Clonidine (Systemic)

Brand Names : Catapres-TTS-1, Catapres-TTS-2, Catapres-TTS-3, Dixarit, Catapres

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For clonidine, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to clonidine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substance, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Clonidine has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that clonidine causes harmful effects in the fetus, but not birth defects.

Breast-feeding - Although clonidine passes into breast milk, it has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children - Children may be more sensitive than adults to clonidine. Clonidine overdose has been reported when children accidentally took this medicine.

Older adults - Dizziness or faintness may be more likely to occur in the elderly, who are more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of clonidine.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking clonidine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Beta-blockers (acebutolol [e.g., Sectral], atenolol [e.g., Tenormin], betaxolol [e.g., Kerlone], carteolol [e.g., Cartrol], labetalol [e.g., Normodyne], metoprolol [e.g., Lopressor], nadolol [e.g., Corgard], oxprenolol [e.g., Trasicor], penbutolol [e.g., Levatol], pindolol [e.g., Visken], propranolol [e.g., Inderal], sotalol [e.g., Sotacor], timolol [e.g., Blocadren]) - These medicines may increase the risk of harmful effects when clonidine treatment is stopped suddenly

• Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline [e.g., Elavil], amoxapine [e.g., Asendin], clomipramine [e.g., Anafranil], desipramine [e.g., Pertofrane], doxepin [e.g., Sinequan], imipramine [e.g., Tofranil], nortriptyline [e.g., Aventyl], protriptyline [e.g., Vivactil], trimipramine [e.g., Surmontil]) - These medicines may decrease clonidine's effects on blood pressure

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of clonidine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Heart or blood vessel disease - Clonidine may make these conditions worse

• Irritated or scraped skin (with transdermal system [skin patch] only) - The effects of clonidine may be increased if the skin patch is placed on an area of scraped or irritated skin because more medicine is absorbed into the body

• Kidney disease - Effects of clonidine may be increased because of slower removal of clonidine from the body

• Mental depression (history of) or
• Raynaud's syndrome - Clonidine may make these conditions worse

• Polyarteritis nodosa or
• Scleroderma or
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (with transdermal system [skin patch] only) - Effects of clonidine may be decreased because absorption of this medicine into the body is blocked