Clonidine for High Blood Pressure User Reviews (Page 2)

• James...
• May 16, 2017

"I have been on clonidine since probably 1985. Was in Navy, went to see doctor before transfer, B/P was 210/118. I was 24. Girl who took my B/P said "you should be dead". No problems before that at all. My doctor says I have "world class" blood pressure. In between, have seen lots of specialists, changed my drugs and dosages, etc. Clonidine is the only thing that seems to work for me. Taking Amlopidine and Lisinopril once a day and clonidine .3mg four times a day. Yes, I know it's a lot but you learn to live with it. I've learned to cut the pills in half and take them twice as often. Levels out the side effects and smooths out blood pressure spikes.Do yourself a favor, if you are on this medication, carry some with you. Don't be caught without"

• Wayne
• December 18, 2019

"I have been on clonidine 0.1 two times a day for three years. I do cut the 0.1 tablets and a half so I take 0.5 four times a day. I have to say there are side effects with this medicine but it works fantastic for my high blood pressure which is a problem for my lung disease I don't have regular high blood pressure, I have a lung disease that causes my blood pressure to go high. Without this drug I know I would be dead. The only thing I could say is be careful on which manufacturer you get. I use unichem manufacturer which seems to be really good on my blood pressure. So don't switch manufacturers because they all act and feel differently in your system. The side effects that I get during the three years is thinning of the top of my head of hair and some days I'm very tired and I sleep and sometimes I have some aches and pains. I'm very grateful for clonidine"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 10, 2014

"Experienced sudden dizzy spells and lightheadedness with this medicine. Also irregular heart beats and fatigue. Quit in 2 weeks and felt much better. Blood pressure was still on the high side 150/100 while taking it also. "

• GS Andy
• August 31, 2015

"Clonidine has been the most effective drug I have used to keep my blood pressure under control. My BP is now in the 130/80 range which is down from 155-160/110. I do take it with a diuretic as well. Dry mouth is definitely a symptom but over time it diminished for me. Also, it does make me a little tired but not so much that I can't function. I take my night dose before bed anyway. Another little bonus is it seems to have eliminated my occasional RLS symptoms."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2019

"Prescribed 0.1mg for hypertension at my annual physical. Being unaware of this condition I did not know that I actually had white coat syndrome and that BP was not nearly as bad as office reading. This drug causes dry mouth and fatigue in addition to orthostatic hypotension which makes you lightheaded upon standing. Check your BP at home. It might be lower than you think. Overall not a good experience. Change your diet and exercise. BP will normalize and you won’t have to deal with side effects."

• Marci
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 29, 2019

Catapres-TTS (clonidine) "I started taking clonidine for opioid addiction and high BP when I stopped pain management. I was on Percocet 10/325 180 count and Fentanyl 50mg every 3 days, every month . For 11 years... When I went to my GP I was in horrible withdrawals and high blood pressure. Catapress-TTS took all my withdrawals away and lowered my blood pressure. It was a life saver... It made the whole process better. I still take it for my blood pressure."

• pharm...
• July 20, 2015

"Very effective, but has caused extreme drowsiness along with fluid retention. The drowsiness can be extreme in the morning and will require an hour nap. Lack of coordination and inability to think clearly and stay awake at times. Some SOB at times."

• dkhd
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2014

"Since my diagnosis of aortic and mitral valve insufficiency my systolic blood pressure has been poorly controlled. Clonidine 0.2mg 3x/per day has proven a miracle allowing me to now feel part of the world erasing the horrible side- effects I was experiencing related to a high systolic. In the 3 months I have been taking clonidine I have not experienced any of the symptoms reported herein. The patch works best as it evens out my systolic which tends to spike in the late afternoon/evening otherwise. The insurance company won't allow 2 0.3mg patches per week so I still have to supplement the patch with 0.1mg three times a day."

• opie
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 11, 2019

"My wife and I have been taking clonidine for about 3 years. It works great for us. I think it has saved us from a stroke or heart attack. Yes you can have dry mouth, but I thought all drugs had some kind of side effects"

• mmcubb
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2018

"I have used probably 12 or 13 different blood pressure medications in the last 20 years. Clonidine lowers your blood pressure NOW. After 2 doses my blood pressure is 109/70. For me the sedation is here and there, not every day. Has a good calming effect."

• GLGL
• August 1, 2015

Catapres-TTS (clonidine) "DR Recommended patch over Clonidine tablets I was taking. Waited the three days for any effect. During the three days I had to resort to my .1mg tablets to control my blood pressure. On the eve of the third night, my BP hit 160 meaning the patch was useless and I immediately when back to my regiment of .05mg (half tablet) three times a day. This keeps my BP between 125-135/75-85. I have an undiagnosed condition where I have surges to 210/110 and have been higher which can last from an hour or so to several days. The tablets stabilize my BP. Periochromocytoma has been ruled out. To add insult to injury these patches are very expensive even with RX plan."

• BPsuf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2016

"I started showing signs of hypertension at the young and tender age of 16. I started taking blood pressure medications soon after. I am now 27 and still fighting to keep it under control. Here the past year I have been in the several times for 180s/120s. My poor dr has tried everything he can think of over the past several years and I have even been to multiple cardiologists. No one knows why I am having high blood pressure and no meds seem to be working. My dr placed me on the patch to see if it will work. Right now I am on 0.1 mg patch for a week at a time. No change at all in blood pressure being high. It is currently 166/111. Not really sure what to do at this point I am not over weight and salt is cut out of my diet for the most part."

