Another question regarding Chlonidine - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

strong_one · 01-29-2005, 08:00 PM

I have been taking chlonidine for over a week now. Because it causes me to be sleepy, I take my meds as follows: 1 lisinopril in the morning (20mg) then 1/2 chlonidine at lunch and 1/2 in the evening. I think I'm getting a little better with the chlonidine and not so sleepy during the day. Can I take the chlonidine in the AM and the lisinopril around lunch? I want to be able to keep my BP down during the day. Or can I take both at the same time in the am.

Also, someone posted a while back about horror stories about chlonidine. What were they?

CASSIEBEL · 01-30-2005, 03:11 PM

I can't imagine what the horror stories could be unless it's the trouble that getting off the drug causes. Just like a beta blocker, clonidine causes rebound hypertension. I have been on and off clonidine since 1979 and it doesn't affect me when I stop. You just gradually cut down the dose over a period of time but if you, like me are only taking .1mg you can just stop with no reaction.

You can take it however you want. Whatever works for you. I don't take it on a regular basis only when I have ststolic over 150. Sometimes I take it with my other BP meds ( BenicarHCT) in the am, sometimes at night and somtimes I split it up 1/2 with my Benicar and 1/2 at about 3 pm.

I think it's a great medication. It does cause sleepiness but you probably will get used to it and that will go away. I hardly notice it anymore unless it's been awhile since I took any. I like knowing that when I take it my BP will go down.

Hope this helps you,
Cass

strong_one · 01-31-2005, 02:45 AM

I'm trying to get that right time of the day to take it. I'm only prescribed .1 mg and I try to take it during the day when I feel mu BP is high. for example work. It is a great med. I'm not sure why but when I take my lisinopril in the morning, it tends to bring my BP up. Then i take the chlonidine at around lunch and it goes down. (Actually I take half and another half in the evening.)

mgraylorn · 01-31-2005, 01:19 PM

I haven't heard of any clonidine horror stories. I love it. I take .1mg three times a day. Sometimes I get a bit hyper just before my next scheduled dose, and sometimes it makes me sleepy, but that's it. I have gotten sensitive to alcohol but that may not be the clonidine. Sometimes on the weekends I've gone down to twice a day, and have noticed a bit of rebound. I also think it is helping with perimenopause symptoms, which is another reason I haven't tried too hard to cut back.

jtu91952 · 01-31-2005, 05:39 PM

B4 my cardio prescribed norvasc last month, she told me she had considered clonidine but would not give it to me bcuz i quit meds too much. She said it was not the kind of drug to stop and start.

Somebody on this board had suggested clonidine to me, but iam worried about side effects. Im coming off th norvasc due to back pain. I can barely walk.