clonidine vs insulin glargine
Side-by-side comparison of clonidine and insulin glargine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Drugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of BASAGLAR Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts. Drugs That May Blunt Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia Drugs: beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine Intervention: Increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when BASAGLAR is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs that may increase or decrease the blood glucose lowering effect: alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, lithium salts, and pentamidine ( 7 ).
Recommendation: You should monitor your blood sugar more frequently since you may not notice the usual warning signs of a sugar drop.
Catapres
Lantus, Basaglar, Toujeo
Clonidine (Catapres) is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines.
Basaglar is a long-acting insulin that helps control blood sugar levels. It is used to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. This medicine helps to lower your blood pressure to a safer level.
Basaglar is used to lower blood sugar in adults and children with type 1 diabetes. It also helps adults with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar. However, Basaglar is not for treating diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious condition with high levels of ketones in the blood.
Clonidine works in the brain to lower blood pressure. It tells your blood vessels to relax and widen. This makes it easier for blood to flow through your body, which lowers blood pressure.
Basaglar is a long-acting form of insulin. It works by replacing the insulin that your body does not make, or helping your body use insulin better. This helps to lower your blood sugar levels over a longer period.
- • Dry mouth (occurs in about 40 out of 100 people)
- • Drowsiness (occurs in about 33 out of 100 people)
- • Dizziness (occurs in about 16 out of 100 people)
- • Constipation (occurs in about 10 out of 100 people)
- • Feeling sleepy or sedated (occurs in about 10 out of 100 people)
- • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- • Allergic reactions
- • Injection site reactions (redness, swelling, itching)
- • Skin thickening or pits at the injection site
- • Itching
- Pain 3,038
- Tiredness 2,922
- Feeling sick to your stomach 2,918
- Headache 2,799
- High blood pressure 2,597
- Increased blood sugar 38,213
- Decreased blood sugar 10,314
- Taking the medicine at the wrong time 9,798
- Feeling sick to your stomach 9,566
- The medicine was stored incorrectly 8,531
If you suddenly stop taking clonidine, your blood pressure may increase. This can cause serious problems. Talk to your doctor before stopping this medicine.
Never share your Basaglar pen with anyone else, even if you change the needle. Sharing pens can spread blood-borne diseases. Changes to your insulin plan can affect your blood sugar. Make sure a doctor supervises any changes and that you check your blood sugar often. Low blood sugar can be very dangerous and even life-threatening. Watch for symptoms and check your blood sugar often. Low potassium can also be life-threatening. Tell your doctor if you have heart problems or take certain diabetes medicines called thiazolidinediones, as this can lead to heart failure.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if clonidine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Poorly controlled diabetes during pregnancy can harm both the mother and the baby. Basaglar's effects during pregnancy are not well-studied.
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How to Read This clonidine vs insulin glargine Comparison
clonidine is classified in the Central Alpha-2 Agonist drug class, while insulin glargine sits within the Long-Acting Insulin class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, clonidine has 14,274 submissions while insulin glargine has 76,422. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to clonidine can cause blood sugar to go up or down and can also hide the physical signs that your blood sugar is too low.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between clonidine and insulin glargine - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.