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Clonidine for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 2)

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

Clonidine has an average rating of 7.1 out of 10 from a total of 90 reviews for the off-label treatment of Anxiety. 63% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 24% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Clonidine

  • Johnny...
  • September 5, 2013

"Been taking for 4 weeks now. Good for keeping physical anxiety down. Good for people who tend to notice their heart racing and who get extreme adrenaline rushes when nervous. Takes the edge off which mentally helps."

7 / 10
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122 Report
  • MeliRz
  • December 13, 2016

"This medicine made me beyond irate! It's supposed to help with anxiety and insomnia due to anxiety. I've been up for 5 days now with an average of maybe 2 hours of sleep, if that, a night. Complete opposite effect, and I'm so tired. But my brain won't stop running with thoughts. Weird thoughts. On the bright side, my house is spotless, and I've managed to fill my freezer and counter with countless baked foods and pastries. Smh."

1 / 10
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79 Report
  • Jbutler
  • November 19, 2015

"This stuff is amazing. I tried every psych med on the market, and none of them worked. Then I tried this stuff, and basically, it took away my anxiety and depression overnight. I can't say enough good things about this patch. It has to be the patch, not the pills though!"

10 / 10
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87 Report
  • missj...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • June 1, 2024

"This drug has been a lifesaver for me. I had tried everything for generalized anxiety disorder... all the benzos, anti-depressants, etc. I am a vet. lol. With that said, I am not a fan of pharmaceuticals in general, as they have always done more harm than good for me. However, upon taking clonidine for the first time, I felt relief. I finally felt what it was like to NOT have anxiety for the first time in years. I highly recommend this drug to anyone who has suffered from anxiety for too long!"

10 / 10
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7 Report
  • CidB
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • July 11, 2018

"I am really high-strung and have ADD and anxiety, and I'm so glad I have my clonidine. I think it makes me feel way more relaxed than the benzos everyone wants, and I've had high doses of Xanax and Klonopin prescribed to me, and it's hard to get that stuff prescribed. The clonidine is very quick-acting, I've never had any kind of withdrawals, and it mellows me out. Unlike a benzo, it doesn't make me sound like I'm out of it. I've had other people take very small doses, and it knocks them out, but I tend to be on edge all the time, and benzos don't really relax me. They do help if I'm having anxiety issues related to PTSD that make me panic and freeze up."

10 / 10
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64 Report

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  • Richard
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • February 26, 2017

"Clonidine has been outstanding in lowering BP and in reducing anxiety. I have lingering PTSD from a murder many years ago and from a stroke one year ago caused by high BP. Other BP meds have worked marginally but the Clonidine patch was highly effective at 0.1 mg but a bit too much at 0.2 mg, lowering BP to 96/60. The only problem is the patch gives me a bright red itching rash on my arm, so I am going on the pills only to see if that works well. I'm hoping 0.1 mg twice a day should work since Clonidine has a 12-hour half-life, but we shall see. I highly recommend this drug for BP and anxiety, but monitor BP with it to not go too low."

10 / 10
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71 Report
  • Andy
  • June 14, 2024

"I cannot thank the medication enough. It has helped with literall everything: blood pressure, mood, panic, sleep, and organizing my thoughts. You can tell it’s improving your life when you wake up every other morning laughing from a dream… never have been in a better place."

10 / 10
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6 Report
  • Momma...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 12, 2016

"Was having a very bad moment (anxiety attack). Very shallow breath, tight chest, fast heartbeat...just could not relax. Took 0.1 mg and felt a difference in about 20 minutes and much better within an hour. The chest tension was about 90% gone and I could finally relax. Only downfall is that it makes me drowsy!"

9 / 10
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70 Report
  • Krust...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • April 9, 2018

"Clonidine can totally change your life. It can also make you a zombie during the first 2 to 4 weeks, but eventually you will normalize and become used to it. Only take the minimum needed to reduce your anxiety. Any more makes you a kind of altered consciousness (not in a good way) that leaves you empty of thought and too heavy, weak, tired, and slow to live an ordinary life. For me, the dry eyes and dry mouth are pretty bad if I take more than the usual dose. It also seems to alter the way some foods taste. It turns chocolate into a waxy, greasy mess (not in reality, just for you), and most high-fat processed foods taste really bad. Fresh foods and even natural fatty meat still taste normal. I love and eat a lot of chocolate, so this is a serious side effect!"

10 / 10
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55 Report
  • whmcf
  • December 1, 2018

"Been on this med since September 2018. After one week, had trouble breathing, tight chest, gasping for air. Caused panic. Heart, lungs all checked, this med is the only difference. It is November 30, and tapering off now. Looking forward to breathing free again. Would not recommend this med."

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49 Report
  • JJano
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • March 4, 2021

"Worst medicine ever! I’m so mad that this was even prescribed to me for anxiety because it’s only made my anxiety 100 percent worse. I had no idea this medication was used to treat ADHD as my doctor told me it was used to treat high blood pressure which I have never had. She misled me and increased my dosage to .3 mg a day before I figured out what was making me crazy."

