Clonidine, ADHD and Autism
Clonidine has been used for more than half a century as an antihypertensive drug, to lower blood pressure. It later found favour as a treatment for ADHD, drug withdrawal treatment, tobacco withdrawal treatment and a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Off label usage of Clonidine includes autism. Until recently it appeared to researchers to be a centrally acting α 2 adrenergic agonist , but recent research indicates than instead it is a centrally as an imidazoline receptor agonist. This would account for its actions other than lowering blood pressure. Maybe it is both. The good thing is that it is centrally acting (i.e. acting on the brain and the CNS) and it does appear to work. Adrenergic Agonist As a centrally-acting α-adrenergic receptor agonist , Clonidine has more affinity for α 2 than α 1 . It selectively stimulates receptors in the brain that monitor catecholamine ( epinephrine , norepinephrine and dopamine ) levels in the blood. These receptors ...