Using Clonidine To Treat Aggression, Tics, ADHD, & MORE!

Dr. Aly (psychiatrist) discusses the medication CLONIDINE (Catapres/Kapvay) and how it can be used to treat ADHD, aggression, tics, ADHD, & MORE!

So clonidine was first approved for medical use in the united states in 1966 and by 2018 it was the 75th most commonly prescribed medication in the united states with more than 11 million prescriptions welcome back straight talkers today i’m going to talk about the medication clonidine so that you can be better informed when deciding whether or not to start this

Medication but first make sure you hit that subscribe button so that you can be the first to know when new content comes out it’s important to recognize that each medication typically has a generic name and a brand name and doctors will often use these names interchangeably so clonidine is the generic name and catapress or capva are the brand names the generic

Medication has the same chemical formula but it may or may not be exactly the same strength as a brand name medication also some of the brand medications might contain various dyes or other components that can cause allergic reactions so it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether or not it’s important for you in particular to use

The generic or the brand version of the medication that you’re being prescribed so how does this medication work clonidine is considered to be an alpha agonist and it affects the levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine which then works to decrease levels of excitement in certain parts of the brain this medication is not a stimulant like the methylphenidate or

Amphetamine products so it carries no abuse potential in adults clonidine is fd approved for the treatment of adhd and hypertension it’s also approved for the treatment of adhd in children six and older and it’s used off label at times for the treatment of conduct disorder oppositional defiant disorder motor and vocal tics ptsd aggression anxiety panic disorder

Sleep difficulties migraine prophylaxis and opioid withdrawal blending comes in short acting tablets long-acting tablets and a skin patch and the patch formulation is generally not used outside of the treatment of hypertension because the effects on blood pressure might be prolonged and continue even after the patch is removed dosing is generally between 0.5

Milligrams and 0.4 milligrams daily with the short acting form being taken three times per day in the long acting form typically taken only once or twice per day if i’m using this medication in kids my approach is always to start low and go slow meaning that we start at a low dose and increase the dose gradually and slowly over time with the goal of finding the

Lowest effective dose once this medication has started it usually takes a couple weeks before you start noticing a difference and in many people it’ll take a whole one to two months before it reaches its full effect at the prescribed dose and because of this delay i often recommend starting therapy during this time because the benefits of therapy can be seen

Right away and the goal of treatment with this medication is complete remission of current symptoms as well as the prevention of future episodes now let’s talk about potential side effects it’s important to realize that many side effects are often dose dependent meaning that the likelihood of getting them increases as the dose increases some side effects are also

Time dependent meaning that they begin immediately upon starting the medication or whenever we make a change in the dose but what we typically see is that these side effects will go away with time as your body gets adjusted to the medication the common but usually more mild side effects of clonidine can include things such as headaches abdominal pain constipation

Upper respiratory tract infections irritability sore throat nausea dizziness increased body temperature ear pain and somnolensor fatigue clonidine is generally more sedating than guanfacine and this is typically worse in the first two to four weeks and gradually improves with time however there are some kids that will have this persist depending on how sensitive

They are to the medication more serious but less common side effects could include low blood pressure confusion bed wetting fainting irregular heartbeat or kidney damage if you or your child are experiencing any of these side effects or any others that weren’t discussed please talk to your physician so that they can work with you on determining the appropriate

Next step of action it’s also important to realize that taking multiple medications at the same time might cause one medication not to work as well or lead to an increased likelihood of potential side effects so you should always talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting a new medication and definitely make sure that your doctor has an up-to-date list of

All the medications that you’re taking and this not only includes those that are prescribed to you but also the ones that are bought over the counter or on the internet the amount of time someone will need to be on this medication varies from person to person often in kids the patient the parents the doctor and the school will work together to determine what is

Right for each patient when deciding to come off of clonidine please do not stop taking this medication without talking to your physician first it’s important not to stop this medication suddenly and i cannot stress this enough because doing so can cause one’s blood pressure to increase and this is true even if it was normal before starting the medication this

Is called rebound hypertension and it typically occurs two to four days after abruptly stopping it my approach is always to gradually reduce the dose in addition to helping prevent blood pressure fluctuations decreasing the dose slowly will also help prevent unwanted withdrawal symptoms such as headaches irregular heartbeats chest pain stomach aches trouble

Sleeping lightheadedness worsening behavioral problems and increasing anxiety make sure to let your physician know if these symptoms or any others start to occur when you try to come off of the medication because there’s different approaches that we can take to help reduce these unwanted effects now head on over to the next video to find out more ways that you

Can help your child live their best life

Transcribed from video
Using Clonidine To Treat Aggression, Tics, ADHD, & MORE! | Dr. Aly By Straight Talk Psychiatry