Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

[panico]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so please be gentle. I'm having a terrible time on Baclofen and could really use some advice from those who have tried it before.

I have suffered from social and generalised anxiety all my life, and recently stumbled across this forum and all the wonderful stories of those who found that Baclofen completely eliminated the anxiety that led them to drink. That struck a chord for me - I'm not a classic 'alcoholic' in that I can go through a whole week (or longer) without a drink, but I have always used alcohol in social situations as an incredibly effective way of eliminating my social anxiety.

As I had some stressful situations at work coming up, I was very worried about my anxiety getting in the way, so I immediately ordered some online, without having done nearly enough research into the darker side of Baclofen.

I started about two and a half weeks ago on a dose of 30mg per day, then went up to 50mg after three days, and 70mg after another three days. I did have a day about 4-5 days after that where I took about 9 or 10 (I lost count during the day, terrible as that is!) but then dropped back to 7.

I realise this is almost certainly too fast - I was following what I read was Dr A's titration schedule, but I see that most people recommend going more slowly. However, I felt OK up to and including my first couple of days on 70 - some days of heavy tiredness, but some other days where my anxiety was reduced to zero and I felt very positive. But about 3-4 days ago, I had a terrible night of horrendous nightmares, buzzing in my ears, and poor sleep, after which I felt like a wreck at work - incredibly hard to stay awake or make normal conversation. Sadly I have remained in that state ever since - I have slept a bit better but still feel awful during the day - and the positive effects have disappeared altogether.

Thankfully it's now Saturday, but what I am dreading is the fact that I have to start a new job on Monday - and I really don't feel in a state where I can handle normal social interaction, let alone a new job. I had hoped that if I stuck to 70 for a while I would stabilise, but that has not happened.

I feel trapped in a nightmare of my own making - I would love to stop taking this poison immediately, but I am terrified of the withdrawal effects. My plan was to take just 50mg today (dropping down from 70) and see how that goes for a couple of days, then if all is OK drop to 30, then down from there.

After just two and a half weeks do you think I am likely to suffer withdrawals? Could I stop taking it altogether (without titrating down) as I've been on it such a short time, or should I titrate? Am I going too quickly?

I realise I have been stupid and hasty in diving into this, and going up so quickly, and believe me, my self-flagellation is at an all-time high. I would be incredibly grateful for any support and advice you can give me, particularly those who have experience of stopping after taking for such a short time.

I also realise this medicine is a miracle for many of you, so my intention is not to knock it at all - it just wasn't for me.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Xadrian]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Some here say that when you took baclofen for only a short while, you can stop right away without a risk of severe withdrawal effects.

However, like you suggested, dropping to 50 and after 3 days to 30, etc. looks safer to me.
dropping 10 per day should be doable too, i.m.o.

I did 120 to 60 in 5 days without severe withdrawal effects and I have been on baclofen for over 2 years.

But: I'm not a doctor and everybody is different.

Success.

[chelsea98]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

it sounds to me like baclofen was working for you at around the 50-70mg mark so maybe titrate down to that, see if the anxiety lessens for you and if it does maintain at that level? you did indeed go up a tad too fast and started at double the dose (30mg) that I did (damn it must have knocked you out!).

without having any medical background at all i would say it would be fine to drop down 20mg every few days, i do that too going up or down by 20-30mg on occasions and it doesn't seem to have too big an effect on me. having said that, i've been on it over a year and had got used to much higher levels.

i hope you can reach a dosage level where you're comfortable with the side effects and gain the relief you previously got for your anxiety.

best of luck, welcome to the board, and let us know how you get on!!

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Thanks so much to both of you for taking the time to reply - and what you have to say is actually very reassuring as it sounds like my plan might be the best way forward. Part of me still wants to just not take any more and see how I feel tomorrow - but I realise that can be a dangerous path to go down. Would still love to hear if anyone out there has done that after a couple of weeks on bac though.

Thanks again.

[tee111]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

My first timing trying I went up way higher than your currently on and had no problem coming off more or less as fast as I went up if not faster. 2 to 3 weeks IMO isn't really enough for it to make roads into your system. Especially at a dose of under 100.

Maybe try and sit at 50 if you can handle it. As much as I love the good doctors book I find it a good read and nothing more. I absolutely wouldn't recommend the protocol to follow for the majority to use as a schedule. A 20 jump for most on the way up to 200 to 300 is hard going and would leave most in a bad place.

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Thanks tee111, that's really good to hear. I've only taken three so far today and considering taking just one more (40mg total) before bed and seeing how I get on. I just want this horrible cloudy head and anxiety to lift before my new job on Monday if at all possible.

[StuckinLA]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice.

After 2 1/2 weeks you could almost certainly stop cold turkey. Try taking 1/2 today, so 30 or 40mg, and see how you feel tomorrow. Changes take a couple if days to set in, so perhaps stay around 30 through the weekend.

Baclofen withdrawal is easy to fix - just take more baclofen.

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Thanks - I can't tell you how much it's meant to read your replies, it really makes me feel less like I'm struggling with this on my own. And it's great to hear that there probably wouldn't be any withdrawal syndrome at this stage. As you suggested StuckInLA, I think I'm going to stick to 30 today and see how I feel tomorrow - maybe I'll take another 30, or maybe I'll just stop taking the stuff. Fingers crossed I feel a bit better in the morning so I know I'm heading in the right direction. Thanks again for all your support.

