Posted by Vincent_QC on April 20, 2009, at 23:25:06
In reply to Re: On the use of CLONIDINE as a med AUGMENT. » yxibow, posted by myco on March 16, 2009, at 11:08:15
Hi Myco!
I see my Family Doctor today and I suggere to him to try the Clonidine, before I start the Marplan, if i'm accepted... Since my blood pressure is high since my parnate experience and never get to the normal range with time (BP:140-150/80/-90 is now my normal)... The Family Doctor was very open minded to try it on me, because some studies show efficacity as an anti panic agent...and it can help to reduce my blood pressure...The dosages you convert from rat uses into human is A WAY TOO MUCH!!! Normally, Clonidine is begin at 0.1mg dived in two doses, so maximum of 0.2mg/day. That's what my Family Doctor RX to me... Since I do major panic attacks since a couple of weeks, especially since i'm going to the gym and since my heart is all f*ck up, he said that it's an effective dose...
Why he don't give to me the maximum dosage of 0.5mg/day to me? Because he don't know if my blood pressure will be down again to the normal in the near future...it seem that I have a bad reaction with the Parnate and that my body don't want to return to his normal state... Since it's an anti-hypertensive meds who act on the noradrenaline, reducing the amount of it into the brains....it can produce an anti-anxiety effect...this anti anxiety effect is often loose after severals weeks on the Clonidine, but the benzos anxi-anxiety effect also loose his power after a while anyway... so it's the same...the anxi panic effect seem to last, more than on the benzo drugs....that's what the studies show...
I start it this afternoon... I think with the Marplan and the Nardil, it have a minor possible interraction...probably more hypotension orthostatic...but in my case it will help me because the blood pressure is too high...
What I can say on day one on 0.1mg this afternoon and 0.1mg tonight...it's make me feel like i'm more weak physically than usual...remember me the beta blocker effect... I don't feel an anti-anxiety effect and my blood pressure is still high... Maybe I will need a dose increase after 1 month...but anyway I think the Clonidine don't have a full effect on the blood pressure reduction before 2 or 3 weeks... the anti panic affect is more present at the begining of the treatment...anyway it's just a test we do me and the Doctor...
For the sedation, forget it... I don't feel any sedation on it... so I don't think it's a good choice to help with insomnia. Seroquel is probably the only thing that can help, even if it's loose his effect after a while... I plan to stop it soon...I finish my bootle of pills in 20 days...I take 50mg of Seroquel at bedtime... The first month I was sleeping 8 hours in a row on it...the second month maybe 4-5 hours...now it's 2-3 hours in a row...after my sleep time is cut with period where I have to get up, do others things...smooke a cigarette, return in the bed... I don't want to increase at 75mg because I will tend to developp an psychological dependance to this med and I will worse my insomnia problem.
So that's it... Clonidine for an augment agent for AD ??? I'm not sure...but for anti panic and anti hypertension... i'm sure it work... That's important to remember it's an alpha 2 antagonist...so it's not like a beta-blocker... it work on the NE... I don't read anywhere it was working on the SE also... Since the panic attack are often cause by a high level of NE, it can help...who know... I will keep you update...maybe if it's not effective for the blood pressure after 3 weeks, I will call the Doctor to ask for an augmentation of the dosage... For now I can't say more things about it because in other hands I have the appointment with the PDoc soon and maybe I will be accepted for the Marplan importation into the Canada...so the Marplan will take care of lowering my blood pressure also... I don't want to ending by having too much hypotension and fainting.... I have to be carefull for now...
ho and I change again the Valium for the Rivotril...since the Valium is dirty and add extra daytime sedation and cause more depression than anything else, I prefer to take the chance to become again addicted to the Rivotril, but at least, I know the Rivotril don't make me more depress or tired at daytime...that's hard to stop it after a couple of months on it, but it work more well for the anti panic effect...not very well for social phobia... but that's better than nothing ...
The side-effects of 0.2mg of Clonidine... headache, physical fatigue, nausea lasting 30 minutes after taking the pill, lighthead... but that's tolerable... and I monitor my blood pressure 10 minutes ago and it's still high (135/90) but the pulse rate seem to be more low than usual...84, normally it's around 100...
Anyway, Clonidine can't kill me, especialy at this dosage... but forget the 4 mg or 7 mg I read in another post by you I think...the conversion was not good from the rat use and human...I think studies don't use more than 1.5mg/day in human...and at this dosage, the amount of people who drop the studies increase... the target dose seem to be 0,2mg to 0.5mg/day ... and they also say in some others studies that at 0.2mg-0.5mg range, it's a better anti panic agent than the Imipramine at 100mg/day ...
So don't be shy do ask it to the doctor...you will never know if you don't try it...
Good luck mister ;-)
poster:Vincent_QC
thread:884892
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090416/msgs/891864.html