Do not take Clonidine hydrochloride if:

• you are pregnant, likely to get pregnant or are breast-feeding
• you are allergic (hypersensitive) to clonidine or any of the other ingredients listed in section 6
• you have a slow heart rate due to heart problems
• you are already taking other medicines that contain clonidine.

Do not take this medicine if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Clonidine hydrochloride.

Warning and precaution

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Clonidine hydrochloride if:

• you have Raynaud’s disease (a problem with circulation to the fingers and toes) or other blood circulation problems, including circulation to the brain
• you have heart or kidney problems
• you have or have ever had depression
• you have constipation
• you have a nerve disorder that causes your hands and feet to feel different (‘altered sensation’).

If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Clonidine hydrochloride.

As you may get dry eyes whilst taking this medicine, this may be a problem if you wear contact lenses.

Other medicines and Clonidine hydrochloride

Tell to your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines. This includes medicines that you buy without a prescription and herbal medicines. This is because Clonidine hydrochloride can affect the way some other medicines work. Also some other medicines can affect the way Clonidine hydrochloride works.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• other medicines that make you drowsy
• medicines for depression such as imipramine or mirtazapine
• medicines for severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. These are also known as ‘antipsychotics’ and include chlorpromazine
• beta blockers such as atenolol
• water tablets (‘diuretics’) such as furosemide
• alpha blockers such as prazosin or doxazosin. These can also be used for prostate problems in men
• vasodilators such as diazoxide or sodium nitroprusside
• cardiac glycosides such as digoxin
• medicines to lower blood pressure.

If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Clonidine hydrochloride.

Clonidine hydrochloride with food, drink and alcohol

You may feel drowsy while taking Clonidine hydrochloride. Drinking alcohol while taking Clonidine hydrochloride can make this worse.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

Do not take Clonidine hydrochloride if you are pregnant, likely to get pregnant or are breast-feeding.

Driving or using machines

You may feel drowsy, dizzy or could have some disturbances of vision. If affected, you should not drive, operate machinery or take part in any activities where these may put you or others at risk.

Clonidine hydrochloride contains:

Methyl parahydroxybenzoate (E218), which may cause allergic reactions (possibly delayed).