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

So I woke up this morning feeling quite tired - as I didn't sleep so well - but also a lot better than yesterday, with the heaviness in my head having lifted somewhat. I didn't take a pill all morning, but then around lunchtime I thought I should take one just to help reduce the likelihood of withdrawal. I went to the gym, and within an hour I started to have the most terrible generalised anxiety, which has stayed with me until I got home just now.

So now I am wondering - is the anxiety a withdrawal effect? Or is it caused by the pill I took? Should I take another two pills to keep my dose at 30 the same as yesterday, or stop where I am? I realise there are no easy answers to these questions but if anyone has any views I would love to hear them. I am feeling very anxious about starting a new job tomorrow with my head screwed up like this.

Thanks all.

[Lostinspace]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Hi panico. Like everyone else here, I'm not a doctor, so I can only offer an opinion. I think it's unlikely that the anxiety is a sign of withdrawal, considering the very short time that you've been taking bac. However, you have been jumping around all over the place with your dosage, which could make it difficult for your body to adjust, and lead to some increased anxiety.

Also (and I could be way off base with this, so take it with a grain of salt), it's possible that your fear of withdrawal, as well as your fear of side effects from continuing to take it, is contributing to the anxiety you feel. Since you've been jumping around a lot with doses, I would suggest that you take the 30 mg today, and not play around with the dose any more at this point.

Also, you said that the bac actually was helping with your anxiety in the beginning. I've read about many people here having a similar experience - that the bac initially reduced their anxiety, but once they passed a certain dose, they began to have increased anxiety. Maybe you could try staying put at 30 mg for a while, then SLOWLY increasing to 50 mg (a dose where it still seemed to be helpful for you, but without side effects). I understand why you would want to get off it completely, as quickly as possible, given your recent side effects at 70 mg. But, if there's still a chance it could help you, it might be worth a shot.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck.

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Thanks Lostinspace, I don't think you're way off base at all - I'm a naturally anxious person (hence my experiment with baclofen) and I certainly have the capacity to snowball any situation into a major anxiety crisis. And the fact that I'm starting a new job in the morning is a major aggravating factor - obviously I want to be on good form to meet everyone etc. Having said that, the anxiety that I am feeling is very physical, and my head certainly doesn't feel 'right'.

I think you might be right that I'm best taking the 30mg at least for today - it's just so hard to keep popping these pills when they have got me into such a bad state. But I did feel good on them at first so maybe it'll be OK once the dose levels out at 30 - I guess I might still be feeling the effect of the 70mg dose as I hear it takes three days to feel the effect of a dose change.

I do have some clonazepam and am considering taking a small dose of that tonight to help me sleep and hopefully level off some of the anxiety tomorrow - though of course then there's always the risk of it adding to my grogginess. There really are no easy answers when you are self-medicating, are there?!

To be honest I don't see baclofen as a long-term solution for me - I hate the thought of dependency, and I don't like having to buy it from unreliable online suppliers. Even when I was feeling good, I was also very tired, and ended up popping pseudoephedrine to keep myself awake at work as caffeine didn't seem to cut it - and that's not a path I should really keep going down. Using one drug to counter the side effects of another drug is rarely a route to happiness.

Ugh, how I wish I'd never embarked on this little adventure...

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Just an update... I've now taken a quarter of a clonazepam tablet and the anxiety has disappeared completely - I feel a bit foggy but this is infinitely preferable to the anxiety. So this gives me confidence that I can manage my anxiety over the next few days with clonazepam as and when needed in order to make it through the first couple of days in my new job - obviously erring on the side of caution as I don't want to look like I'm drugged up to my eyeballs!

I realise benzos have dangers of their own, but I've taken them occasionally in the past and not got hooked - and I heard that so long as you don't take them longer than two weeks you are OK. But I am still hopeful that my mind might stabilise on the 30mg dose of baclofen and I might feel calm and collected again without any benzos... you never know.

This has been a horrible few days, here's hoping I wake up tomorrow morning and everything looks rosy...

[tee111]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

I sometimes take a small dose of diazepam to help with baclofen induced anxiety but I try not to as it makes me fell like ? zombie. My dos of 100mg seems a to be steadily getting used to my system so I'm hoping its balancing out.

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Yes the zombie thing isn't good - though preferable to feeling so anxious you can't speak to anyone. But good to know it's available just in case. Here's hoping things level out for both of us. Good luck in your journey!

[panico]

Trapped in Baclofen nightmare - please help!

Just an update for anyone in a similar predicament searching these forums in future. I've continued at the 30mg dose for the past three days, and luckily my mental state stabilised just in time for Monday morning and my first day in my new job - so that was a massive relief.

The downside is that I have not had a decent night's sleep for about 5 days now - I'm lying awake all night tossing and turning, getting dreams/hallucinations but no deep sleep, despite various types of sleeping tablets. But still, not too bad an outcome compared to how I was feeling at the weekend.

I'm going to stick at 30mg for a couple more days and see what happens I think, then I might continue to drop down towards zero, or if I continue getting anxiolytic effects I might stick with it for now (if the sleep problems stop).