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Clonidine for ADHD User Reviews

Brand names: Catapres, Clonidine ER, Catapres-TTS, Kapvay, Duraclon, Nexiclon XR

Clonidine has an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 from a total of 60 reviews for the treatment of ADHD. 68% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 18% reported a negative experience.

Clonidine rating summary

7.5/10 average rating

60 ratings from 63 user reviews.

Compare all 57 medications used in the treatment of ADHD.

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Reviews for Clonidine

  • Emmie...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 11, 2016

Kapvay (clonidine) "Depression for fifteen months hinged on the fact that my inattention was so bad. Every day it was constantly "OH MY GOD CAN'T DO ANYTHING." I had so many motivations and ambitions for projects and was so overwhelmed by ADHD that I could not do any of it. All I can say is that I am really disappointed with Strattera... I fought and fought to get a stimulant to no avail and they finally gave me Kapvay for bedtime. It's been two weeks and my depression has finally lifted because my inattention and distraction is gone. They are symbiotic with each other. And now I can DO STUFF and not have to binge watch Impractical Jokers anymore. To ADHD I stand atop a tram in a superhero costume and say "SUCK IT!!!""

10 / 10
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323 Report
  • Mommy...
  • September 4, 2016

"My son was 2 when prescribed Clonidine for his extreme insomnia and ADHD. I was terrified at first. His behavior was so scary and so was the thought of giving my 2 and now 3 year old a blood pressure medication. My son has turned three and is still on the medicine about .2 per day. I have for the first time been able to enjoy my son, sit with him, hold him, laugh with him. He has advanced in speech so much his speech therapy has stopped. He was finally able to relax for a moment to hear us. In turn, we are now able to hear him, experience his emotions and explore his thoughts. I have my child back."

10 / 10
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177 Report
  • Aliat...
  • February 5, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "I have a 8 year old son with ADHD. He is extremely hyper and unable to focus, school and friends became a true nightmare. We see a wonderful and highly respected psychiatrist. He is very knowledgeable on ADHD medicines. I was told when their is an emotional factor to the ADHD, Clonidine is the best medication for this. We tried Clonidine after MANY stimulants and non-stimulants also anti-psychotics. Clonidine 1.0 mg 2x a day this was the only medicine that we saw immediate results with. The only side effect was the tiredness, which did go away. I started him on the Kapavy 2 weeks ago. This medicine is a true GOD send. He is calm, focused, and far less emotional. We can't say enough great things. Please give this medicine a try."

10 / 10
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234 Report
  • VERYh...
  • April 30, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 5 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD just yesterday, the Behavior Specialist said his was one of the worst cases that she had seen in a while, she had suggested putting him on a stimulant medication, I told her i would like to a non-stimulant medication first and she prescribed him Kapvay. My son took it for the first time last night before bed, he went right to sleep and when he woke up this morning he was the calmest most pleasant, helpful and nicest he had ever been in his life. I could not believe the overnight change. I'm so glad it worked so fast, he has not gotten in trouble once today which is a new record! His teachers are going to be thrilled on Monday! Thank you to the makers of Clonidine!"

10 / 10
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202 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • May 15, 2012

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 9 year old son has ADHD. Kapvay was the seventh medicine that we have tried to help him with impulsivity and concentration. He has been on this medicine for nearly one year. We switched to Focalin last month but the tics came back and the restlessness at night. His school performance was no better than before so we are back to Kapvay. Since the medicine must build up in the bloodstream to be highly effective, we are in the very sleepy stages but I know this will pass as soon as his body is accustomed to the medicine. I have learned my lesson. There is no stimulant that will help my son. Kapvay will help reduce the impulsivity but improvement to concentration must come from age and proper training."

9 / 10
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189 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • iris...
  • March 21, 2015

"I'm 26 and took vyvanse for 6 years for ADHD. I never was able to live up to my potential in academics until I started taking vyvanse and am now an RN. I don't like the way stimulants make me feel and finally decided to quit taking vyvanse after my doctor started me on clonidine 0.1mg at night for sleep. After taking them both for two months, (vyvanse 60mg in AM and clonidine at night) I decided to stop the vyvanse and have seen amazing results with only the clonidine. I have the same energy and personality as my old self with ADHD off of vyvanse, but compared to not taking stimulants without clonidine as compared to not taking stimulants with clonidine, I feel like I can finally live without a prescription narcotic and be successful. I never thought I could live a normal, productive life without vyvanse. It feels great, and I'm so thankful that when I asked my doctor for ambien to help me sleep, she first asked me to try clonidine."

10 / 10
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147 Report
  • Anonymous
  • February 14, 2012

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 7 year old daughter has been on Concerta 18mg for a year. She started to tolerate that medicine, but I did not want to increase the dosage. My doctor recommend we add Kapvay to her current concerta dose. This has made all the difference. She is no longer bouncing off the walls, jumping on the couch, or leaving half way through a meal. She is engaged, focused and less moody. Her emotions are more regulated and we did not tell her teacher but she even commented on the change without us sharing the news. We are so happy, and this medicine is worth the time it takes to condition to the sleepiness that happens in the initial 2 weeks. Hope the changes stay."

