Catapin Dosage/Direction for Use

Clonidine hydrochloride may be given by slow intravenous injection over 10 to 15 minutes in hypertensive crises, usually in doses of 150-300 μg. The effect usually appears within 10 minutes, but transient hypertension may precede hypotension if the injection is administered too rapidly. The hypotensive effect reaches a maximum about 30 to 60 minutes after administration and the duration is about 3 to 7 hours; up to 750 μg may be given intravenously over 24 hours. Although oral administration does not produce a sufficiently rapid hypotensive effect for use in an emergency situation, a dose of 100 to 200 μg initially followed by 50 to 100 μg every hour until control of blood pressure is achieved or a maximum of 500 to 800 μg is reached, has been recommended for the control of severe hypertension.
In the prophylaxis of migraine or recurrent vascular headaches and in the treatment of menopausal flushing, a dose of 50 μg twice daily by mouth has been employed, increased if there is a remission after 2 weeks, to 75 μg twice daily.
In the management of severe cancer pain, clonidine hydrochloride may be given by continuous epidural infusion in combination with an opioid, in an initial dose of 30 μg per hour, adjusted according to response.