Clonidine Induced Insomnia? (Page 2)

Been on this med for quite a while (3+ yrs) for physical symptoms of anxiety. Since day one it still hits me like a ton of bricks and causes severe drowsiness about an hour after taking it. When taken at bedtime it will put me out no problem. BUT, after 3-4 hours, I wake up and have trouble sleeping for the rest of the night. Wondering if anyone else has this similar problem with waking up after a few hours of sleep. It's guaranteed to K.O. me but then wake me right back up after a little while.

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The same thing happens to me. I take .1 mg at bed time, it knocks me out for 2-3 hours then I'm up for 5-6 hours. The big problem is that I only take that small dose at night but the fatigue follows me throughout the day and I have 4 kids. It was prescribed to me as a sleep aid even though I already have naturally low blood pressure, 98/70, and I'm worried that it's dropping my blood pressure dangerously low even though I've only been taking it for a week.

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YES! I just started this med and it wakes me up two hours after and I can't really get back to sleep in a significant way.

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I was recently prescribed Clonidine for staying asleep at night. It has NOT HELPED. I have ADD, not ADHD. I'm not hyper in any way. I wake up multiple times during the night. I am taking 2, 3mg melatonin and 1 .1mg Clonidine 1/2 hour to and hour before bed, and I continue to wake up during the night, and I wake up for school feeling very groggy and zombie like, I tend to fall asleep during class, not purposely, and I don't feel rested. I also take Straterra in the morning for my ADD.

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I am experiencing the same thing. After i wake up and try to go back to sleep i just toss and turn and i take it with a trazadone and a prozasin.

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Same thing- just started clonidine and it lowers BP but a real pain in the a$$ trying to sleep. Better off not on it at nights; hopefully my MD will agree.

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I posted on another forum and received replies that generally match your experience. I'll just paste here with maybe another comment or two.
"Have a recent problem with sleeping. Have never had a problem before and slept like the proverbial log. Had started a transdermal patch system for high blood pressure and one of the side effects is insomnia which seems strange because the drug is often prescribed to relieve that affliction. (clonidine) Now I get tired and fall asleep during the day but can't get to sleep when I go to bed. The only thing that helps is (so far) tylenol pm that gets me through most of the night. BTW Clonidine has more darned interactions with other drugs than expected.
I can't keep taking tylenol pm forever and even when I do take it, I get up at two or three in the morning with my brain racing so I end up composing stuff on the computer until my usual getting up time at five am.
Trazadone is something I hadn't considered. I'll have to check it out. The fact that it's also an antidipressant is a plus. Actually, the only time I got really depressed was when I reacted to lisinopril, and when I took that, it also affected my thinking and mental state. Doctors find that hard to believe. BTW, I hate the idea of being on a transdermal clonidine patch cause I feel like a dope addict, but the alternative BP meds were so bad I didn't think I'd be around much longer."
To comment further, Clonidine works for me and so far keeps my BP at reasonable levels. Sometimes I actually fall asleep at the computer. My BP seems to respond to the state of my relaxation VERY closely. If it keeps my BP low enough when I'm very relaxed and never too high even when I'm active, I figure the intervals between must be decent. I haven't been on it long enough to really do a good analysis but yes, I also get a dry mouth. What really gets me going is that the medical establishment as a whole, doesn't believe lisnopril can have adverse effects and I honestly believe it could, and almost did, kill me or put me into a state where I would do that job myself.

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Just received a "Share more details" email but I can't find my original post. No matter. I've been pursuing this problem since then and haven't come up with a good solution. One suggestion was melatonin which didn't make any difference at all. Next was trazodone and I hesitated to use my wife's supply to try that because I go low on BP sometimes and am afraid in combination with clonidine I might 'Wake up dead next morning'. Besides, my primary care doesn't like me prescribing for myself, and the cardiac doctor won't prescribe it for me. I force myself to remain awake during the day, and my wife had me get a supplementary mattress PAD to make me more comfortable on my firm mattress. I am still using half a tylenol PM every night except when I go to a full one sometimes. That helps, but the problem is still very much there. All I can say is that I will put up with the insomnia from clonidine rather than go back to lisinopril that I know causes me a severe reaction that has done my aging body permanent damage. At this point, I more often question the medical establishment, and would consider blood letting or a visit to a witch doctor. Maybe even Voodoo if I can be a Zombie and get some sleep.

