When do people take Clonidine for tics? | ADHD Information

We are really struggling right now to find the right med balance for my son (7 years old) and unfortunately school has started so it makes adjustments even scarier.

We just started my son on Clonidine 0.1 mg am/pm in hopes that it would help with hyperactivity/impulsivity, anxiety and most importantly tics. He was taking Ritalin LA 30mg 2x per/day since he has a fast metabolism, but that was too high and was making his tics worse. So now we are trying Concerta 36mg 1x per/day with the Clonidine. Well I just heard from his teacher that he has fallen asleep in class the past two mornings while on Clonidine. It does have a strong effect because he has been crashing at night as well. So the doctor said to just give him 0.1 mg in the evening and none in the morning.

My question is how is taking Clonidine at night supposed to help with tics and other issues during the day? Does anyone just take it at night and have it help with tics?

I'm so nervous about all these meds and I feel so badly for my son. He just doesn't seem like himself lately. He is moody in the afternoons after getting home from school and is quick to cry and melt down.

When did he start the clonidine?  In the beginning, there might be an adjustment period.  Some people get very tired at first, but then that side effect goes away.

Did you start with giving only a PM dose, and then added the AM dose a week or two later?  If not, try letting his body adjust more slowly by starting just with the PM dose.  If you're still seeing drowsiness at inappropriate times after a week or so of just PM dose, maybe it's not the right medicine for him.

If clonidine doesn't work out, maybe ask about trying guanfacine (that's the generic for Tenex).  They're the same drug, but guanfacine is newer and is less sedating.

I just googled Clonidine because I didn't know what it was.  I've seen a lot of threads on here about this medication and I'm just curious if those who take it are having their blood pressure monitored regularly.  I would think in a child, their BP would be naturally low and to add this drug could make it even lower, which isn't a good thing.  I wonder why doctors prescribe this for children when there's other medications out there that don't jeopardize BP.  I am inquiring about this because I've struggled with low BP for most of my adult life.  Just curious.  Any answers?? Ben goes to the doctor pretty frequently and they always take his blood pressure. As far as I know, most kid's blood pressure isn't affected by Clonidine (or Tenex, which is similar). These meds are helpful for hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and have a general calming effect.

I think Ben just started on too high of a dose of Clonidine and it was too sedating. We are now cutting the 0.1 mg pill giving him 1/4 pill in the am, 1/4 pill around 3:30pm when the Concerta starts to wear off and 1/2 pill before bed. He hasn't been too tired with this and does seem calmer and less irritable. His tics have seemed less.
We just started Clonidine for the very same reasons and I felt like I was reading my own initial post with the very same worries.  We took the plunge and i can say we really have had no problems, other than like you stated, he was a little sleepy at first - this did wear off after the first couple weeks - we give it in the am and around 3-330pm none at night as sleep isnt really an issue and he takes Zyrtec at night which also causes drowsiness. Have noticed some improvement with the tics and an overall "normal" (as opposed to "druggy") kind of calm.  Good luck!My daughter is on tenex and they test her blood pressure every 2-3 months.   They do it first lying down and then standing. Our son got tics when he was on concerta and focalin.  He is on clonidine .1mg in am and .1mg in pm.  He started on 1/2 a pill in the am and pm and later bumped up to the current dose.  When he took adderall he didn't have tics so I told the ped nuerologist that- She thought the the adderall would cause the tics too but even on the clonidine with the focalin and concerta I saw some tics and it bothered me.  I had the dr put him back on adderall and the tics are much less.  Sometimes a mothers intuition is better than all the medical info in the world.