Clonidine

April 17, 2000

Thanks PeggiKaye and Jule

My son is 5 years old and 48 pounds. The dosage appears to be right. I

checked a book called The Pill Book and after doing some calulations found

out that the dosage is right for his weight. However, they said it is not to

be given for children under 5 years old. My son is 5 year 2 mo. so it is a

little too close.

On a related subject, does anyone know if there is any negative effect of

giving medications (especially SSRI) to someone who does not need it? In

other words, since I have real questions whether my son is ADHD or ACD, could

medications such as Zoloft do him harm? Any studies done on effect of these

medications on non-OCD, non-ADHD populations?

thanks,

NetDad

In a message dated 4/17/00 11:19:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

j.monnens@... writes:

<< 0.1 mg of clonidine is the initial adult dose of this medication. Are you

sure the doc said to give a whole pill? I believe that my son was given

this med a number of years ago as a sleep aid when his only dx was ADHD,

but we gave him only 1/2 tab and only at night. My guess is that the dose

was much too large for such a little boy. It does affect the central

nervouse system which is why you saw the drowsiness. It can also

paradoxically cause agitation. I would simply do as you did and not give

it again. I doubt there is any lasting effect once the drug has cleared

his system.

Jule in Cleveland >>

April 17, 2000

Just because it is under or at the dose level doesn't mean it isn't too much.

is under the maximum dose. started at 4 years but he was a

big four years and weighed more than your son does now (he was 60 lbs.)

Still would have worried about the paradoxical reaction. Talk to you later.

Peggi

April 17, 2000

0.1 mg of clonidine is the initial adult dose of this medication. Are you

sure the doc said to give a whole pill? I believe that my son was given

this med a number of years ago as a sleep aid when his only dx was ADHD,

but we gave him only 1/2 tab and only at night. My guess is that the dose

was much too large for such a little boy. It does affect the central

nervouse system which is why you saw the drowsiness. It can also

paradoxically cause agitation. I would simply do as you did and not give

it again. I doubt there is any lasting effect once the drug has cleared

his system.

Jule in Cleveland

April 17, 2000

In a message dated 4/17/00 9:19:44 AM Mountain Daylight Time,

j.monnens@... writes:

<< I would simply do as you did and not give

it again. I doubt there is any lasting effect once the drug has cleared

his system.

Jule in Cleveland >>

My understanding of clonidine is that it has to build up to a certain level

in the blood which typically takes three weeks. It is one drug that should

never be abruptly stopped. It should be tapered off if you are going to

discontinue it. It can cause severe reactions if you just stop taking pills.

My daughter was on clonidine from age 5-9 and just started taking it again

last fall at age 11. She needed this break because it had stopped being

effective. Now it is effective again and she is on half the dose she was

from ages 5-9 (1/2 of a .1 skin patch). Clonidine is one of those that has

not been tested extensively on children even though it is prescribed to

children. It is used on adults for control of blood pressure. It can cause

dizziness and low blood pressure problems in kids, and also the excessive

sleeping, which has already been mentioned.

Jay in Colorado

April 17, 2000

Hi Netdad:

YOu are asking an excellent question. I have read about negative effects

of SSRIs on bipolar kids who need to have a mood stabilizer along with

their SSRI or they may suffer from mania.

In general the SSRIs are so popular and widely consumed because they have a

relatively benign side effect profile. It is very natural and normal for

parents of kids with NBDs to be very anxious and concerned about medicating

their kids. For us, the SSRIs have literallly been a life saver so it is a

very clear trade off against long term effects that might appear.

You should ask your p-doc or get a second opinion from a

psychopharmacologist if you have concerns. Take care, aloha, Kathy (H)

kathyh@...

At 12:39 PM 04/17/2000 -0400, you wrote:

>Thanks PeggiKaye and Jule

>

>My son is 5 years old and 48 pounds. The dosage appears to be right. I

>checked a book called The Pill Book and after doing some calulations found

>out that the dosage is right for his weight. However, they said it is not to

>be given for children under 5 years old. My son is 5 year 2 mo. so it is a

>little too close.

>

>On a related subject, does anyone know if there is any negative effect of

>giving medications (especially SSRI) to someone who does not need it? In

>other words, since I have real questions whether my son is ADHD or ACD,

could

>medications such as Zoloft do him harm? Any studies done on effect of these

>medications on non-OCD, non-ADHD populations?

>

>thanks,

>NetDad

>

>In a message dated 4/17/00 11:19:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

>j.monnens@... writes:

>

><< 0.1 mg of clonidine is the initial adult dose of this medication. Are you

> sure the doc said to give a whole pill? I believe that my son was given

> this med a number of years ago as a sleep aid when his only dx was ADHD,

> but we gave him only 1/2 tab and only at night. My guess is that the dose

> was much too large for such a little boy. It does affect the central

> nervouse system which is why you saw the drowsiness. It can also

> paradoxically cause agitation. I would simply do as you did and not give

> it again. I doubt there is any lasting effect once the drug has cleared

> his system.

>

> Jule in Cleveland >>

April 18, 2000

Jay wrote:

My understanding of clonidine is that it has to build up to a certain level

in the blood which typically takes three weeks. It is one drug that should

never be abruptly stopped. It should be tapered off if you are going to

discontinue it.

