Catapres

Catapres is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Catapres belongs to a group of drugs called centrally acting alpha-agonist hypotensive agents, which work by relaxing the blood vessels and decreasing heart rate.

This medication comes in tablet form and is usually taken twice a day, with or without food.

Common side effects of Catapres include dry mouth, constipation, and sedation. Catapres can also cause dizziness or drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication will affect you. Alcohol may intensify this side effect.

Catapres is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take Catapres exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

To start therapy, 0.1 mg tablet is given twice daily (morning and bedtime). Elderly patients may need to start from a lower dose. Further increments of 0.1 mg per day may be made at weekly intervals if necessary until the desired response is achieved. The typical dose range for Catapres tablet is 0.2 to 0.6 mg per day, divided into a morning and an evening dose. Maximum effective dose is 2.4 mg per day, but this dose amount is not commonly used.

Oral:

Serious side effects have been reported with Catapres including:

• Rash. Use of Catapres TTS (patch) may result in a rash, and a switch to Catapres tablets may or may not cause this side effect.
• Hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction. Use of the Catapres TTS (patch) may result in a rash, and a switch to Catapres tablets may or may not cause this side effect. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • rash
  • itchiness
  • swelling of face or throat
• Catapres can cause drowsiness or dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Catapres affects you.
• To avoid withdrawal side effects (e.g. nervousness, headaches, tremors), do not suddenly stop taking Catapres. Discuss with your doctor about slowly decreasing the dose before stopping use of this medication altogether.
• Catapres may worsen pre-existing heart conduction abnormalities, especially if you are taking other drugs similar to the way clonidine works.
• Do not use Catapres with other medications containing its active ingredient which is clonidine.
• Do not take Catapres if you have a known hypersensitivity (allergic reaction) to Catapres or to any other component of the tablet.

Common side effects of Catapres tablets include:

• fatigue
• upper airway tract infection
• irritability
• sore throat
• insomnia
• nightmares
• emotional disorder
• constipation
• nasal congestion
• increased body temperature
• dry mouth
• ear pain

This is not a complete list of Catapres side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with clonidine. See “Drug Precautions” section.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• alcohol
• barbiturates such as phenobarbital
• tricyclic antidepressants such as selegiline (Emsam, Eldepryl), amitriptyline (Elavil), or nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• antipsychotics such as haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• calcium channel blockers such as verapamil (Calan), diltiazem (Cardizem), or amlodipine (Norvasc)
• beta blockers such as carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), and atenolol (Tenormin)

This is not a complete list of Catapres drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Catapres falls into category C. No adequate studies have been done in pregnant women. Animal study results do not always equal that of human response. Catapres should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. It is not known if Catapres will harm your unborn baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

The active ingredient in Catapres is excreted in human breast milk. The effect of Catapres on the nursing infant is not known.

To avoid withdrawal side effects (e.g. nervousness, headaches, tremors), do not suddenly stop taking clonidine.

Alcohol may intensify some of the side effects of clonidine.

Clonidine can cause insomnia and nightmares.