Baclofen advice required

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I'm dreading going back on bac tbh. Last time the side effects were so bad I began hallucinating. I was on a long-haul plane trip and told the flight attendants I wanted to get off. I thought I was on a boat and got very confused. It took me 10 mins to get orientated and realise where I was. It was so embarrassing - I was talking rationally to the attendants saying 'no I got on here by mistake, my baggage isn't with me, I need to get off at the next stop'. ...



I decided to tritrate up to my switch while on vacation. Lol. it worked but I'm still scarred by the memory of the side effects.

Woah there Nellie! I'm going to put forth a very educated guess that you took WAY too much baclofen. Why would I say that? Been there. More than once, unfortunately. So this time, it's kind of simple. Slow and steady will get you there without terrifying (or embarrassing) hallucinations. Or a whole host of other side effects.



I wonder if the flight attendant is still telling that story? Ha! (Not to make light of it, but it is kinda funny.) (And definitely not making fun of you!)

[nicnak68]

Going up to 180mg today (my switch before)
Sickness is mostly gone but am sleeping REALLY badly at night,only about 2 hours in half hour segments,waking up all through the night panicky about what time it is ect.
Still really bad tention in my neck and shoulders.I am simply desperate to relieve this and am resorting to taking one of hubbys tramadole but limiting it to every 3 days when I get really desperate.
Anyone know of anything I could ask my doc for that would affect Baclofen.Ive ordered some calms forte but they are not due for a few days yet

[Lostinspace]

nicnak - I’m so sorry about the insomnia. It’s truly debilitating. I experienced severe insomnia for a long time prior to starting bac - as in sleeping about two to three hours a night for weeks on end before I would crash for a couple days. The only reason I’ve never had that side effect with bac is because I started a medication for insomnia shortly before starting on bac. I really wouldn’t recommend it, though, for a number of reasons, even if just because it’s starting to no longer work and you become dependent on it to get even a sh*tty night's sleep. I really hope the calms forte helps or that you’re able to get something from your doctor temporarily. I’ve found that a lot of times, even if I don’t actually fall asleep, if I just lie still with my eyes closed for a while, focus on my breath, and try to clear my mind and relax, that I’ll actually feel somewhat rested - or at least more rested than I did before. The key is to not get yourself riled up about the fact that you can’t sleep, to try your best not to worry about anything else, and to just try to lie there and meditate. It really does help. I hope you can get some good rest soon. Hang in there.

[knobert]

Hey Nic

I'm sorry to here you,re not sleeping. That can make everything really tough!

My doctor gave me a prescription for Zolpidem(generic ambien), 10mg. I would cut them in half and I would take 5mg at bedtime and then another 5mg if I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Zolpidem is a hypnotic that works well to put you to sleep but it doesn't last too long.
Also, I wouldn't wake up foggy.

Also, Sometimes I would take diphenhydramine hcl if I did not have zolpidem. You can get that anywhere. I bought mine at Target.

Good luck

Did 4 times a day help your stomach?

Best wishes

Knobert :thumbsup:

[knobert]

Nic

By the way, I made my Dr. fully aware of Dr. A and baclofen. She prescribed 80 mgs bac for me and monitored my escalation every step of the way.

My point is, she knew about my bac and how much I was taking when she prescribed the Zolpidem.

Take care

Knobert

[Mom21961]

Going up to 180mg today (my switch before)
Sickness is mostly gone but am sleeping REALLY badly at night,only about 2 hours in half hour segments,waking up all through the night panicky about what time it is ect.
Still really bad tention in my neck and shoulders.I am simply desperate to relieve this and am resorting to taking one of hubbys tramadole but limiting it to every 3 days when I get really desperate.
Anyone know of anything I could ask my doc for that would affect Baclofen.Ive ordered some calms forte but they are not due for a few days yet

Some Melatonin might help, and valerian root is also really good, for both stress and sleep issues. Smells awful, but works well. You can probably get it at your local drugstore, and if you're in the US, GNC will have both. They also carry some products that are sleep aids that combine different herbs. As you know, I'm partial to the calms forte, but this could help in the meantime (and I use the melatonin with the calms). Good luck!

[nicnak68]

I took a zopiclone tonight as well añs a tramadole (hubby had a spinal accident 2 years ago and spend 6 months in stoke Mandeville hospital and has his own mini pharmacy lol) ...obviously I only do this when I'm really despirate.Im awake now but did get about 4 or 5 hours straight is a godsend.Have to be up in an hour for work so will try the breathing and meditation just to relax a bit but feeling my shoulders tensing up already

[knobert]

Hey Nic

Boy, I'm not sure what to tell you about your neck and shoulders tensing up. I'm sure not sleeping enough is sure to make it worse as you are just not getting enough down time.

