Clonidine for Anxiety: How Does It Work to Reduce Anxiety?

In most cases, doctors prescribe Clonidine as part of a comprehensive psychotherapy plan.

Clonidine is adequate for an assortment of anxiety disorders, including social phobia, GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and panic attacks. 

If you are taking Clonidine for anxiety, it’s always wise to discuss with your doctor about potential side effects and what other drugs will affect the management process.

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While you can purchase this medication legally with a prescription, take time to read important considerations for taking Clonidine for anxiety below.

How Does Clonidine Help Reduce Anxiety?

Clonidine works by reducing the over-reaction of the brain and nervous system.

In addition, it reduces the physical symptoms associated with anxiety, such as:

• Racing heart
• Pounding headache
• Trembling gastrointestinal upsets
• Sweating

Moreover, Clonidine has positively affected both the cognitive (thoughts) and behavioral aspects of anxiety by reducing feelings of:

• Worry
• Self-consciousness
• Rumination

When used in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy, treatments it helps patients regain some control over their lives by learning how to cope better with the less controllable aspects of anxiety. 

Luckily, Clonidine for anxiety does not give patients a feeling of euphoria. Sometimes, experts recommend the drug for lowering body temperature and decreasing heart rate plus blood pressure.

Common side effects related to clonidine use are:

• Drowsiness
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness

Side Effects of Clonidine

For these reasons, careful consideration needs to be taken to prevent the drug from affecting your daily activities. Nonetheless, you can alleviate the problem by taking the pill a few hours before going to bed.

How Quickly Does Clonidine for Anxiety Work?

When taken on an empty stomach, Clonidine may take up to 2 hours to take effect. However, it may have a slightly faster onset of action when ingested with food or after a meal that contains carbohydrates.

Like any other drug, medics often get this question, How should I take Clonidine? When used to treat anxiety, the drug is typically taken in pill form. Medics recommend patients take Clonidine for anxiety once or twice daily on an empty stomach.

You can take the medication with food as long as it is done at least one hour before or two hours after eating. The reason behind this is to allow sufficient absorption of the drug into your system.

Remember that the correct Clonidine dosage [1*] varies based on the ailment severity determined by the healthcare provider. If taking injections, you need 50 mcg per day, administered under the skin (subcutaneous) or into a vein (intravenous).

On the other hand, proper oral clonidine dosage for anxiety is 12.5-75 mcg daily, before meals. You can also get your dosage through the transdermal patch. Mainly, experts recommend 0.1 mg/ day applied twice weekly onto clean and dry skin behind the ear.

Another common question about Clonidine is, What happens if I miss a dose? If you fail to take clonidine dosage for anxiety regularly, the medication’s effectiveness may decrease.

Also, you can experience withdrawal symptoms such as:

• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Light-headedness
• Drowsiness

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When discontinuing Clonidine, always do so under the supervision of a healthcare provider to prevent ugly Clonidine side effects.

As a long-term treatment, Clonidine will not be effective for more than two years. However, it is sometimes prescribed as an acute treatment to manage symptoms and prevent relapse of anxiety in patients who have experienced several episodes or are at high risk for relapsing.

Clonidine Overdose

Is Clonidine the Same as Xanax?

Closely related to chemical composition and effect, Xanax is a brand name variation of Clonidine. In other terms, they are the same medication but manufactured by different companies. As with most prescription medications, there may be differences between the two drugs regarding cost or availability. 

All in all, neither drug should be used without doctor approval because it can be addictive and has dangerous side effects.

If you want to minimize clonidine side effects, here are quick tips to achieve it:

• Take Clonidine with food if you feel nauseated
• Plan your Clonidine for anxiety dosage alongside your busy schedules to avoid skipping your daily intake
• Do not drink alcohol with Clonidine; this combination can cause side effects, such as dizziness and drowsiness
• Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how the drug affects you
• Do not take more than the recommended dosage
• Keep Clonidine out of heat and humidity; it can become degraded when exposed to these elements

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Conclusion

Avoid using Clonidine for anxiety while taking pemoline, hypoglycemic, blood pressure medications, antispasmodics, or other drugs for high blood pressure.

What other drugs will affect Clonidine? Herbal supplements or prescriptions may cause severe adverse reactions.

Other clonidine warnings [2*] include tolerance and dependence with long-term use. Bear in mind that some sources for Clonidine may be illegitimate, which can put your life at risk.

Therefore, ensure that you get appropriate prescriptions and superior products from verified mental health centers. Fortunately, EZCare Clinic has a whole load of specialists eager to make your healing process less strenuous.

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