Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

[Greg]

I understand that this is an alcohol forum, but it is also the most knowledgeable baclofen forum I am aware of, so I would like to ask those who have researched this drug whether there has been any evidence of it being useful as a treatment for cannabis dependence.

I know it is able to help with cocaine dependence, and probably other drugs, but I can't recall ever having read about cannabis. I will look into this myself aswell, but my knowledge of baclofen is way behind that of many people here, so I thought it a good idea to ask.

Best wishes to everyone here, and thanks for any help anyone can offer.

[mario]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Hi greg, be interested in this my self as I have 3/4 nephews who are constantly smoking cannabis.There not intrested in alcohol.

[bleep]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

As I understand it, baclofen works on addiction and is not substance dependent. Saying that, I don't think marijuana is an addiction in the chemical sense of the word, so it's a bit of a grey area.

My shrink, after seeing baclofen's result with me, prescribed it to one of his patients who was a chronic pothead. He reported good results, but then we stopped talking, so I don't know what the eventual outcome was.

[Lo0p]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

There is NO evidence (positive or negative) regarding it use for cannabis dependence. No one has researched it. Haven't you taken both simultaneously?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

I have no idea about the research, Greg. I can attest and have posted elsewhere, that my husband has completely given the stuff up. With no adverse affects.

I hesitate to go into too much detail here, but suffice it to say that it was a BIG deal. Much more so even than his AL dependence. Now it's just gone, *poof*. Last night he said he doesn't miss it. I'm still a little shocked, honestly!

Edit: I despaired of him ever giving up this addiction. And frankly, the times he has abstained he was very difficult to live with, so I hesitated to address it AGAIN even though it really bothered me. A lot.

[Greg]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Lo0p;1108208 wrote: There is NO evidence (positive or negative) regarding it use for cannabis dependence. No one has researched it. Haven't you taken both simultaneously?

Hi Lo0p, I have only taken low doses of baclofen when using cannabis, usually 10-25 mg baclofen late afternoon then cannabis about 3-4 hours later, and neither during the rest of the day. Baclofen helps me feel calm at that dose but doesn't fully take away the desire to smoke, although it does seem enough to take away alcohol desires sometimes.

Ne, I'm glad your husband has given up pot. I know it can become a real problem for people, I have seen this happen to friends. I think if it affects someone's life seriously then they are better off away from it.

[Seethepony]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

It does diddly squat for internet addiction, that's for sure...

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

:H

[Murphyx]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Hi Greg,

I posted on one of your threads a while back about my cannabis use. I was a very heavy user, smoking all day, stoned 24/7 for years. When I smoked, I more or less forgot about the drink. But when I stopped smoking and went back to the drink, underneath, I was always craving the dope.

I have no idea how baclofen works, whether it affects the relevant parts of the brain or not, but since I switched, I have totally lost that weed-need feeling that was ever-present before.

It's just my experience so might be irrelevant, but baclofen is certainly worth a try.

Murph

[Greg]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Hi Murph,

Thanks very much, sorry I didn't read your post about this the first time but I am not online all that regularly. It is encouraging to read about your experience.

I do imagine that baclofen could reduce this sort of craving and I think it may even be doing this already even at 25-50 mg. I had thought that pot had nothing in common with alcohol but then read that it does actually affect dopamine in the brain, so baclofen could very well help reduce craving for it.

In the past 2 weeks or so I have also been getting huge cravings to take ANY psychoactive substance during the daytime due to depression I can't shake, so I am also hoping baclofen will help with this. So far it does seem to be helping and I have stopped reaching for over-the-counter drugs like codeine and pseudoephedrine to get temporary relief from this horrible depression. I knew I was heading for real problems if I kept doing this and am glad to have a way of coping with it too.

I'd honestly say that I need to find an effective antidepressant along with the baclofen but given that most (serotonin-enhancing) antidepressants have not helped me in the past I am grateful to be starting on baclofen again. I am asking my doctor about bupropion/Wellbutrin soon, since it works differently to all the antidepressants that have failed to help.

I'll report back as to how it goes.

Greg

[Greg]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Just an update here...baclofen at 25 mg/day (all in one dose) around 5 PM partly blocks the effects of pot used at 8.30-10.30 PM or so, which is the only time I usually get the urge to smoke. Strangely enough it also seems to block some codeine effects, unless that is simply tolerance to codeine. Anyway it seems to help with cutting down on these two drugs.