Surprisingly, baclofen, classified as a muscle relaxant, doesn't seem to be very effective for these kinds of things. Dr. A used to get twitches in his calves. That was his excuse for studying the high dose bac before he revealed the real reason. He called it muscular dystonia. He remarks in his book, that after all the baclofen that he took, he still would get twitching in his calves.
I think bac is more an antispasmatic as experienced for example in ms patients.

I have a chronic lower back problem and when it hits, my lower back muscles lock up and I can barely move. Baclofen has done nothing for that.

My doctor prescribed flexeril, a muscle relaxant, and it did help somewhat. It might help with your neck. You may want to ask your Dr. about that as well.

Once again, my Dr. knew about my HD baclofen when she prescribed this. I experienced absolutely no problems with the zolpidem or flexeril in combination with my baclofen.

I hope this is informative

Wishing you the best

Knobert :thumbsup:

[knobert]

Just wondering if Danathos is out there somewhere?

[Mentium]

Just to say that concerning side effects of baclofen use I have twice had experiences that lasted a few minutes each where what I am seeing seems to flicker and for a moment I seem to see the same thing, only differently. It is an odd experience and quite hard to describe well. It isn't scary or alarming bit it does feel a tad bizarre. Both times it has happened when I have upped the dose. Am now at 60 mg and ready to go to 70 tomorrow.

(Posting on an iPad tethered to my phone in a hotel in London! Will hopefully contribute a little more here when I get home).

[knobert]

Hi Ment

That's an interesting SE.
I'm not sure I totally understand the symptoms.
You said it happened twice, both times after you escalated. Glad it went away and you were able to continue with your bac.

Curious to see if you keep getting that once each time you progress.

You're in a hotel. Do you travel for work? I had a job for about 10 years where I had to travel extensively from the middle U.S. as far west as Hawaii. People would say to me that it sounds glamorous. For me, traveling for your work was anything but.

Sounds like you're doing pretty good.

Take care

Knob :thumbsup:

[Mentium]

Hi. I'm on a short break with family doing tourist type stuff in London for three days Knob. I am still drinking but my problem is not as severe as many - though bad enough. Get through a bottle and a half of wine most evenings. Can't quit though despite numerous attempts, most recently last year with AA when I was sober for ten months or so. Trying baclofen as the cravings get me every time and start the old roller coaster off again.

Hi Ment

That's an interesting SE.
I'm not sure I totally understand the symptoms.
You said it happened twice, both times after you escalated. Glad it went away and you were able to continue with your bac.

Curious to see if you keep getting that once each time you progress.

You're in a hotel. Do you travel for work? I had a job for about 10 years where I had to travel extensively from the middle U.S. as far west as Hawaii. People would say to me that it sounds glamorous. For me, traveling for your work was anything but.

Sounds like you're doing pretty good.

Take care

Knob :thumbsup:

[Spellers]

deleted

[lex]

Mentium-

Not to put too fine a point on it, but instead because it might be helpful to someone, I suggest that "cravings" are what an alcoholic/alcohol abuser gets AFTER they have taken the first drink. One doesn't "crave" alcohol until one puts some of it in his or her body.

The problem many of us have who are trying to quit drinking is not that we have a physical craving for alcohol (unless we are in active withdrawal). It is that we have a mental obsession for alcohol. The obsession compels us to take the first drink. When we do so, the phenomenon of "craving" kicks in, which of course makes it difficult to stop having another and another drink. For me, when I learned the difference between a "craving" for alcohol and an "obsession" with alcohol, I saw the light. I realized that although I myself don't have much of an obsession with drinking provided I abstain (which makes quitting easy), I do have a very real alcohol problem because I most definitely "crave" alcohol- BUT ONLY AFTER I make that decision to have the first drink (which makes having the first drink problematic! osteroops.

Hope this helps someone. Disclaimer" I am not a card-carrying (or any other kind of) AA member- I just think their Big Book has this part (and much else) right!

PS- I'm not implying baclofen does or does not help with the cravings and/or with the mental obsession but leave that to others

[Mentium]

I appreciate the distinction you are making Lex, and if you are right then I am barking up the wrong tree in my approach and my hope that baclofen provides 'my way out'. If you are right then it should at least get me started.

Having said that it was not, it seems Dr Ameisen's experience. In his case he just lost the desire to drink, period.

And my experience what has undone my attempts to quit has been an overwhelming desire to get that alcohol high a few days, weeks or months into sobriety. I have been defenceless when that creeps up on me. I remember once some years ago when I was literally in tears as I walked to the off license because I didn't have the resources to stop myself.

Anyway I shall continue with the baclofen for now and see where we get to in the next couple of weeks and if that 'switch' clicks off..and more importantly stays off.

Your input much appreciated.