clonidine

[Shelley]

Following SG Block yesterday doc gave me script for clonodine patch.

Anyone use these before? How did it make you feel?

Google says it is an Anti hypertentsive. Google says its works along the nerve pathways so blood passes through more easily. Guessing this may help with my cold hands and feet and the pain it causes when the vessels dilate.

Is it ok to use with Topral (25 mg)?

[Shelley]

Just checking back...anyone have any experiences with this drug?

Thanks for any help.

[mrsD]

Clonidine is used in RSD... to affect nerve functions (I don't believe it
has anything to do with dilating blood vessels per se--any dilation would be
secondary to the nerve blocking effects).

But I do see you are taking Toprol? This drug CAUSES cold hands and feet
as a side effect. It is one of the most common side effects people complain about.

Clonidine lowers blood pressure when it is elevated in hypertensives.
It is somewhat sedating also. But the sedating effects vary from person to
person. In addiction management very high doses are commonly given and those patients seem to tolerate it okay. One cannot stop clonidine cold turkey however when going off...it should be tapered. It can cause rebound hypertension and this can be serious.

Clonidine is often added to transdermal gels used for pain.
Other ingredients can be ketoprofen, gabapentin, Ketamine, mixed together.

Here is a site that discusses the patch you are considering:
http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/en_treatments.html
The patch is typically used over the painful area only.

A small number of patients (about 2%) become agitated on clonidine. This can be confused with mania, and it goes away when the drug is discontinued.

[Lara]

This might not be of any help to you, Shelley, but my son took clonidine when he was a little boy to ease migraines and also to calm what they thought was chorea (movement disorder) at the time. It wasn't the patch though, it was in the pill form.

I'm not sure of its mechanism in helping with migraines, but I do know that was one of the main reasons the neurologist wanted to try this drug, because he basically felt he could treat the migraines and calm the movement disorder at the same time.

Clonidine [Catapres, Dixarit] is actually one of the most common medications prescribed to help calm/reduce motor tics in people who have tic disorders and want to try medication. I don't think it's used for migraine too much these days as there are newer medications now.

Just my personal obvervations... It made him perspire profusely. It in turn made him very thirsty and had very dry eyes. It made him lethargic. That, btw, was on only one dose daily. I've since figured out that he should have been receiving split doses throughout the day rather than the one dose in the morning. I guess that's why the patch is so popular.

As mrsd said, it's extremely important never to stop Clonidine abruptly as doing that can cause rebound high blood pressure.

[Shelley]

Thank you both.

THis morning I took three things.

Clonidine patch, topamax and cellebrex. Clonidine for nerve pain for susupected rsd. topamax for pain for rsd and cellebrex for inflammation and swelling.

Weird thing I have been emotional now for 3 hours constant crying and I am not typically a cryer. I logged call to doc. I actually started the topamax last night and was emotional last night too after I woke up from drowiness caused after taking topamax.

Could the drugs be causing this this emotion? I certainly do not feel any better. Argh

[Shelley]

I am so scared

[Lara]

Hey Shelley. big HUG to you. Just hang on there.
What time is it there? Sounds very complex to me. I take it that you were taking the Cellebrex before starting the Topamax and the Clonidine in the past 24 hours? If you have only begun to feel this way since adding the Topamax and the Clonidine, then they'd have to be suspect. I would suspect the Topamax if this was happening to me but then I'm no doctor.

Hopefully that doctor will get back to you very fast.
keep talking here if that makes you feel better.

:hug:

P.S. You did stop taking that 5-HTP didn't you?

[Lara]

Shelley, found this about Topomax and Clonidine from drugs.com

Drug-Drug Interactions

clonidine and topiramate (moderate Drug-Drug)
Description:

MONITOR:
Central nervous system- and/or respiratory-depressant effects may be additively or synergistically increased in patients taking multiple drugs that cause these effects, especially in elderly or debilitated patients.

MANAGEMENT:
During concomitant use of these drugs, patients should be monitored for potentially excessive or prolonged CNS and respiratory depression. Ambulatory patients should be made aware of the possibility of additive CNS effects (e.g., drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion) and counseled to avoid activities requiring mental alertness until they know how these agents affect them. Patients should also be advised to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities.


Any word from that doctor yet?
gotta get off the phone here quickly as someone else needs to use it, but I'll come back as soon as they get off so I can check to see how you're doing there.

[Curious]

hey sweetheart...your monkey buddy is here for you. :hug:

i hope you are resting. i'll be watching for your little green light.

[Curious]

how are you feeling?

have some of the meds starting wearing off? have you taken anything since this morning?

:hug:

[Shelley]

Phew,

Thank you all. I feel like I am starting to come back to normal. I still have these waves of emotions that just wash over me but it is getting better.

I called both docs and raced out of here because one tod me to come over. When I got there he took me right in and we talked about what happened. I told him I took the topamax last night and woke up with a slight flare but went back to bed. Then this morning I put the clonidine patch on at 7A and took the topamax at 8A. Since then I have cried constantly for hours and feel beyond weak. I felt so weak driving ther and was stupid for driving alone.

