Suggest The Ideal Dosage For Clonidine

Posted on Mon, 4 Jul 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 4 Jul 2016 Answered on

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have taken 5 0.1mg clonidine tablets during the past 3 days. Doctor's instructions were to take one tablet if pressure exceeds 160/anything, up to 3 tablets/day. I am also taking 2 180 mg tablets of Diovan/day (am/pm). My pressure has calmed down except for going very low (100/various) a few hours after the clonidine. If my pressure never goes over 160 today, is it safe to take only 1/2 clonidine tablet? Do I have to worry about withdrawal after taking only 5 tablets? I'm asking you because I cannot reach my doctor. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (21 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

Regarding your concern, I would explain that the minimal dose of clonidine is 0.1mg.

So, it is not recommended to take a lower dose than that (for ex. half a tablet).

But I would recommend stopping clonidine intake. You should not worry for any possible withdrawal symptoms with just 5 tablets.

I recommend you to closely monitor your blood pressure during the day (in sitting position after 10 minutes of total relax) and write them down for some days.

If your blood pressure values are most of the time above 135/85mm Hg, I would advise you to discuss with your doctor on the possibility of adding another antihypertensive drug to your actual therapy (for example hydroclorothyazide or a calcium channel blocker), in order to have a better control of your blood pressure values.

I would also advise some lifestyle modifications:

- reduce salt and caffeine intake in your diet
- perform a lot of physical activity (walking, aerobics, etc.)
- reduce your weight if you are overweight.

Hope you will find this answer helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar