Clonidine

[Guest guest]

My daughter is on Carbatrol which is an anti seizure drug and we have the same

problem. It is great that she sleeps at night but she gets very tired and tends

to just want to flop around. She was a very active child before the medication.

My dh wants her off the med but she has had some excellent language acquistion

with it. She is 4yo and pdd-nos.

Mache wrote:Is anyone else using Clonidine with their kidddos? My son's

neurologist

just prescribed this for my son and it seems to make him extremely

lethargic. He's always sleeping now!! Before he was on this medication,

I'd be lucky if I can get him to sleep for more then 5 hours a night.

Now he's sleeping 10 hours a night plus he takes a nap in the afternoon.

It always seems to be one extreme to another with him.The doc also wants

to start him on Risperdol. I would love to hear other people's

experiences with these 2 medications.

Thanks,

Mache Liu

[Guest guest]

Hi -- have 1 kid on Clonidine, specifically to help him sleep. How much is your

son on? Mine only takes about .05 mg and it barely effects him, but he is used

to some pretty heavy drugs, like Mellaril and Thorazine (he was so drugged for

so long that I don't think he knows how to go to sleep on his own anymore).

Maybe the dose it too high. Also, as they get adjusted to it the sleepiness

does tend to decrease. Why did the neurologist prescribe it -- for the sleep

issue??

Also, why the Risperdal? Is he aggressive?? That is the typical use for this

med. My PDD son has never been on it, but does take Zyprexa, which is very

close. My Bipolar son has taken Risperdal and it didn't help him much. He is

now on Seroquel (another atypical anti-psychotic) which suits him better. The

major issue (bad side effects) of Risperdal is the major weight gain -- it

causes the part of the brain that tells when you are full to stop working and

the kids tend to go into this manic eating stage and can't stop. Not all people

on Risperdal get this, but it does happen quite often. There are several

additional meds that are used to combat the weight gain when it becomes

problematic -- such as Tagamet, Pepcid AC (famitodine -- which is also used to

treat autistic symptoms), Axid, and Symmetral. You do need to check with your

dr before trying any of these since some are available OTC (Over The Counter).

I am not familiar with Carbatrol -- why kind of drug is it? Why is it being

used? As an anti-convulsant or off-label reasons?? Just curious since you

mention that your daughter has had language acquisition on the med -- didn't

know if that was a preferred side effect or that was the primary reason for

using it!

Barbara

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[Guest guest]

Hi Mache and all,

Matt takes Clonidine and I have experimented with the dosage for awhile

now. For him it seems that .05mg twice a day at 7am and 3pm works to

calm him down without putting him to sleep. I also use .05mg if he ever

wakes up at 4am or earlier and it puts him back to sleep. Dr. Ghodsi

told me this medication has a 4 hour time frame and peeks at about 2

hours. I would also question the reperdol as I am curious as to why they

have not tried Zoloft or some form of prozac first? Just because this

worked well for Matt and reduced his anxiety which I think may have been

causing his aggression. Just a thought. Ghodsi did want to try resperdol

on Matt if the Zoloft would not have worked as I recall. Matt does not

have a seizure issue (YET!) but perhaps this is an issue for your little

man? Call or email me privately if you'd like more specifics on

discussions I've had with Ghodsi. He told me at the last visit a month

ago that he is expecting a new ADHD med to come out in the fall that is

not a stimulant. (Adderall was a nightmare!)Take care. Truba

clonidine

Is anyone else using Clonidine with their kidddos? My son's neurologist

just prescribed this for my son and it seems to make him extremely

lethargic. He's always sleeping now!! Before he was on this medication,

I'd be lucky if I can get him to sleep for more then 5 hours a night.

Now he's sleeping 10 hours a night plus he takes a nap in the afternoon.

It always seems to be one extreme to another with him.The doc also wants

to start him on Risperdol. I would love to hear other people's

experiences with these 2 medications.

Thanks,

Mache Liu

Unlocking Autism

www.UnlockingAutism.org

Autism-Awareness-Action

Worldwide internet group for parents who have a

child with AUTISM.

Schafer Autism Report

News and information on Autism

To Subscribe http://home.sprynet.com/~schafer/index.html

Healing Autism: No Finer Cause on the Planet

[Guest guest]

Trina,

Zoloft made really hyper and agitated. So Dr. Ghodsi thought

I should give the Resperdol a try. By the way, who's Truba? Is that a

nickname for you? Anyways, I'm a little apprehensive on starting

on Resperdol. But he has been pretty aggressive lately.