1 / 10
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34 Report
  • Banana...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 13, 2018

"I have insane panic attacks in the morning. My 1 mg of Klonopin hardly helps, and of course, I don't want to go up on them. I have detoxed from Klonopin once and obviously don't want to up the dose. Usually, waking up in the morning, my anxiety is 5/10... not quite to a panic attack. Riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes helps, but even with that, the Klonopin didn't do much. I've only taken clonidine for 2 days and take it when I don't have to go to work (numbs me out, which I consider a good thing, to some people, this may not be) - but when I woke up in the morning, my anxiety was still there but considerably lower. Maybe a 2.5/10 --- however, I gave it a few less stars because having too much, ironically, causes me to have a panic attack as I freak out when I feel like I've lost control of my body."

8 / 10
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49 Report
  • Kookla
  • December 3, 2015

"I was prescribed this when I went to a 5-day inpatient detox. They gave me this for anxiety as I could not use any benzodiazepines due to my addiction. So when I left detox, I remained on clonidine for about 5 months. It did significantly relax me, however, it lowered my blood pressure so badly that I would get a head rush and faint almost every time I stood up. Keep in mind my size definitely was a factor as I am only 5'1" and 98 lbs at the time."

6 / 10
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63 Report
  • Kell
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • June 7, 2023

"I started taking Clonidine 6 months ago, which has been life-changing. Before I was having multiple panic attacks a day which spiked my blood pressure, I was taking ativan which barely helped my anxiety. As soon as I started taking Clonidine my panic attacks went away almost overnight. I haven't had one in over 3 months."

10 / 10
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15 Report
  • CarlyM
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 19, 2016

"I have had severe PTSD and anxiety for several years. I also have ADD and insomnia. I started taking Clonidine, and it immediately worked! My physical anxiety halted so quickly I almost didn't believe it. The only problem I have with it is it does make me extremely dizzy. I'm only on 1 mg a day, but every time, without fail, I get dizzy and a bit sleepy for about an hour."

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56 Report
  • kentu...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 29, 2016

"Help with my anxiety by alleviating the nausea and lowered my blood pressure, which resulted in less flushing due to anxiety. May have to go a little higher on the dosage to find your sweet spot, but I started at .1 and went to .2 twice a day, and it has really helped."

8 / 10
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56 Report
  • mike
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 15, 2022

"This is one of the greatest meds of all time - for agitation, anxiety, bipolar, paranoia, opioid withdrawal, psychosis, restlessness, hypertension- its not addictive, nor a Benzo the only downside is some drowsiness"

10 / 10
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20 Report
  • MattyC
  • October 26, 2015

"Clonidine is a drug that produces many obvious physical and psychological effects, the most obvious being marked drowsiness. It supposedly works to fight anxiety by interfering with the chemicals responsible for those horrible, anxious feelings, pounding heartbeat, and fear reactions. To that end, it works very well. It's hard to say whether or not it has a large effect on experiencing anxiety overall, however."

8 / 10
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60 Report
  • Middle...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 7, 2016

"I have been on a month and it helps with anxiety. The nausea and muscle tension have gone away. I would recommend it. Few side effects, and you will get used to the drug after about a 2-week period. It will make your hands and feet cold, but I can deal with that."

8 / 10
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51 Report
  • ampar...
  • September 28, 2014

"I was prescribed 0.1 mg tablets of this for anxiety and sleeplessness. It was good for anxiety attacks because it put me straight to sleep in about 10 minutes, but it didn't help me sleep through the night. It also didn't help with everyday anxiety."

4 / 10
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61 Report
  • Tay...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • December 8, 2023

"Clonidine is a lifesaver. Without it, there would be no life for me to live. With clonidine, I can finally function and get around society normally without flushing, having a panic attack, or seizures."

10 / 10
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9 Report
  • Austi...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 16, 2016

Catapres (clonidine) "Was diagnosed with bipolar 1 (mixed episodes w/ psychotic features) as well as unspecified anxiety disorder. My anxiety gets so bad to the point it makes me vomit. I took 1 mg in the morning and 1 mg at night. It made me extremely sleepy and fatigued to the point I couldn't function. I work and am in college full-time, so I couldn't handle that at all. Would not recommend this medication."

1 / 10
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53 Report
  • MrMis...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 19, 2019

"I was given 0.1 mg twice per day to control anxiety, but it made me so tired and dizzy, it was difficult to stand up. Many years later, after seeing dozens of doctors, it was determined I had adrenal insufficiency and needed hydrocortisone. This drug will decrease cortisol production and make you feel even worse, so be advised."

3 / 10
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34 Report
  • AJDCTX
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • August 18, 2021

"I've never reviewed a med but I have to say right from the first dose, this helped my anxiety immense. It felt almost like a longer lasting, clearer version of a benzo. It definitely made me sleepy, but it also kept me feeling calm and present. The best way I can describe it is like all the hyperstimulation I experience settled down, and I had a feeling similar to how you'd feel after getting an awesome massage, just completely relaxed and blissful. With insurance this only cost me a dollar!"

10 / 10
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24 Report
  • lostp...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • July 26, 2019

"I was given this medication with Paxil for severe anxiety. I never took the Paxil but did take the clonidine. I was told to take half of a 0.1 mg tablet twice a day for panic attacks as needed and one whole 0.1 mg at night for insomnia. The first time taking it, it worked! I took half of a tablet in an American Eagle dressing, though, but got extremely tired. But ever since then, it is not as extreme as the first time, luckily. It just helps enough that I don't get myself thrown in the ER. I don't take it every day, though."

9 / 10
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35 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.

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