Tapering

[kamfer]

Hello, I´m on a dosage of 300 mg of baclofen, and trying to taper down because I feel extremely hyper all the time, and I can´t stop obsessing about everything that comes to mind; the problem is that when I tried to taper down 10 mg each week the past two weeks I got horrible anxiety and depression on top of the obsessive thoughts...so my question is simply: How fast are you able to taper down, what has worked for you?

On a side note, the paradoxical effect of hyperactivity and paranoia may come from a dopamine-effect from baclofen? Because I used to abuse ritalin, and baclofen in this high dosage feels even more stimulating than ritalin ever did... for reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/406622

[Spiritfree]

Hi kamfer -sorry to hear of your woes coming down from baclofen. What does your medical doctor advise?
I hope all goes well for you.

[Lostinspace]

Hi kamfer. I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble coming down on bac. It sounds like the hyperactivity and paranoia that high-dose bac caused for you could be mania. That’s an unfortunate adverse event associated with baclofen. It doesn’t happen for most people, but for some it does. And as much as our side effects vary, so does our capability for going up and down in dosage. It sounds like you just need to go a lot slower than what you think you might need. Try going down 10 mg every 2, or even 3, weeks. You’ll have to play around with the scheduling to see what works. Good luck to you!

[kamfer]

Hey Fred, thanks for your kind offer, but I think maybe I will just try maybe 5 mg a week or so; but I`m just interested in how others have tapered, and how were the side effects, and if so, what did you do, continue the taper, or stay on the dosage until the side effects subside? (as I have never gone down before, only up, and not having a problem with it, but going down is a whole other story...)

[kamfer]

Lostinspace, yeah it sounds about right, I am rapidly switching between feeling extremly good and extremly bad, so mania is very probable...it´s just that I want this state to go away, therefore I want to go down fast, but of course, that is impossible, so I guess I just have to tough it out, I really painted myself into a corner going so high, but I just didn´t realize it (since I was manic....haha..)

[StuckinLA]

I usually went up or down by 10mg every 5 days or a week. Anxiety can be a bitch in the high doses - and it's difficult to know what to do, if you need to go down faster or slower. Like Fred said, try not to make split-decisions in the moment. Sit down and figure out the doses for the upcoming week or so, and stick to the plan as long as you're feeling all right.

[Ga.peach]

Hi Kamfer - I never had to go over 100mg a day. When I tapered it was 5 mg a day until I got down to 35 mg a day. Guess I was lucky cause I had very little side effects. I am not sure if you can ever get off - I still need to take that 35 mg every day.So sorry you are having all these problems.

[Molly78]

Kamfer - the side effects & the tapering seem to be very individual. Some of us have few SE, some find them unbearable. A lot depends, obviously, on co-morbidities - you mention mania as a possibility, presumably bipolar? Maybe you need to be on some other treatment as well as baclofen?

Sorry to hear you are having these problems. Do you have a doctor you can speak to?

[kamfer]

Hello again, thanks for your answers. Molly78, no, have not been diagnosed with bipolar, and don´t really think I am, it is just a side effect I unfortunately happened to get...but I didn´t have it in lower doses, so thats where I´m heading.. I am not very comfortable adding too much more drugs right now, simply because I don´t think there is a lot of science of what can safely be combined with such a high dose of baclofen. (I tried adding lexapro for a little while, and I went COMPLETLY nuts for a while, I mean, serious delirium) But have any of you had any success with sleeping meds like ambien? Or benzos for the panic attacks? Or is it not a good idea with HDB? (rebound insomnia, more anxiety etc...) My doctor can only give me very general advice it seems, as of course, it´s not many people around here where I live on HDB. (Although there should be -lots of drunks haha..)

[kamfer]

No inputs on use of benzos ?

[Molly78]

I use quetiapine 50mg for sleep along with the baclofen (I'm at about 100mg daily). I read about it on here & ordered it via the internet as no way would a doctor prescribe it for sleep, it's licensed as an atypical anti-psychotic for schizophrenia It works well for me. Been on it about 18 months & haven't had to increase the dose.

I think ambien (zopiclone) is one of those meds that you can get habituated to & have to keep raising the dosage, so I would avoid.

As for benzos......stay away. Dangerous, addictive, worse than alcohol.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Hi, Kamfer.



I was pretty speedy when I got over 300 mg, too. I was also completely bamboozled. I went down dramatically, initially. (Not a good idea.)



The last time I tapered down I think it was 10 or 20 mg per month. That might not work for you, if you're really experiencing unpleasant side effects.



I think you can use other medications judiciously. I do. Intermittent benzo use...my pDoc told me that I could take it for 10 days, initially, when I was having serious anxiety and panic attacks. Now, I have them for really taxing occasions. She advised that I never take them two days in a row, never take more than a certain amount a day, and don't use them to feel "normal".



I am taking several other medications, and still switching them around, to combat depression (and anxiety, of course). So my sleep is pretty cattywampus, and I couldn't tell you what might work for you.



Atypical antipsychotics have helped a bunch of people with sleep and side effects, but you should really get it from a doctor who can help manage it. I used benadryl and melatonin, with varying degrees of success.



Are you drinking? Are you exercising? Are you eating? Those things hurt/help, too.



Hang in there.