Clonidine Dosage

The recommended dosage of clonidine for the tablet form of this medication is 0.1 mg twice daily. If you are using the skin patch, your healthcare provider may recommend that you start with the clonidine-1 patch (applied once a week). In most cases, the recommended starting dose for use in an epidural is 30 mcg per hour, given continuously through an epidural infusion.

Clonidine Dosage: An Introduction

The dose of clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres®, Catapres-TTS®, Duraclon®, Kapvay™, Nexiclon® XR) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • The particular clonidine product
  • The medical condition being treated
  • How you respond to the medication
  • Other medications you are taking
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dosage unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 

Clonidine Patch Dosing

For most people, the starting dosage of the
 clonidine patch for high blood pressure treatment is one clonidine-1 patch applied once a week. If necessary, your healthcare provider may slowly increase your dose.
 
If you are switching from clonidine tablets to patches, your healthcare provider should take into consideration that it takes a few days for the clonidine patches to start working. This is very important, since it is dangerous to suddenly stop or decrease taking clonidine. If you completely stop the tablets before the patches have a chance to start working, serious problems could result. It is usually recommended to slowly decrease the dose of the tablets for the first few days of starting the patch.
 
Clonidine Dosage Article Continues on Next Page >
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD
 
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