4 year old daughter on Clonidine?

my daughter was diagnosed PDD-NOS, ADHD and disruptive behavior disorder at the age of 3. She is 4 now and some of the issues she has on the autism spectrum are improving but her ADHD issues have gotten worse (e.g. trouble sleeping, hyperactiveness, defiance, fits, trouble concentrating etc.) She saw her new psychiatrist on Tuesday and he said being as she is too young to put on the basic ADHD meds (rittalin, adderol etc), he was going to put her on clonidine .1 mg half pill in the morning. half at lunch and whole at bedtime....also said she would be pretty out of it for a couple of days....she definately is! and i know the doc knows what he's doing but to see my normally energetic happy kid suddenly just zombified is crazy! i'm wondering if anyone else's child takes the clonidine just by itself and how long it took for them to regulate and NOT be just totatlly zoned out! and is it working well for them... Thanks so much for any input :)4 year old daughter on Clonidine?
First, I commend you for being an involved parent and getting your daughter the help she needs, including OT and ST, as well as therapy with a psychiatrist (which, I would recommend you continue, whether you decide to keep her on meds or not).



Clonidine lowers levels of catecholamine (a chemical in the brain that increases adrenaline) by "tricking" neuroreceptors into thinking there is already enough catecholamine in the body. This lowers blood pressure and heart rate, which then causes fatigue and sometimes dry mouth.



Clonidine was originally used for patients with high blood pressure, but is now often used to treat insomnia, as the lowered heart rate makes it easier to sleep. There are very few side effects of Clonidine, with dry mouth being the most common, and it has been used in children for years with no known long-term effects. That being said, your psychiatrist is right--it takes the body a few days to adjust to the lower levels of catecholamine, making the fatigue overwhelming.



If after two or three days, your daughter is still zombified, call your psychiatrist right away and tell him of your concern. He will probably want to lower the dose or try something else (Melatonin is another calming agent that is often used, especially for sleep, for kids with ADHD).



(Your psychiatrist is also correct not to prescribe other ADHD medication, because, even though they are often prescribed, they have not been thoroughly tested for side effects and long-term effects in pre-schoolers.)



Here are some articles with more information on ADHD in preschoolers and young children: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/鈥?/a>

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/鈥?/a>4 year old daughter on Clonidine?
You... do realize that a lack of empathy, high energy, short attention span, and trouble sleeping is common in a 4 year old right?

Keep her off drugs, psychiatrists, etc. She's fine by the sounds of it but the Clonidine might cause serious damage.



Best of luck to you and your daughter,



Jack



Edit: I apologize for my previous rudeness, I was expecting you to be like most other parents and depend on medication to take care of their child. Try finding attention span exercises like there are certain (educational) video games that may help out with that.4 year old daughter on Clonidine?
I am amazed at how a diagnose so severe could be made at such a young age...will the medication interfere with brain development? That is very scary and you must be going through a really hard time. I have a 3 1/2 year old son and I am in no way comparing situations-I just could not imagine putting him on any kind of medication unless it was something that was life-threatening...I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. Does the doctor recommend anything else, any alternative? Strict dietry changes, possible exercise routine? I didn't see you mention but is your daughter in any type of school setting where she can interact with other children? I don't know enough about these types of disorders in children, I just can't believe a 4 year old is being treated for something like this so young...It's refreshing to see how concerned you are for you daughter. God Bless!
My son has the same diagnosis, he started Strattera at age 4 and it has helped him greatly..You might want to also get a sleep study done on her, my son was diagnosed with obstucted sleep apnea ( he's on a cpap machine), also get her to a eye doctor my son also has convergence insuffiency ( he can't track objects), kids like ours on the spectrum need help in other ways. I bet that if your daughter is like my son she needs other specialists to see, my son is actually sleeping thru the night ( first time in his life)....You will be amazed the changes in your daughter if you seek out these other doctors, I know I am