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    Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

    :new: Hello everyone. This is my first attempt at this, so I hope I don't mess it up!

    My circumstances for being here are slightly different than most of the threads I have read. I was involved in a major car accident over in early 2007. It was a head on collision, my car caught fire and I was pulled out by a bystander before the car blew up. I have had all sorts of operations and complications since, but am on the whole 'mended' except for an ever lingering phobia of being in the car.

    As part of this I have been seeing a Psychologist called W. She and I have talked endlessly about my levels of anxiety. I constantly dream I am falling, have panic attacks that wake me up, and have the constant 'noise' of anxiety in my head . W told me about Dr A and his book, which I read. Here is someone who realised he had huge anxiety problems. Through seeing W I am now very aware that even before the car crash I have always had anxiety issues, right back to my childhood. The crash just pushed me right over the edge. I am a problem drinker, mainly to make me relax, unwind and stop my constant sense of fear. W says this is known as self medicating.

    So I started on Baclofen. 5mg three times a day for 5 days, then up to ten, then I eventually went up to 20mg three times a day. My side affects over the last two months have been bad. I am now back down to 10mg three times a day...but I need help/advice.

    I have varied the times I take them. Currently around 8am, then 3pm, then about 9pm? I was taking 6.30am, 11.00am then 4pm. I have messed about with amounts and times but I am really really struggling. I am tired, I regularly wake in the middle of the night for hours with my mind racing, my facial muscles are being affected and it doesn't feel like my facial expressions are working properly, I am quite zombie like and it feels like I have a dull headache for most of the day. I am now starting to get an aching jaw too? My eye sight is blurred. I am really hungry for most of the mornings (random I know). But worsed of all, throughout the day my anxiety builds, the muscles in my arms tighten, I get a tight feeling across my chest, and frankly I can't wait to get home and have a glass of wine to numb this feeling...which is the complete opposite of what I thought I would be feeling!!!:upset:

    When I was in my first week of 5mg three times a day I really experience a wonderful sense of peace and calm...a huge sense of complete tranquility...that was it...I thought I was cured forever...then once I went up to 10mg it all started to get worse from there. I desperately don't want to just give up as I know how good that first week felt, but I am almost more reliant on a few glasses of wine in the evenings as my anxiety has increased considerably!

    Can anyone advise me on what to do? Has anyone else experienced this? I honestly couldn't cope on 60mg a day, so I know I can't go as high as that. What times should I take them? Is this a factor.

    PLEASE HELP!

    #2
    Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

    Hi and Welcome Ruby,
    What a very scary experience you went through.
    I don't think I will be much help but I did want you to know that I am here and reading your post. I have been playing with the dosages of Bac as well. I take 20 in the am; 10 in the afternoon and 10 at night right now and that seems to be doing ok.

    I am sure more will respond. Best of luck to you.
    "Keep your eyes and heart focused on the end goal at all times, and never settle for less."

    Comment


      #3
      Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

      Hi and welcome Ruby.

      I have only been taking Bac for a couple of months now and haven't gone over 60mg's. This I have to spread throughout the day in 10mg doses -- I just can't handle Bac if I take more than 10mg's at a time.

      I hope others pop in to give you better advice.
      Just wanted to wish you well on your journey:-)
      "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it"

      Comment


        #4
        Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

        Ruby,

        You are most certainly having some bad side effects from the Baclofen.

        I would titrate back down until the side effects subside a bit, then titrate up very slowly by 5 mg increments.

        Spacing them out more frequently such as Dee Bee suggests is a great idea, too.

        Good luck with it. I do think you can be successful with it. I know my body has adjusted well to it over time and my very few side effects are all but gone.

        btw, :welcome:, and we are glad you are here.

        Cindi
        AF April 9, 2016

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          #5
          Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

          Thanks so much

          :goodjob: Thanks so much for being in touch. Its so nice to get support.

          Comment


            #6
            Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

            Mix and match?

            So you don't necessarily take three lots...you take what you know is your maximum threshold but over several doses?

            How long do you leave between doses then? I have tried 3 hours and up to six hours, but the tension just builds and builds

            I tried taking the morning one, then tried one mid afternoon so its affects could be felt by my 'dark hours'...but nothing?

            My worst time of the day (dark hours) for anxiety and feeling really fretful is from around 4.30pm to around 7.30pm...if I can get through that then I seem to be ok...but that is when my anxiety is at its heart gripping worsed!

            Interesting that one of you is taking the highest dose in the morning then less later? How come?

            I was so worried no one would reply!!! Thanks so much...its great to feel less isolated.:thanks:

            Comment


              #7
              Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

              Ruby,

              It appears we have all found our "sweet spots" in terms of doses and when.

              I got up to 4 doses a day of 40 mgs a dose at one time. I had horrible side effects but was willing to go through them because I was desperate to quit drinking. I had reached the "as bad as it can get" state for a while there. If I was awake, I was drinking and there was no sipping going on. I shudder when I look back at it.

