted on 11/25/2012

In our house, clonidine is a beautiful thing. My son's sleep schedule was atrocious for the first 3 1/2 years. If he ever did fall asleep at 7 or 8 pm, he would wake up at 11 or so because to him sleeping at 7 was more like a nap than a night. There were many nights when he would be awake from 11, 12, 1 am... until dawn or even as late as 9am before he would finally sleep. My husband and I were so frustrated. Melatonin didn't do much for him, though he had some nightmares. (In all fairness, we had a family 'situation' at the time which also could have caused the nightmares. They are a common side effect of melatonin so I'm not sure which it was. Quite possibly both.) But his doctor suggested we try Clonidine, and EVERYONE is much happier now. It's a magic pill for us. :-) Now my son (who's 4 yrs and PDD-NOS, btw) sleeps 11-12 hours a night. He usually wakes up at least once, but he settles back to sleep much easier now. Before if he woke up, he was up! And I had to be up too! :-/ We haven't noticed any negative side effects, but even his teachers at preschool have noticed the difference at school - he's calmer now, and can focus better. We only give it to him at night, before bed, so the focusing better at school is likely a result of better sleep, rather than a direct result of the medication.

We have an appt with a specialist in a week, but as far as I'm concerned, I'd like to keep him on this at bedtime as long as it's safe to do so!

Ximena - posted on 11/20/2012

No, it didn't help my son.

And I will recommend being careful because clonidine is a medicine that plays with the blood pressure. It might have his side effects.

Julia - posted on 11/20/2012

My 7 yr old has been on clonadine for over a year now, he needed medication because his hyperactiviy caused him to fall so often , causing injuries. He never slept through the night, never! Clonadine proved to be the only med to help him, so... i'd recommend it. Good luck!

Lauren - posted on 09/22/2012

Clonidine is a short term reacting med. It last in the system 3-4 hours. My baby takes a half at breakfast, half at lunch, pill and a half at bed time. if he wakes up I give him melatonin which is a sleep herb. They say it works. I want to put him on it at night instead of the clonidine.

Lasundra - posted on 09/02/2012

My son is 4 yrs old and he is on clonidine , it works for him. He has austism

Lovenia - posted on 08/28/2012

My daughter is now 6 she has been taking chlonidine since she was 2 she is also add but she is different from other kids I have ever seen mind u I have a 7 year old that is ADHD. Anyways the one on chlonidine has always been different she didn't tell me she loved me till she was 2 always shy never wanted to be around ppl never danced until about a year ago she use to tell me she had a spider in her head that talked to her and scared her I can tell her something an just like that it's out of her head we have tried concerta and folcalin for add but doesn't help I feel like something else is there but can't put my finger on it does anyone have advice please help could it be the chlonidine making her so there but not there I don't know how to explain it PLEASE HELP

Amy - posted on 07/07/2012

My son cannot take the melatonin, it is not helpful for him. However we have added 1- 25mg tablet of Atarax with his Clonidine, It is working great. We had upped his Clonidine, but then he had the weird dreams and halucinations. Sticking to 2 Clonidine and 1 Atarax. Works great for him.

Kami - posted on 07/07/2012

we did have a allergic reaction (rash ) to melatonin

Kami - posted on 07/07/2012

My daughter is almost 8, she has been on clonidine for a couple years now, it works well for her at night, She was taking in the morning also, for focus problems, it made her tired at school, but helped with the focus. cant win.LOL!
We didnt have any side effects. Good luck!

Stacey - posted on 07/02/2012

We gave my little guy melatonin untill he was at the dosage limit. It doesn't affect him now so we have our 1st night of clonadine ahead of us. He slept for 2hrs. And is awake but calm now, no screaming or fighting. So far better than last night, he was up till 5am, no naps. Woke @ 830. Wish me luck.

Jennie - posted on 06/22/2012

My daughter who is 14 was recently given 1 month supply of Clonidine. We have just recently started exploring her sleeping issues. I didn't realize how much of a problem it was. She took it for the last month of school and what a huge difference!! She was a totally different girl! She has not taken any recently as we are awaiting an appointment with the doctor. She is back to not falling asleep until early morning and sleeping real late. I do not let her sleep all day, but she does need sleep. She has returned to being moody with dark circles around her eyes. So, for her this med. did work!!

Leslie - posted on 06/12/2012

My daughter was on clonidine(and melatonin for about 3mths) for about 4wks. She did start out going to sleep better, but started having terrible nightmares and eventually started halucinating(toys pictures etc talking to her) we took her off. We also stoped the melatonin. We had a really rough few weeks and then she seemed to get over it. We now think that we were over using the meletonin and her natural production was interupted. The clonidine did help with her self regulation during the day. She had several behavioral issues b/c of her sensory intergration disorder. It helped her stay calm and helped anxiety over transition times.

Christina - posted on 06/12/2012

My son has been on Clonidine since he was 2, (he is now 9.5) because he suffers so severely from ADHD, he does yell in his sleep and sleep walk, but he sleeps extremely sound and wakes up very rested. We have had to up the doses over the years, because he has gotten used to it and then stops sleeping, but he also takes the Clonidine throughout the day with his Adderall and it has been very helpful. I say go for it, it is always worth a try and if it doesn't work at least you tried.

