Three of my children take clonidine--2 are ADHD one has autism. They have taken it for years, they are now 17, 15, 14--nothing else has worked--benadryl, melatonin, cutting off tv, computer, electronics. For my son with autism he also takes a smal dose of seroquel with the clonidine.

Removing dairy from our non-sleepers' diets helped some. Weighted blankets helped but still wouldn't calm them to GET to sleep. Our Ped/Neurologist prescribed Clonidine HCL .1mg. I was able to give my youngest son just 1/2 of the tablet to get him to sleep within 20-30 minutes or so. However, we have been using essential oils for about 6 months now and I have been able to replace meds for my 5-year-old completely... Cedarwood, rubbed on the bottoms of his feet works great to get him and keep him asleep. Also diffusing Vetiver, Balance Grounding blend (doTERRA) along with Serenity Calming blend is fantastic. Balance grounding blend is great applied topically to the bottoms of the feet too... it actually oxygenates the cells. I just started using a Sleepy Time blend (Bergamot, Frankincense, Roman Chamomile + Fractionated Cocunut oil) applied to the bottoms of my 6-year-old's feet and I've been able to reduce his Clonidine by 1/2. Each child is different so you'll have to experiment a little, but we're having fantastic results with essential oils.

Have you ever tried a weighted blanket? I've tried it with my daughter and it's definitely helped to calm her at night when she's most restless.
I also have a baby and everything I read about says to establish a very clear routine for bedtime. For us, it's bath, pajamas, story time, then bed. I think it does make a difference. Good luck!

What has worked for our daughter to relax her at night is Lavender. It comes in a purple bottle. We get it at Walmart. You put some in the bath.

Clonidine worked for my son when melatonin stopped working.