              When I titrated back down, I finally ended up at three doses a day of 40 mgs, then down to 2 doses a day of 40 mgs.

              It took months to get back down. I simply do not want to drink again and I was much more careful going down than going up.

              Currently, I take 80 mgs a day in 2 doses. I have taken a prn dose of 20 mgs in the evening if I get antsy and start thinking about a drink to relax. When I do that, I get back the strange dreams and night sweats that I had at my higher dose. I find that the closer I take my last dose to bedtime, the more difficult it is for me to get a good rest due to the dreams and sweats.

              One thing MWO has done for me is that I know I am never alone again. MWO and the people here have quite literally saved my life.

              Cindi
              AF April 9, 2016

              Comment


                #8
                Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                Wow

                Oh to find my 'sweet spot' soon!

                Reading each story really is amazing. Cinders, your words are very powerful indeed. Keep going.

                How interesting re sleeping. I was taking my doses earlier in day, with the last one late afternoon because I went to sleep easily at first, but then woke up to see most of the small hours, only falling asleep again through utter exhaustion! So I figured if I take it closer to bed time it would make me sleep through, but you are so right, I have had mental dreams!!!

                I also note that you mention months not days. I am clearly very impatient indeed!!! However my tension is really really bad so I am desperate for the inner peace I felt in week one. Its was heavenly it truly was.:thumbs::happy:

                Keep the advise coming please:wd:

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                  #9
                  Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                  Down day

                  I felt reasonably up yesterday afternoon but I am having a down day today. My head is blurred and I just feel so drained.

                  So if I am drinking more because I feel more tense on Baclofen, then when might my 'cravings for alcohol' pass and reverse this feeling???

                  How long before I reach a stable point...its been two months...so must I keep going another two or more...how do I know if its going to work for me at all?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                    Ruby,

                    My psychiatrist recommended Bach Flowers Remedy for anxiety. She said it works very well and is homeopathic.

                    I have never tried it and the Baclofen has kept my anxiety at bay fairly well.

                    Just thought I would throw that out there. Perhaps others here have tried it and can weigh in?

                    Cindi
                    AF April 9, 2016

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                      Yup!
                      Never had that much effect from Bach Flower Remedy! Apparently you can use it safely on your pets too! But never felt too much of anything effective!
                      Sorry
                      Chicken

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                        I am waiting for my first delivery of Baclofen and I am really scared about the side affects mentioned here,what should I expect when I first take them?
                        Twitch

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                          Baclofen - you just need to experiment

                          Hi everyone

                          I just found this site, and registered immediately.

                          I am a professional ghostwriter for 'celebrity' autobiographies, and have been an alcoholic for about five years. It has fortunately never really affected my work, but just about everything else has collapsed. After a few ups and many downs, I discovered baclofen about 4 months ago. It has been a rocky road, with simply bizarre dreams, and other symptoms; including genuine transient paralysis of my right arm.

                          I got absolutely no help from my doctor, but fortunately have a 'tame' doctor friend. Therefore, I had the confidence to mess around with the dose. My own 'ideal' is 50mg twice a day, the last dose being no later than 6pm. On this, I have absolutely no cravings and all my anxieties, stresses etc have all but gone.

                          You just have to persevere. It will come right for you. I ran out of baclofen a couple of weeks ago because my 'secret' supplier let me down. Within four days, I was in a terrible state, and it took a good four or five days to start to feel OK again once the tablets arrived.

                          Yesterday, I stumbled across what looks like a brand new web site written by a doctor treating his own alcoholism with baclofen. It's baclofen4alcoholism.com. There's not much there yet, but it might be really useful. He's doing a blog too. There's only one posting, but it's dr-phill.baclofen4alcoholism.com.

                          Hope this helps a bit.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                            Garstang,

                            :welcome: and thank you for the post.

                            I look forward to seeing what the doctor has to say in the future.

                            Currently there is only the home page.

                            Very happy the baclofen is helping you, too.

                            Cindi
                            AF April 9, 2016

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Baclofen - When, how much, side affects...need advise please

                              Hi Ruby,

                              I have been AF since 9/21/09. I am in an outpatient program through my medical insurance (Kaiser in the US). The doc put me on Paxil for anxiety and it has helped tremendously. I was on 1/2 tablet for 1 week, then 1 tablet a day now (20 mg). It has done wonders for my mood, AND I don't seem to have cravings for AL. He told me I could have been self-medicating for the anxiety and I think he was right. I still think about drink and try to avoid situations where there might be alcohol because I know it will be hard to have it right under my nose. I go to group sessions and AA meetings also.

                              I did start taking L-Glutamine the same day as I started taking the full dose of Paxil, so I am not entirely sure which one did it. I may stop taking the L-Glutamine just to see if it is that or not. Maybe it is the combination of both.

                              Maybe you should talk to your doctor about taking something else, like a medication specifically for anxiety. The Paxil really did help me. I am on a nice even plane emotionally. Not really any side effects either, except for some drowsiness and a little constipation, but nothing I can't handle.

                              Good luck!!

                              A

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