Pride cometh before the fall...

While the end may be nigh, I find myself with a plethora of medicines and pharmaceuticals that I can talk about. I would like to at least keep this blog going until the end, which is August 29th as far as I am currently aware. Plus, I have some weeks that I need to make up for; like when I was on vacation etc.

Recently at work I have thought myself quite the expert on the medications. This, of course, has been a consequence of my being in this internship and keeping this blog. As I have done research on medications that I have come across at work I have learned things about how they are administered, and what they are used for. It has been rather enlightening. So, I have considered my knowledge great and have volunteered this knowledge like a 5 year old kid who just learned to spell. Often I am wrong, which is what leads us to the feature for today. I would say the feature for this week, but I am trying to squeeze in some extra time on the blog, so it will be a daily feature for today.
My last post was about Klonopin, and since that time I have volunteered my knowledge on the subject to anyone that would listen; however I have begun to mistake Clonidine for Klonopin. It seems like an amateur mistake, but I am an amateur at pharmaceuticals and medicine, so there you go. With this in mind the feature for today will be Clonidine. I want to know what it is and what it does so that I won't have to make the silly mistake again. You can all come with me as I blog along!

Here is the organic molecule:
This is an interesting molecule. Rather simple if you know much about organic chemistry, but there are definitely some areas that can interact.
Here is what it looks like in the box:
In most previous blogs I have known things solely by their brand names, but it seems that this time Clonidine is the generic name and Catapres is the brand name.

Clonidine is most often prescribed for the treatment of hypertension. It has also been used to manage the symptoms of narcotic withdrawal, nicotine withdrawal, diabetes-associated diarrhea, diabetic neuropathy, hot flashes associated with menopause, and as an adjunct to manage severe cancer-related pain. (http://www.pharmaenergy.com/CLONIDIN-AWN-75-Kaps-x100-pr-824.html)

The above webiste is also where I found the picture of Clonidine in the box - it seems that they sell it on this website, although they are out of stock right now DANG!
However, it seems that it is entirely possible to acquire Clonidine without a prescription. I found that rather surprising - it is possible that it is a dosage based thing. A simple google search told me that if I want it I can get it, which is true of most things on the internet, but I didn't have to pass a bunch of firewalls and passcodes to get there, so I suspect it is legit.

Anyway, the largest use of Clonidine is for hypertension or high blood pressure. It seems that it is also very useful for all kinds of other things. This quote is a bit redundnat, but interesting nonetheless:

Clonidine lowers blood pressure by decreasing the levels of certain chemicals in your blood. This allows your blood vessels to relax and your heart to beat more slowly and easily.

Clonidine is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). It is sometimes used together with other blood pressure medications.

Although not approved by the FDA for these purposes, clonidine has also been used to relieve alcohol withdrawal, as an aid in methadone and opiate detoxification, as an aid in quitting smoking, to treat diabetic diarrhea, to treat Tourette's Syndrome. Clonidine has also been used to reduce menopausal flushing, to treat postherpetic neuralgia, to treat ulcerative colitis, and to diagnose pheochromocytoma. (http://www.drugs.com/clonidine.html)

I find that rather interesting. How does Clonidine do that you ask? Well, let's find out; shall we?

Clonidine is a centrally-acting alpha-2 agonist. It selectively stimulates receptors in the brain that monitor catecholamine levels in the blood. These receptors close a feedback loop that begins with descending sympathetic nerves from the brain that control the production of catecholamines (epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, and norepinephrine) in the adrenal medulla. By fooling the brain into believing that catecholamine levels are higher than they really are, clonidine causes the brain to reduce its signals to the adrenal medulla, which in turn lowers catecholamine production and blood levels. The result is a lowered heart rate and blood pressure, with side effects of dry mouth and fatigue.

An analogy would be the lowering the temperature of a house by holding a lit match under the thermostat connected to the furnace.

(http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Clonidine_-_Mechanism_of_action/id/1237669)

That is a rather succinct definition. I have also found information that concludes that the channels are opened via Ca2+ ions. Essentially that means that the neuron channels open to allow Calcium ions to enter thus initiating the whole process. The graphics illustrate the basic process. And this other graph shows how Ca2+ ions increase as a consequence of having Clonidine on board






















This stuff is all rather fascinating to a nerd like me. After this semester - my last seeking a degree - I will have taken BioChem and will understand all of these principles that much better. I have to say that although I rather suck at it, I think Chemistry is just fascniating.
It also make sense that Clonidine would be administered in the setting that I work in because a lot of our kids have hypertension issues after trauma or because of Hydrochephalus, Seizures etc.
Thanks for figuring out Clonidine with me. Stay tuned as I try to work out what to write for my final report. I have some ideas swishing around my head, and some other stuff I wrote about months ago that I might ressurect to come to a conclusion.
See you in a few short hours!