Fagermoen, Even, Sulheim, Dag, Winger, Anette et al. · BMC research notes · 2012 · DOI
This small study tested whether a blood pressure medication called clonidine could be safe and helpful for teenagers with ME/CFS. Five teenagers took a low dose of clonidine for two weeks, and researchers measured drug levels in their blood, how their hearts and blood pressure responded to position changes, and any side effects. The medication appeared safe with no serious problems, and it seemed to help improve their body's blood pressure responses.
Orthostatic intolerance is a common and disabling symptom in adolescent ME/CFS patients. This pilot study suggests clonidine may safely improve cardiovascular regulation in this age group, potentially opening a new therapeutic avenue and justifying larger controlled trials to establish efficacy.
This study does not prove clonidine is effective for ME/CFS symptoms or quality of life—it only demonstrates safety and pharmacokinetics in five adolescents. The open-label design without controls means observed improvements cannot be separated from placebo response, and findings may not generalize to adults or to unselected CFS populations.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Fagermoen, Even, Sulheim, Dag, Winger, Anette, Andersen, Anders M, Vethe, Nils Tore, Saul, J Philip, et al. (2012). Clonidine in the treatment of adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study for the NorCAPITAL trial.. BMC research notes. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-418
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fagermoen-2012-clonidine-treatment,
author = {Fagermoen, Even and Sulheim, Dag and Winger, Anette and Andersen, Anders M and Vethe, Nils Tore and Saul, J Philip and Thaulow, Erik and Wyller, Vegard Bruun},
title = {Clonidine in the treatment of adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study for the NorCAPITAL trial.},
journal = {BMC research notes},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1186/1756-0500-5-418},
note = {PubMed: 22871021},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fagermoen-2012-clonidine-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fagermoen-2012-clonidine-treatment
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