doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

[takeover]

I went to the doctor today to try getting a prescription after reading Amiesen's book, armed with a printout of Addolorato's study and a few others.

As predicted, he denied the request. I asked him about baclofen, whether he'd heard of it, and what he thought of it for treating anxiety. He immediately said, "That's not what it's for." I told him about the study, and he said I might be open to the idea of baclofen because I'm searching for answers, but it wouldn't be his first, second, or third-line of treatment for anxiety and alcohol dependency. (He wouldn't even physically look at the study.)

In the end, he prescribed effexor - despite the fact that I've tried a few other antidepressants with very poor results and severe side effects for each one. He said you really need to try it for at least two months for it to start working, and the final objection he had to baclofen was that it was addictive, he said, and I would just end up with a new addiction.

I know I can just go online and order it; I tried getting it here (US) to be able to consult medically locally and to get started faster. But my questions:

1) Is it addictive? Once you're on it, if you hit the "switch" - can you taper back down to nothing or will you suffer withdrawal symptoms? It seems from reading here that most people plan on taking it indefinitely..?

2) Does anyone know of any doctors, either in LA, or that consult by telephone, that are willing to prescribe.. and what do they cost?

Apologize in advance if these questions have been answered somewhere - lots of threads going on, and if the topics have been addressed already would appreciate a point in the right direction.

Thanks!

[Alky]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

It is an uphill battle. It took me eight months and many miles on the car going from doctor to doctor to finally get a legit prescription for baclofen. My psychiatrist finally agreed to it, but probably only because of the unique circumstances surrounding my case. One, I purchased 300mL of liquid baclofen from a forum member last fall (who is sadly no longer with us), so I had already been on baclofen for months before going back and seeing the psychiatrist. Second, I had already failed on other drugs (naltrexone and acamprosate) that this psychiatrist had prescribed for me. Third, he went ahead and wrote me a prescription with the condition that I keep attending AA and psychotherapy.

To answer your question, bac is not addictive. It's the opposite of addicting. Once in AA someone gave me that tired old line of "trading one addiction for another." Bac isn't addicting because it doesn't make you high. It makes you want to not get high. Once I achieve an extended period of abstinence (6-12 months), I plan on going off it. Going off it cold turkey can be dangerous, but fine as long as you taper down at the speed at which you went up.

Just out of curiosity, did you actually bring him a copy of Dr. Ameisen's book? Several forum members have reported that doctors do not respond well to that. I went with the French prescribing guide, a clinical trial result and several case reports. Also, was this a GP or a psychiatrist? A psychiatrist might be more amenable to exploring the idea of baclofen. Anyway, there are forum regulars here from LA, so they will probably be able to help you.

[Jazi's Mum]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

Gee, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with your doc. They are just so rushed these days and don't have time/energy/interest to read anything that goes against their preconceptions. But you certainly did your best to help him understand YOU.

From what I understand baclofen is NOT addictive, however there MUST be a slow taper if you want to go off. This is crucial to understand. Withdrawal issues - not addictive issues.

Your doctor sounds like he has the typical AA mentality - you are in denial - you are asking for baclofen as a crutch. Yet he gives you a crutch the HE approves of....

As for tapering to zero many have found that this brings back cravings. So you might want to figure out what your long range goal is. Abstinence? Moderation? Do you want baclofen to help with anxiety for the long term, and have it kill cravings as a huge bonus?

These questions may help you decide to go ahead and order on-line. This is NOT medical advice, just my personal experience. Good Luck!!!

[Alky]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

Takeover, here is a link to a thread called "where are the doctors?" It's very long, but you might find some information regarding a doctor in your area.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ors-78141.html

[takeover]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

Thanks for your responses!
Alky- I read the book some time ago but didn't have a physical copy. Do you suggest I bring one? I take it from his refusal to look at the studies I printed his mind was made up and he wasn't about to open it to some recent research. I had a similar uphill battle when looking for naltrexone- which didn't work for me.
This was a GP but id be pessimistic about a psychiatrist unless they'd already decided for it.. It seems the medical community doesn't like being informed by laymen..
Btw regarding the liquid Baclofen- I'm guessing you're referring to Loop- is that available commercially? I read elsewhere side effects are lessened with the liquid version but I haven't seen it for sale?