• SpTff
• June 17, 2017

"Five days after I began using the Clonidine patch, I started having terrible side effects. These included extreme dizziness, constipation, diarrhea, and a hard bloated stomach. I immediately discontinued the patch after using it for 6 days. These effects are still continuing to a lesser degree almost two months later. My hair also stopped growing, but started to regrow after a month. My blood pressure did go down, but it wasn't worth it! The owner at my local health food store recommended that I try taking Beet Root - 2 pills twice a day. My blood pressure is now normal and I'm having no side effects!"

• Jan...
• May 17, 2016

"I was taking Amlodipine I was for high blood pressure (about 160/85).. I had to stop taking it because I could get diarrhea 10 minutes after being constipated. My vision was blurry. My PCP prescribed 0.1 MG twice a day The medicine hardly made a change so my PCP increased it to two pills twice a day: no change at all. The side effects were horrible: a desert-dry mouth, fatigue, sleepiness, assorted muscle pains, a limp in my right leg. I stopped taking it and within 24 hours those symptoms disappeared."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 26, 2023

"I see clonidine can be very helpful to some people but my experience has been different I was originally on Labetalol which helped my blood pressure somewhat but it gave me heartburn and subsequent erosive esophagitis. I was then put on Lisinopril 20 mg twice a day a.m. and p.m. and clonidine .01 three times a day morning afternoon and evening. This caused severe constipation and worsening of my esophagitis. For myself, this has been a very scary situation because my gastrointestinal symptoms got much worse and this is a very difficult medication to come off. I am now in the process of weaning off this medication after being on it for a year. It has caused my blood pressure to go too high and then too low It has caused me severe anxiety and unable to function along with muscle and back pain. I am trying very hard to come off this medication by cutting each dose by half such as the .01 pill I cut in half. For myself the side effects got worse the longer I was on the medication."

• Anonymous
• July 24, 2012

"I love the transdermal patches. Very convenient weekly application and virtually eliminates the ups and downs I experienced with the pill form of clonidine. Tiredness, fatigue, dry eyes are a small price to pay for good blood pressure control."

• Happy...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 16, 2018

"Clonidine was good for me in the beginning, more so for my anxiety than my high BP. I started having terrible side effects all the bad ones listed pretty much after several years on this drug. Then it just stopped working for me. It was very hard to get off of it. It took several months..I would not ever take this drug again..."

• Kitty
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2019

"Shocking reaction of severe shin pain within hours of the first patch applied in November 2014,..subsequent knee and joint pain, and chronic muscle ache for 4 and 1/2 years now, Rue the day it was prescribed. A once active lifestyle now seriously limited due to mobility and bone ache. Inflammation triggered from day one. Heinous drug"

• Baram...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2013

"Clonidine 1 mg x 2 times a day did not lower my Blood Pressure enough. It brought it to 135/95, (without medicines my readings are 160/110 ). So now I am taking it 1.5 mg x 2 times (morning and at bedtime), and waiting to see if it helps to get back to 120/80. I also take Cozaar 50 mg once a day. Yes, dry mouth is a slight problem. But I just carry bottled water wherever I go. Cozaar gives me diarrhea, and the clonidine has a constipating effect. So they kind of cancel each other out. Clonidine also gives me slight dizziness, especially when I bend down to reach for something, and then get my head back up. If the head is not subject to sudden motion, I really have not felt dizziness to be a problem."

• Anonymous
• May 17, 2011

"Clonidine may help with blood pressure, but the drug has severe side effects for me. These include terrible dizziness, joint and hip pain that makes it difficult to walk without pain. Thirty hours off the medicine and the pain is gone and the dizziness is much better. Perhaps I am allergic to the medication."

• Joyce...
• August 18, 2017

Catapres-TTS (clonidine) "It has reduced my blood pressure while taken in conjunction with 2 other drugs. However, I feel just plain lousy 2-3 days after taking it. My arms and legs feel leaden and I have no energy. As the week goes it those side effects appear to lessen and I feel ok. Then the cycle repeats itself. It has also reduced my heart beats to below 60. I wonder if this drug is worth it."

• penny
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2013

"I have been taking clonidine for 4 days and my blood pressure has not gone down at all. I am so dizzy and lightheaded that it is making it difficult to function. Also very dry mouth so it is just not working for me."

• Alex_C
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2018

"My BP was 180/118 for my DOT physical, was prescribed this and told to return next day. Next day BP was still high. I've been taking a 0.2mg/day for a week, lowest BP was 175/101. Now taking .2mg every 12hrs, 0.4mg/day. BP 194/113"

• Stefany
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2020

"I went into the emergency room for a pulled side muscle and a blood pressure of 215/120. I was given clonidine while I was there in the waiting room. An hour later I was nauseous and so dizzy. Ended up in the restroom throwing up with diarrhea and so weak and dizzy I couldn't stand or walk straight. Long story short, I had to get a change of clothes and stayed in the restroom for an hour before I could come out. It lowered my blood pressure to 120/60 but I don't ever want this medicine again"

• Lambc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 25, 2023

"I have been taking this awful stuff for about 5 years. It was the only drug that brought my bp down but the side effects continue to make my life hell. I’m tired all day. I take .3mg three times a day and about an hour after each dose, I can’t function. I get high, extremely tired, and have to lie down. It can ruin your day. I’m constantly constipated to the point of sometimes having one bowel movement a week! I have PAD and this stuff makes my legs ache making it difficult to walk. My doctor won’t budge on changing it. I’m ready to go through withdrawals and live my life again even if it’s shorter. It’s that nasty."