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Just a little update. Between the 3 inch foam pad added to my firm mattress, the 1 mg melatonin, and the small computer playing my choice of music on pandora, I go to bed at about fifteen after eight pm. I then get to sleep in a reasonable amount to time. I usually get up three times to satisfy a kidney problem, and can get back to sleep each time. I'd say I get about seven hours sleep. When I get up I spend about an hour feeding the cats, doing all the little chores, and then I find I am tired again. I take a nap on our extra length sofa, and get that hour of sleep to catch up. All in all, I get a nights sleep, but in the afternoon, I sometimes fall asleep if I'm at the computer. To me, it seems I'm getting the right amount of sleep, but what with the clonidine, it's at different times of the day and not the restful sleep I used to get. Still, I'll keep my complaints down. It could be worse like if I were getting it in a casket at the undertakers, as might be the case if I were still taking lisinopril for my blood pressure.

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That excatly happens to me omg it drives me insane.

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Yes. I'm experiencing similar reaction with this drug.

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I've read the clonidine insomnia posts without coming up with a solution, probably because everyone reacts differently to it. I am on transdermal clonidine with good results for blood pressure that previously would rise rapidly to over 200 systolic. Not happening much now, but I still have trouble getting to sleep. Once asleep I have no problem even though I must get up 3 or 4 times during the night for another problem. (a previous and lasting result of kidney surgery) At those times I can fall asleep again with no trouble. I do take melatonin before I go to bed.
I like Clonidine because, for me, it works (usually) to keep my BP controlled and I only have to change the patch once a week. No trouble (usually) with the patch coming off. If it weren't for the BP I would religiously stay OFF medications because of their side effects and the money grubbing medical establishment who practice a form of white slavery with their lock on prescriptions and control of procedures as they like to call advanced medical control. As a society we rant and rave about corruption and government excesses, but weakly submit to be led through life at the end of a chain of medication carried by doctors, nurse practitioners and hospitals. (To say nothing of the pharmacutical industry.)

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YES, I've had this same problem lately with clonidine. I am on a low dose given originally for anxiety and panic attacks. I was on a generic brand that had minimal side effects for years and suddenly it was disc. and no other brand has the same formula. So I tried one that was doing the same thing to me along with severe leg pain, now I am on another one that seems to keep to keep me awake until it is almost washed out and at the same time my blood pressure is high with various other side effects. Then I sleep half the day only to repeat the process. My Doc is doing all kinds of blood tests. She doesn't believe me. The generics are different! This is no way to live so I am weening off with or without her help and if need be take something else. I'M DONE. Good luck to you.

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I used to sleep undesturbed for 8-10 hours a night I've been on clonidine 2 twice a day for about 3 months now for hot flushes due to menopause and although they never make me drowsy I've noticed I'm waking up every other hour and most times I'm finding it impossible to get back to sleep, it feels like my brain just won't shut down I'm gonna try to cut them down to 1 twice a day to see if this helps if not I'll need to see my doctor as it's driving me mad ...

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Yes now that you mention it my BP has been a bit high the past 3 times I've had it checked by the nurse while going for a routine test and she seemed a bit concerned but not enough to give me medication for it, I've got an appointment at the doctors next week she'll probably mention the clonidine...

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I've been on 0.1 mg clonidine trandermal patch for about two years now and thought I'd read over this forum to refresh my thoughts about clonidine. One or two things I want to mention even though I do not consider myself competent to advise anyone.
#1 Clonidine interacts with many other meds so get on line and check even for seemingly unrelated meds like eye drops.
#2 I realize that in this forum, lots of respondents use OTHER addictive meds so symptoms ARE compromised almost to100 percent, but the overdosages prescribed by supposedly responsible doctors simply shocks me.
#3 Insomnia from clonidine is real. I describe it as messing with my body's scheduling, making me tired at the wrong times, and wide awake at bedtime. Once I get to sleep I will generally get eight hours, interrupted by nature calls at least two three or as many as four times a night from other reasons. I keep a urinal bedside and get back to sleep quickly. Yes I take one and a half mg of melatonin at bedtime, but think it's action is mostly psychological by taking the tablet.
#4 Back when I was prescribed clonidine transdermal patch I was aware that clonidine was used by ER doctors to bring my blood pressure down quickly. That's one reason I agreed to the patch, to 'avoid' radical blood pressure spikes. The other was that I severely reacted to the other common BP medications. If I have any advice to others it is: Don't go to clonidine if at all possible. You who use hard addictive drugs might laugh at my saying clonidine is addictive, but I know what happens if I get off it, and I resent being subservient to the medical establishment.
#5 Last, but definitely not least, keep an open mind with the thought that in spite of everything, the human body WILL try to heal, and the best help come from within.

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I was put on Clonidine for hot flashes at night. Night number one I noticed reduced pain in my bad knees, but woke up several hours later, and hard to go back to sleep! Same thing for nights 2 and 3. Even though I was taking Diphenhydramine and Norco for pain in my knees, I still wake up and can't go back to sleep without taking more Benedryl. I think I was better off without Clonidine!

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