Clonidine for ADHD User Reviews

• JLT...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 29, 2017

"My son has been on this for 6 years because he would have fits at night before he started the clonidine. It has helped so much with his sleeping, impulsiveness. I give this a ten."

• Mom...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 14, 2016

"I have 6 kids. All with ADHD/Autism. Clonidine was a godsend to my kids. We tried so many types and doses of meds, this has been the best. Thank you."

• Tan...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 21, 2021

"My son has autism and ADHD. He was prescribed clonidine, and it worked brilliantly for about seven years, and then became ineffective, even though the dose kept being increased."

• kel...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 15, 2022

"I (age 28) take clonidine for a few things— I have ADHD (combined type but more affected by my inattentive symptoms), bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, OCD, complex PTSD, Autism, tics. It works for me quite well, especially in terms of generalized anxiety (the very physical symptoms) and ADHD. It’s even helped me take the edge off of hypomania (bipolar). My only complaint is that I take it morning and night, and I’ve noticed my blood pressure spiking midday, and wondering if my new blood pressure issue is related to the drug withdrawing or a separate issue altogether (I am overweight). Will be checking into that. Either way, clonidine .1 twice a day works for me alongside several other drugs— Effexor XR, Rexulti, Depakote ER, Concerta, and Vistaril, as needed."

• Mar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2020

"My son is 14 years old, and he takes clonidine for ADHD - one upon waking and one an hour before bed to support his long-lasting Vyvanse (he's got a very high metabolism). We've used it for 3+ years, and having needed to adjust, it has worked well. Has anyone had trouble with extended/habitual coughing? For the past year, he's been cleared by ENTs, pulmonologists, etc., but we recently read about nasal and cough problems and think this is the cause. Anyone?"

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 30, 2024

"This helped when I couldn't take stimulants due to abuse issues. It relaxes me, helps with focus and concentration, and helps with emotional stability. It makes me sleepy, so I try to take it at night."

• Amu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 17, 2021

"My son's Biphentin (methylphenidate) slow release wears out by midday sometimes. Son has 0.2 mg clonidine twice daily as needed as I can't get him out the door to go outside, etc., without it. So he has one before we can go anywhere to avoid a problem. One at bedtime if that's needed, mostly it isn't, but sometimes it is to help him sleep through the night. The clonidine is amazing. Without it, phobias to guess, etc., his emotions all get the better of him and affect the day for hours. After this medication, he can focus, stay calm, and function so well. It's a fantastic medication, we used to have huge problems at home and out and about, but not when he's on this one. I have to give it before we go anywhere. Thank you to the producers of clonidine."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 29, 2020

"I started taking clonidine just over a year ago after my anxiety, impulsivity, and ADHD were 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. The worst side effect was dry mouth, which went away after the first few months. This medication changed my life and is so simple."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 15, 2012

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."

• bra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 17, 2024

"This medication was wonderful. For me personally, I take this med with Vyvanse and this medication made me feel the most stable I have ever felt. I'm way less impulsive and less anxious. My mind feels connected. I take both clonidine ER (in the morning with the stimulant) and clonidine IR at night. I don't have many side effects, the only thing when I first started it is it made me feel very physically relaxed, like my muscles were relaxed and no longer tensed up. It was something I wasn't used to, so it increased my anxiety slightly when I first started it. From my perspective, feeling relaxed can feel like a loss of control when it's not. Giving it some time and learning or teaching your body to be okay with the feeling of relaxation helped me and definitely was well worth it. This medication was prescribed to me for a wide range of conditions, including ADHD, insomnia, and restless legs. I take 0.1 mg ER and 0.1 mg IR, 0.2 mg total."

• ADH...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 18, 2021

"I have ADHD combined type with tics. This helps with the tics, not 100%, but enough for me to get by, but makes me so sleepy, like if I fall asleep."

• ADD...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 1, 2020

"I occasionally take half of a 0.1 mg clonidine (0.05 mg) if my stimulant medication is causing too many side effects and generally causing me to 'freak out.' It's really beneficial at slowing down your thoughts and helping to maintain focus; but if you don't have a tolerance to this medication, you will definitely become very sleepy and more distractible, lol! I find it's really great at canceling out the negative side effects of stimulant treatment (namely Adderall IR in my case), while still maintaining the focus from the stimulant."

• Wal...
• 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, racing thoughts, and sleep."

• adh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2025

Clonidine "We have recently switched from clonidine XR tablets to Onyda XR due to it being a liquid, so having more flexibility with dose adjustments. Going from 0.1 mg to 0.2 mg clonidine XR was way too sedating for her. Onyda XR also works 24 hours as opposed to the 12 hours, so it's given once a day at night. My 8-year-old ADHD girl has been doing so well on it. Her impulsivity is improved, so is her focus. Much less tears and much less frustration at school. She went from getting all her questions wrong to now telling me, 'I had another great day at school.' She sleeps better and overall has less anxiety. I wish I had tried this sooner. If you have commercial insurance, make sure you apply for coupons on the manufacturer's website, it brought it down from $288 to $27 for us."

