Baclofen General Anesthesia

[Diver]

I have to go in for a procedure next Thursday and I am currently taking 350 mgs of baclofen per day and was wondering if there are any concerns regarding baclofen general anesthesia?

:anyone:

Thanks

[bleep]

Baclofen General Anesthesia

I would PM terryk to find out what the literature has to say on the subject, but as far as I am aware, there is no issue. I'm not a doctor though, and I would make your doctor aware of the situation beforehand.

Hope it goes well.

[Lo0p]

Baclofen General Anesthesia

I've been there. They asked me what medications I took. I told them baclofen, the amount and the reason. I spent ten days in the hospital, underwent general anesthesia on the 7th day and had an endoscopic cholesystectomy.

They dispensed 27 10 mg pills per day to me from the hospital pharmacy.

Neither of my doctors, the surgeon or the anesthesiologist expressed any concern to me regarding the baclofen.

I'll see if I can find the thread.

[Lo0p]

Baclofen General Anesthesia

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...tal-41433.html

Hmmm. I said I was only on 170 back then. Hard to believe.

[terryk]

Baclofen General Anesthesia

Above all, whether or not you have a prescription, anyone taking baclofen whilst undergoing surgery and general anesthesia *must absolutely* alert and consult their anesthesiologist and surgeon.

I do not believe that baclofen reacts adversely with any common general anesthetics (including propofol*) or anxiolytics used to combat pre-surgery anxiety (benzodiazapines), but I am not a doctor.

The question of baclofen and surgery has come up on MWO in the past. During early days, especially if the patient did not have a prescription for baclofen and the surgery was elective, the general consensus around here was that it might be best to taper off completely or to 80mg/day before going ahead with the procedure (There are several reports here, my own included, of doctors and hospital pharmacies being unwilling/borderline hysterical about allowing patients to have much more than 80mg/day).

Also, if there are complications, and oral baclofen cannot be administered readily (prolonged unconsciousness), there is no IV baclofen preparation available (like benzos); intrathecal won't be appropriate, and a nasogastric tube will have to be employed to deliver baclofen to the stomach. I'm not sure in what ways surgical involvement (or injuries to) the upper GI tract where baclofen is absorbed could complicate things.

The reality is that oral baclofen has been prescribed up to around 300mg/day for neurological conditions for decades and has been proven safe, ostensibly by patients who are have been taking it for spinal cord injuries that often involve multiple and complex surgeries. Many doctors know this, but many may not (especially younger doctors that are familiar with intrathecal baclofen which has largely eclipsed high dose oral baclofen). Of course, now that hdb treatment for addiction is receiving more attention in the mainstream media, hospital staff will (hopefully) become even more aware.

Overall, and despite the worst-case scenarios, I'm sure that you'll be fine as long as you talk to your doctor about it.

-tk

EDIT: * I just remembered this: Severe Seizures During Propofol Induction in a Patient with Syringomyelia Receiving Baclofen - (this is random, rare, and probably nothing to worry about).