Baclofen & Tizanidine combo?

[Trapped in myself]

Has anyone tried a combination of Baclofen & Tizanidine in small doses? I've been experiencing symptoms of PLS for going on 2 years now and have had limited success with both of these medications. I have stiffness & spasms, both of which are slightly decreased by one or the other meds. Things that affect my stiffness are the cold & stress or emotions. I'm also very stiff when first standing up after sitting for a while. I have to stand there for a minute befor I attempt to move or I'll lose my balance. Has anyone else experianced the same causes of stiffness?

 

[AKmom]

yes I am stiff after sitting up or laying down or anywhere that I have been for longer than a minute or so. Then I have spasms that get worse the longer I am up and moving about. So its a loose loose situation with me. I had taken tizanidine for years off and on. Never on a schedule until just this year when I couldn't walk anymore. But it always made me sleepy. So when I heard of baclofen on this site I asked the doc and we tried it. It seems to work about the same as tizanindine but without the sleepiness. I take it 3 times a day if I remember.

But it doesnt' take all the spasm and stiffness away. It only makes it so I can walk alittle better.

I also find that when I get upset or feeling pressured by anything I stiffen up significantly to the point of making it hard to make decisions. I get headaches that are totally just muscles on the outside of my skull that are knotted up and have to be massaged out. When I get stiff and painful to the point of not moving...even though I have taken my baclofen, I will take a tizanidine to help control the spastic mess I had become. This seems to usually work to getting it back down to tollerable levels.

 

[Tokahfang]

Many people on the mailing list took one of them to max dose, then the other, and if max dose of both doesn't do enough, add Klonapine. They have a good experience, so I can't imagine a mix of small doses would be bad.

 

[mookyred]

the two symptoms that can exacerbate PLS symptoms are: COLD AND ANXIETY. I moved to Florida for the winter. I will not take baclofen. I comprimised and take diazapam(valium) in small dose 4 mg a day, a secondary treatment for PLS. It has been a life saver for me. Physical therapy yearly is a must for me. Stretching exercises everyday help spasticity. I don't allow myself to get upset and remove people from my life that have the potential to get me upset. I also got those headaches on top of skull too but not to the extent you have to deal with. I used to get so stiff I actually looked like a tin man. After starting low dose of diazapam that stopped. Everyone is different with this damn disease. Now after I got rid of the stiffness from anxiety in my body....what the hell do you think happens....lol...my bublar muscles are weakening and I can't talk when I get upset. Oh, well, now have to find something for that. I also get sitff after sitting too long. Never know what's causing it because I has osteo arthritis in back, hips, and hands...so that's a toss up for me...lol....I just try to stay one step ahead of the disease and have a good attitude.