Baclofen

[knobert]

Hey Nic, one more thing.

We talked about this quite a few posts back.
My Dr. prescribed me 10mg Zolpidem tabs(generic ambien). She knew my baclofen regimen so it's ok.
I would cut them in half and take a half at bedtime and if I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, I would take the other half.
If I remember right, I think you said you were going to see a doc on Harley street. If you haven't gone yet, maybe you could ask.
If you have gone already, did you check on it? The Zolpidem really helped.

[nicnak68]

I actually forgot to ask him about it but I have taken on occasion some of my hubbys zogoplioni(spelling) which is a sleeping tablet but I'm so paranoid about waking up late for work(I get up at 4.30 am) that it puts me off taking them to regularly

[knobert]

Could that be Zaleplon?

[knobert]

Also was it a pill or capsule and what were the mgs?

[nicnak68]

Zopiclone is the name and it is a tablet 750 mg

[knobert]

Hi Nic

It's not a good idea to take someone else's meds. I'm willing to mention zolpidem because it was prescribed for me and my Dr. knew I was taking baclofen. Zolpidem works well, but it didn't last very long. That's why I cut the pill in half and took half at bedtime and the other half only if I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Also I woke up clear headed. It has a much shorter half life than zopiclone. That's probably why. For me, that was great, because, like you, I to did not want to sleep through alarms.
But once again, your Dr. must determine what is right for you. I mainly wanted you to be aware that it was prescribed to me with my Dr.'s knowledge of my baclofen regimen.
I'm interested to know what he says.

Hope this helped

Knobert

[nicnak68]

I know I shouldn't take hubbys meds but I was desperate and like you only took half at anytime.I only actually used it about 3 times and the last time was about 3 weeks ago.Mainly because it didn't do much good,just helped me get to sleep which I didn't have much trouble doing,it was the waking up every half hour that was doing me in.
Anyway,it's 5.45am and have slept a lot better,between 3 and 4 hour blocks of sleep.
The only trouble is because I am so tired and don't get much sleep I actually spend a lot of time in bed.My kids must think I'm a lazy cow lol.
I'm in 240 now and trying to slowly to go over to the Bac that I've been prescribed in the uk.So not sure if I should go up again or wait till I'm taking all the same brand Bac.
I just don't know why I seem to need to go up higher this time but I spose its all unknown territory

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Nic, you're the one that reached indifference in like 16 days the last time, right? I'm going to guess that taking that much baclofen in that short a period of time had more to do with the difference between then and now. I really don't recommend people titrating up that fast because it can be pretty debilitating! So I'm glad you're back and taking it slow and steady. How long have you been at 240mg?



I cannot say enough about how important it is to attempt to get good quality sleep. Some of the best early advice I got (from Lo0p) was to "protect your sleep".



(Sorry if this sounds like a lecture!) Sleep hygiene is the first and easiest thing to practice. No screens at bedtime, or in the middle of the night. Lights out at same time every night. If you wake, you can get up and go do something restful, but no screens and no activities. Tea, warm milk, a bath, a ritual of some sort that prepares your mind and body for bedtime. (All this is hard with kids and life going on. But whatever. It's a goal and not important to be perfect!!)



I think it would be a good idea to visit your doctor and see if you can get a sleep aid of some sort. I used benadryl with varying success. (Trade names vary in different countries. It's diphenhydramine.) If I had to do that part of my life over again, I definitely would have gotten something stronger from my physician. Knobert's recommendation seems like a good one. And since you don't want to take anything like that too regularly, including benadryl, you can switch it out with benadryl, too. I still sometimes take benadryl when I wake up in the middle of the night ready to start my day. (Nothing like waking up at 2am feeling like it's 6am and ready to make the coffee! <sigh>) It makes me just drowsy enough to drift back into slumber.



Hang in there!

[nicnak68]

Been at 240 for about a week and taking it up 15mg today

[nicnak68]

I'm feeling that staying at a certain mg for too long seems to stall you?
Like recently I was only drinking no more than a bottle of wine a day but after being at 240 a while I'm starting to drink more.
I think I should defo try to go up 15mg every 4 days

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Yep. I think the prescription guidelines suggest 10-20mg/week. I don't think staying at one level for a long time is particularly productive. If the side effects are terrible, it's my very personal, very humble, opinion that going back down by 10 or 20mg is better than staying at a level that makes life intolerable. Then when things settle down, you can go back up again.

Conversely, because the side effects change with different levels, sometimes it's just as productive to go up a little bit.

Sounds like a good plan, Nic.

[knobert]

Hi Nic

Good luck at 255.

As far as why it is taking more this time is anybody's guess but it is definitely not uncommon.
wishing you the best
Knobert

[Mentium]

Just a word on the issue of supply given some of the anxieties around reliable ordering. Ordered 400 baclofen (pacifen) from Inhouse 7 days ago and they arrived today in the UK. No customs issues and good value too. The only down side is a rather fiddly payment system.

I have no interest or connections to the company! Thought people might like to know of a reliable source - here in the UK anyway.

Edit: A link for anyone interested.

https://www.inhousepharmacy.vu/

[Molly78]

Mentium, I use Inhouse as well & I like them, but over the past 12 months have had 2 different forms of delivery. One like yours, 7 days, no customs charge. The other deliveries take 28 days & require me to pay the customs charge before I can pick up the parcel!

I suspect this is some inconsistency in our beloved Post Office, or maybe HMRC having a bad day! Just be warned & order well in advance!

[Mentium]

Thanks Molly. I'm going to place a very large order I think to minimise the anxiety of running out due to this sort of inconsistency, though I suspect Prof Chick (who is prescribing for me as well) would not see one getting into trouble due to unforeseen glitches like this.

Mentium, I use Inhouse as well & I like them, but over the past 12 months have had 2 different forms of delivery. One like yours, 7 days, no customs charge. The other deliveries take 28 days & require me to pay the customs charge before I can pick up the parcel!

I suspect this is some inconsistency in our beloved Post Office, or maybe HMRC having a bad day! Just be warned & order well in advance!