Baclofen - When should it be taken?

[Dancing waters]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Hello everyone - I found this site today and feel so encouraged! I'm researching to try and find ways to help my brother - he is in such a bad state - has had seizures after 24hrs of no alcohol - severe bruising etc! he said he tried Valium but gets suicidal thoughts...can baclofen really help???? Why do dr's in Canada not mention this drug??? I spent all Saturday night in ER with him and the dr only gave him Valium
What is the procedure to start taking this and is this drug addictive - I don't want him to go from one addiction to another....thanks all for the help

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Dancing waters;1353993 wrote: Hello everyone - I found this site today and feel so encouraged! I'm researching to try and find ways to help my brother - he is in such a bad state - has had seizures after 24hrs of no alcohol - severe bruising etc! he said he tried Valium but gets suicidal thoughts...can baclofen really help???? Why do dr's in Canada not mention this drug??? I spent all Saturday night in ER with him and the dr only gave him Valium
What is the procedure to start taking this and is this drug addictive - I don't want him to go from one addiction to another....thanks all for the help

Hi, Dancing Waters.
I'm very sorry about what your brother (and you!) are going through. It's a horrific disease.

Baclofen is not addictive. It has almost zero potential for abuse. In order for it to be effective, it's important to taper up, to take it regularly, and to not stop suddenly.

Valium is very effective, and sometimes absolutely necessary, for alcohol withdrawal. It may be that he did not take enough! (really! I know that sounds counterproductive, but it's very important to avoid alcohol withdrawal when someone has had it as severely as your brother has had it.) There are some doctors in Canada who are treating alcohol addiction with baclofen. It depends on where you are, of course! Mostly though, people just don't know about it.
A good place to start may be the book Heal Thyself by Dr. Olivier Ameisen.

My heart goes out to you both. Take good care!

[AmyC]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Hi Stuck and Ne. Good to hear from you both and thanks for all the great info. Im definately starting to believe that the Bac journey is definately different for everyone so its kind of a shot in the dark as to how one is effected. I think Im going to try and tirate a little faster by knocking off a day but I also agree about the genie in the bottle. The last thing I want to do is aggrovate him!! lol Im trying to log daily what dose Im taking and how Im feeling so I can maybe best decide what combination as far a tirating works for me. Im currently at 100 mg/daily and will be going up to 110 tomorrow and I have to say that last night I went to bed at 8:30 and only woke up to use the little girls room once or twice. I havent experienced insomnia yet but the getting up and going to the bathroom may very well be contributed to sleep disturbance or just that I had to go. lol I do want to be prepared for when I may need medication to help sleep. Would that be over the counter types of medication such as melatonin?? Right now though I am really starting to feel the effects of being extremely tired all day. at first it was only for a short period of time after I took the bac but now its becoming all day. Does that maybe mean Im getting close to my switch dose or does it not mean anything at all. I fell like such a baby when it comes to all of this so please forgive if I ask alot of questions.

[AmyC]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Hi Dancing Water. Im sorry to hear about your brother. I will say a prayer for him. I guarantee you will get some really great and useful information in this forum. There are some really great people here who know what we are all going through. Good luck and I hope your brother give Baclofen a shot.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Hiya, Amy!
Great to hear things are going so well! The tired-ness is a pain. I drank more coffee than a cross country trucker!

Here's a thread, one of many, that has to do with sleep disruption:
https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ead-48116.html

Nice to see you around the other threads!

[AmyC]

Baclofen - When should it be taken?

Hey Ne. I feel ya. Im drinking coffee like its the last thing I will ever drink. The sleepiness is definately becoming more intense and lasting a lot longer. Im going to check out those thread.Im sure Ill find some useful info. Always do on this site. I noticed a new symtom today. I just realized that its 3pm here and I havent eaten since 8am and I still dont have an appetite. its not like the feeling you get when you take a diet pill, dry mouth, jittery, etc. Just no appetite. I think maybe Im just to sleepy to even care about eating. lol