Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

[DonQuixote]

Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

Hi joanna

As a general information: https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ml#post1342912

Abstract of a study: Abstinence and 'Low-Risk' Consumption 1 Year after the Initiation of High-Dose Baclofen: A Retrospective Study among 'High-Risk' Drinkers
(If you need the full text, just mail me)

DonQuixote

[Cassander]

Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

joanna_d;1473859 wrote: i'm writing an informational email about baclofen for alcoholism to some addiction carers, a psychiatrist and more, so i'm trying to find as much useful information i can, to either attach it to the email (prescribing guide for instance) or use it in my writing (making references to the articles).

...

Hi Joanna

As you may know, I have been coming to this board for several years. I first came because my son was having trouble with alcohol, but I have stayed because I am convinced that alcoholism is a disease of the brain and optimistic that it is (or will be) curable with medication.

I have been intrigued by the success that Dr Amiesen reported in his case study and by the many wonderful reports of success with baclofen posted here on mwo.

Along the way I have expressed my enthusiasm for the results that baclofen has achieved, and I have been accused by some of "selling" or "pushing" baclofen, which is untrue and very unfair. I am not a scientist and I don't understand the complex chemistry of the brain. I await scientific confirmation that baclofen works the way some people say it does.

I also understand that while there are several compounds approved for the treatment of alcoholism, baclofen is not approved, except to the extent it is approved for off label use on a case by case basis in France.

I have an open mind about solutions and would not be surprised if additional compounds and treatments are found which address alcoholism better than existing treatments.

I am regularly surprised by the anger and stress that discussions of baclofen efficacy and safety often generate here. For all of the success stories there are also reports of debilitating side effects and skepticism that baclofen really works.

So it was with great interest that I read a case study published by some French doctors recently entitled "A Case of De novo Seizures Following a Probable Interaction of High-Dose Baclofen with Alcohol". To me, it encapsulates exactly where we are at the moment with baclofen and may be useful to you in describing accurately the status quo.

The authors state that "Baclofen is a promising medication for the treatment of alcohol dependence, and the prescription of high-dose baclofen (HDB) is increasing within the medical community, especially for patients who are unresponsive to approved treatments." I think that this statement is incontrovertably true at this point.

The authors go on to say, "Although baclofen is considered to be quite safe at low doses, the possible interactions between HDB and alcohol have not been precisely studied." This statement also seems true. There are many studies confirming the safety of baclofen at low doses and even at high doses, but not in connection with treatment for alcoholism. We desperately need these studies to eliminate the residual concern that HDB can be unsafe when used to treat alcoholics.

The article goes on to describe a very good reason why confirming studies are necessary. The authors state, "We report the case of a 46-year-old patient without any history of neurological disorders who experienced two episodes of seizures after a short relapse of alcohol misuse while undergoing treatment with up to 240 mg/day of baclofen. Although both alcohol and baclofen may theoretically induce seizures individually, we discuss and largely rule out the likelihood that either of these two drugs was solely responsible for the patient's seizures. We hypothesize that the seizures resulted from an interaction between alcohol and HDB, and determined that this hypothesis is ?probable? with Horn's Drug Interaction Probability Scale."

The authors then state that "We encourage our colleagues who prescribe HDB to acquaint their patients with the possible enhanced risk of seizures, notably in persistence of alcohol abuse."

My suspicion is that seizures are going to be found to be a very rare side effect, but until comprehensive studies are done, the range of possible side effects is unknown and the risks remain.

The authors then conclude that "Moreover, until data from a large study on the safety of HDB use by alcohol misusers are available, this treatment should be conducted under strict supervision and after having carefully evaluated the benefit?risk ratio."

This statement is also hard to disagree with and it is reflected in the negative comments of some who come here and say that until baclofen is fully tested it cannot be generally accepted as a safe and efficacious treatment. it also argues for the conclusion that baclofen treatment should be undergone under a doctor's supervision. This, we know, however, is not possible in parts of the world (many) where doctors are woefully uninformed about the potential of baclofen treatment.

But, the devastation of alcoholism goes on and many people who are unable to find relief from AA, or rehab, or support, or other medications, find total relief from baclofen -- without doctor's supervision. It seems an enormous shame that some of the billions of dollars that are spent or lost by reason of alcohol abuse and dependency can't be spent to find answers, quickly, to the open questions around baclofen, so that the treatment can be made more widely available to help people who the treatment is likely to help.

Cassander

[joanna_d]

Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

hi all, thanks for all the links! downloaded the lot over a week ago, and dove into the reading right away. couldn't find the time to respond in depth to your responses, and now i have to fly again.

gotten a hang of digging into addiction (as a topic this time ) in general so ao bought this book: "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain" - Marc Lewis.

couldn't find the thread you were referring to Ne ("how bac works"). when i search the forum with that as a search phrase, i get a rather lengthy list of results. do you perhaps have a direct link to it?

feel i'm doing you wrong by not responding more in person to all your writings! it'll have to be another time. but thanks!!

[bleep]

Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

Great post Cassander.

joanna, search in Google, not in the forum, and include the thread title and mywayout in the search, and you should find it easily. The forum's search engine is useless.

Here you go... https://www.google.co.zw/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&s qi=2&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mywayout.o rg%2Fcommunity%2Ff20%2Fhow-does-baclofen-work-otter-tk-73086.html&ei=9XY_UeCKFsbBPMSLgMAN&usg=AFQjCNHwIXF hxa6iYt36CJ5pVE9ptIJpOA&bvm=bv.43287494,d.ZG4

[joanna_d]

Baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients just published

ahhh! i thought of that, and then the thought slipped my mind again *grunts*
thanks Bleep!