Should I take clonidine if my bp is 140/106 and my heart rate is 73?
Question posted by Highbp140 on 14 July 2019
Last updated on 19 August 2023 by Dfreie
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4 Answers
Your systolic is borderline and diastolic is pretty high but I’ve had much higher. I would say you need clonidine for a while until you get it down. My heart rate was in the 50 s when I took it. I don’t think your blood pressure is high enough to be on clonidine for an extended amount of time, just to try to get it down then change to another blood pressure medication. You don’t want to get addicted to clonidine, it’s hard to get off from. Don’t be afraid, the drug will get your pressure down but after that, have a talk with your Dr. Or see a cardiologist like I did, he took me off of clonidine after my bp went down and put me on 2 other drugs. I did get pretty tired on clonidine and was glad when my bp went way down then switched. Hope this helps. You probably need a follow-up with your Dr to see how things are going, clonidine is probably the most powerful BP medicine out there. God bless.
I know this is an old post, but it may still help you and other members, click on the link for relevant information on Clonidine:
Actually I was on a beta blocker for 25 years that kept my heart rate down to 57 even smoking and poor diet, but not very good for BP. Clonidine is tricky, very very strong. Cannot take more than .005mg 2 times a day or I am in hypotension... I only changed from Corgard to clonidine 3 months ago as I was taking 5 40mg tablets a day from CKD. So, clonidine I had used 3 years ago to wean myself off of opioids', and today keeping a steady 105/60 pulse 59 daily... Got to be careful with clonidine... Powerful medication and tricky. What works for one, doesn't work for the other...
Your blood pressure, especially Diastolic (bottom number) is too high. Clonidine is an excellent drug for lowering blood pressure and, unlike BetaBlockers, won’t lower your heart rate. It is the only medication that works for me personally.
Clonidine is very effective but actually , I don't think your bp is high enough for that monster drug. Mine was much higher then yours and my Cardiologist weaned me off from it. He said it was used as a last resort. I'm off from Clonidine now and doing ok... It can be difficult to wean off Clonidine so if you ever change, it's not usually a walk in the park to weaen off from this drug. .
Related topics
high blood pressure, opiate withdrawal, pain, clonidine, hypertension, heart, heart rate
Further information
- Clonidine uses and safety info
- Clonidine prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Clonidine (detailed)
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