CLONIDINE DOES IT HELP

I HAVE A 3YR OLD DAUGHTER,HER DOCTER WANTS TO PUT HER ON CLONIDINE TO SEE IF IT WILL HELP CONTROL HER BEHAVIOR. SHE WAKES UP JUST ABOUT EVERY NIGHT AND SCREAMS FOR ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 3 HRS. SHE ALSO WILL START TO SCREAM UNCONTROLABLY DURING THE DAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD GIVE ME FEEDBACK ABOUT THIS MEDICINE

all4che, I wanted to provide you links to the information we have on IAN Community regarding use of psychiatric medications (and non psychiatric medications used to help control behavior). Our data show that a great number of children are taking these meds: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/treatment_series_medication

One thing this report does show (see Table 1) is that there are a number of children taking part in IAN Research who are taking clonidine, so at least you can know that this recommendation is not an unusual one.

We also have an article about when parents might consider taking their child to a psychiatrist and trying medication, which many have found very helpful: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/therapies_treatments/child_psychiatry_and_autism

The tricky thing with these meds, as with any meds actually, is that individuals react very differently to the same medication. That is why there is some trial and error involved in finding the right one. For example, my son is on Risperdal, and it has significantly changed his life for the better. I have a friend who tried Risperdal for her son, and it made his behavior even worse. There is simply a process that one has to go through --and it is not fun, I fear-- of permitting a knowledgeable health care professional to suggest a medication that is likely to help and giving it a try, knowing that it can be stopped or changed if necessary.

I invite other parents to share their experiences with clonidine (also called Catapres) here. One word of caution, however: whether another parent has had success or failure using a certain med with their child won't necessarily indicate that it will work (or not) for yours.

all4che wrote:

I HAVE A 3YR OLD DAUGHTER,HER DOCTER WANTS TO PUT HER ON CLONIDINE TO SEE IF IT WILL HELP CONTROL HER BEHAVIOR. SHE WAKES UP JUST ABOUT EVERY NIGHT AND SCREAMS FOR ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 3 HRS. SHE ALSO WILL START TO SCREAM UNCONTROLABLY DURING THE DAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD GIVE ME FEEDBACK ABOUT THIS MEDICINE

My son starting taking clonidine at age 3 and we saw positive changes right away. He was able to sleep through the night 4-5 nights a week which meant his meltdowns were happening less and were more controllable. He is now 10 years old and is still taking clonidine although over the years we have had to try other medications in combination due to other issues.

My son was on Clonidine to help him sleep, but in only worked for a while he got immune to the medicine and now I am haveing to look for something else to help him sleep all night.