COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING CLONIDINE TO A TARGET TISSUE SITE

Effective treatments of pain for extended periods of time are provided. Through the administration of an effective amount of immediate release clonidine and a sustained release clonidine at or near a target site, one can relieve pain caused by diverse sources, including but not limited to spinal disc herniation (i.e. sciatica), spondilothesis, stenosis, discogenic back pain and joint pain. When appropriate formulations are provided within biodegradable polymers, this relief can be continued for at least three days. In some embodiments, the relief can be for at least twenty-five days, at least fifty days, at least one hundred days, at least one hundred and thirty-five days or at least one hundred and eighty days or longer.