i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

Hi everybody,
i'm back with a little update...

im on 165mg/day of Baclofen in more than 3 months and everything continue to go really well... even better!

From 2 weeks my alchool is now on an average of 20gr/day (read 1 beer and 1/2 - 5%) - was 200gr/day before starting this super experience.
Obviously everything continue to change on better, my life in general, the relations, the work...

The 3 important keywords of the traitement, after all this time and after reading a lot a lot of medical document and experiences are :
trust - patience - regularity
fully trust in the medicament. it simply works!
patience if they result they don't come as soon as you was expecting.
regularity of the quantity and time when mounting, regularity on the hours of distribution, you can "play" a little bit just on the beginning and then when the result start to appear and the ES they are not too big its important to don't touch nothing and continue.

See you soon, i come back from time to time ;-)
bye

[TexasAg]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

:goodjob:

Great to hear! Agree completely with your trust-patience-regularity

Don't be a stranger! Keep us updated as it helps everyone!

Cheers!

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

tension headache

Hi everybody,
back here after 2 months...

Now on 150mg/day, craving seems to be killed (already from last post - 2 month ago) - AL really manageable but big SE (tension headache) appear 40 days ago when i went on 185mg/day.
My drinking right now it's on average 35gr/ALC a day (read less than 2 beers) - not really the indifference but really ok for me.

I made all my long and soft treatment (started 14 jan 2013) pratically without SE and i feel really bad that suddenly, when job seems to be done, this stupid headache make me lose the super feeling i had in all this months (sharp mind - big concentration - good humor and all the other good things that every Baclo users knows ;-) )...

I'm trying to go down to see if it passes, but until now this tension headache does not stop torturing me. I will continue to go slowly down (5mg every 3 days).
I have it 24/24 and has a big influence on the global feeling as it affects concentration and mood and much more...

- it start to appear exactly when i was on 175mg and then on 185mg was really bad that i had to go down (slowly as i always do). Together with headache i even had blood pressure too high then too low, heavy legs and other bad related things.
- i never have suffered of this kind of headache in all my life and this makes me little worried.
- i dont know what kind of anti-inflammatory / analgesic to take - my doc gave me diclofenac, but i took it 2 times (25mg) and it does nothing. I know there is some precaution to take about this pain killers cause can influence how the baclofen is assimilated/kidney overcharge? (but i would like some advice). I saw some thread about it but cannot find it anymore.

My doc request me to do an EEG just to exclude physical causes... (i doubt they can be but anyway better to know).

I dont actually have special reasons to be stressed or anxious (more than normal, i mean) apart the headache itself that does not help at all to relax...

I would like to have some advice form you, based on your knowledge/experiences.
Ask me whatever you want about details, if the situation is not too clear.

Thanks a lot for reading me.

at soon
emc

[Xadrian]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

If the headache appears on certain parts of the day, you could try to lower your dose before the headache normally appears and add it to the dose before sleeping.

I take my doses in roughly 35% -25% -40% of the daily dose and eliminated my worst SE, drowsiness at around 2 PM.

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

thanks for suggestion Xadrian, but it's an headache 24/24.

As i lower my last dose before sleeping, it seems that this morning, at wake up, it was going little bit better, but anyway still present...

i will post updates when i have them and wait for more suggestions / opinions / comments.

thanks
emc

[Lo0p]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

I hear that headaches caused by High Dose Baclofen can be greatly alleviated with electrolytes. I've got some personal experience with it as well.

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

thanks Lo0p,
u give me some hope ;-)

but i really don't understand what i should do...

[Lo0p]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

Sodium and more likely potassium. Depending on your diet you may already get a lot of sodium. Sports drinks, your country's version of Gatorade for fast relief. Foods high in potassium as a lifestyle.

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

little update...
no problems with electrolytes, made all analysis and all's ok.

I lower the dose of Bac to 120mg (150->120 in about a week) gradually but enough fast (compared to my general plan of going to maintenance dose).
I know well the danger of titrating down too fast but this -30 i was feeling it and it was needed to see if something change...
But unfortunately no.
This tension headache is still there and is really disturbing, affecting the "normal" life i had back thanks to Bac.

I notice a really small small amelioration, slept better i think, but the main effects of "heavy head" + tension in all head muscles + "flat humor" + low activity etc. they are well there.
Less in the morning i would say, when i'm on my low on Bac.

No signs of craving.
I will definitely lower more but would like your opinion...

