Clonidine

Clonidine can be used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, in particular hot flushes and night sweats.

What is Clonidine?

Clonidine is a medicine that can be used to treat hot flushes/flashes and night sweats associated with the menopause. These symptoms are due to alterations in the body’s temperature regulation due partly to changes in the levels of female sex hormones. They can affect sleep and mood, and have a substantial negative impact on a woman’s quality of life.

Clonidine is an antihypertensive medicine. It lowers the blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels, reducing resistance to the flow of blood in the blood vessels, and by slowing the heart rate. Clonidine acts to moderate blood vessel changes during menopausal flushing.

Can I buy Clonidine?

The Online Clinic can prescribe Clonidine for female patients suffering from hot flashes or night sweats during the menopause. Please do not submit a request if you are seeking this medication for another purpose.

How to use Clonidine

Clonidine is supplied as white tablets containing 25 micrograms of clonidine hydrochloride. The dose is usually two tablets taken twice a day. The dose may be increased to three tablets twice a day if there has been little or no relief from menopausal symptoms after two weeks. These tablets can take two to four weeks to become fully effective.

Your doctor will tell you when to stop taking clonidine. The duration of this treatment will depend upon the severity of menopausal symptoms. The treatment should not be stopped suddenly without talking to a doctor because side effects, such as palpitations, rapid increase in blood pressure, restlessness, and tremor, may be experienced. The dose may need to be reduced gradually over two to four days.

If you forget a dose of clonidine, then take it at the time you remember and then at your next usual time. However, if it is almost time to take your next dose, then do not take the forgotten dose; take the usual dose at the usual time. Get medical advice at a hospital if you take too much clonidine, as your blood pressure may fall abnormally low.

Who can use Clonidine?

Clonidine can be used by adults (over 18 years of age). Clonidine should not be used by pregnant women, particularly during the first three months of pregnancy, or during breast feeding. Seek medical advice before taking this medicine if you are or are thinking of having a baby.

You should not use clonidine if you are hypersensitive to the clonidine hydrochloride or to any of the other ingredients in the tablet (e.g., lactose), or if you have a very slow heart rate (severe bradyarrhythmia).

Before using clonidine, let your doctor know if you have cerebrovascular disease, any heart conditions, any blood vessel problems (e.g., Raynaud's disease), nerve conditions causing pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness, kidney disease, or have/have had depression.

Before starting clonidine, inform your doctor about all other medications that you are taking, have recently taken, or may take. Clonidine can cause serious side effects when used with some medicines, such as methylphenidate, other antihypertensive agents, vasodilators, diuretics, beta-blockers, cardiac glycosides, tricyclic antidepressants or neuroleptics. Also, some antidepressants (e.g., mirtazapine, tricyclic antidepressants) can reduce the effectiveness of clonidine.

Clonidine side effects

At high doses, Clonidine can cause a slowing of the heart rate, and people with heart conditions can have irregular heartbeats. Immediate medical attention should be sought.

It is very common to experience orthostatic hypotension (a fall in blood pressure when standing from a sitting or lying position), dizziness, sedation, and/or a dry mouth. Common side effects include headache, nausea/vomiting, constipation, fatigue, and sleep problems. Uncommon effects comprise slow heart rate (sinus bradycardia), delusions/hallucinations, ‘pins and needles’ sensation, itching, rash, and Raynaud's phenomenon. Rarely, some people have reported reduced tear flow (particularly in contact lens users), increased male breast tissue, heart (atrioventricular) block, intestinal problems, raised blood sugar level, and hair loss.

Data source

Clonidine 25 mg tablets. Sandoz Ltd. Bracknell, RG12 1RF, UK. Oct 2020.