Baclofen and being fat!

[MaryGoRound]

Baclofen and being fat!

I cannot speak to the medical or metabolic issues. Maybe there is a change in the way Baclofen interacts with other systems?

My cautionary note is to to objectively track lifestyle. We constantly deceive ourselves. This is a trait we can share with all of humanity (not just people who have problems with AL). I will swear I have been active only to realize I did not really work out hard.

I recently bought I body media armband and I am realizing it is hard to maintain a reasonably active lifestyle throughout the day. I do not have the discipline to track my intake ( food ) but the calories burned is pretty clear with the armband. I can be good but it easy to be bad.

Also, I completely (and conveniently) forget about the 3 cookies I ate along with the French fries. It was the same with alcohol. I only had a few...I have no idea why I am in this state.

I know we take on so much when we try to change. It is almost never the one thing. For me, the AL has been the most important thing. Without fixing that, I stand no chance.

[kronkcarr]

Baclofen and being fat!

I was one who lost weight on bac, but I do know that lack of sleep through the night causes weight gain. Give it a little time. Your sleep should straighten out and your weight should go back to what's normal for you.

[Jazi's Mum]

Baclofen and being fat!

This is very interesting!! Especially the posts on craving sugar after stopping drinking. I have not gained or lost with taking bac, but I'm crazy disciplined with my eating (another problem I have to address).

There are so many hormonal issues, sleep issues, and as has been said 'under-reporting' of what we think we eat...it can be what, rather than how much as it turns out...

One book that is really key to understanding metabolism is Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. It's a very long read, but covers everything anyone would want to know about weight gain/loss.

Taubes has a blog too which is very valuable in understanding what happens in the body with fat gain/loss. Peter Attia (doctor and researcher) has a great blog that explains the different eating styles (fat vs carbs) in a detailed way.
JMum

[bleep]

Baclofen and being fat!

Despite my earlier post in the thread, baclofen has a definite weight gain effect for me. I've been off it and on it since then, and the effect is remarkable and noticeable and unpleasant.

In honour of Cassander, however, I have recently embarked on a... program is too formal, a thing, I suppose, to sort it out.

[Cassander]

Baclofen and being fat!

bleep;1616513 wrote: ...
In honour of Cassander, however, I have recently embarked on a... program is too formal, a thing, I suppose, to sort it out.

Thanks, bleepster...its not easy getting credit...for anything... on this board...I'll take it from you, though, but only if you will...well...work the program.

For everyone else: here's what I think.

We are going to gain weight, and eventually, lots of it, if we don't exercise.

Plain and simple.

I guess I kind of knew this during my 40 year drinking career but the incremental weight gains were so...well...incremental... that I didn't realize I had gained 50 pounds over 40 years since going to college. Until I realized it.

As pointed out above, optimized sleep and diet and exercise are all critically important for good physical and mental health. I strongly believe that bad habits in this area explain a lot of why we feel...well...empty...when and after we quit drinking.

Its easy to rationalize that when I quit drinking everything will be hunky dory. As is often observed here, though, quitting is just the beginning of learning how to live.

Here's a good example from my experience.

During most of my adult life and working and drinking career, I found it very difficult to say no. I found it difficult to say no to unreasonable work requests from superiors and I found it difficult to say no to social demands from so-called "friends"...as in...for example..."Its only 1 am, let's have just one more".

As a result I was often unhappy and unable to be myself...be true to myself. My nightly drinking routine became my escape. Since quitting drinking and focussing on optimal diet, sleep and exercise I have found a peace of mind and a kind of tranquillity which has empowered me to defend myself (better) at work and "just say no" to peer pressure from friends and family to do things which trespass my better judgment.

I might add that I think that my improved mood and outlook (not to mention the recovery of five or so hours in the evening that are not lost in a haze) make me more productive on the job and able to get things done more efficiently...including in the evenings...so I'm not always just simply saying no. Sometimes now I can actually say, 'give me more'.

Anyway...I am just sharing what has worked for me...hope its of some use to others.

Cassander

[Colin]

Baclofen and being fat!

