Opioids Just a warning - watch out for Clonidine.

[Bomb319]

It may be given out like candy compared to opiates and have no intrinic value...but if you start taking it regularly alongside your opiate and then run out...well I had no idea what I would be in for. I'm on 220 mg methadone per day as maintenance - a high dose. I'm a very fast metabolizer, so my doctor put me on clonidine as a way around upping my dose even more. I ran out early and had my last dose yesterday. Well...I had a feeling I might feel just a little crappy or tired...I started feeling a bit anxious early this afternoon. Flash forward to now - full blown panic attacks and opiate withdrawal that is just as bad as it would be had I missed my entire dose of methadone. I was visiting my family and couldn't eat a bite of food, and had to be driven back early, it's that bad. It didn't help of course that I've been sleeping AND eating like shit for the past few days. But any thoughts I had about it being mostly psychological are gone now - pupils the size of my head, pouring sweat and chills. And it is unbelievably messed up to have this so severely when I just took 220 mg of methadone this morning! It feels like day 2 after IV heroin withdrawal, no joke.

Be careful with this tricky fucking combo. My dose wasn't even that high, I don't think..?? Two 0.1 mg pills twice per day. I took extra on some of those days, but not by that much.

 

[Fire&Water]

My dose wasn't even that high, I don't think..?? Two 0.1 mg pills twice per day. I took extra on some of those days, but not by that much.

Yeah it is, esp' when taking extra.

 

[Larc]

Hypertension is a bitch. Clonidine fucks with your sympathetic nervous system somehow too which is why the panic attacks coming off of it are bad.

How did y

 

[Larc]

Hypertension is a bitch. Clonidine fucks with your sympathetic nervous system somehow too which is why the panic attacks coming off of it are bad.

GL hopefully you get more soon.

 

[Bomb319]

Hypertension is a bitch. Clonidine fucks with your sympathetic nervous system somehow too which is why the panic attacks coming off of it are bad.

GL hopefully you get more soon.

Thanks I just hope it isn't dangerous. The only other time I can remember running out, my blood pressure was something like 160/120 but I took it right after I walked to the pharmacy and was slightly out of breath. I normally don't really get very bad anxiety - just long lasting but mild when it happens...you know just what you would call nervousness or apprehension. But yeah I was pretty close to one this time because of the idea of having to leave my apartment and the sudden fear of having a heart attack. Years of on and off opiate withdrawal have conditioned me to know exactly what happens when going out and not being able to rest at my apartment :/

It feels identical to plain old withdrawal though...not nearly as bad as those first few days off heroin, but with all the usual symptoms. That's why I strongly suspect that it isn't so much the clonidine itself that does it, but how your opiate system gets "conditioned" by the presence of a booster, and then the subsequent increase of sympathetic activity even when the opiate dose itself hasn't budged. In fact, today began as a really GOOD day in terms of that, because I had taken a bunch of antacids which really increases methadone efficacy.

Come to think of it, this may sound weird but right now I'm somehow feeling the methadone more strongly than usual while going through withdrawal at the same time...how fucked is that? Anyone else know what I mean and had this before? It's like..if I think about it, I feel it like normal and know it's an opiate effect and not some psychological reaction - but at the same time my pupils are huge and I'm getting some chills.

 

[Bomb319]

Oh yeah - I also ran out of Zopiclone (a Z drug and basically a benzo) at the same time as the clonidine. It can't have much or anything to do with that though because I only took it on wednesday and thursday (I get it once a week and only use it 2 days to sleep well but not become addicted)

 

[PtahTek]

was put on this clonidine, became tolerant and before upping my dose (at .1mg) did a little research. wow. the withdraws seem to be a terrible experience for most who become dependant and stop suddenly.
so i figured to stay at the .1mg and deal with it. prescribed twice a day but only take it at night. psyche prescribed it for mitigating night terrors, ptsd and anxiety but said it would help in my taper of benzos. from what i read and my own experience with this substance it does help greatly as i dropped 30% the first night i got the clonidine and slept fairly well with little to no wds from the drop in benzo dose. been at the same dose (.5mg 2xday) for a little over a week now and feel ready to drop dose again. but this clonidine worries me more than benzo wds tbph.
OPs experience with the wds from clonidine is pretty much the info i found in others experience with sudden cessation and most found tapering almost as severe. wth kinda drug is this and why didnt my psyche give me the warning...?
oh well just thought i would put my current thoughts down so there ya have it.
be safe and happy days to ya all.
1

 

[Them Witches]

Heck yeah it causes withdrawals. I am at 0.9mg daily. Strong alpha2 drugs will do that. Xylazine is derived from Clonidine but Clonidine is 40 times stronger. Adding Xylazine to street drugs adds another dynamic of withdrawals combined with fentanyl. This is why they cannot deal with the withdrawals and they have to have the street dope with Xylazine in it.