9 / 10
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149 Report
  • Chris
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • January 29, 2020

"I started taking clonidine just over 1 year ago after my anxiety, impulsivity and ADHD was getting out of hand. I also wanted to stop my stimulants because they didn't improve my quality of life like my neurologist kept telling me they would. My PCP recommended Clonidine. It really helps me relax and focus within about 30-40 minutes. I take 1 or 1.5 pills during the day when feeling anxious or overwhelmed and it really helps me relax, focus, and better control my thoughts. If I take 2 during the day, I get too sleepy. I do take 2 before bed and it helps me sleep really well. I really enjoy this medication, especially because it doesn't have addictive qualities. I'd definitely recommend this to others. Worst side effect was dry mouth that went away after the first few months. This med changed my life and is so simple."

9 / 10
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58 Report
  • Adopt...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • June 5, 2016

"My almost 4 year old is extremely hyperactive. We have tried the stimulant and they just make him mean and more hyper. Clonidine before bed and 1/4 tab at noon and he is a different child. I hated putting him on medication, however he is so much happier not that he can control himself."

10 / 10
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86 Report
  • mizzy
  • December 30, 2014

"My 5 yo has been diagnosed with ADHD and impulsiveness. I was also concerned about her not sleeping or napping. She was moody and smart mouthed constantly. Her doctor put her on the lowest dose of Clonidine and the first couple nights was a miracle. She slept from 8pm to 9am. She was calm, didn't talk back, relaxed and watched a full movie with me. About a week into the medicine, she still doesn't have a problem falling asleep, but is waking up all night, getting up sometimes before it's light out, and is hyper! So hyper she is jumping out of her chair sporadically, she can't think straight, she can't focus on anything. We are going to bring this up at next appt for sure. It's like once the meds wear off watch out!!!"

6 / 10
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85 Report
  • River
  • April 18, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "We have a 8 year old who we adopted from foster care last year. He was diagnosed with ADHD soon after. He was put on Concerta. We saw definite improvement. But early this year, he started exhibiting increased symptoms of ADHD. He could not fall asleep until late so we used Melatonin. His doctor started him on Kapvay about 5 weeks ago. We started seeing a great improvement the first week because he fell asleep without Melatonin and started getting 10 hours of sleep. The second week we added the morning dose. Mornings immediately became incredible. We no longer needed check lists for him. The teacher said he still needed better focus so he is now on .3mg. He is doing incredibly well. His doctor is going to ween him down on Concerta."

10 / 10
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102 Report
  • Pepper...
  • July 31, 2017

"I have tried so many drugs for my ADHD and nothing has helped. My Med. Doctor gave me a GeneSight and it came back that I can take nothing for ADHD. So we tried Clonidine and I am so thankful we did. I don't obscess with thoughts and actions and have been able to sleep at night and get plenty of sleep. I do wake up with a bit of a hangover but that don't last long and that is okay because I'm sleeping at night. I am so thankful for Clonidine after many years of try different drugs and not getting stable this has been a wonder drug. I take Effexor and Latuda and with these drugs I am doing great. Thank god for these three drugs"

10 / 10
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58 Report
  • great...
  • February 27, 2013

Kapvay (clonidine) "I'm a 44 year old female, was in a car accident. Placed on pain meds for the last year. Had two surgeries and now I ask Dr to help me get off pain meds. He prescribed me Kapvay 0.01 mg. It has been a God send. It allowed me to sleep and took edge off my withdrawals...thanks."

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82 Report
  • Anony...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 2, 2022

"We’re almost certain I have some pretty bad ADHD, my psychiatrist noticed it immediately upon the first visit, and mentioned it about 5 sessions in. We decided to try a non-stimulant first, and my psych recommended 0.1 mg of Clonidine. Quite literally, I pretty much changed overnight. I’m on day 4 now, but it feels like it’s fully taken effect already. Sure, dry mouth isn’t the best, but I don’t mind much, and know it’ll likely go away with time. With Clonidine, I can focus better, having the concentration to clean and take care of the house is a godsend, and since the impulsivity is nearly gone, it’s so much easier to sit down, concentrate, and DO THINGS. If you’re reading this, and considering Clonidine, try it. Please. With how well and how fast it works, I genuinely cannot recommend it enough."

10 / 10
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19 Report
  • Walker
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • September 28, 2019

"Love clonidine! Works well if you have ADHD. Take it if you can’t stand the come down of stimulants. I have an overactive brain and have to stay away from all stimulants even strattera which has a stimulant type effect to it. Clonidine IR helps with ADHD too, not just the ER. It also helps with anxiety racy thoughts and sleep."

