General Information
Uses
What should I know before taking this drug
Precautions
Dosage information
Adverse reactions
Storage
Additional information if any
Catapres (Zy.Cad(G.Rem))
Arkamin (Unichem (Unisearch))
Clonidine is a prescription drug available from your pharmacy store only with the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner.
Clonidine pronounced as: KLOE ni deen
Clonidine is a cardio vascular drug / centrally acting anti adrenergic drug.
Clonidine is used in the treatment of following condition
- Severe pain in cancer patients
- Hot flushes in menopausal women
- Withdrawal symptoms of narcotics, alcohol, nicotine
- Take Clonidine exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If do not understand these instructions ask your pharmacist, nurse or doctor to explain them to you.
- Do not take the medication in larger amounts or for longer duration than recommended by your doctor.
- Take Clonidine preferably with one glass of water regularly as prescribed by your doctor.
- Do not skip doses or stop taking Clonidine without consulting your doctor as it may worsen hypertension and cause withdrawal symptoms.
- Always remember to inform your health expert if you are currently taking any OTC or prescription drugs like,
- Tricyclic antidepressant such as Amitriptyline, Imipramine doxepin ,nortriptyline
- Beta blocker like Propranolol, atenolol
- Calcium channel blockers like verapamil,amlodipine
- Digoxin
- Inform your doctor if you have following medical diseases , as clonidine should be used cautiously in these conditions
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- History or heart attack or stroke
- Other cardiac disease
Pregnant woman: Conidine belongs to FDA pregnancy category C. This means that clonidine may harm an unborn baby if used during pregnancy but potential benefit may warrant use of the drug in pregnant woman despite potential risks. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning for conception.
Lactating women: It is not known whether clonidine passes into breast milk or if it could harm the baby. Do not take clonidine with out first talking to doctor if you are breast feeding a baby.
Other: Inform your surgeon or dentist prior to any planned procedure regarding clonidine medication as it may increase the side effects of anaesthetic drugs.
Conidine is available in the form of tablets.
Use as directed by your physician, your physician prescribes depending on the severity of disease.Use the complete course of medication as prescribed by your physician even though you feel better after one or two days of usage of medication.
If it is almost the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not take two doses at same time to cover up the missed dose.
In case of overdose contact your nearest poison control centre or emergency medical centre for immediate care by physician.
The overdose symptoms of Clonidine are
- Pin point constricted pupil
- Hypothermia( decreased body temperature)
Clonidine may cause following side effects
Do not stop Clonidine abruptly without your doctors advice. It may result in withdrawal symptoms like
Consult your doctor immediately if notice following symptoms.
- Allergic reaction like swollen lips, hives, difficulty in breathing, rashes. Peeling of skin etc
- Decrease in sexual interest or ability
- Anxiety, nervousness , mood changes
- Swelling of the extremities
Store clonidine at room temp (15 – 30 degrees C). Avoid excessive heat, moisture or direct sunlight, never store in the bathroom.
Keep it out of reach of children. Make sure that any leftover portion is disposed off safely.
- Clonidine causes giddiness when getting up from sitting or lying down position. Avoid activities like driving, handling heavy machinery etc which require you to be alert.
- Do not take sleeping pills, anti histamines, cold medicines, anti depressants, painkillers without the prescription of your doctor as it may increase the drowsiness caused due to Clonidine.
- Visit your doctor regularly for monitoring your blood pressure and pulse rate when taking Clonidine.
- Hypertension often has no symptoms, so you may not even feel that you have high blood pressure. Continue using this medicine as directed, even if you feel well. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.
- Adopt healthy lifestyle changes like regular exercise, healthy diet, quit smoking, alcohol to lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health.
- Clonidine should be used cautiously in elderly patients as the risk of side effects is more.
It is imp to read manufacturing packaging instruction carefully if available and always do not hesitate to consult pharmacist or physician for any information.
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last Updated: November 16, 2011