Thanks,
emc

[bleep]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

Hi emc,

I think if you have lowered baclofen from 180 to 120 and it is still there, there is a chance it is not being caused by baclofen. Most SE's change very quickly depending on levels. I wouldn't rule it out, but I would also look to other causes.

Are you sitting in front of a computer for hours each day? Is your posture okay? Follow your docs advice, and try and rule everything else out as well.

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

hey bleep,
nice to meet you again ;-)

to be precise... i was on 180 a month and half ago... then because of ES (mainly high pressure problems - with all the other things related - and some kidney pain) i went down to my stable dose without ES - 165mg - but this headache was already installed and still can't get off of this.
Then went down to 160->155->150->140>130>120

I'm not at all this kind of person (i know a lot of them) that tends to give the responsability of everything to Baclofen.
No, i'm not. But this tension headache or i don't know how i can call it, it appears exactly there, around 175 and it install itself at higher dose (185).

Sure i was and i'm still searching for other possible causes...
Yesterday i had this though (that i thoughts it was an intuition) that in the same moment of this quick titrating up i was going to dentist... so i read that it was a possible connection with headache and "dental occlusure" so i remove this problem just yesterday, really hoping to see some good effect.
But again no.

Sure this kind of headache is related with anxiety and stress but it's strange that right now i'm not at all stressed nor special anxious... this surprising me!

It must be the Bac (its great molecule, i know!)... and it must be something related... that i will find for sure... and then, obviously share ;-)

[Colin]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

emc;1530676 wrote:
It must be the Bac

Considering all the other things going on in your life, I would bet serious money against baclofen causing your headaches.

EDIT: For people who don't go to the races: I don't believe baclofen is causing emc's headaches.

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

hey Colin,
really don't understand your answer...

A small resume:
20 years of drinking.
I made my long treatment without pratically any ES.
I start on 14 Jan and on 15 April i had first signs of craving half dead.
3 months - 155mg - i dont call it switch, but something happened, sure.

Then it came the time to realize or not this state vs the habitude, all this things that i hope you know something about it...
then, after realizing that probably the switch was hitted... was coming the "consolidation time".

Used to be = +20mg. and exactly there, after 5 months of slow titrating up, maybe i made this passage too fast, and then appears this f.......g headache.
It's not related??? boh?

Sure u can bet, but i was just asking for some advice from someone that maybe had the same thing...

And...

Considering all the other things going on in your life

which things you mean, sorry?

[emc]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

ok... the answer was little nervous...

after thinking little bit more, and quietly i can say :

from the beginning of the treatment i felt a big big effect on me caused by this molecule (obviously).
Sure my drinking starts to go down a lot, but not only...
The effects its physical and obviously psycological related (Baclofen its not only a muscle relaxant!!! ;-)
A lot of things changed, start to change.
I felt different, or better... not different but "really" me again.
This thing caused a lot of changements, new way of seeing myself, new sensations etc etc (every baclo users knows what i mean).
Little bit "too high" maybe.

And.. i come to the point.
All this things generated but this precious molecule caused new stresses and new anxieties, maybe, without the "escape" of the alcool as it was before.

In a moment the body and mind made a little "crack".
Then the tension headache as result.

I would understand it easily (and i prefer it, maybe) an explication like that of this headache.
Would be better this other alternative version, yes.
The cause its Baclofen anyway, but not as a direct SE.

But... it does not convince me AT ALL! :-)

[spiritwolf333]

i'm on Baclofen, i feel better

Reply to EMC

Hi EMC -you had posted a question on my thread regarding neck pain:

1. My neck pain is no longer an issue. I was sitting most days in front of the computer, not really motivated to exercise, and really enjoying my new found freedom with baclofen (improved concentration, focus, etc). I took the simple but powerful advice to get the hell up and move -exercise. After a few days of intentional movement and exercise, the pain finally vanished. I have always been involved with hiking/racquetball/etc until I stopped drinking. Exercise, nutrition, bla.. have become big on my list these last two weeks.

2. You had mentioned something about headaches and I saw some responses. I had several occasions when this occurred. I did not know at the time about my vitamin deficiencies so I was just taking Tylenol -and the headaches were excruciating. By accident, I started drinking a lot vitamin water that contained b12, etc. Then, the other day my md pointed out the fact that I have a deficiency -including b12. Thus, LoOp is spot on -rock on potassium.

3. So many of my se-s have diminished that I remain amazed. The seniors here advised that they would eventually go away and fortunately the se have departed. I am still around the 220mg mark.

Hope this helps. Sounds like you are doing great.