• pai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 25, 2022

"It hasn’t made a change at all with my ADHD, it made my sleep worse, and I can't fall asleep or concentrate no matter how hard I try."

• 11d...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 17, 2022

"It works slightly worse than psychostimulants (methylphenidate and amphetamines), but it lasts 12+ hrs and works for anxiety as well. Overall, a gold standard for treatment of ADHD combined with anxiety."

• Kev...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 27, 2020

"My son is diagnosed with autism and has behavioral acting out behaviors characteristic of ADHD. He is currently prescribed 0.05 mg of clonidine. I'm concerned that it's impacting his kidney function because his creatinine levels have been reported abnormal, so I'm very concerned about this. In regards to dryness, his eyes are excessively itchy, in conjunction with his allergies, and he has been having bouts of diarrhea lately as well, but also has a failure to thrive diagnosis."

• Cla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 6, 2018

"My son is 9 years old, and he takes clonidine for ADHD. He takes it twice a day - half in the morning and the other half at night. It made him really angry and saying really bad things. I tried telling the doctor to change the medication, but she does not want to, so instead of changing it, she gave me hydroxyzine for the anger. But now she gave me clonidine three times: half in the morning, half in the afternoon, and half at night."

• Ado...
• 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 now that he can control himself."

• got...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2023

"I was diagnosed with ADHD/BPD at 15 years old and am 47. I was on Lamictal/Wellbutrin for 20/10 years, respectively, and then tapered off both due to some other medical issues. Was off all psych meds for 3 months until things were so bad I couldn't stand it anymore. No motivation, always wanting to be on the go, mind wouldn't stop, irritable, etc. Have to be careful what I take because of other meds, so my doctor tried Clonidine XR because I was getting a caffeine habit. So far, I have been on it for 2 1/2 weeks. There was effective relief after the first dose. I felt calmer and could focus. It was a miracle for me! Now this is technically a blood pressure drug and I don't have a problem with HBP. I actually run on the lower side, and my typical BP reading is around 105-110/64-68 with this. I do get a headache and get tired, so I take a supplement with a sip or two of caffeine when this happens and don't bend over a lot at once or stand up quickly. However, that is a small price to pay for my (and my family's) sanity!"

• Ano...
• 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."

• And...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2021

"I had been on Vyvanse and Dexedrine for about 5 years. However, I developed an alcohol problem and ended up in long-term treatment because of it. The treatment center took me off of my stimulants to pursue non-stimulant medications, one of which was clonidine. Even on the starting dose, I noticed extreme fatigue, though when the dosage was upped after a week, I became full-on narcoleptic. Falling asleep randomly throughout the day, fatigue so extreme all you can do is sleep and think about sleep every waking moment. YMMV, but everyone else at the treatment center I was at had the same issue as me. Back on Vyvanse now, will never consider non-stimulants again."

• Qui...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2021

"Just started clonidine today, testing out the idea with my psychiatrist that as a 31-year-old female, I’ve had undiagnosed ADHD since childhood. It is far too early to make lasting claims, but for me, the effect was shocking within a short time of taking it. I would describe it as literally the volume on my thoughts has been turned down. My thoughts would often be so rapid and escalate to catastrophizing before I could even catch them. I can think clearly and even sit through a movie, which is something I struggled with significantly since a very young age. I started with 0.05 and found that while it helped me quiet my mind, it didn’t seem to be quite enough for sleep. Will try the prescribed 0.1 dose tomorrow!"

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2021

"I was prescribed this for sleep, since I take Adderall in the morning and my job had gotten so crazy lately. I would come home and didn’t feel like I could actually relax. So I was prescribed a dose of 0.1 mg ER at bedtime. By the second time, my anxiety had gone through the roof, and I felt like if I fell asleep, I wouldn’t wake up! Some people tried to tell me that it was just in my head and that I should give it a chance, but I honestly think I’m too young to be taking a blood pressure medication, and I never want to feel that way again. Xanax felt safer than that medication..."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2020

Clonidine "Currently taking clonidine ER 0.2 mg at bedtime. I started out at 1 pill for a week, then moved up to 2 pills. I am a 63-year-old female and trying it out for adult ADHD, but I have mainly ADD-starting projects and leaving them unfinished, lack of concentration, and focus. So far, I feel it’s helping, I’ve been able to help my 9-year-old granddaughter with remote learning, finish errands, get things done around the house, etc. So far, I’ve had no side effects that I know of. I’m excited to see further down the road how it works. It’s a tad pricey, but I use a coupon, so it's much cheaper. The regular clonidine is much cheaper, but I wanted to try the extended release. I also use this for my high blood pressure, and it works great!"