 

[PtahTek]

Xylazine is derived from Clonidine

i also read this in my searches which is kinda alarming.
here i am thinking this substance is mostly harmless and the post i read and case studies reveal some interesting data. all i have is "wow" and thoughts of not relying too heavily on this substance for my needs.
will be talking to doc about this at our next appointment.

I am at 0.9mg daily

mind if i ask what you take it for and why the higher dose?
thanks

 

[Jnowhere]

Oh no, not more misery. What is the best way off it?

 

[Them Witches]

mind if i ask what you take it for and why the higher dose?
thanks

I have been on it for 25 years. It was increased over the years to provide the same results and added uses.

I started as a brain relaxant before I knew I had 3 heart disorders. The starting dosage was 0.2mg daily.

Now it has multiple uses for blood pressure & pulse, brain relaxant/sedative, and for severe chronic pain treatment to be added to opioids.

Many cancer patients that no longer get full relief from opioids have Clonidine added to improve the results/relief.

Clonidine was originally created for brain surgeries. It later was used in epidural shots with morphine.

 

[PtahTek]

I have been on it for 25 years. It was increased over the years to provide the same results and added uses.

I started as a brain relaxant before I knew I had 3 heart disorders. The starting dosage was 0.2mg daily.

Now it has multiple uses for blood pressure & pulse, brain relaxant/sedative, and for severe chronic pain treatment to be added to opioids.

Many cancer patients that no longer get full relief from opioids have Clonidine added to improve the results/relief.

Clonidine was originally created for brain surgeries. It later was used in epidural shots with morphine.

Thanks for giving my research a little more depth.
Again... just wow.
Hope you are doing okay and best to yours.
Peace

 

[rentedbythehour]

Clonidine was originally created for brain surgeries. It later was used in epidural shots with morphine.

Clonodine was originally formulated as a nasal decongestant in the 60s. It was found to work better on blood pressure though. It was used mainly to treat hypertension under the name Catapres. That's why you can't stop it suddenly. You shouldn't stop any blood pressure med suddenly. It can bring on a rapid increase in blood pressure, headache, nausea, vomiting, stroke, heart attack, tremors, anxiety, etc etc etc

They have a few other things they use clonodine for. Blood pressure not so much anymore, kids with ADHD to help them sleep, opioid withdrawals and an injectable form to use with opiates to treat cancer pain.

Xylazine is an analog of clonodine, not a derivative. They are similar in structure and action. Xylazine is not derived from Clonodine though. There is a difference. Clonodine is a bit stronger but that 40x stronger was in one test where they also used other things, such as phenoxybenzamine and yohimbe to potentiate the effects. That test was done in 1981. I can link you the resource if you'd like.

My kids took clonodine for years to help them sleep. They both started at 0.01 and my oldest son got up to 0.6 and never had any issues. My younger son just stopped taking it a last year. Once again never any issues.

The only issues I've even read about are the typical ones anyone that's been on a med for a long time would feel, especially if they stopped it suddenly.

Also just a reminder that xylazine was never approved for human consumption. It's meant to be used in animals only. There is an antidote for it. Tolazoline reverses the effect in animals. Also not approved for humans.

 

[rentedbythehour]

Oh no, not more misery. What is the best way off it?

Tapering off under the guidance of your Dr.

 

[paranoid android]

I once shot clonidine with morphine. Had to stick my head out the window to catch my breath

 

[Them Witches]

Clonodine was originally formulated as a nasal decongestant in the 60s. It was found to work better on blood pressure though. It was used mainly to treat hypertension under the name Catapres. That's why you can't stop it suddenly. You shouldn't stop any blood pressure med suddenly. It can bring on a rapid increase in blood pressure, headache, nausea, vomiting, stroke, heart attack, tremors, anxiety, etc etc etc

They have a few other things they use clonodine for. Blood pressure not so much anymore, kids with ADHD to help them sleep, opioid withdrawals and an injectable form to use with opiates to treat cancer pain.

