Need help with Baclofen

[wanttobesober]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi,

Ne,

Thanks for the suggestions for the Holistic forum. I have been posting there for a while.
I will post there something about L-glut later on this week.

here.i.am,

Good to hear that you are doing good! It is not an easy journey, but if you can tolerate
the side effects it certainly worth it.

Cheers,

Brian

[DHS51]

Need help with Baclofen

Yes. I have quit taking Bac a couple of weeks ago. Actually I decided that I get off Bac about a month ago because my side effects were horrendous. That is when I started Glut and started to wean off Bac. I am happy that I got rid of all the SE that was associated with Bac.
I guess, some people are just unlucky with the side effects.

Cheers,

Brian

Brian, I need to get off of Bac for the same reasons as you. I am at 180 mg a day. How quick were you able to get off of the drug? How did you manage the dosing down?

Thanks!

Dennis

[DHS51]

Need help with Baclofen

Yes. I have quit taking Bac a couple of weeks ago. Actually I decided that I get off Bac about a month ago because my side effects were horrendous. That is when I started Glut and started to wean off Bac. I am happy that I got rid of all the SE that was associated with Bac.
I guess, some people are just unlucky with the side effects.

Cheers,

Brian

Brian, I need to get off of Bac for the same reasons as you. I am at 180 mg a day. How quick were you able to get off of the drug? How did you manage the dosing down?

Thanks!

Dennis

[wanttobesober]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi Dennis,

I was at 200 mg / day when I decided to quit. I lowered the dose little more than 2 weeks.
Ithink I went 3 days at 160, then 3 days at 130, 3 days at 100, 3 days 80, 3 days 40 and
3 days at 20 mg.
You should not nahe any problem if you cut back the dose like that.

Good luck!
Try L-Glutamine instead.

Cheers,

Brian

[DHS51]

Need help with Baclofen

Getting off of Bac

Thanks Brian,

I will try this.

Dennis

[redhead77]

Need help with Baclofen

If you want to come off bac, Dennis, Dr L recommends going down by 20mg a week. If I remember correctly, this recommendation was similar on the French forum. One thing I'd like to ask. Are you still taking the high doses three times a day? If I were to do this, I wouldn't be able to take this drug either.

[DHS51]

Need help with Baclofen

Thanks Red!!!!

As always your post are insightful and of great help. I will tell you that I am sure that MWO has saved my career and probably my life over the past four months! There is nothing in life more valuable than hope! And MWO provides a lot of hope!

It sounds like Baclofen is working for you so "You Go Girl!"

In response to one of my post from about a month ago you said "alcoholism is not a one size fits all disease;" Which I totally agree with you!
While I am sure that Baclofen is helping a lot of people in their recovery, and I wish them totally the best! I am not sure that Baclofen is a one size fits all cure.

All of this said, I am seeing Doctor L, who has told me repeatedly that Baclofen has no "known side "effects. He also told me last week when I called him that that my shortness of breath and vomiting was not known side effects of Baclofen and to call my GP/ internest.

Yet, when I look at the MD websites quotes abound about several of the major side effects of high doses (20 MG of Baclofen.) that include lung fluid congestion and vomiting.. I am currently at 200 MG.

I agree Dr. L is a brilliant, very caring psychiatrist who I believe has helped a lot of poople! I think he is drinking too much of Olivier Ameisen's kool aid. To your point in an earlier post Dr L does not take Baclofen.

I found a recent research article where he Ameisen's published new findings that Baclofen increased the effects of alcohol withdrawal. So I stop drinking around midnight to show up at client's totally sober, I am in in detox by 8:00 am and now we discover the SEs from backlofen are working against me.

Hope springs eternal and we all want a pill that will fix us! Just go ask Alice when she is ten feet tall! (Jefferson Airplane).

Some of the side effects of high doses of Baclofen include lung congestion stated earlier, (My now persistent cough and this has been reported by other MWO members) and the fact that this was what was sending me to emergency room last week was that I could not breath, I felt like I was drowning, nausea and was again vomiting)

As I said earlier, I am seeing Doctor L, who has told me repeatedly that Baclofen has no known side effects. He also told me last week when I called him that that my shortness of breath and vomiting was not a known side effect of Baclofen. This is just not true! When I look at the MD websites these are quoted as several of the major side effects of high doses (20 MG of Baclofen.) I am currently at 200 MG. Dr L is a brilliant, very caring psychiatrist who I think is drinking too much of Olivier Ameisen?s kool aid!

So in any event I tought I would share some of my journey

[bleep]

Need help with Baclofen

I agree, it's very confusing, given how many patients Dr L must have treated! How can he possibly maintain the view that there are no SE's? It boggles the mind. All the SE's you list are common knowledge here at MWO. They will, however, dissipate, if you remain on the same dose for a while, or at least that has been my experience.