Brianna - posted on 03/22/2012

My son takes it also. It use to help and now he is on the highest possible dose, he is up in the middle of the night every night and falling asleep in school.

Leslie - posted on 02/23/2012

I have 2 kids on Clonidine and one who takes Melatonin both of these are great. I love that they can sleep and I dont have to worry about them being tired!

Leslie - posted on 02/20/2012

My daughter has just been put on clonidine for sleep issue and adhd. She has only been taking for a couple of days. So we're are hoping things will get better. She goes to sleep well but still wakes up frequently in the night.Whe

may have to up the dose.

Jenny - posted on 02/15/2012

My son and daughter both take clonidine... my son since he was 5 who is now 12 n my daughter since she was 6 n is now 11... my sons clonidine was upped just today becuz for the past month the effectiveness of the 0.1mg was wearing off soo they upped it to 1 1/2 pills at night.. hopefully that puts him back to falling asleep better again... otherwise clonidine has worked wonders for my kids with no side effects... i highly recommend it...

Jamie - posted on 10/04/2011

Yes my son has been on it for 2 years now. His sleep is much improved. And also, he has had no adverse side effects either
It has been a god-send for us.

Corey Rhodes - posted on 10/01/2011

My son was on it for 3 months with nothing but night terriors the whole time. The dr finally took him off it and put him on melatonin.

Lorrom - posted on 09/25/2011

Tried this with my 4 yr old daughter. Went from 0.1 to 0.2 to the max of 0.3 mg at bedtime. Works SO WELL for the first days that we cried; she was so normal and sweet and loving and talking so mature about everything! Then in day 5 and up, the ADHD behavior started and increased. Around day 10, she got severe nighttime nightmares/hallucinations/terrors/paranoia. Bugs were climbing on her, spiders were in her bed, a dog was hiding under her blanket, seeing bugs in the pillow pattern, doorknob shadow was an insect that was going to attack her...This was really not like her at all, she usually sleeps well at night and never had issues until starting clonidine. I've never heard about this severe psychosis/paranoia with this medication, but I've seen another lady here that said the same thing about her 4 yr old. So yeah, it really did not work for us and changed my daughter pattern sleep and we haven't slept right in a few weeks now. I wanted to give this medication all the chances we could, because she is really small framed and her 3 doctors (ped, psy, and neuro) don't think a non-stimulant is a good idea for her. Hope this helps. (I'm happy it works for so many others though...)

Joan - posted on 04/01/2011

Hi, my son is 14 going on 15. He is autistic / adhd. He has been on clonidine for the last 7 yrs and it has helped immensely. He takes one tablet 1/2 before dinner so that by the time he's ready for bed he's very tired and sleepy and doesn't wake up in the morning all grumpy.

Amy - posted on 02/23/2011

This sounds like my son. Some nights he goes to sleep with no problem. Others he fights it so long the the meds do not ever kick in. I may try to add the melatonin to his nightly routine. Anything to help him sleep better.

Brenda - posted on 01/25/2011

my son is 10 has adhd, tourettes and several other disorders. he was on clondine for over 2yrs and had severe bad dreams...kept telling his dr and they finally took him off and said to try melontin....2mg a nite works wonders....no side affects.

Athena - posted on 01/22/2011

Concerta made my son crazy but now he is on Vyvanse which still kept him from sleeping so he takes Intuniv around supper time which seems to work to help him sleep. He doesnt take the Vyvanse unless he is going to school but the Intuniv he has to take daily so on weekends he really has no problem sleeping.

LeAnna - posted on 01/16/2011

Clonidine has been a great addition to the my daughter's Conceta. She would literally just stay up almost all night and then have nightmare days. Clonidine is only dangerous if your child already has a heart condition, but doesn't actually cause the damage. We had our daughter see a sleep specialist as well, who determined she had sleep apnea when she did sleep. Having her tonsils out and some flonase to keep her nose from getting stuffy has been a life saver for us.

Sharon - posted on 01/14/2011

Hi my son and daughter have been on all the above, clonidine saved our lives and there,s my son was 3/12 and is now 15 it was not an easy choice and my hubby and I cried the first time we medicated him . He also has Autism and is now 15 and still on it. Hope this helps. Shaz

Jessica - posted on 01/14/2011

That happened to my son when we went from concerta to focalin. We ended up giving him melatonin to help him sleep.

Jennifer - posted on 01/13/2011

What I was told by my son's psychiatrist is that Clondine has a calming effect because is helps with somehow lowering the blood pressure. In studies this helps patients with ADHD and in turn helps with the aid of sleep at night without that sedating effect or having to use sleep medications which could have bad side effects.

