It appeared first in the market as an anti- hyperactive drug in the 1950s with some of the clonidine side effects. Yet over a period of time based on continuous research studies across the world the medication has been approved for treatment of other major types of pains and symptoms.
Clonidine is best used for treating anxiety and pain disorders experienced by patients and has been tested with good results in the treatment of hot flushes associated primarily with menopause and also for migraine and insomnia. Apart from all this the medication has been approved by FDA for treating ADHD in children.
A specialist drug for treating special symptoms
Clonidine is an effective medication used for treating high blood pressure, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), anxiety panic disorders and certain types of pain. The medication is also put to use for mitigating the withdrawal symptoms and has been treated for migraine and menopause problems.
Clonidine side effects can be extremely worrisome, however the drug has many uses apart from the one it was originally meant for. It is a sympatholytic medication and is found to have good effect on patients suffering from anxiety disorders, ADHD, high blood pressure and certain specific pain conditions. It is now used as effectively for neuropathic pains, opioid detoxification, and relief from menopausal symptoms.
There is in fact a series of anxiety disorder that clonidine treats and these may range from stress, sleep disorders and hyperarousal caused by post traumatic stress disorder, border line personality disorders and many other types of disorders. This is treated and their medication prescribed as per the doctor’s advice for wrong medication can bring in unnecessary side effects.
The drug is extremely valuable as it lowers high blood pressure by decreasing the levels of some chemicals in the patient’s blood. This allows the blood to relax the heart to regularize its beat in a smooth and easy manner.
Effective drug for treating withdrawal symptoms
There are a number of people who become addicted to drugs either intentionally or through medication of narcotics for treating certain diseases. In such cases, clonidine is prescribed to treat the withdrawal symptoms associated with these drugs. Although it is equally good as a drug in several areas the medication is proved to be quite effective in the treatment of ADHD among children.
The ADHD which is an abbreviation for attention deficit hyperactive disorder which is again a development disorder found mainly in children. It has been studied and researched as the most common psychiatric disorder and is seen to appear even before they are seven years old. In fact, tests have revealed that ADHD affects about 3 to 5% children globally.
ADHD is a chronic disorder and if not treated properly can be for life long. In other words, 30 to 50% of the diagnosed children for ADHD have continued with its symptoms right into the adulthood age.
One of the worst side effects of clonidine is that it impairs your thinking or general reactions. In such circumstances, it is generally advised not to drive or operate machineries or conduct any activities that require you to be physically active. The drug is medicated as skin patch for 7 days and when the older one wears of a new one is placed on the skin in a fresh area. Stopping the medicine intake suddenly can prove to be dangerous as the patient can experience withdrawal symptoms.
Further, it is mandatory on the part of the patient to tell his doctor about his previous illness or diseases as using clonidine patches can be allergic to him or her. These are usually heart attacks or kidney disease or the continued use of other medicines which can make the patient suffer from clonidine side effects. In some cases oral clonidine is given according to the advice of the doctor.
Clonidine Side Effects
In a previous post, I have spoken about methadone side effects. Also, There is a full post dedicated to the side effects of clonidine. Clodine has a sometimes serious to mild side effects on the patient using the drug. The serious ones may be fast or pounding heartbeats or it can be considerably slow in which case the doctor has to be alerted. In the later case when the heart beats less than 60 beats per minute the condition is considered to be quite serious.
In some cases patients may feel short of breadth, body swelling, rapid weight gain, confusion, hallucination, fever, pale skin, urinating frequently and feeling numb. There are also cases of feeling that any moment you might just pass out or suffer burning and blistering affect on the patch where the medication is worn.
There are also less serious side effects like feeling drowsy, dizzy, feeling nervous, dry mouth, blurred vision and sometimes joint pain. These are not really serious and in some cases can be controlled just by changing the dose of clonidine or introducing some other medicine to counter the effect.
For some people taking the drug for long time can result in loss of appetite, mild skin itching, decrease in sex drive or impotence. These are temporary in nature and can be said to be mild clonidine side effects.
In the next post, I will talk about amiodarone side effects.
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