Why is the medical community so backwards?

[Littlebluebird]

So my husband went for a physical and had bloodwork done a couple weeks ago. He, like me, overdrinks too much. He tho, can drink all day the pick up the pace at night. His freaking doc said wow do you run? Your bloodwork is fantastic! Which of course relates to my husband that he can keep drinking with no problems physically. Prior to this appointment I had printed out info for him and the doc about baclofen. How to use it titrating etc. so we could both start using it. Well the doc looks it up on his computer and said well the only use I see is for relaxing muscles for cerebral palsy etc. which I already knew because our son has CP and for 6 years took baclofen. So he refused to prescribe it for off label use. How much more info do these people need? Now I am stuck having to purchase from the internet which I am not happy about!
Sorry just really aggrivated!
LBB

[Cinders]

Why is the medical community so backwards?

LBB,

Can your husband go a few days without alcohol without withdrawal symptoms?

If he hasn't tried that yet, have him.

Blood tests only tell a piece of the story. Mine almost always came back okay unless I was actually drunk when I came in. However, my body has suffered a lot of abuse from alcohol.

As far as Baclofen for alcoholism. It is very slowly coming into the medical community.

Look around for another doctor in your area that might be open to the idea.

Good luck!!
Cindi

[kronkcarr]

Why is the medical community so backwards?

Lbb,

It is frustrating. I had a dr that let me go to 80 mgs and then wanted to taper me off. It didn't matter that I had and was having great results. My dr was not familiar with Dr Ameison's book and when I loaned it to him he didn't read it. In FL, as in other states (I'd guess), 80 mgs is the highest accepted amount of baclofen for muscle spasms which is what my dr wrote the script for. I asked another dr to script higher and she refused because she didn't want the State to call her out for scripting above the accepted level. She feared her license would be jeopardized. I can't blame her.

Baclofen is out of patent so there's no money for pharmaceutical companies to make on it. This is why in the US it's difficult to get studies going--EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW IT WORKS FOR US. It is frustrating!

Three months before I admitted that I was out of control with alcohol I had blood work done and everything came back normal too. At that point I didn't think it was a problem that I over drank every night or drank before parties or drank past that buzz that I was looking for. Then I woke up to myself and realized that I really wanted to live life not just stay negative and cover everything up with alcohol.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Why is the medical community so backwards?

My lab results have always been normal, too. And I've been drinking alcoholically for at least the last 15 years...

I can totally understand your frustration, but it's important to remember that the doctor(s) are legally bound to keep patients safe. They're not likely to go out on a limb based on one study, or one patient's info. Nor should they, imho. It turns out there is a lot out there that can help alcoholics get sober. Most of it isn't very safe, or doesn't last, or makes things much worse in the long run. There are two compelling things about baclofen: It works. And it's safe. Getting that info to a doctor isn't likely to be too hard, if one has a doc who will listen and one brings all of the info. (It's the amount of info available, because each study is not very persuasive on it's own. Again, mho.)

I guess my point is not to get discouraged and don't stop trying!

[Littlebluebird]

Why is the medical community so backwards?

Thanks guys! You're right I know they don't want to cause an issue with their practice. I think I will try to seek help from another doc and if all else fails contact Doc L or internet pharm.

[Otter]

Why is the medical community so backwards?

I would go back to your GP and ask him to get out the relevant guidelines for prescribing off licence. Most cancer drug are being prescribed off licence and the ethics guidelines say that a doctor should consider off licence prescribing if the drug is shown to be of use for treating an illness, and it side effects are outweighed by the benefit. There is a prescribing guide released by doctors who used it on 1500 patients on the baclfenforalcohohism.com web site and the UK national institute for care excellence which advises doctors on treatments is now putting this on a list of drugs to be looked at on a priority basis. I have their letter which is produced below. I would also phone your local GP governing body and make sure the guidelines are the same. I think they are. It is an individual doctors responsibility to prescribe drugs based on his own judgment and making no judgment where there is clearly an illness and also, clearly, a treatment, on the basis that "someone told me " not to prescribe is, frankly, moronic. It also opens him up to a negligence claim because he is dead wrong on his duties to prescribe off licence and has not done the research. Talk to the doctor's licensing body about the ethical position, as I have said and maybe also ask your doctor to look into finding a colleague who still has a pair of balls.

Here is the letter:

Dear David



Thank you for contacting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).



I am responding to your email in Teresa?s absence.



Thank you for your email, which I have passed to the team responsible for our Evidence Summaries: unlicensed and off-label medicines (ESUOM) work programme.



They have informed me that the topic of Baclofen to treat alcohol dependence is on the list of prioritised topics to be considered via the topic selection process as outlined in the following process statement:

Evidence summaries: unlicensed and off-label medicines – Integrated...PMG14 Introduction



I am sorry that I do not have further information to provide you with at this stage.



Kind regards,

Natalie



Natalie Whelan

Communications Executive (Enquiry Handling)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
Level 1A | City Tower | Piccadilly Plaza | Manchester M1 4BD | United Kingdom
Tel: 44 (0)845 003 7781 | Fax: 44 (0)845 003 7785

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