The Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment of Baclofen Overdose

Even though there’s lack of slang, the rise of the street price (value) indicates that the drug has entered the market for illegal drugs. DoctorOnCall is Malaysia’s most complete digital healthcare platform to access clinics, pharmacies, hospitals and health laboratories online. DoctorOnCall provides online doctor and specialist consultation via video-call, voice-call, chat, e-pharmacy, health screening, vaccinations, health tests, health forum and health content. Patient with mild to moderate renal impairment will be needing dose adjustment while the use in severe renal impairment need a specialist evaluation to weigh in the potential benefit and risk.

So, here at Sana Lake Recovery Center, our mission is to help inform you of your treatment options and address any concerns you may have. Baclofen is a GABA-B agonist used to treat muscle spasms and belongs to a class of medications called skeletal muscle relaxants. The FDA approved baclofen for medical use in the United States in 1977.1 Since that time, doctors have used it to treat muscle spasticity. In 2004, Dr. Oliver Ameisen published the findings of a self-study he conducted to combat 7 years of failed alcohol treatments.

• The patient was given the drug in the pill form and eventually abused it, a behavior which the researchers attributed to the mood-elevating properties of the medication.
• It doesn’t make you sick when you drink, and it doesn’t affect the taste of alcohol.
• If you are taking other medications for health reasons, make sure to tell your doctor before you also start taking baclofen.
• The programs we offer are designed to help people discover the keys to beating the cycle of addiction and staying in recovery.
• Due to its addictive and dependence impacts, this class of drugs has been at the center of national and global focus in recent years.
• To avoid the unpleasant effects of withdrawal and to achieve the same results, people turn to baclofen abuse by taking it more often than needed or in larger doses.

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant and antispasmodic drug that helps alleviate muscle stiffness, spasms, and pain. Doctors may prescribe it to help treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis and other diseases and injuries of the central nervous system. A 2016 case study notes that reports of baclofen dependence and abuse are rare. However, abruptly reducing or discontinuing baclofen may result in withdrawal, especially if a person has been taking the drug for more than 2 months. As such, doctors recommend tapering the dose off gradually over 2–4 weeks to prevent withdrawal symptoms. An acute dose of 20 mg of baclofen can decrease the palatability of cigarettes.10 The patient might have substituted his cigarette with baclofen resulting in massive overdose of the drug.

• Human pregnancy data have been showing some adverse effects on the newborn baby as Baclofen does cross the placenta.
• During inpatient recovery, health care services can seek to resolve any other drug use problems or mental health concerns that you face besides Baclofen misuse.
• This drug can be prescribed for children and adults between the ages of 0 and 18 years to manage muscle spasticity and related conditions.
• Inpatient or residential treatment involves staying in the facility 24/7 for a specific number of weeks or months.
• For example, imagine that someone who takes baclofen for opiate withdrawals develops a tolerance to the drug and stops taking it.

What Is Baclofen? Can It Treat Alcohol Addiction?

Yes, it can be, and we want people who struggle with addiction to know that there is help. If you take baclofen for addiction and know that you are misusing it, we can help. We can also help if you have a loved one who takes baclofen for addiction and is struggling with misuse. The types of therapy professionals use are designed to treat mind, body, and spirit. They use cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to teach people to identify the causes of behaviors and change them.

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This is especially true if you stop using baclofen cold turkey. At Harmony Ridge Recovery Center, we feel that everyone in the area deserves the best treatment and support. We provide detox, residential treatment, partial hospitalization treatment, outpatient treatment, case management, and multiple types of therapies. Also, we treat co-occurring mental health disorders along with addiction. The highest-rated alcohol and drug addiction treatment center in Missouri.

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Because the sudden stop of baclofen can lead to dangerous effects, it’s important to slowly wean yourself off of the medication during detox. Without the help and supervision of professionals, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to overcome addiction. Effective treatment requires successful detox, followed by continuing therapy. When people try to detox on their own, the effects can be dangerous. For example, imagine that someone who takes baclofen for opiate withdrawals develops a tolerance to the drug and stops taking it. Should this occur in a person’s life, it is absolutely necessary to seek assistance from addiction treatment specialists.

It is important to treat both issues simultaneously since they can negatively affect one another and lead to relapse. Which one is better for a person depends on the individual’s home is baclofen habit forming environment, work, family commitments, and other personal factors. Inpatient or residential treatment involves staying in the facility 24/7 for a specific number of weeks or months. If a person experiences itching, swelling of the throat or face, difficulty breathing, severe dizziness, or severe itching, it may be an allergic reaction. While allergies to baclofen are rare, they require emergency medical attention. An overdose occurs when Baclofen ingestion vastly exceeds the recommended dosage.

As a cardiologist, Ameisen’s memoir about this process was certainly one that captured many people’s attention. But this treatment did not prove to be overwhelmingly successful. Medical professionals did find, however, that baclofen was helpful in minimizing spasticity.

Mixing Baclofen With Other Medications and Substances

The medicine has been considered helpful in treating anxiety and depression in individuals suffering from alcoholism or substance abuse. Studies have shown the success of Baclofen for anxiety in lowering the anxiety level in drug addicts. This effect, in turn, reduces their cravings to indulge in addictive behavior. It helps patients feel relaxed and calm, thus providing relief from anxiety, stress, and depression.

The patient was given the drug in the pill form and eventually abused it, a behavior which the researchers attributed to the mood-elevating properties of the medication. Whether you are looking to receive addiction treatment for baclofen or some other substance or mental health issue, Discovery Institute is here to help. To learn more about the addiction treatment services that we provide, contact us today.

Doctors may also prescribe baclofen for MS, spinal cord injury, and other conditions of the CNS. We also monitor your progress with the medication so that we can adjust your plan (if needed) and account for side effects. Most side effects of baclofen are mild, and we can typically control them by adjusting your dose. It can take time for your body to adapt to the new medication, so side effects are often reduced or removed by slowing dosage increases. Baclofen is non-habit-forming, so you don’t have to worry about trading one set of cravings for another.

Other substances that people often mix baclofen with to receive a high are opioids, alcohol, and amphetamines. Other people that could develop more side effects to baclofen include the elderly, and people with impaired renal function. If you have galactose intolerance, active peptic ulceration, or porphyria, do not take baclofen.