Cassander;1616720 wrote:
As pointed out above, optimized sleep and diet and exercise are all critically important for good physical and mental health.

Necessary but not always sufficient. Those of us with comorbid clinical depression need to have the condition recognised and appropriately treated. This also applies to other mental health problems for which baclofen has not helped as is the case with anxiety.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and being fat!

Cassander;1616720 wrote:
We are going to gain weight, and eventually, lots of it, if we don't exercise.

Plain and simple.

Its easy to rationalize that when I quit drinking everything will be hunky dory. As is often observed here, though, quitting is just the beginning of learning how to live.

Here's a good example from my experience.

During most of my adult life and working and drinking career, I found it very difficult to say no. I found it difficult to say no to unreasonable work requests from superiors and I found it difficult to say no to social demands from so-called "friends"...as in...for example..."Its only 1 am, let's have just one more".

As a result I was often unhappy and unable to be myself...be true to myself. My nightly drinking routine became my escape. Since quitting drinking and focussing on optimal diet, sleep and exercise I have found a peace of mind and a kind of tranquillity which has empowered me to defend myself (better) at work and "just say no" to peer pressure from friends and family to do things which trespass my better judgment.


Cassander

Cass -Thank you for this post.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and being fat!

Weight Gain

Referring back to Cass and his post: The Truth Hurts (at least me)

Straight to the point: For eleven months now, I have been taking baclofen and not drinking. I have been eating less and somewhat more nutritious meals than pre-bac. My sleeping habits are still somewhat off key much better than when I was drinking and before bac.

And, for the most part I HAVE STOPPED EXERCISING. I really do enjoy getting out and moving. Whether it be hiking in the mountains, playing racquetball, or just working outside.

I have successfully avoided probably the one most important aspect of life -at least for me, and that is physical movement-EXERCISE. Even when I was drinking, I was at least exercising. My mind felt a little better and my body was doing well.

The long and short:
WITHOUT EXERCISE:
1. I sleep less and don't sleep as well when I have not exercised during the day
2. My cognitive abilities take a direct hit as a result of not exercising
3. I gain weight and now I start to focus on this being a problem
4. As a result of the weight gain, I start demoralizing myself -self defeatism sets-in
5. I begin to think ...bla...bla..bla..

For me, enough of this foolishness. Not exercising is going to kill me almost as much as the drinking was. Exercise has always been my life line in the past and I have avoided it like the plague. Enough! No more blaming baclofen... no more blaming anything. It is now time to get back on board with exercise. My wife sometimes reads my posts and so I hope she reads this one and helps me remain accountable.

Side note: Would really like to know from others if baclofen causes you muscle weakness (or maybe it is just a side effect of me not exercising)?

[Mandiekinz]

Baclofen and being fat!

As baclofen is a muscle relaxer, it could have some muscle weakness tenancies. Searching around, muscle atrophy caused by baclofen comes up with mixed results.

I lost way more weight than was necessary on baclofen, perhaps stress induced? I'm unsure. However, the amount of weight I lost definitely was from muscle loss as well.

As dubbing around with baclofen, lethargy seems to be the number one symptom across the board. I know I've spent many days just laying in bed while titrating up. Which is the number one promoter to muscle atrophy.

Albeit, on days that I do work out, I've found that my strength is still up to par, just not my stamina. However, I can certainly jump easier now! ...or float.

a muscle relaxer = laziness = bad decisions(not eating or eating bad foods) = not working out = fat gain and muscle loss

Just my two cents.

[Cassander]

Baclofen and being fat!

Colin;1616919 wrote: Necessary but not always sufficient. Those of us with comorbid clinical depression need to have the condition recognised and appropriately treated. This also applies to other mental health problems for which baclofen has not helped as is the case with anxiety.

Colin -- I am glad you said this. I don't mean to suggest for one moment that alcoholism is not often (usually? always?) fraught with issues of comorbidity.