Thanks for the dox link! Will check it out.

Jazi's mum- my long term goal would be indifference I suppose. To mostly not drink- to not feel like I need it. In that regard, I wouldn't mind staying on it- certainly it has to do less harm than alcohol, right?

Congrats on hitting your indifference switch this month! How much were you taking and for how long, when it hit- and what did it feel like? Do you plan on scaling back?

[spiritwolf333]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

takeover;1620852 wrote: I went to the doctor today to try getting a prescription after reading Amiesen's book, armed with a printout of Addolorato's study and a few others.

As predicted, he denied the request. I asked him about baclofen, whether he'd heard of it, and what he thought of it for treating anxiety. He immediately said, "That's not what it's for." I told him about the study, and he said I might be open to the idea of baclofen because I'm searching for answers, but it wouldn't be his first, second, or third-line of treatment for anxiety and alcohol dependency. (He wouldn't even physically look at the study.)

In the end, he prescribed Effexor
and the final objection he had to baclofen was that it was addictive, he said, and I would just end up with a new addiction.


1) Is it addictive? Once you're on it, if you hit the "switch" - can you taper back down to nothing or will you suffer withdrawal symptoms? It seems from reading here that most people plan on taking it indefinitely..?

2) Does anyone know of any doctors, either in LA, or that consult by telephone, that are willing to prescribe.. and what do they cost?

Hi Take -thanks for the thread.

Your doctor first says that baclofen is not for anxiety -so I assume he knows what baclofen is used, and as such, one could only assume (since he knows about baclofen) that he would know that baclofen is not commonly known to be addictive. (I sometimes even forget to take my bac doses). As cassander points -where are the doctors? Read Cass's thread. Too many times, professionals in their trade must be presented information regarding their own trade -just the way that it is. However, a doctor like yours is even more frustrating because he will not even look at the facts or information presented -he just does not want to be confused by the facts, so to speak.

[Alky]

doctor won't prescribe baclofen..

Take, I would strongly advise NOT taking the book. Both Lo0p and Kroncarr had bad reactions when presenting doctors with the book. Stick with the scientific stuff. I can provide you with what I have.

I would really consider finding an addiction psychiatrist. I go to a family practice clinic at a teaching hospital, so I usually see a resident. When I told the resident I was taking baclofen and why, she left the room and came back with the attending, who angrily demanded I stop and told me, "no one here will ever write you a prescription for baclofen." So your GP's reaction comes as no surprise to me.

As far as I know Lo0p's operation is done, although I'm picking up some chatter that it may still be going. There's also been some chatter about people getting their own power and mixing their own liquid bac. You'll have to poke around on the threads to find out more, because it's not something I'm comfortable talking about. And discussing those topics here may attract the attention of the authorities and get this forum shut down. Again, poke around on the threads and you'll figure out who knows what. Please just do it discreetly via private messaging or email and not publicly.

Also, I just wanted to define what "indifference" means for me. Indifference means that you can turn down a drink. You can be presented with alcohol and it's finally an option to say no. You CAN just as easily drink on baclofen as off it. In fact, I relapsed quite badly on baclofen, something I would highly recommend you avoid. Rarely was I a falling down drunk, but on bac and alcohol, I became one. I'd have no recollection of the fall, just extremely nasty bruises, one totaled and another damaged pair of glasses. Bac is a muscle relaxant, after all. Once I got back to the point of being a blackout drunk, the bac made no difference whatsoever and I'm just starting to feel like it's having an effect again and I frequently have to supplement with an additional 10mg several times a day in addition to my regular 90mg daily dose. I'm also doubling down with some leftover campral I have. Campral doesn't work if you're drinking, another thing that's helping me stay sober after my relapse.