Clonidine Hydrochloride (Page 3 of 7)

6.2 Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. These events exclude those already mentioned in 6.1:

Psychiatric: hallucinations Cardiovascular: Q-T prolongation

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS

The following have been reported with other oral immediate release formulations of clonidine:

Table 6: Clinically Important Drug Interactions

Concomitant Drug Name or Drug Class	Clinical Rationale	Clinical Recommendation
Tricyclic antidepressants	Increase blood pressure and may counteract clonidine’s hypotensive effects	Monitor blood pressure and adjust as needed
Antihypertensive drugs	Potentiate clonidine’s hypotensive effects	Monitor blood pressure and adjust as needed
CNS depressants	Potentiate sedating effects	Avoid use
Drugs that affect sinus node function or AV node conduction (e.g., digitalis, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers)	Potentiate bradycardia and risk of AV block	Avoid use

8 USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

8.1 Pregnancy

Pregnancy Exposure Registry

There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to ADHD medications, including clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets, during pregnancy. Healthcare providers are encouraged to register patients by calling the National Pregnancy Registry for ADHD Medications at 1-866-961-2388 or visiting https://womensmentalhealth.org/adhd-medications/.

Risk Summary

Prolonged experience with clonidine in pregnant women over several decades, based on published literature, including controlled trials, a retrospective cohort study and case reports, have not identified a drug associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, and adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. In animal embryofetal studies, increased resorptions were seen in rats and mice administered oral clonidine hydrochloride from implantation through organogenesis at 10 and 5 times, respectively, the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) given to adolescents on a mg/m² basis. No developmental effects were seen in rabbits administered oral clonidine hydrochloride during organogenesis at doses up to 3 times the MRHD (see Data).

The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriages in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively.

Data

Animal Data

Oral administration of clonidine hydrochloride to pregnant rabbits during the period of embryo/fetal organogenesis at doses of up to 80 mcg/kg/day (approximately 3 times the oral maximum recommended daily dose [MRHD] of 0.4 mg/day given to adolescents on a mg/m² basis) produced no developmental effects. In pregnant rats, however, doses as low as 15 mcg/kg/day (1/3 the MRHD given to adolescents on a mg/m² basis) were associated with increased resorptions in a study in which dams were treated continuously from 2 months prior to mating and throughout gestation. Increased resorptions were not associated with treatment at the same or at higher dose levels (up to 3 times the MRHD) when treatment of the dams was restricted to gestation days 6 to 15. Increases in resorptions were observed in both rats and mice at 500 mcg/kg/day (10 and 5 times the MRHD in rats and mice, respectively) or higher when the animals were treated on gestation days 1 to 14; 500 mcg/kg/day was the lowest dose employed in this study.

8.2 Lactation

Risk Summary

Based on published lactation studies, clonidine hydrochloride is present in human milk at relative infant doses ranging from 4.1 to 8.4% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage. Although in most cases, there were no reported adverse effects in breastfed infants exposed to clonidine, there is one case report of sedation, hypotonia, and apnea in an infant exposed to clonidine through breast milk. If an infant is exposed to clonidine hydrochloride through breastmilk, monitor for symptoms of hypotension and bradycardia, such as sedation, lethargy, tachypnea and poor feeding (see Clinical Considerations). The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets or from the underlying maternal condition. Exercise caution when clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets are administered to a nursing woman.

Clinical Considerations

Monitor breastfeeding infants exposed to clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets through breast milk for symptoms of hypotension and/or bradycardia such as sedation, lethargy, tachypnea, and poor feeding.

8.3 Females and Males of Reproductive Potential

Infertility

Based on findings in Animal studies revealed that clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets may impair fertility in females and males of reproductive potential [see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1)].

8.4 Pediatric Use

The safety and efficacy of clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets in the treatment of ADHD have been established in pediatric patients 6 to 17 years of age. Use of clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets in pediatric patients 6 to 17 years of age is supported by three adequate and well-controlled studies; a short-term, placebo-controlled monotherapy trial, a short-term adjunctive therapy trial and a longer-term randomized monotherapy trial [see Clinical Studies (14)]. Safety and efficacy in pediatric patients below the age of 6 years has not been established.

Juvenile Animal Data
In studies in juvenile rats, clonidine hydrochloride alone or in combination with methylphenidate had an effect on bone growth at clinically relevant doses and produced a slight delay in sexual maturation in males at 3 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) for clonidine and methylphenidate.

In a study where juvenile rats were treated orally with clonidine hydrochloride from day 21 of age to adulthood, a slight delay in onset of preputial separation (delayed sexual maturation) was seen in males treated with 300 mcg/kg/day, which is approximately 3 times the MRHD of 0.4 mg/day on a mg/m² basis. The no-effect dose was 100 mcg/kg/day, which is approximately equal to the MRHD. There was no drug effects on fertility or on other measures of sexual or neurobehavioral development.

In a study where juvenile rats were treated with clonidine alone (300 mcg/kg/day) or in combination with methylphenidate (10 mg/kg/day in females and 50/30 mg/kg/day in males; the dose was lowered from 50 to 30 mg/kg/day in males due to self-injurious behavior during the first week of treatment) from day 21 of age to adulthood, decreases in bone mineral density and mineral content were observed in males treated with 300 mcg/kg/day clonidine alone and in combination with 50/30 mg/kg/day methylphenidate and a decrease in femur length was observed in males treated with the combination at the end of the treatment period. These doses are approximately 3 times the MRHD of 0.4 mg/day clonidine and 54 mg/day methylphenidate on a mg/m² basis. All these effects in male were not reversed at the end of a 4 — week recovery period. In addition, similar findings were seen in males treated with a lower dose of clonidine (30 mcg/kg/day) in combination with 50 mg/kg/day of methylphenidate and a decrease in femur length was observed in females treated with clonidine alone at the end of the recovery period. These effects were accompanied by a decrease in body weight gain in treated animals during the treatment period but the effect was reversed at the end of the recovery period. A delay in preputial separation (sexual maturation) was observed in males treated with the combination treatment of 300 mcg/kg/day clonidine and 50/30 mg/kg/day methylphenidate. There was no effect on reproduction or sperm analysis in these males.