This is (part of) why I am so frustrated (furious?) with the medical profession which has still not addressed alcoholism and addiction in a comprehensive way. This is a large part of why I started the thread https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ors-78141.html... That thread protests the disinvolvement of doctors in the medical treatment of alcoholism, but I would go further and protest the disinvolvement of the medical profession in treating all of the implications of alcoholism in a comprehensive way. Including the inevitable comorbidities.

But this is not to minimize the importance of the issues I raised in my earlier post...exercise, diet and fitness. It is so easy to ignore them, but they are so important.

Thanks for your post, Colin

Cassander

[Samandkatharine]

Baclofen and being fat!

Side note: Would really like to know from others if baclofen causes you muscle weakness (or maybe it is just a side effect of me not exercising)?
Spirit, I do Bikram yoga as my main exercise and my flexibility is way up, but in return I'm not using my muscles to gain the flexibility. Sounds like a issue for some? Lo0p had a huge thread on his beefcake tendencies:blush: I'm pretty sure you were in on that.

I will have to mash things up if this is the case. Women lose 1/3 of their muscle mass every year after 30 if not replaced with weight building exercise. I'm 54 and way behind!!!

Sam

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and being fat!

Thanks for the info Sam. I had to look up Bikram Yoga -Now, I seriously think that I am going to give this a go. Found a place not far from house. Awesome.

[img]a href=[/img][/IMG]

Thanks again!

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and being fat!

Patent Applied For: Baclofen + Memantine for Weight Loss

Patent Applied For: Baclofen + Memantine for Weight Loss

I posted some info back in July regarding a patent that had been applied for using baclofen. I am beginning to wonder if the medical/science community is starting to catch on to the use of baclofen for many types of addictions?

A patent has been applied for regarding WEIGHT LOSS using a combined drug therapy of BACLOFEN and MEMANTINE. MEMANTINE is used to help with Alzheimer's and dementia. Coincidencetly, I saw a recent new program regarding Alzheimer's and alcoholism.


What is going on these days with the Patent Applications being filed for combination drug therapies using BACLOFEN and other medications? In my opinion, science is tweaking BACLOFEN performance and negative side effects with other medications to achieve a more effective protocol. I think that we are truly witnessing a revolution in the use of an old medication to treat existing illnesses, and thie drug BACLOFEN has been a hidden treasure shoved in a closet by the pharmaceutical industry.

This PATENT RELATES DIRECTLY AND PRIMARILY TO WEIGHT LOSS.

I try to remember that authentic Patent Application filings and the continuiing work necesary to receive an issuance of a patent is a very expensive process, and as such, arbitrary filings are limited.


"The present invention relates to the combination of memantine and baclofen active ingredients, wherein baclofen may also mean racemic baclofen, enantiomers and/or prodrugs of baclofen. The invention also relates to the use of such combinations in methods for treating overweight, obesity or related conditions or for achieving body weight loss, wherein memantine and baclofen are administered simultaneously or subsequently, preferably within a short period of time. The invention further relates to the pharmaceutical compositions comprising memantine and baclofen active ingredients and the use of such compositions in methods for treating overweight, obesity or related conditions or for achieving body weight loss. The treatment methods of the presented invention also mean a treatment regimen that is supplemented with other means such as dietary or life style modifications, dietary supplements, herbal or pharmaceutical remedies."

USA PATENT INFORMATION
Publication number WO2013068774 A1
Publication type Application
Application number PCT/HU2012/000119
Publication date May 16, 2013
Filing date Nov 6, 2012
Priority date Nov 7, 2011
Inventors P?ter Kov?cs, 5 More ?

The miracle continues. :

[Samandkatharine]

Baclofen and being fat!

I have a picture I took last summer of a highway sign for Athens! My son was trying out for the USA 12U baseball team, and we stayed in Snellville. Tryouts were in Logansville. He got a letter of intent, but they chose a 6' lefty...:upset:

Bikram is great. But you have to hydrate even more because Bac is excreted thru the kidneys. Think a gallon plus!

Never did find the love shack...B-52s lied

[skullbabyland]

Baclofen and being fat!

I've heard both great things and also warnings (injuries) about Bikram yoga- if you do it, do it carefully and do some reading. I don't have specifics at hand but just do some google reading on it before diving in...