Clonidine

Clonidine, once primarily marketed as Catapres, remains among the 100 most prescribed medicines in spite of being on the market for over 50 years. While approved for treating hypertension and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, doctors routinely employ clonidine for a wide assortment of off label purposes. Clonidine may assist in withdrawal from opioids, alcohol and tobacco. Clonidine finds use in treating menopausal or treatment induced hot flashes, the flushing of rosacea, PTSD and some anxiety related disorders. Interest in clonidine relates to its supposed ability to reduce neuropathic pain from nerve damage related to diabetes and shingles. Side effects related to clonidine tend to be relatively mild and diminish with continued use. Some may be especially troublesome: dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue and headache. More problematic are vision disturbances, restlessness and erectile dysfunction. When used as a patch applied to the skin, irritation and blisters may develop. Clonidine may aggravate the central nervous system depressive effects of alcohol, barbiturates and sedatives. Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline impair the blood pressure lowering effect of clonidine. Combining clonidine with atypical antipsychotics such as Abilify or Zyprexa often result in dizziness and fatigue.

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