clonidine hydrochloride

Clonidine hydrochloride is a centrally acting alpha-agonist hypotensive agent available as tablets for oral administration in three dosage strengths: 0.1 mg, 0.2 mg and 0.3 mg. The 0.1 mg tablet is equivalent to 0.087 mg of the free base.
The inactive ingredients are lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate and FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake. Clonidine hydrochloride 0.1 mg tablets also contain FD&C Red No. 40 Aluminum Lake and FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake.
Clonidine hydrochloride is an imidazoline derivative and exists as a mesomeric compound. The chemical name is 2-(2,6-dichlorophenylamino)-2-imidazoline hydrochloride. The following is the structural formula:
 

C₉H₉Cl₂N₃.HCl                                                                           Mol Wt. 266.56

Clonidine hydrochloride is an odorless, bitter, white, crystalline substance soluble in water and alcohol.

Clonidine stimulates alpha-adrenoreceptors in the brain stem. This action results in reduced sympathetic outflow from the central nervous system and in decreases in peripheral resistance, renal vascular resistance, heart rate, and blood pressure. Clonidine hydrochloride acts relatively rapidly. The patient’s blood pressure declines within 30 to 60 minutes after an oral dose, the maximum decrease occurring within 2 to 4 hours. Renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate remain essentially unchanged. Normal postural reflexes are intact; therefore, orthostatic symptoms are mild and infrequent.
Acute studies with clonidine hydrochloride in humans have demonstrated a moderate reduction (15% to 20%) of cardiac output in the supine position with no change in the peripheral resistance: at a 45° tilt there is a smaller reduction in cardiac output and a decrease of peripheral resistance. During long term therapy, cardiac output tends to return to control values, while peripheral resistance remains decreased. Slowing of the pulse rate has been observed in most patients given clonidine, but the drug does not alter normal hemodynamic response to exercise.
Tolerance to the antihypertensive effect may develop in some patients, necessitating a reevaluation of therapy.
Other studies in patients have provided evidence of a reduction in plasma renin activity and in the excretion of aldosterone and catecholamines. The exact relationship of these pharmacologic actions to the antihypertensive effect of clonidine has not been fully elucidated.
Clonidine acutely stimulates growth hormone release in both children and adults, but does not produce a chronic elevation of growth hormone with long-term use.

Pharmacokinetics
The plasma level of clonidine peaks in approximately 3 to 5 hours and the plasma half-life ranges from 12 to 16 hours. The half-life increases up to 41 hours in patients with severe impairment of renal function. Following oral administration about 40-60% of the absorbed dose is recovered in the urine as unchanged drug in 24 hours. About 50% of the absorbed dose is metabolized in the liver. Neither food nor the race of the patient influences the pharmacokinetics of clonidine.

Clonidine hydrochloride is indicated in the treatment of hypertension. Clonidine hydrochloride may be employed alone or concomitantly with other antihypertensive agents.

Clonidine hydrochloride should not be used in patients with known hypersensitivity to clonidine (see PRECAUTIONS).

Withdrawal
Patients should be instructed not to discontinue therapy without consulting their physician. Sudden cessation of clonidine treatment has, in some cases, resulted in symptoms such as nervousness, agitation, headache, and tremor accompanied or followed by a rapid rise in blood pressure and elevated catecholamine concentrations in the plasma. The likelihood of such reactions to discontinuation of clonidine therapy appears to be greater after administration of higher doses or continuation of concomitant beta-blocker treatment and special caution is therefore advised in these situations. Rare instances of hypertensive encephalopathy, cerebrovascular accidents and death have been reported after clonidine withdrawal. When discontinuing therapy with clonidine hydrochloride, the physician should reduce the dose gradually over 2 to 4 days to avoid withdrawal symptomatology.
An excessive rise in blood pressure following discontinuation of clonidine hydrochloride therapy can be reversed by administration of oral clonidine hydrochloride or by intravenous phentolamine. If therapy is to be discontinued in patients receiving a beta-blocker and clonidine concurrently, the beta-blocker should be withdrawn several days before the gradual discontinuation of clonidine hydrochloride.
Because children commonly have gastrointestinal illnesses that lead to vomiting, they may be particularly susceptible to hypertensive episodes resulting from abrupt inability to take medication.

Most adverse effects are mild and tend to diminish with continued therapy. The most frequent (which appear to be dose-related) are dry mouth, occurring in about 40 of 100 patients; drowsiness, about 33 in 100; dizziness, about 16 in 100; constipation and sedation, each about 10 in 100.

The following less frequent adverse experiences have also been reported in patients receiving clonidine hydrochloride, but in many cases patients were receiving concomitant medication and a causal relationship has not been established.  

Body as a Whole: Fatigue, fever, headache, pallor, weakness, and withdrawal syndrome. Also reported were a weakly positive Coombs’ test and increased sensitivity to alcohol. 

Cardiovascular: Bradycardia, congestive heart failure, electrocardiographic abnormalities (i.e., sinus node arrest, junctional bradycardia, high degree AV block and arrhythmias), orthostatic symptoms, palpitations, Raynaud’s phenomenon, syncope, and tachycardia. Cases of sinus bradycardia and atrioventricular block have been reported, both with and without the use of concomitant digitalis.   

Central Nervous System: Agitation, anxiety, delirium, delusional perception, hallucinations (including visual and auditory), insomnia, mental depression, nervousness, other behavioral changes, paresthesia, restlessness, sleep disorder, and vivid dreams or nightmares.   

Dermatological: Alopecia, angioneurotic edema, hives, pruritus, rash, and urticaria.   

Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain, anorexia, constipation, hepatitis, malaise, mild transient abnormalities in liver function tests, nausea, parotitis, pseudo-obstruction (including colonic pseudo-obstruction), salivary gland pain, and vomiting.   

Genitourinary: Decreased sexual activity, difficulty in micturition, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, nocturia, and urinary retention.   

Hematologic: Thrombocytopenia.   

Metabolic: Gynecomastia, transient elevation of blood glucose or serum creatine phosphokinase, and weight gain.   

Musculoskeletal: Leg cramps and muscle or joint pain.   

Oro-otolaryngeal: Dryness of the nasal mucosa.   

Ophthalmological: Accommodation disorder, blurred vision, burning of the eyes, decreased lacrimation, and dryness of eyes.

Hypertension may develop early and may be followed by hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory depression, hypothermia, drowsiness, decreased or absent reflexes, weakness, irritability and miosis. The frequency of CNS depression may be higher in children than adults. Large overdoses may result in reversible cardiac conduction defects or dysrhythmias, apnea, coma and seizures. Signs and symptoms of overdose generally occur within 30 minutes to two hours after exposure. As little as 0.1 mg of clonidine has produced signs of toxicity in children. 
There is no specific antidote for clonidine overdosage. Clonidine overdosage may result in the rapid development of CNS depression; therefore, induction of vomiting with ipecac syrup is not recommended. Gastric lavage may be indicated following recent and/or large ingestions. Administration of activated charcoal and/or a cathartic may be beneficial. Supportive care may include atropine sulfate for bradycardia, intravenous fluids and/or vasopressor agents for hypotension and vasodilators for hypertension. Naloxone may be a useful adjunct for the management of clonidine-induced respiratory depression, hypotension and/or coma; blood pressure should be monitored since the administration of naloxone has occasionally resulted in paradoxical hypertension. Tolazoline administration has yielded inconsistent results and is not recommended as first-line therapy. Dialysis is not likely to significantly enhance the elimination of clonidine.
The largest overdose reported to date involved a 28-year old male who ingested 100 mg of clonidine hydrochloride powder. This patient developed hypertension followed by hypotension, bradycardia, apnea, hallucinations, semicoma, and premature ventricular contractions. The patient fully recovered after intensive treatment. Plasma clonidine levels were 60 ng/mL after 1 hour, 190 ng/mL after 1.5 hours, 370 ng/mL after 2 hours, and 120 ng/mL after 5.5 and 6.5 hours. In mice and rats, the oral LD₅₀ of clonidine is 206 and 465 mg/kg, respectively.

Adults
The dose of clonidine hydrochloride must be adjusted according to the patient's individual blood pressure response. The following is a general guide to its administration. 
Initial Dose
0.1 mg tablet twice daily (morning and bedtime). Elderly patients may benefit from a lower initial dose.
Maintenance Dose
Further increments of 0.1 mg per day may be made at weekly intervals if necessary until the desired response is achieved. Taking the larger portion of the oral daily dose at bedtime may minimize transient adjustment effects of dry mouth and drowsiness. The therapeutic doses most commonly employed have ranged from 0.2 mg to 0.6 mg per day given in divided doses. Studies have indicated that 2.4 mg is the maximum effective daily dose, but doses as high as this have rarely been employed. 
Renal Impairment
Dosage must be adjusted according to the degree of impairment, and patients should be carefully monitored. Since only a minimal amount of clonidine is removed during routine hemodialysis, there is no need to give supplemental clonidine following dialysis.

Clonidine Hydrochloride Tablets, USP, are supplied in scored oval tablets containing 0.1 mg, 0.2 mg or 0.3 mg of clonidine hydrochloride.

0.1 mg tablets are light tan colored, oval shape, biconvex, uncoated tablet debossed with ‘Ll67’ on one side and break line on other side.
NDC 16714-341-01    bottle of 30 tablets
NDC 16714-341-03    bottle of 100 tablets
NDC 16714-341-04    bottle of 500 tablets
NDC 16714-341-02    bottle of 1000 tablets
NDC 16714-341-11    carton of 100 (10 x 10) unit dose tablets

0.2 mg tablets are orange colored, oval shape, biconvex, uncoated tablet debossed with ‘Ll66’ on one side and break line on other side.
NDC 16714-342-01    bottle of 30 tablets
NDC 16714-342-03    bottle of 100 tablets
NDC 16714-342-04    bottle of 500 tablets
NDC 16714-342-02    bottle of 1000 tablets
NDC 16714-342-11    carton of 100 (10 x 10) unit dose tablets

0.3 mg tablets are peach colored, oval shape, biconvex, uncoated tablet debossed with ‘Ll65’ on one side and break line on other side.
NDC 16714-343-01    bottle of 30 tablets
NDC 16714-343-03    bottle of 100 tablets
NDC 16714-343-04    bottle of 500 tablets
NDC 16714-343-02    bottle of 1000 tablets
NDC 16714-343-11    carton of 100 (10 x 10) unit dose tablets

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). [See USP controlled room temperature].
Dispense in tight, light-resistant container.
 
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. 

Manufactured for: Northstar Rx LLC
                           Memphis, TN38141
                           Toll free: 1-800-206-7821 

Manufactured by: Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited (Formulation Division),
                           Village Panelav, P. O. Tajpura, Near Baska,
                           Taluka-Halol, Panchmahal, Gujarat, India.

Revised: 12/2011

Clonidine Hydrochloride Tablets USP, 0.1 mg (30 Tablets in 1 HDPE Bottle)
Each tablet contains: Clonidine Hydrochloride USP 0.1 mg
NDC 16714-341-01