Kelley - posted on 01/12/2011

My 6 year old son has been on Clonidine for about a year and the first day he took it and went to sleep before midnight, I just sat and cried. It was a sad and wonderful moment for both of us. The clonodine is not a sleeping aid, it just allows my son's thoughts to slow down so he can slow down and go to sleep naturally. Once he is asleep he sleeps all night with no other side affects and wakes up rested and not groggy. I guess what I am trying to share is that the clonodine does not knock him out like a sleeping pill but allows him to naturally fall asleep at a decent hour and get the rest he needs to prepare for his next busy day. On the other hand, because it is not a sedative he can consciously keep busy enough to delay sleeping longer and longer until he crashes right where he is playing. This does not happen often, but there are those defiant evenings where he can almost out last me.

Jennifer - posted on 01/12/2011

I have heard of Melatonin but with some kids it is more serious. The other medications that are prescribed by doctors and when followed properly by those doctors are safe and are not harmful to kids. It is quite a task to find what works for kids in the area of medications but you can't right them all off as harmful. Just my opinion. Not all natural solutions work when there is a chemical imbalance involved.

Ellen - posted on 01/12/2011

I would personally reccommend melatonin for sleep. It is all natural and can not harm you; it works wonders

Amanda - posted on 01/12/2011

My son has been taking clonidine and melatonin for a year now and I agree with Phillis. On their own they weren't much help but together he has had much better sleep. We are about to set up a second sleep study. So I will know more then but when it comes to being rested and ready for school, he is much better off when he is taking them than when he skips it.

Jennifer - posted on 01/12/2011

No side effects either for my son with the Clonidine. We regularly see his psychiatrist and he monitors his weight and blood pressure and when I can we do blood work.

Jennifer - posted on 01/12/2011

Same here my son would be up at night and walked in his sleep all the time. I had to go to bed really late to make sure he was asleep. The Risperidone does really help but when we started with the Clonidine it worked wonders and he sleeps great now with no awakenings or sleep walking.

Barbara - posted on 01/12/2011

the clodidine is a life saver for my son, hes had it since he was 4/5 hes 8 now. we haven't had any issues or sides effects from it.

Shellie - posted on 01/12/2011

my son take clondine & risperdal to help him sleep. clondine definately helps -- he used to sleepwalk & talk/yell in his sleep.

Joy - posted on 01/12/2011

I don't know what clonidine is, but when my daughter was on both of those meds (and very angry, by the way) she also took Periactin, and old school antihistimine that boosted her appetite and seemed to help her sleep.

Jamie - posted on 01/12/2011

My so has been on Clonidine for a year, it has been a life saver. My son has been on Adderall for 3 years and he barely ever slept. Iy=t was getting so bad my husband and i had changed shifts so one of us could stay up all night wiith him. Also the lack of sleep was making the behavior issues get worse. Once we started the clonidine it improved for a while but about 6 months better we had to rais ehis clonidine to a bit higher dose. i guess they get a little bit used to it and it does not work as well, so be prepared for that. I would try it and recommend it 100%

Shannon - posted on 01/12/2011

My son was on concerta (we recently switched to intunive) and when he had problems sleeping on that med we gave him clonidine. It helped a lot and he used it for maybe a year but he has not used it in about 18 monthes. he took it an hour before bedtime and it made him tired and he slept all night and woke up rested.

Jennifer - posted on 01/12/2011

My son is on clonidine and it did help with the sleep issues. He is also on Concerta and had tried Adderral in the past but had a reaction. We had absolutely no issues with the clonidine. He sleeps great at night now as we had major sleep issues before. He also takes Risperidone to help with anxiety and anger issues. Something new that we started before Christmas was Cipralex...it is a new improved Celexa and my son is like night and day, amazing. We have an amazing doctor who specializes in ADD/ADHD in Oakville. We are really lucky. Best of luck....I would look at the Adderall causing the sleep disturbances and not the clonidine as it has a calming effect

Nicole - posted on 01/11/2011

my daughter takes clonidine and it works for her, from what I was told it helps them fall asleep but not stay asleep. Good Luck

Michelle - posted on 01/11/2011

My son has been taking Clonidine since he was 5, he just turned 11 and it does help him fall asleep. Unfortunetly it doesn't keep him asleep the entire night, so last year we added Remeron also and between the 2 he sleeps thru the night most of the time.

Chelsea - posted on 01/06/2011

They put my 4 year old on that and it gave her nightmares and made her sleepwalk...And in all honesty she slept worse on it that without it.

Kristina - posted on 01/06/2011

My son was on this for about 7 months and was taken off it beasuse he was fall asleep in school

Phyllis - posted on 01/06/2011

My son takes clonidine and melatonin at night. Together they work wonders. On their own, each had mediocre results for us. We have not had to change the dosage of either one in 3 years either. He went from sleeping 3 hours a night to sleeping 8 to 10, but is still up for a few minutes every 3 hours or so, and his mornings can still start pretty early. We have not seen any side effects, except that it took awhile to get the timing right as far as how long prior to bedtime he had to take it. (we settled on 30 minutes)

Joi - posted on 01/05/2011

My son was on that for a year, the new doctor I took him to, took him off of it right away, said he could cause damage to his heart later on with prolonged use, I'm not sure if she just didn't like the drug or what. I have him on melatonin which helps settle him down, but he doesn't sleep much more than 4 to 5 hours a night.