My bac experience by DT

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

I started taking baclofen 6 weeks ago. I am currently taking 30mg three times a day. I am also working with Dr. Levin. I have read End of My Addiction by Dr. Ameisen. One of my side effects so far was being tired while below 30mg three times a day. Hence the reason why I am only taking 30mg three times a day. I should be a lot further along as per the Dr. Levin regimen. Since taking 30mg three times a day, I feel like I am on speed sometimes, even though, I have never taken speed. lol My fingers have been twitching since I started taking bac (started at 5mg once a day). Since starting 30mg, my fingers have been twitching a lot more. =( Also, I started coughing once taking bac. At first it started out small but has since developed into more of a sick cough. =( I don't have time to write more, but I wanted to at least post something. lol

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

My bac experience by DT

Baclofen regimen:

Week 1:
First four days 5mg in the morning
Following Three days 5mg once in the morning and once at night

Second Week 10mg three times a day
Third Week 10mg three times a day
Forth Week 20mg three times a day
Fifth Week 20 mg three times a day
Sixth Week 30mg three times a day

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

My bac experience by DT

Also, I have been experiencing anxiety more than I use to. IE always shaking my legs while sitting. This is not normal for me. =( Ok, now I really have to go. lol

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My bac experience by DT

Hi, D and T.
Glad you started your own space.
I seem to recall that agitation, though I more distinctly remember being fatigued and lethargic.
It is an irony that an anti-spasmodic medication can make us twitch, but it does. That's not uncommon. It, like most SEs, are dose dependent. I know it's completely counterintuitive but it may help if you go up.
That said, going up by 30mg is an awfully big jump. Is Dr. L recommending that increase? 30mg a week?
Conventional wisdom around here, based on his previous advice as well as some tried and true experimentation, is about 20mg/week. Or 10mg every couple of days.
Also, and I know that Dr. L doesn't recommend this necessarily, taking it more often than 3x per day REALLY helped me, and many, many of us. I told Dr. L about it many moons ago and he said that was a good idea if it helped avoid SEs, which it definitely did.

Ne

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My bac experience by DT

hmmm. The anxiety is not good, btw, and must be managed, imho. Maybe you can bring that up with the good doc. It's paramount to success, again, imho.
Also may be caused by your titration schedule. I had an awful lot of it and it made the process rather long and arduous.
Sorry for all the posts!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My bac experience by DT

Geez, and the coughing.
YES! For sure, that one drove me crazy. I know it seems like I had 'em all. But I did, so pffft.
Anyway. Take Mucinex or something that might dry you up but nothing too narcotic. That's not a good idea, for the most part, with bac.
Also, benadryl. There's a thread around here somewhere with all the meds that are contraindicated with bac.
Maybe someone'll find it for you, if you can't!

[RudyB]

My bac experience by DT

yeah, mucinex is a good idea. especially because it dries you up by getting the phlem out. my breathing has been decidedly shallow; a deep breath is a rare and conjured thing. but feels really good and is sans cough. sorry about yours. i bet it's not uncommon.

and good on you, drunk! (do you mind if i call you that? just this second and last time; won't be true for long, i'm sure.) YOU STARTED YOUR OWN THREAD!!!! hooray, as this is the start of something good.

go get 'em, girl!
and welcome to your own home base!
xo rudy b

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My bac experience by DT

egad, I wondered why you called her "drunk." I didn't think that was very nice...lol

Look, D and T, you don't even have to be around and we'll just keep posting!

[RudyB]

My bac experience by DT

aw, ne, you're smarter than that! it's the first word in her handle schmandle. (did you get that? those last two words rhyme!)

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

My bac experience by DT

I don't care if you call me Drunk. lol I am a fairly laid back chick. Just don't tell me to shut up. lol

Neva, you had coughing? What did you do? How long did it last? It seems to be getting worse and worse. It's scaring me. I went down to 25 mg three times a day just today because I am thinking about getting off the baclofen. I don't want to kill myself to get sober. I wish I had insurance so that I could talk to a neurologist. I can't even make an appointment with a neurologist. I have tried. =(

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

My bac experience by DT

Oh and I am taking 30 mg three times a day. I have went up slowly. I think you misread what I posted. lol

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My bac experience by DT

Oh, I got it rubyru. and yes, sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake. Blame the booze.

Hold on there, DandT. hmmm. Quitting because of a cough is well, not necessary. Eyes on the goal and all that.
Have you taken some over the counter medicine? Try Mucinex and Claritin. Baclofen causes post nasal drip or some such thing. There's a thread around here somewhere with the list, and you can find it on...What's the name of the website? Anyway, bottom line is that it is an actual documented SE that it causes something to happen nasal-y. I had post-nasal drip. And I smoke. So I got a really bad cough. I took some OTC meds and voila! It went away. No antibiotics needed. I think I might have seen the doctor, I was running off to the doctor at every indication that something was going amiss. So I can relate. But I'm here to tell you without hesitation or fear of contradiction, it's safe. At 90mg you are well within normal parameters. Take some mucinex (not the D stuff, the plain box. THAT I did have from my doc.) And call me in the morning. That'll be $6,743. I'll bill you.

[bleep]

My bac experience by DT

One thing to consider is to stop taking it 3 times a day, and try taking it 9 times a day, in 10mg doses. It worked for me. It won't eliminate the SE's, but it can help reducing them.

[Toro]

My bac experience by DT

Keep the sides in perspective. The alcoholic psyche has a way of inventing barriers and exaggerating things so that it can get what it wants.

Sides of bac - tiredness and a cough, sides of alc -a destroyed & wasted life with an early death at the end of it.

[DrunkAndTiredInFLA]

My bac experience by DT

It's easy to say keep going when you aren't coughing like I am. I work in the restaurant business and serve people food all day. It doesn't look good when your server is coughing while handing you food, but this isn't my main reason. My main reason is because I sound and feel like a sick person. Coughing can't be good. And I don't smoke. Just wanted to say that. It's already a lot for me to take medicine for alcoholism. And now I have to take mucinex to get rid of a cough? I don't know about this. It just doesn't seem healthy for me to be coughing like this. I wish I had insurance so that I could ask a doctor. Dr. Levin is very helpful but there are also interior motives to his help. Both he and Dr. Ameisen claim that baclofen has no side effects and we all know this not to be true. Just saying...