Clonidine (By injection)
KLOE-ni-deen
Treats severe pain caused by cancer.
Drug classes
Analgesic, Anesthetic Adjunct (About this – PubMed Health)
Uses
Uses of This Medicine
Clonidine injection is used with injected pain medicine to treat pain in cancer patients.
Clonidine is to be started under the immediate supervision of your doctor. After your doctor has seen how you respond to clonidine, you may be able to receive this medicine at home.
This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, clonidine is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
Post-operative shivering (to prevent or treat shivering that occurs after an operation or anesthesia)
Other uses (PubMed Health)
How To Use
Injectable
This medicine is given through a needle placed in your spinal cord.
A nurse or other health provider will give you this medicine.
Drugs and Foods to Avoid
Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.
Do not take clonidine if you are taking a blood thinner, such as warfarin.
Some medicines can affect how clonidine works. Tell your doctor if you are taking blood pressure medicine, digoxin, fluphenazine, or depression medicine.
Tell your doctor if you use anything else that makes you sleepy. Some examples are allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, and alcohol.
When Not To Use
This medicine is not right for everyone. Do not use it if you had an allergic reaction to clonidine or you have a bleeding disorder.
Warnings
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or heart disease.
This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive or do anything that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.
Do not stop using this medicine suddenly. Your doctor will need to slowly decrease your dose before you stop it completely.
Possible side effects
Summary More details
Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:
Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing
Decrease in how much or how often you urinate
Dizziness, drowsiness, or headache
Fast or slow heartbeat
Lightheadedness or fainting
Severe stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
Trouble breathing or chest pain
Unusual bleeding, bruising, or weakness
If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:
Constipation, loss of appetite
Pain in your joints, muscle cramps
Ringing in your ears
If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
More side effects of this drug
Brand names include
Duraclon
There may be other brand names for this medicine.