The doc thought it was the topamax and told me to stop taking it. Something told me in my body though that it was the clonidine patch and I asked him if I could just take it off.

I told him what Mrs D said about discontinuring suddenly as well as agitation and mania. He seemed to think that since I only had it on a short while that I was ok to take off and he agreed that based on my exaggerated reaction today and how uncontrollable it was that perhaps that I was inthat 2%.

So I took that patch off.

It's been a little over an hour and while I still get some waves of emotion I feel like I am starting to focus agin. And like I am starting to get my personality back.

The pain is still there but i'll take that over what i was feeling.

mrs D thank you for your super smart information

Lara thank you for all your research and caring and for being there

Curious thank you for your caring and hugs

I dont know what I would have done without you guys.

I was so scared and still am but I am feeling a little better

I am going to lay down for a while now.

I think I may go back to the Lyrica to help the pain for a while. It has been the only thing that worked. The doc has said he may want to do another block MOnday

Thank you guys so much. Truly :grouphug:

[Jo*mar]

you don't have to reply to my PM since you answered it all here.

hope you keep feeling better after all that.
drink lots of water to replace the fluids OK?

[Shelley]

Thanks JO...And Lara and Curious and Mrs D.

I did not mean to scare you all. I am so sorry. I even scared myself. I could not control it and it seemd so desperate

But it is all going back to normal. Two hours now off patch and I feel better. RSD feelings still there but I will take that over those emotions and lack of control I was feeling. those feelings were so not me. I am happy one :)

Thank you thank you thank you

Gotta go drink now per JO

truly thank you guys, I was so scared.

[Chemar]

:hug: Shelley...I am so glad you are ok and beginning to feel better

[Shelley]

Thanks Chemar, I am feeling so much better tonight.

[Lara]

Just walked/wheeled in the door. Needed to see if you were feeling better now, Shelley. So good to see your message. Was concerned for you earlier today, but I had to go out. Take care of yourself. Good to read you're feeling a lot better! Yay!

[Shelley]

Lara, Thanks for checking back mate! (thats the extent of my Aussie :p )

I guess I may never know whether it was the Topamax or the clonidine and I do not care which both sucked. It does not matter what med, if it has any effect on mood I react badly to it. And yes I stopped that 5-HPT, took it one night and it made me edgy.

Its funny I had my serotonin tested and its low likely due to pain but I am not depressed, I am a happy person. I wonder but makes me react like that to meds like today. It makes me wonder how I can affect pain and serotonin without incurring that effect and having to take meds like that.

Anyway I cannot thank you enough for your care and compassion. :hug:

[Alffe]

And that's what makes this place so valuable to everyone...the rush to help.
I'm proud to be a part of this home away from home.

Shelley, I think some people are just a lot more susceptible to meds. I'm glad you're feeling better. :grouphug:

[mrsD]

I am sorry you had that reaction.

Do you recall what strength your patch was? #1 , #2, or #3?

Since you are already on a blood pressure lowering drug...which BTW slows
the heart rate down...adding another can create low blood pressure effects.
If you were started on a high dose, that would be very hard.

Taking the patch off, in the beginning, is not dangerous. It takes time for
that effect to manifest. Long term use, has to be tapered, but there is no
harm for you, in the beginning.

I have to leave this morning... if you have any more questions, please post
them here. I am glad you are OKAY! ;)

[Shelley]

Thanks Mrs D.

I dug it out of the garbage to look...hehehe...bad med for me. It says on the clonidine box next to the name ...dash (-) 1.

Mrs D do you think it was the topamax or the clonidine that made me so manic and feeling so bad. I know I may never know and maybe it was the combo.

The doc said he was going to try and old med to help warm my feet and hands called procardia. Must be old cuz the pharmacy had to order it. I am going to google it to see what I can expect. Still a little woozy from the other day so I think I will wait till the weekend before starting this new drug.

Affle thanks so much! It was a scary experience but I knew I could come here and get some help and hugs. I am grateful for NT and proud to be a member :)

:grouphug: to all

[johannakat]

:hug: Hey Shelley- Sounds like you had a really lousy day yesterday :(
I am glad to read that you are feeling a little better now...and sorry I wasn't around yesterday to see that you were having trouble.
:hug:

I've been hoping you were doing OK, and sorry not to get to see you this AM...

If there is anything you need PLEASE call...don't go getting yourself in an accident driving when you shouldn't, OK?

It is great to see the support on these boards. You are all awesome.

Johanna

[HopeLivesHere]

Hi Shelley,
My first time on this particular forum. Glad I checked it out.
hope you are doing ok today :hug:
You may not even see this reply it is so late.

I know of 2 people who used the patch. One was Dana, RSD board, lives in Hawaii. You can do a search on that forum for her posts.
I know she had a lot of pain relief after using the patch, I think she still
uses it. She's not using it with Topomax so that may make the difference.

Everyone reacts differently to these meds. Are you going back on the Topomax> I won't take that because of the horrible side effects experience.
Hugs, Hope