Clonidine Induced Insomnia? (Page 2) (Top voted first)

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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I posted before asking if there was someone who had experienced insomnia while taking clonidine and I found out that I wasn't alone. I used to take benadryl as a remedy for insomnia and after several months of taking it, I woke up several times with my heart racing and me gasping for breath. Another side effect of benadryl discovered after going in the emergency room, is mucus build-up in the lungs. I had to be hospitalized for fluid in the lungs. Bottom line: I had to find something without side effects to help me sleep and Melatonin 5mg was the perfect answer for me and works like a champ!

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I am the RN who posted the long history of my use of clonidine.
Since my post, I have decreased the mg. dose that I was taking ( 0.6mg) to 0.4mg transdermal patches and an occasional 1/2 of the 0.1 tab. (0.05mg). My edema has gone so it was dosage related, be careful if you start to have swelling.

My sedation has almost gone. Be persistent with taking the med. The sedation does lessen over time. The patches also help lessen the sedation as it provides a more consistent dosage without the ups and downs of a tablet dosage. I know that the transdermal (skin) patches are a lot more expensive, but if you are having tremendous sedation problems, this may be the answer.
I still get the insomnia, however, I use Ambien ( prescription sleep aid - 1/2 tab only) on some nights and then I alternate the lavender aroma therapy every 3 nights so that I will not become "dependent" on the Ambien for sleep ( one of the side effects of using a sleeping aid such as that.) I have had great luck with this regime.
If you use the lavender, you must place a small amt. of the oil on tissue then place it very near or right in front of your nose. Every few seconds, deeply breath in the lavender aroma. It may seem very strong, even pungent, and if you need to, move it away from you nose for a few seconds. Do this for about 3 to 5 minutes then try to bed down to sleep. I have had very good luck with this.
WHAT WE DO TO TRY TO STAY IN BALANCE WHEN TAKING MEDS, WOW.

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I have been on this med for 40 days and suffer the very same effects and I cannot go to sleep at my usual noon nap.

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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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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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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 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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