Mache Liu

and Trina Sherman wrote:

> Hi Mache and all,

> Matt takes Clonidine and I have experimented with the dosage for

> awhile

> now. For him it seems that .05mg twice a day at 7am and 3pm works to

> calm him down without putting him to sleep. I also use .05mg if he

> ever

> wakes up at 4am or earlier and it puts him back to sleep. Dr. Ghodsi

> told me this medication has a 4 hour time frame and peeks at about 2

> hours. I would also question the reperdol as I am curious as to why

> they

> have not tried Zoloft or some form of prozac first? Just because this

> worked well for Matt and reduced his anxiety which I think may have

> been

> causing his aggression. Just a thought. Ghodsi did want to try

> resperdol

> on Matt if the Zoloft would not have worked as I recall. Matt does not

>

> have a seizure issue (YET!) but perhaps this is an issue for your

> little

> man? Call or email me privately if you'd like more specifics on

> discussions I've had with Ghodsi. He told me at the last visit a month

>

> ago that he is expecting a new ADHD med to come out in the fall that

> is

> not a stimulant. (Adderall was a nightmare!)Take care. Truba

>

> clonidine

>

> Is anyone else using Clonidine with their kidddos? My son's

> neurologist

> just prescribed this for my son and it seems to make him extremely

> lethargic. He's always sleeping now!! Before he was on this

> medication,

> I'd be lucky if I can get him to sleep for more then 5 hours a night.

> Now he's sleeping 10 hours a night plus he takes a nap in the

> afternoon.

> It always seems to be one extreme to another with him.The doc also

> wants

> to start him on Risperdol. I would love to hear other people's

> experiences with these 2 medications.

> Thanks,

> Mache Liu

>

>

>

> Unlocking Autism

> www.UnlockingAutism.org

>

> Autism-Awareness-Action

> Worldwide internet group for parents who have a

> child with AUTISM.

>

> Schafer Autism Report

> News and information on Autism

> To Subscribe http://home.sprynet.com/~schafer/index.html

> Healing Autism: No Finer Cause on the Planet

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Carbatrol is an antiseizure drug similar to tegretol except a different

manufactuer. My daughter was on Tegretol but it was causing drowsiness so the

Dr. suggested this. DD has abnormal brain activity in left hemisphere which is

the reason for the medication. Also, he feels she has processing difficulties

which this would help. My dh wants to try another route as he feels medication

is not the answer. We saw a developmental ped (Thanks Theresa) and he has given

us some new tests to order and strategies to use. I guess I need to look into

ABA now. I thought my dd was too old (age4) but the Dr thinks it will help. Do

I do this on my own or the schools or what? I really don't know much about it.

Barbdwire wrote:Hi -- have 1 kid on Clonidine, specifically to help him sleep.

How much is your son on? Mine only takes about .05 mg and it barely effects

him, but he is used to some pretty heavy drugs, like Mellaril and Thorazine (he

was so drugged for so long that I don't think he knows how to go to sleep on his

own anymore). Maybe the dose it too high. Also, as they get adjusted to it the

sleepiness does tend to decrease. Why did the neurologist prescribe it -- for

the sleep issue??

Also, why the Risperdal? Is he aggressive?? That is the typical use for this

med. My PDD son has never been on it, but does take Zyprexa, which is very

close. My Bipolar son has taken Risperdal and it didn't help him much. He is

now on Seroquel (another atypical anti-psychotic) which suits him better. The

major issue (bad side effects) of Risperdal is the major weight gain -- it

causes the part of the brain that tells when you are full to stop working and

the kids tend to go into this manic eating stage and can't stop. Not all people

on Risperdal get this, but it does happen quite often. There are several

additional meds that are used to combat the weight gain when it becomes

problematic -- such as Tagamet, Pepcid AC (famitodine -- which is also used to

treat autistic symptoms), Axid, and Symmetral. You do need to check with your

dr before trying any of these since some are available OTC (Over The Counter).

I am not familiar with Carbatrol -- why kind of drug is it? Why is it being

used? As an anti-convulsant or off-label reasons?? Just curious since you

mention that your daughter has had language acquisition on the med -- didn't

know if that was a preferred side effect or that was the primary reason for

using it!

Barbara

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[Guest guest]

My youngest daughter takes Clonidine to help her fall asleep at night. She

takes 1/2 of a .1 mg tablet. Her doctor also suggested we give her a 1/4

tablet after school to help her calm down if she is very fidgety and can't

concentrate on her homework. She never has homework so we don't usually give

her this

dose. She has taken it for a couple of years now. For help with falling

asleep, I suggest it be given an hour before bedtime. This is not a sleeping

pill--I think that the effects last for about four hours. This is enough for

her

to fall asleep with and then she usually stays asleep all night. I know some

kids take it to help with tics. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in addition to the

Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used for years

to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless. It is used

in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids, it drops the

blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

My 8 year old daughter took clonidine to help her fall asleep. I

believe the dosage was .10 mg. It was used in combination with Zoloft

(OCD) and Straterra (ADHD). My pediatrician prescribed it. Since then

my daughter has seen a psychiatrist and for whatever reason the

psychiatrist did not choose to put her on it. Although, she still

sometimes struggles to fall asleep.

