Hi,
I started taking Baclofen 18 days ago with amazing results. I was expecting side effects but so far they have been minimal. I think increasing the dose slowly is the key. I'm currently on 70mg a day and increase this by 10mg once a week.
At the beginning I noticed a warm, very relaxed feeling though this disappeared after a few days. I had one day where I felt 'away with the fairies' and a bit out of it, but nothing significant. I'm sleeping better than I have ever slept, am eating less and doing more exercise.
Occasionally I do feel like I'm about to forget what I am saying but the funny thing is I never do, I just think I'm about to. I wouldn't increase my dosage any quicker than I am right now.
Baclofen is obviously a mind-altering drug, which is why it stops you wanting to drink. As such it must be treated with caution, especially if you, like most of us, are having to self-prescribe it without the support of a medical professional.
I say go for it. I've only been on Baclofen for less than three weeks and it's fair to say that it is transforming my life. I no longer think about alcohol, it's like my drinking problem is a long, long time ago and that is simply incredible.
I was prescribed anti-depressants 17 years ago, at the age of 18, for anxiety and the side effects were far, far worse than Baclofen. I felt like a zombie, tired and drained the whole time, awful night sweats, lack of sex drive, emotional numbness, I could go on.
Whenever I tried to come off them I suffered a whole range of debilitating 'withdrawal symptons' - mental, physical, emotional, that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It was hell.
I finally managed to come off the anti-depressant (Venlafaxine, before that I was on Seroxat) at the beginning of this year and I felt 100 times better when I did. My mood was much more positive (strange hey?!), I no longer had daily thoughts of committing suicide and obviously no side effects.
I feel very angry that anti-depressants are handed out like sweets by GPs in the UK with no warning of the side effects and how difficult it is to stop taking them. Please taper off them very, very slowly. I did it over six months, it was the only way I could succeed.
The few side effects of Baclofen I have experienced so far are a walk in the park compared to those I had with anti-depressants. As I say in my blog and regularly post on Twitter I would gladly take on side effects 100 times worse for the positive benefits of Baclofen. It looks like it will save my life.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
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