CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Clonidine

chemical compound

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ412221
Source-derived summary

Clonidine, sold under the brand names Catapres and Kapvay, among others, is an α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, hypotensive, sedative and anxiolytic drug used to treat high blood pressure, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, perioperative pain, drug withdrawal (e.g., alcohol, opioids, or nicotine), and menopausal flushing. Clonidine is sometimes prescribed off-label for tics. It is used orally (by mouth), by injection, or as a transdermal skin patch. Onset of action is typically within an hour with the effects on blood pressure lasting for up to eight hours. Xylazine is a structural analog of clonidine.

Common side effects include dry mouth, dizziness, headaches, hypotension, and sleepiness. Severe side effects may include hallucinations, heart arrhythmias, and confusion. If rapidly stopped, withdrawal effects may occur, such as a dangerous rise in blood pressure. Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not recommended. Clonidine lowers blood pressure by stimulating α2-adrenergic receptors and imidazoline receptors in the brain, which results in relaxation of many arteries.

Editorial summary

“Clonidine” enters the record as chemical compound. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Clonidine, chemical and compound can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current 156-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Clonidine, chemical and compound.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Clonidine” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Clonidine, chemical and compound provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q412221. The Library of Congress control number is sh85027121. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Clonidine”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Clonidine primary sources, Clonidine archive and Clonidine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Clonidine”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Clonidine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.