LKS

clonidine

Does anyone use clonidine for treating OCD? How much, in combination

with what? Side effects? Helpful effects?

[Guest guest]

My 8 year old daughter took clonidine to help her fall asleep. I

believe the dosage was .10 mg. It was used in combination with Zoloft

(OCD) and Straterra (ADHD). My pediatrician prescribed it. Since then

my daughter has seen a psychiatrist and for whatever reason the

psychiatrist did not choose to put her on it. Although, she still

sometimes struggles to fall asleep.

LKS

clonidine

Does anyone use clonidine for treating OCD? How much, in combination

with what? Side effects? Helpful effects?

[Guest guest]

My 8 year old daughter took clonidine to help her fall asleep. I

believe the dosage was .10 mg. It was used in combination with Zoloft

(OCD) and Straterra (ADHD). My pediatrician prescribed it. Since then

my daughter has seen a psychiatrist and for whatever reason the

psychiatrist did not choose to put her on it. Although, she still

sometimes struggles to fall asleep.

LKS

clonidine

Does anyone use clonidine for treating OCD? How much, in combination

with what? Side effects? Helpful effects?

[Guest guest]

> Does anyone use clonidine for treating OCD? How much, in

combination with what? Side effects? Helpful effects?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

While we're on the topic . . . what else is used for helping them

fall asleep? As the side effects of the new lexapro wear off, Cody

is again having trouble falling asleep - since this is a bad time for

him I don't like to see it prolonged. I guess I'd like to start

looking into it now - so I'll know what's going on and what to ask

for.

> I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in

addition to the

> Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used

for years

> to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless.

It is used

> in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids,

it drops the

> blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep.

Kelley in NV

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

While we're on the topic . . . what else is used for helping them

fall asleep? As the side effects of the new lexapro wear off, Cody

is again having trouble falling asleep - since this is a bad time for

him I don't like to see it prolonged. I guess I'd like to start

looking into it now - so I'll know what's going on and what to ask

for.

> I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in

addition to the

> Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used

for years

> to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless.

It is used

> in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids,

it drops the

> blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep.

Kelley in NV

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Some parents have had good luck with giving their kids Benadryl at bedtime to

help them fall asleep. It never made my kids drowsy so we went to the

Clonidine. It has been used on kids for a long time. Only one of my girls

takes

it. The other one has no trouble falling asleep and has a tendency to drop off

during standardized math tests :0 Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

My son doesn't have OCD (at least we don't think so), but he does have both ADHD

and Tourette's. He takes Clonidine to help remediate the tics, which are

somewhat exacerbated by the meds he takes for the ADHD. I guess it's the same

idea in terms of the calming effect.

P. in NJ

kelleydinkins@... wrote:

I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in addition to the

Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used for years

to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless. It is used

in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids, it drops the

blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

My son doesn't have OCD (at least we don't think so), but he does have both ADHD

and Tourette's. He takes Clonidine to help remediate the tics, which are

somewhat exacerbated by the meds he takes for the ADHD. I guess it's the same

idea in terms of the calming effect.

P. in NJ

kelleydinkins@... wrote:

I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in addition to the

Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used for years

to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless. It is used

in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids, it drops the

blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

My son doesn't have OCD (at least we don't think so), but he does have both ADHD

and Tourette's. He takes Clonidine to help remediate the tics, which are

somewhat exacerbated by the meds he takes for the ADHD. I guess it's the same

idea in terms of the calming effect.

P. in NJ

kelleydinkins@... wrote:

I forgot to add that also takes Luvox and Risperdal in addition to the

Clonidine. We were told by our doctor that Clonidine has been used for years

to help ADHD kids fall asleep and that it is basically harmless. It is used

in higher doses to treat high blood pressure in adults. For kids, it drops the

blood pressure just a little which helps them to fall asleep. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

We have used Clonidine for my two autistic girls for several years now. This med was originally a blood pressure medication but was also found to be useful as a calming agent for our children. It does lower blood pressure and it lasts in the body for about at the most, from what I am told, six hours. It has helped my girls immensely. It is not known to cause behavioral issues.

We too have tried giving it during the day but, by it causing sedative type results, it does bring them down to a calm place but will usually put them asleep at some point for a few hours (if you give a half a pill). If you are looking for a day medication that is supposed to calm somewhat, I have tried Tenex - it is supposed to calm without the sleep - can't say that I have seen it yet, but that is what the docs say....

Deborah Brown

bzeb6@...