10 / 10
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39 Report
  • momof...
  • January 1, 2012

Kapvay (clonidine) "My daughter has tried several other stimulant medicines with the most horrible side effects. Kapvay was tried and very well appreciated in our home and at her school. The teachers were amazed at the change and the relief for myself was a God send. "

8 / 10
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78 Report
  • Melbs
  • February 26, 2016

Kapvay (clonidine) "My son was diagnosed with ADHD in 1st grade. He's now in 6th. We've tried so many meds...Concerta, Intuniv, Focalic, Metasomethingoranother, and more. The stimulants caused massive mood swings. And the other stuff just didn't work well either. He's now on Kapvay, the generic form of it, and so far, so good. He takes .1 mg in the morning and we just increased evening to .2mg. The only trouble we've had is sleep. He falls asleep but wakes up by 4am. And then, doesn't fall back to sleep until 6 but has to be awake by 7:30. So, right now, he's texting me to bring him coffee. Not sure what to do about the lack of sleep but I'm really happy with how he's responding otherwise. The mood swings have lessened. Now they just seem tween-typical."

8 / 10
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56 Report
  • adhd...
  • January 26, 2012

Kapvay (clonidine) "My son has been on every medicine available for ADHD and it didn't work. I thought to myself one day how about giving him his night medicine during the day. I asked the doctor and he said if we were going to do that I prefer giving him Kapvay rather than the Catapres he's on so we did and I could not be more happier. On his color chart everyday he was bringing home green which is great, the past 3 days though in the afternoon they change it from green to a warning which is yellow so maybe I need to increase his afternoon pill just a little. Other then that Kapvay is great!"

10 / 10
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71 Report
  • hmurphy
  • April 16, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 7 year old son has severe ADHD, ODD, and anxiety. We started him on Vyvanse 20mg, Depakote twice a day, and Kapvay .1 in the evening last week. We were worried because he talked SO much like he was on speed, and ran around the house looking for paper, books, pens to write with and never sat still but he was very pleasant when we started the Vyvanse. However, he was Always saying I'm sorry for blurting, please, and thank you which was unheard of before starting the Vyvanse. We were noticing around 4:00 the Vyvanse wearing off and the aggression and whining came back with a vengeance! We added another .1 mg Kapvay after school with his Depakote and the result was AMAZING. He is pleasant ALL day long."

10 / 10
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74 Report
  • Anonymous
  • March 3, 2011

"I have been struggling to keep my classroom intact while managing the behavior of one child in particular. Day 2 on Clonidine. Mom didn't tell me yesterday. Like a different child. Thought I'd google it to see if it could be that immediate. Medicines should be the last resort, but definitely have a place."

10 / 10
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74 Report
  • Dustys...
  • July 2, 2010

"My 4 year old was diagnosed with severe ADHD and we had tried several different medications before we got the clonidine, after being on the clonidine for about a week he had become calm, he listens better, he is just all round a more well behaved child. Clonidine is a God-send for anyone who has a child with ADHD."

10 / 10
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72 Report
  • Rampage
  • April 4, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "My 8-year old son has been on various stimulants, in addition to regular clonidine, Intuniv, Risperdal, Seroquel, Strattera and Abilify. My son is extremely impulsive and aggressive to our family on a daily basis, and I had been thinking that nothing would help our son. Our new psychiatrist recommended Kapvay and we were very skeptical, as our son was irritable and even more aggressive regular clonidine with Kapvay, there has been a SIGNIFICANT decrease in our son's aggressiveness. He is still very obsessive, rude and defiant verbally. So physically, we rate Kapvay a TEN in decreasing aggression. But only rated it a seven due to other factors. It is the ONLY medicine that has helped physical aggression for our son."

7 / 10
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68 Report
  • susan...
  • November 1, 2009

"My 14 year old son has ADHD. He was diagnosed 8 years ago. He was prescribed Vyvanse in May 2008. It wasn't working. He gained weight and inches. He couldn't sleep. He became aggressive and lazy. His heart began to race and his old tics returned. We were referred to a psychologist. He prescribed clonidine. His failing grades went to A's. It controlled his moods, calmed his heart, and the tics disappeared. Also he sleeps well now. We are thrilled. He is also more organized."

9 / 10
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73 Report
  • REDNE...
  • August 14, 2009

Catapres (clonidine) "My son has been on this for about 2 years, as well as vyvanse. It really calms him down so he can go to bed and get a good nights sleep! He used to have nightmares, but since hes been on this medication, he hasn't had one! Again I thank the makers of these wonder drugs and I know my son thanks you all as well!"

10 / 10
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73 Report
  • Becky...
  • March 20, 2011

Kapvay (clonidine) "I started my son on this medicine on Friday. He is doing well. No emotional break-downs, no crying. The only issue I am having is he is falling asleep around noon every day. He hasn't had a nap since he was 16 months old. He is 7, going on 8. I can't imagine his teacher will be all that amused when he goes to sleep during class tomorrow."

7 / 10
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66 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.