I am hoping bupropion/Wellbutrin will help with the depression, so I don't feel as much need to keep taking things that have a psychoactive effect, which now also includes pseudoephedrine tablets. I don't know why I am getting such an obsession to use an array of substances, considering that I only had an alcohol addiction to begin with, up to about 15 months ago. Maybe a subconscious desire to recreate the old effects of alcohol I enjoyed, but maybe just wanting to reduce depression, I don't know, maybe also an attempt to find things to use as a pot substitute? I ask myself these questions. I also wonder if I have accepted an idea of moving from one substance to the next because I have given up thinking there will be any other answer to depression? I probably have to simply accept a life without substances, or one with just baclofen and maybe an antidepressant.

I will report back again if there are any further developments.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Morning, Greg.

I really hesitate to say this, but I will anyway...

Have you thought about simply having a drink? The other stuff... hmmmm. Quite a cocktail. Not so good, I would imagine.

My experience is that booze is my first true love. Everything else was simply distraction or disappointment. I don't know what I would've done, though, if I couldn't have used what called to me. I imagine I would've tried and used everything else...

I'm not suggesting that active alcoholism is a better option. I am suggesting that if you're going to take bac full on with a goal of indifference you might find that the other stuff gets in the way. LOTS of contras with other meds, even OTC, and bac. I'll try to find the thread. And taking bac, with a goal of indifference no matter what, (assuming of course that you are of sound mind and body and blah-diddy-blah) will take care of the drink. It simply does that.

Anyway. Interesting about the pot. Hang in there and keep posting. Tell me to bugger off, too, if you'd like! I'm sure someone'll be around with some other thoughts...
:l
Ne

[Murphyx]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

Hi Greg

First off, you referred to not be able to shake off the depression. That suggests depression is a transitory, trivial thing. It's not and I know you know that. Long gone are the days when we're told to pull ourselves together and get over ourselves. Depression is an illness like any other. As I say, I know you know this, but I just wanted to emphasise the point.

I've suffered from depression since I was a teenager (probably about 30 years......fuuuuuck I'm old) and have been self-prescribing ever since. Booze worked, cannabis worked, opiates worked, cocaine worked and even prozac worked for a while. In fact prozac worked superbly about 10 years ago and I was much better for a while. However, I started back on it last year and it did absolutely nothing for me. Then I tried wellbutrin and that really did the trick for me. Redhead says it's often prescribed for alcoholics, I'm not sure why, but it seems to help us a lot, so if you can get your doc to go with that it would certainly be worth a try. Baclofen, at higher levels, also has an anti-depressant effect so a combination of the two might be just what you need. Bear in mind possible issues with mixing the two, due diligence and all that, plus I'm not a doctor and any advice I give is that of a fuckwitted bloke off the internet who doesn't know shit etc etc blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I totally get you with looking for relief from any and all substances you can get hold of, that was me before the bac switch. I can honestly say that I now have absolutely no interest in weed, opiates, coke as well as booze.

I can't remember whether you've tried high dose bac before or not. If you have, maybe time to go for it again?

Murph

[Lo0p]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

I'll +1 to everything Murph just said, especially this:

Murphyx;1110214 wrote: Anyway, I totally get you with looking for relief from any and all substances you can get hold of, that was me before the bac switch. I can honestly say that I now have absolutely no interest in weed, opiates, coke as well as booze.

I can't remember whether you've tried high dose bac before or not. If you have, maybe time to go for it again?

On one hand: It is a disease and when appropriate, needs to be treated as such.

OTOH: I felt depressed and was diagnosed with depression 5 times. I wasn't depressed. I was an alcoholic.

[eight days a week]

Baclofen as a treatment for cannabis dependence?

My belief (from years of observation) is that cannabis dependence is mainly psychological, and so it's in a different realm from alcohol dependency. Some of the psychological factors may cross with alcohol abuse (not least to escape reality!) but I'd personally be very surprised if any med like Bac or Nal comes along for cannabis.

There are no life-threatening physical withdrawals. If it's a problem, wean yourself off it, and you'll most likely be back to 'normal' within a month or two.

Greg, you seem to me to be just searching for a high with all these drugs and meds. I don't know what the answer is without looking a bit more inside yourself. Have you tried counselling? Any other approaches?

Ironically, I think the AA approach is much more suited to cannabis users than alcoholics!

All the best