Clonidine for opiate (suboxone) potentiation?

[eBagger]

I can't find much literature on the matter.

I remember I obtained some Clonidine like a decade ago when coming off of subs, but I don't remember it fazing me much or doing much.

Fast forward to now and I have first line resistant hypertension. With the first couple meds not working, doc finally prescribed me a Clonidine patch.

She doesn't know I still take .5-1mg of suboxone a day, sometimes oral, sometimes intranasal.

I put the .1mg/24hr patch on Wednesday, and she said continue to take my regular blood pressure meds on top of it. I felt okay that night, took my morning blood pressure med with it for the first time, felt a little heavy during my workout the next morning, like struggling to finish, and by that evening I was practically falling over drowsy and drunk. My blood pressure SHOT DOWN from 170/90 to like 103/53 in a matter of 24 hours. I was like HOLY SHIT this shit is strong, or maybe the pills I got a decade ago were bunk, but yeah I had to rip the patch off. My arms felt like they had 100lb weights attached to them, I was straight confused when making my food and fucked it all up, it was nuts.

So my blood pressure starts creeping back up the next couple days, I start feeling better, and I decide to let everything leave my system. I cut literally 1/4th of this patch and reapply it, and sure enough even that small of an amount lowered my blood pressure back into acceptable range, and I had super mild symptoms that went away compared to the whole patch.

Here's the kicker, the morning after (I applied the 1/4 of a patch the previous night) I did me my small line of suboxone I sometimes do (sometimes oral) to stave off withdrawals, and went about my workout and I noticed something really nice. I felt FUCKING AWESOME about an hour after sub ingestion. I'm usually beat after about 3 miles on the treadmill, or at least ready to get off and start weight training, but today I felt like I could have run another 10 fucking miles. Quite the opposite of when I first put on the whole patch and felt like I could hardly lift my legs.

Now I just put on another 1/4th of a patch because my body seems to be handling it better, and because I'm trying to keep it in my goal range of ~130/70, but its got me really curious about its interaction with buprenorphine. I know its use to help with restless legs and the like, but it seems to be in a different category of potentiator than the usual bunch. The only thing I read about it was out of 14 people who knew about it, 10 of them used it to "Use less heroin to achieve the same high".

So I'm used to just being on the bare minimum of sub to keep from total withdrawal, but this felt almost like an original opiate high, or like I'd taken a 2-4mg of subs as opposed to the .5-1mg I actually took.

I dunno just something to think about. I'll continue playing with the patch/sub dosage to find a good medium, but yeah I'm pretty excited.

Stay Safe - eBagger

 

[ghostandthedarknes]

I've been on just about every high blood pressure med. there is usually a break in period of 1 day to a week where i would feel extreme fatigue when I'd start a new pill. i think you are probably feeling synergy more than potentiation. be careful that your bp doesn't fall too low.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I feel that the usage of many "potentiators" of Opioids work in a certain way. People often take Antihistamines like Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) with Opioids as they feel it makes the high stronger. My argument is that the effects of the antihistamine feed into the expectation loop of the individual. "How high am I gonna get? Oh, I definitely feel something in my legs, yup, it's working". I think the various complexities of our thought processes lead us to think that we're getting higher. The notion that we might be getting higher plays off of the already well-entrenched notion in our brains that "being on Opioids=good, being higher thus is better".

So, I don't really think potentiator is the proper term for a lot of these things. You're really just on multiple drugs. You are not chemically altering or changing the substance, like, supercharging it, you're just on different drugs and the variety of different effects are enough to convince you that you're higher.

For what it's worth, I ike to take Antihistamines with Opioids myself. I'm not better in this instance, but that's how I feel these things work.

Clonidine (Catapres) is going to make you tired. I can only imagine the reduced blood-pressure could be a dangerous additive to an Opioid cocktail, so please make sure you know what you're into and let us know if you need anything.

 

[eBagger]

I feel that the usage of many "potentiators" of Opioids work in a certain way. People often take Antihistamines like Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) with Opioids as they feel it makes the high stronger. My argument is that the effects of the antihistamine feed into the expectation loop of the individual. "How high am I gonna get? Oh, I definitely feel something in my legs, yup, it's working". I think the various complexities of our thought processes lead us to think that we're getting higher. The notion that we might be getting higher plays off of the already well-entrenched notion in our brains that "being on Opioids=good, being higher thus is better".

So, I don't really think potentiator is the proper term for a lot of these things. You're really just on multiple drugs. You are not chemically altering or changing the substance, like, supercharging it, you're just on different drugs and the variety of different effects are enough to convince you that you're higher.

For what it's worth, I ike to take Antihistamines with Opioids myself. I'm not better in this instance, but that's how I feel these things work.

Clonidine (Catapres) is going to make you tired. I can only imagine the reduced blood-pressure could be a dangerous additive to an Opioid cocktail, so please make sure you know what you're into and let us know if you need anything.

Well, those are great opinions and theories. Thank you for your reply. Yes, I understand what you mean. I do feel like there are potentiators like you are talking about, where if you're looking for nodding/drowsy and take antihistamines it'll "potentiate" it but you know, stuff like grapefruit/tagament and, what I'm looking for experience with, clonidine, I feel like has legitimate drug boosting properties ya know.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Well, those are great opinions and theories. Thank you for your reply. Yes, I understand what you mean. I do feel like there are potentiators like you are talking about, where if you're looking for nodding/drowsy and take antihistamines it'll "potentiate" it but you know, stuff like grapefruit/tagament and, what I'm looking for experience with, clonidine, I feel like has legitimate drug boosting properties ya know.

Oh I totally agree. This type of thing is admittedly beyond my expertise. I was just sharing my opinion on the subject.

 

[thurston]

I take clonidine for BP .2mg. When they switched me to patches, I’d be fucked up for days from the patch dumping a huge dose on me.

 

[ĐmantuNJofra]

What happenned next day was clonidine inhibits or suppresses release norepinephrine via agonism at α2 receptors ......you can google it. Just as you said the next day when you took your bupe you were feeling awesome I think cause Clonidine in this ways have ADHD properties,
What I was trying to say is buprenorphine is a antidepressant on it's own and after effects of clonidine were all that norepinephrine and even Dopamine in smaller levels accumulated get more to be released upon taking dose of bupe. Hence he speedy affects
I take clonidine to help ease my pregabalin and bupe doses and to stop eventually.
When taking with Concerta, taking it before sleep feel my Concerta better or energizing in the morning after.
But Clonidine is also a medication that needs to be taken carefully, it can create an addiction on it's own and physical. now frankly I can take it and then I can stop it! It's importing med here so need special prescription...nwm that
That is just because I have taking the meds like bupe and pregabs that will mask almost any pain and addiction!
Stay safe