Jay, while you are right about tapering off clonidine if the drug has been

taken for some time, netdad said he had only given a total of two doses.

That is why I recommended simply not giving any more of the drug. As with

any medication question discussed on this list, we must keep in mind that

we only speak from personal experience. It is best to consult your

physician(s) and pharmacist as well as seeking info from our peer group.

Jule in Cleveland

November 20, 2000

I've only heard of Clonidine with ADHD. It was an option when was on

Ritalin, but we thought it would knock him out. For your background, was

diagnosed DS at birth, ADHD at 6 or 7, and then Autistic and Oppositional

Defiant Disorder in Feb., 1999, and now possibly only DS and celiac. He was on

Ritalin first, then required more than his body weight would allow, so they

switched him to Dexedrine. His doctor had an ADHD child and only gave him

Clonidine at night to help him calm down and sleep. Then when diagnosed

autistic, we tried Buspar, but it didn't help the aggression, so we ended up

with Dexedrine and Risperdal. When he went gluten free, we got rid of the

Dexedrine. Then, switched off Risperdal onto Seroquel because Risperdal caused

a big weight gain. Now I'm realizing that part of the weight gain was going

gluten free, because he wasn't being poisoned any more.

Risperdal is an anti-psychotic. That's about all I know. It did great for his

aggression and oppositional behavior.

Loriann

Wife to Dewight

Mom to , 10 years, DS-ASD, ADHD, ODD, possibly to lose all but DS and gain

Celiac

And , 17 months and Strong Willed

November 20, 2000

Clonidine is a blood pressure medication. Ian is on it to smooth out his

reactions to the dexedrine. When he was first prescribed clonidine, he took

it in pill form, but he had extreme reactions to it. He was switched to

patch form, and has be successful with it for years.

CK,

Mom to Ian (2/89),

(9/90),

and Rose (6/94)

November 21, 2000

Mark had Clonidine patches, then pill form, had these 2x a day, now dr put

him on inderal. This is also a BP med, but is for older kids, dr said when a

child hits about 10 yrs of age, they switch to the inderal...Mark has only

been on it since Thursday, cannot see a change at home, but at school teacher

said yesterday he faded in and out of sleepy stage...Will anything ever work

for our children?

Jeannie

Mom to Mark and

November 21, 2000

jeannie, i am so sorry mark and you are going through merry go round,.... has

things gotten better at home any, is he any calmer at all???? i know it seems

like a nightmare, trust me i have been there ready to throw ashton into the

creek with a gunny sack over her body, but just when it seems like i can't

survive anymore, she does something great..... her teacher just called from

school, we are on day # 5 of the " WOW EFFECT " as her teacher called it....the

speech therapist said she was stunned at how good ashton was today....lmao

lets see how long it lasts..i feel bad sharing our good news but hopefully it

will trickle down marks way..hang in there, prayers, hugs, shoulders, choc

and bubble bath comingyour way...take care, leah

November 24, 2000

nathan was very very aggressive shen he was on clonidine,

April 1, 2001

Hi Beth,

thanks for the question re Clonidine. Angel is on 3 antibiotics for

sinusitis as well as thrush and for an eye infection. She also takes meds

for hypothyroidism. She is on the antibiotics long term as the sinusitis is

chronic and causes too much mucous and lowers her oral muscle tone thus

causing choking to occur. But no other meds.

I will be asking our ped to do a thorough check soon. she is due for

bloodwork this week so we may as well check it all out then.

Thanks, Cheryl

Clonidine

> Cheryl- Is on any medication for her behaviors? Clonidine can

cause

> incontinence in kids who already have toileting skills. One of its many

> applications is for men with prostate problems.

>

> Ben has been on Clonidine for almost 3 years now, in varying

> strengths. but never more than .3mg total per day. When he was first on it

> he had an increase in accidents; over time he had better control again.

>

> I think checking for a urinary tract infection is an excellent idea. At

> least in the elderly, there can be an imbalance of sodium levels and cause

> disorentation and motor problems when a UTI is present. If she has that

> urge to go all day long, then her sensations are likely very goofed up.

> Poor kid! regardless, it is so hard to see a change like this. Hope you

> are able to get to the bottom of it soon.

>

> Was it Lee who asked about Clonidine? While it can be combined with

> other meds, our pediatrician (who is the prescribing doctor for the

> " autism " meds) has always been super cautious when beginning new meds.

> " Start low (dose) and go slow (so you can give the meds enough time to

> really show specific changes). Of course, if there is an initial bad or

> paradoxical response, then we get him off as quickly as it is safe to do

> so. So while PB now takes Risperdal and Celexa along with the Clonidine,

> each med was added only after the others had proven their worth over

months

> and months of time. According to my doc, he wouldn't prescribe several

all

> at once. Then if there was a problem you wouldn't know which drug was

> causing it. Also, if your were getting a good response, you'd never know

> why for sure.

>

> Beth Mum to Ben age 10

>

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April 2, 2001

cheryl, can you tell me more about the chronic sinusitis and how it loweres

oral muscle tone? Nick also has chronic sinusitis with lots of mucous...he does

gag sometimes but noone has ever said anything about it decreasing muscle tone.

I thought that maybe the gagging was caused by poor oral muscle tone but I would

like to learn more about chronic sinusitis actually decreasing the tone...I

learn so much from this group! thanks, cheri