Side effects of Clonodine??

Jenna - posted on 12/28/2012

My son is now 7 years old and we were really hesitant to put him on any medication. it was definitely our last option. We started with Focalin which belief with the attention for awhile, but did nothing for the aggression. Eventually, the Focalin xr would stop working after about two Weeks and we would be back to square one. We switched to generic Concerta and he takes 10 mg in the morning and 5 at lunch and 5 after school. Additionally, we switched to an all natural diet (Feingold diet) which stopped the aggressiveness within three days. This combination works great for us. He takes .1 mg Clonodine at 7pm and if we can get him to relax for a little bit the Clonodine has a chance to work and he is asleep by 8:30.

Lauren - posted on 11/23/2012

Tracy how does you son do taking 2 stimulant meds? I stopped the Clonidine because it didn't seem to be working, and the dr. just gave us an Rx for Focalin to give after school - I think it's or 10 mg. He's had Focalin in the past, back in Kindy (he's 4th now), but not sure about 2 stimulants a day?

Tracy - posted on 11/17/2012

My son is like that in the mornings too. He takes .3mg of colodine the doc told me to just give him half of it now. He takes 40mg vyvanse in the morn and is fine at school but doesnt want to do his homework so they gave him 5mg adderall after school so he can focus long enough to do his homework but its not really working.

Christina - posted on 06/12/2012

I have had side effect issues in the past with my sons Adderall and his Clonidine. We had to constantly adjust medications. My son has been on both now for 7 years and he does very well. I would talk to your doctor and also see if there is a behavior specialist in the area because honestly most family doctors do not have the experience that a behavior specialist does. Often the behavior specialists work as pediatricians as well yet they know ADHD/ADD like the back of their hands.

Lauren - posted on 06/11/2012

LaNina, my DS is 9 1/2 and takes Vyvanse in the AM and recently started taking 1/2 of a .1 Clonodine after school, to help us get to bedtime smoother. He has ADHD & ODD. I don't see much of an improvement yet.

La Nina - posted on 05/21/2012

my sons dr prescribed clonidine 2 times a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon.. i am reading that dr's prescribe it to sleep.. not sure why his dr would prescribe for day activity.. my son has ODD and aggression issues.. amazingly super smart almost 4.0 GPA.. but alot of anger.. it puts a huge strain on my marriage.. looked into meds before but decided we were not to that point yet.. but now we are things have gotten worse.. he is 10 now..im really scared to enter this whole new world of adding chemicals to my sons body.

Josee - posted on 03/15/2011

My son takes 60mg vyvanse an in the morning and the 30mcg of clonidine at night an hour before bedtime to help him fall asleep. I find that it works great to get him to sleep but he still gets up several times during the night. I am also seeing very argumentative behavior as well as down right refusal to do what is asked of him. I lov ehim very much but I am so tired of having to repeat myself. I also find that his self control is different from place to place. At school he generally does well but at home he is a bit harder to settle down. And when we are out he is out of control. He will touch everything and talk to anybody he sees even if I am asking him not to. I am not sure if the two meds are affecting each other but I need so much support right now I am feeling guilty and frustrated. I would like to have something else then the clonodine to help him sleep but can not go back to those nights of 2-4 hours sleep only. Oh by the way he is 11 with Intellectual Delays as well as ADHD and brain tumors.

Savannah - posted on 03/14/2011

My son was on Concerta from age 6-9 and we found we needed to switch medications last Spring. Concerta was causing Tourette like symptoms. We actually took a "tick class" at Kaiser and found out that medicines like Concerta have been linked to this issue. He was put on a generic for Atomoxetine (Strattera) and within 1 week the ticks were completely gone.

Janelle - posted on 02/25/2010

double check with your pharmisist have them look up what the general use and if the medications are compadable. you would be surprised how many meds not recomended for children are prescibed to them. your pharmisist often knows more than ur doc about meds utilize them.

Paula - posted on 02/25/2010

I have since found out that Melatonin is great for helping them get to sleep and its a natural supliment and not a drug......my sons dr recommended it rather then having another drug for sleep

Jenn - posted on 02/25/2010

My son takes the generic ritalin, 20 mg in the morning and 15 mg at lunch, then the clonidine before bed to help him calm and fall alseep, but my parents when they have him won't give him his clonidine and he can't fall asleep till 3-4 in the morning. I was thinking of taking him off the clonidine. I am wondering if this is a good idea or should i find something else that will help him sleep.

Sarah - posted on 09/12/2009

My son takes the 30 mg vyvanse in am with 1/2 clonodine and then 1 full clonodine at night which helps him to sleep. Haven't had issues with the clonodine so far

MIsty - posted on 09/12/2009

My son take Clonidine at night time also and has for many years. His is on Concerta during the day. One of the side effects of the Clodine is sleepiness. For my son that is a great thing. But if given too much can have the side effects you are seeing. Has your son been taking Adderall for very long, and has his doseage changed in the least little bit? When we tried other ADHD medications such as Adderall, they didnt work very well and we had those same issues. You and only you know what works well for him. Even when my son had to take mid day dosages, we could tell if he was within 20 minutes of being late on that dose. Also Clonidine is a blod pressure medication and you have to be careful when stopping cold turkey from it. It is best to be weanned. Good luck.

Tammy - posted on 09/06/2009

My 7 year old son has been on clonidine for over a year now, and he had the same reaction when removed temporarily. Clonidine is suppost to make a ADHD child less combative, but once removed it just reverses that. Clonidine only stays in the system for 4-6 hours so it is likely that he would be combatitive after going hours without it in his system.

Adderal is ok, but with clonidine I would recommend Concerta instead.

My son takes clonindine 0.5 mg and concerta 54mg in the am(7-8am) and clonidine at 11:30am then again at bedtime. It works GREAT to keep him calmer and less combatitive during the duration of the day. Talk to your psychiatist or physician about the issues you are having.

Stephanie - posted on 09/04/2009

My daughter is now taking Risperdal. She is only taking 0.25 mg twice a day...once when she comes home from school and once at 8pm. This seems to help her sleep so much better and it has helped alot with her mood. She still has her normal kid tatrums now and again but nothing compared to what it was like before. She takes Concerta for her ADHD. The doctor told me that this was released slowly throughout the day and is not an up and down affect like ritalin. I have not heard much about adderall and how it works.

Jaime - posted on 09/04/2009

my son also couldnt take clonidine . but he is on serquel now and it puts him out at nite and he is calmer during the day.my son would take screaming fits for hr and hrs at nite. the serquel was a blessing to me . he is 11 now he was 9 then.adderal is an amphetamine. you may want to try something else . vivayneese is similiar but is suppose to be better and it last longer .

Paula - posted on 09/04/2009

The Dr prescribed Clonodine to get him to sleep easier after taking adderall all day since the adderall was wearing off too fast after the last dose and he would get hyper/whiney before bedtime. Im going to ask for something else at his next appointment which is tuesday. Can I ask what your daughter takes now instead of clonodine?

Stephanie - posted on 09/04/2009

My daughter who is almost 9 used to take clonodine and I found it to make her extremely combative as well. I finally told the doctor that I could not handle it anymore and he was gonna have to do something about her medicine. She has since started another one and is doing much better. May I ask why they gave her clonodine? They gave this to my daughter to help her sleep because she was only sleeping on average 3 hours a night.