To treat high blood pressure, transdermal clonidine may be used alone or in conjunction with other drugs. The drug clonidine belongs to the group of drugs known as centrally acting alpha-agonist hypotensive agents. It functions by lowering heart rate and relaxing blood vessels to allow for easier blood circulation throughout the body.

Clonidine transdermally is available as a patch to apply to the skin. Every seven days, it is often administered to the skin. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Follow the clonidine patch instructions precisely. Use it only as directed by your doctor, neither more nor less frequently.

Apply clonidine patches on a hairless area of the upper chest, outer arm, or clean, dry skin. Choose a location where clothing that is too tight won’t rub against it. Applying patches to skin with creases or wrinkles, as well as skin that has recently been cut, scraped, irritated, scarred, or shaven, is not advised. Using a clonidine patch doesn’t prevent you from taking a shower, a bath, or a swim.

Use the sticky cover that comes with the patch if the clonidine patch becomes loosened while being worn. Until it is time to replace the patch, the sticky cover will assist keep the clonidine patch in place. Replace the clonidine patch with a new one in a different location if it becomes noticeably loose or slips off. On your subsequent planned day for patch changes, replace the new patch.

A modest dose of clonidine patch may be prescribed by your doctor, who will then gradually increase it up to once per week.

Although it does not treat high blood pressure, the clonidine patch manages it. Before the full effects of the clonidine patch are noticeable in your blood pressure readings, it may take two to three days. Even if you feel good, continue to apply the clonidine patch. Without consulting your doctor, never stop using the clonidine patch. The abrupt discontinuation of clonidine patch use might result in a sharp increase in blood pressure as well as symptoms including anxiety, headaches, and confusion. Your dose will likely be reduced gradually over the course of two to four days by your doctor.

Get a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient from your pharmacist or doctor and carefully study it. Follow the instructions in the patient instructions to apply the patch. If you have any concerns about how to use this medication, be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Menopausal hot flushes and smoking cessation therapy both benefit from the usage of clonidine patches on occasion. The dangers of using this drug for your illness should be discussed with your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before using clonidine patch,

• If you have an allergy to clonidine, any of the components in clonidine patch, or any other drug, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. For a list of the components in clonidine patch, ask your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any vitamins, nutritional supplements, herbal items, and prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are now taking or intend to take. Any of the following should be mentioned: drugs that treat depression; beta blockers include acebutolol (Sectral) and atenolol (Tenormin, in Tenoretic), nadolol (Corgard, in Corzide), pindolol, propranolol (Inderal, Innopran XL, in Inderide), sotalol (Betapace, Sorine), and timolol (Blocadren, in Timolide); betaxolol (Kerlone), bisoprolol (Zebeta, in Ziac), carvedilol (Coreg); calcium channel blockers like felodipine (Plendil), isradipine (DynaCirc), nicardipine (Cardene), and amlodipine (Norvasc, in Caduet and Lotrel), as well as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac, and others), are used to treat hypertension (Adalat, Procardia), drugs for anxiety, mental illness, or seizures; sedatives; sleeping pills; tranquillizers; digoxin (Digitek, Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin); nimodipine (Nimotop), nisoldipine (Sular), and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan, among others); amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), maprotiline, nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine are examples of tricyclic antidepressants (Surmontil). Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Inform your doctor if you have renal or heart problems, a recent heart attack, a stroke, or any other medical conditions.
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you get pregnant while wearing a clonidine patch.
• If you are 65 years of age or older, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking clonidine patch with your doctor. Because the clonidine patch is less safe than other drugs that can be used to treat the same illness, older persons should often avoid using it.
• Inform the surgeon or dentist that you are using the clonidine patch if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
• You should be aware that the clonidine patch may cause you to feel lightheaded or sleepy. Before you know how this prescription affects you, do not operate machinery or drive a car.
• Find out from your doctor whether drinking is okay for you to do while wearing the clonidine patch. Clonidine patch negative effects may get worse if you drink alcohol.
• You should be aware that if you stand up suddenly from lying down, the clonidine patch may make you feel weak, lightheaded, and dizzy. When you first begin using the clonidine patch, this is fairly typical. To avoid this issue, slowly get out of bed and sit up after a few minutes of resting your feet on the floor.
• You should be aware that wearing a clonidine patch while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging can result in skin burns (MRI; a radiology technique designed to show the images of body structures). If you are scheduled for an MRI, let your doctor know that you are wearing a clonidine patch.

Your doctor might advise a low-sodium or low-salt diet. Pay close attention to these guidelines.

As soon as you recall, take off the old patch and put a fresh one in a different location. On your subsequent planned day for patch changes, replace the new patch. Applying two patches won’t make up for a forgotten dose.

The clonidine patch might have negative effects. If any of these symptoms or any of the ones detailed in the section on SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS are severe or persistent, consult a doctor right away.

• Swelling, stinging, burning, or redness where you apply the patch.
• A change in skin tone where the patch was put
• Dry mouth or throat
• Constipation
• Taste modification
• Nausea
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Nervousness
• Reduced sexual capacity
• Having trouble falling or staying asleep

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• Rash anywhere on the body
• Blisters or inflammation in the place where you applied a patch
• Hives
• Swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Hoarseness

Further adverse effects from clonidine patches are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this drug, call your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom). By opening the bag and folding each patch in half with the sticky sides together, you can dispose of any patches that are outdated or no longer required. Make sure to carefully dispose of the folded patch and keep it out of the reach of children and animals.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Remove any additional clonidine patches that have been applied to the skin. Then dial 1-800-222-1222 to reach your neighbourhood poison control centre. Dial 911 to reach the nearest emergency services if the sufferer has collapsed or has stopped breathing.

Symptoms of overdose may include the following:

• Fainting
• Sluggish heartbeat
• Having trouble breathing
• Shivering
• Muddled speech
• Tiredness
• Confusion
• Pale, icy skin
• Drowsiness
• Weakness
• Smaller eyes (black circles in the middle of the eyes)

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments. To assess how well the clonidine patch is working for you, have your blood pressure monitored frequently.

Your doctor may instruct you to check your pulse (heart rate) each day and will specify the ideal rate. To learn how to take your pulse, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Call your doctor if your pulse is slower or faster than it should be.

Do not share your medication with anybody else. Any queries you may well have regarding medication refills should be directed to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.