Xylazine is an analog of clonodine, not a derivative. They are similar in structure and action. Xylazine is not derived from Clonodine though. There is a difference. Clonodine is a bit stronger but that 40x stronger was in one test where they also used other things, such as phenoxybenzamine and yohimbe to potentiate the effects. That test was done in 1981. I can link you the resource if you'd like.

My kids took clonodine for years to help them sleep. They both started at 0.01 and my oldest son got up to 0.6 and never had any issues. My younger son just stopped taking it a last year. Once again never any issues.

The only issues I've even read about are the typical ones anyone that's been on a med for a long time would feel, especially if they stopped it suddenly.

Also just a reminder that xylazine was never approved for human consumption. It's meant to be used in animals only. There is an antidote for it. Tolazoline reverses the effect in animals. Also not approved for humans.

Thank for the corrections. I didn't know it was used for nasal decongestant. It was used for brain and most other surgeries to sedate and numb the nerves in the spine and past the spine until replaced by Dexmedetomidine.

Clonidine has withdrawal symptoms 100%. If I do not have it I can feel them strongly. I have been on it for 25 years. It has restless leg syndrome, heavy yawning, cold chills, sweating, rebound pulse rate, and it lasts between 2-5 days depending on the dosage.

Most anesthesiologists and doctors give me the Clonidine IV form with Versed before and during surgeries. It hits completely different than the PO tablets and acts like a heavy sedative producing strong calming effects. Last year after two surgeries, they started giving me Inapsine and Haldol for the first 48hrs after surgery because of my high tolerance to opioids, alpha2, and sedatives. Inapsine IV and Haldol IV are amazing drugs for those with resistance to most commonly used drugs in in-patient.

I dissolve the Clonidine PO tablets under my tongue with Roxicodone and it is the best pain relief I can get out-patient.

Clonidine makes any narcotic, Benzo, sedative/hypnotic, muscle relaxer, and anti-histamine work so much better. I consider Clonidine one of my favorite medications that I have.

 

[rentedbythehour]

I think anything you take for a long time will have withdrawals. If you're dependent on it, your body has to figure out how to function without it. I have taken clonodine before. I've never heard of anyone having major issues with it. I was actually a little surprised to find out it's used for more serious conditions. I thought it was a pretty mild pharma.
I take duloxetine for fibromyalgia. That's an awful drug that I will probably be on for the rest of my life because coming off of it is so bad. I've tried several times, tapering down very slowly. I get the dreaded world is going to end feeling in the pit of my stomach, but the brain zaps are the worst. There's nothing like chilling and having an electrical zap go thru your brain. Literally a bzzz. I haven't been able to make it past that. It's been 10 years since I started it and I only take 60mg. Can't go lower than that. It's great when meds work like they're supposed to but I really wish they told you about coming off of them before you start taking them.

 

[kiely]

I'm Sorry.

I think anything you take for a long time will have withdrawals. If you're dependent on it, your body has to figure out how to function without it. I have taken clonodine before. I've never heard of anyone having major issues with it. I was actually a little surprised to find out it's used for more serious conditions. I thought it was a pretty mild pharma.
I take duloxetine for fibromyalgia. That's an awful drug that I will probably be on for the rest of my life because coming off of it is so bad. I've tried several times, tapering down very slowly. I get the dreaded world is going to end feeling in the pit of my stomach, but the brain zaps are the worst. There's nothing like chilling and having an electrical zap go thru your brain. Literally a bzzz. I haven't been able to make it past that. It's been 10 years since I started it and I only take 60mg. Can't go lower than that. It's great when meds work like they're supposed to but I really wish they told you about coming off of them before you start taking them.

 

[rentedbythehour]

I'm Sorry.

It's all good I learned a long time ago that I had to accept certain things about my life, my health, things I cannot change. It's part of who I am. I made a choice to live the life I want to instead of letting my health conditions rule it. Sometimes I have no control over it I know that. I accept that. Tomorrow is another day.

 

[kiely]

That's so Nice. I'm learning.

It's all good I learned a long time ago that I had to accept certain things about my life, my health, things I cannot change. It's part of who I am. I made a choice to live the life I want to instead of letting my health conditions rule it. Sometimes I have no control over it I know that. I accept that. Tomorrow is another day.