As Red says, if you are trying to taper off it, 20 mg's per week should do it. I think you'll actually get away with a faster tapering schedule, but stick to that to be safe.

[wanttobesober]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi Dennis, Red, Bleep,

I am not a Doctor of course, but I would be hesitant to give an advice to someone to stay
on a medicine 10 more weeks if someone like Dennis has serious side effects.
I am definitely sure it can be done in 4-5 weeks if you think that 2 weeks is too aggressive.
I know when I was at 200 mg/day, I wanted to get rid of my side effects as soon as possible.
Maybe 160 / 120 / 80 / 40 per week or so. I think serious side effects can occur if someone
using Baclofen for long time and then suddenly quit taking it. Though I am not an expert as I stated before, but unfortunately neither Dr.L., as it seems to be.

[bleep]

Need help with Baclofen

As you say Brian, no doctors here! I think the biggest factor to consider is the length of time you've been on baclofen. I'd be cautious if you've been on it more than a few months, otherwise, not so much. But, who knows?

[wanttobesober]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi Bleep,

According to his posts his on Bac for 2-2 1/2 months.
So I do not think it is a big deal to taper off a little bit faster.

Cheers,

Brian

[redhead77]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi Brian,

I apologize in advance for any derail here. I tend to agree that one may be able to safely taper faster than 20mg a week (although, I myself wouldn't do it in 2 weeks...unless I had to). Since I am not a physician, I only reported what the physicians are saying regarding tapering. As I stated before, it is not just Dr L. There is or was (I'm not sure where it stands at the moment), a french forum where bac was discussed. The physicians there recommended something similar.

Dennis,

I respect your decision to stop bac. I did want to pose the question of dosing, or your dosing schedule. I'm on 180mg currently. If I were to try to take this in 3 doses of 60mg, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed...with my first dose. Except maybe to make it to the toilet to barf.

I am not sure what you are referring to when you say "lung congestion". I am not a doctor, but I am a medical professional. I researched what I could (we all know it is lacking), before I did this to my body. I have never read that bac causes lower airway congestion. I mean congestion in the "lungs", which would be the aveoli. What it does do is cause nasal congestion and rhinitis.

Some of the SEs have nothing to do with bac. Some do, and people think they are going to kill them. Most of the SEs even if they feel like they are going to kill you...won't. The cough thing, is likely related to post nasal drip in most cases. The difficulty breathing is most likely due to the effect of bac on your diaphragm. It relaxes the muscles.

I know you're done with this Dennis, but I'm posting this for the others. I don't want people to think HDB causes actual lung congestion. This would be very serious. What I mostly want to tell you is...I wish you every success. I hope you can kick this. I hope you find a way to be happy and healthy. I also hope you continue to post here and tell us about your journey, whatever it may be.

EDIT: I am not disparaging your symptoms. Do you mind sharing where you researched the lung congestion? You wrote you read it online. You could even PM me the info if you wanted.

[Murphyx]

Need help with Baclofen

How do Brian

What's new in Glutamine Land? How's L-glut treating ya? Still working?

[wanttobesober]

Need help with Baclofen

Hi Murph,

Thanks for asking.
I am doing so so. I can not say I am doing great.
After I had almost 30 days AL free, I relapsed.
From the second part of August I had several bad days.
I had AL free days, but did not reach a week mark yet since.
I have some stress in my life right now as I think I will get divorced soon again.
On the other side I have started a new second job, so I really have to monitor how much I drink. I came back from time to time to read MWO threads, but I just did not want to post anything with more misery. I am trying GABA from today and also would like to try Gabapentin.
I know you have tried it. Do you think it is useful?

Thanks Murph!

Brian

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Need help with Baclofen

Dude, listen. I'm feeling a bit out of place around here these days so I'm just going to lay it on the line.

You got up to what? 200mg? And then you gave up. I have long wondered if some of the success former bac-takers find in their ability to remain abstinent, or even to moderate for a good long while isn't related to the fact that they took bac, and not to the various efforts following their dropping off the bac board. (B, this is for you, too!)

Why'd you stop altogether? Isn't there a middle ground? It's a tool, simply a medicine, that seemed to be helping you for a while.
I can't imagine that it would hurt to use it, your commitment to abstinence, and your newfound understanding of taking care of yourself (and treating the disease holistically) to get and stay better!

I'm not pushing it. Frankly, I don't care, one way or another. I just hate to see people continue to suffer when they seem this close to freedom.

Be well, Brian. And don't stop trying. The other side of this thing is worth every ounce of effort you've got.