Drug & supplement interaction

Sodium + Clonidine

Clonidine brand name: Catapres.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Sodium has a moderate interaction with Clonidine. Theoretically, a high intake of dietary sodium might reduce the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodProbable
EvidenceA
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Sodium and Clonidine

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Clonidine

Clonidine falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Sodium interacts with.

Theoretically, a high intake of dietary sodium might reduce the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs.
High intake of dietary sodium can increase systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Also, high intake of sodium may necessitate increased use of antihypertensive medications to achieve blood pressure control in some patients, such as those with chronic kidney disease.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence A

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the simple version: clonidine works to lower your blood pressure, but a lot of extra sodium can push your blood pressure right back up and work against it. Sodium pulls water into your bloodstream, which raises your blood volume and pressure. So a high-salt diet (or deliberately adding sodium) can blunt how well clonidine controls your numbers, sometimes meaning your doctor needs a higher dose to keep you in range.

This is well-supported, especially for folks with kidney issues. The good news is that ordinary cooking and salting your food usually isn't the problem; it's a consistently high-sodium intake that matters most. Don't change your clonidine on your own, since stopping it suddenly can cause a sharp rebound in blood pressure. Just talk with your pharmacist or doctor before taking sodium supplements.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Alam S, Johnson AG. A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) among healthy normotensive and essential hypertensive elderly patients to determine the effect of high salt (NaCl) diet of blood pressure. J Hum Hypertens 1999;13(6):367-74.
  2. Boudville N, Ward S, Benaroia M, House AA. Increased sodium intake correlates with greater use of antihypertensive agents by subjects with chronic kidney disease. Am J Hypertens 2005;18(10):1300-5. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Sodium Also Interacts With Other Medications

Sodium has 204 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Clonidine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 204 No known interaction 2,626 (incl. Clonidine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sodium

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Sodium. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Sodium or Clonidine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Sodium or Clonidine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Clonidine

This page covers Sodium only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clonidine page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 113 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clonidine page

“American hellebore is the ingredient I would want a clonidine (Catapres) patient to know about first. Its alkaloids lower blood pressure even in small doses and slow the heart, both things clonidine already does, so the combination can drop someone dangerously low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clonidine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Sodium as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 26,145 real supplement products containing Sodium, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sodium. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Clonidine too, on top of Sodium — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Sodium and Clonidine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Sodium
Top 10

#6 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Clonidine
Top half

#1,065 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Sodium

What is Sodium?

  • Replacing fluids and electrolytes
  • Preventing dehydration during exercise or illness
  • Treating low blood sodium (under medical care)
  • Seasoning and food preservation
  • Antacid (as sodium bicarbonate)

Sodium is an essential mineral and electrolyte your body needs to balance fluids, support nerves, and help muscles work. Most people in modern diets get more than enough—often too much—from food, so supplements are rarely needed except for specific medical reasons like dehydration or low blood sodium. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before deliberately adding sodium, especially if you have high blood pressure, heart, or kidney problems.

Read the full Sodium monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clonidine

What Is Clonidine Used For?

Brand name: Catapres

Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

See full Clonidine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sodium

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Sodium — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
204Moderate
0Minor
2,625No known interaction
204 Moderate 2,625 No interaction
Moderate

204 interactions

Showing 60 of 204 moderate interactions — see all 204 on the Sodium page.

No interaction 2,625 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Sodium against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,625 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sodium list.

See the full Sodium interactions page
See every supplement checked against Clonidine, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Sodium monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Clonidine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Clonidine, ranked by severity Clonidine drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Sodium and Clonidine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Sodium with Clonidine?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Sodium and Clonidine interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Clonidine and Sodium?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.