Need Different meds, what should i do?

[IcyPinkLemonade]

I have been taking baclofen, 20mgs every 2hrs. Yrs I know that's a lot, and yes you may wonder how I can stand not sleep but I needed that much to cross the blood brain barrier. I feel really stiff, I have muscle spasams but they don't turn into pain from that. I'm just so stiff and it feels like built up tension in my shoulders.

Sometimes the baclofen doesn't cover all the pain, or if I forget a dose I'm usually f'ed for the rest of the day, or if I do too much I don't recover til the next day or dayafter. My main problem is that, but also I need to have surgery on my ankles. Baclofen is opiate resistant, I always wondered when I took a pain pill every once in a while why I just felt high but was still in pain...

I KNOW I will need opiates for my surgery. I'm NOT good with pain, surprised I'm actually dealing with this. So I need to try diff medicine. Help please! I was looking at zanaflex, but it looks like lol do that first then baclofen, making it seem less effective. I've heard gabapentin is good, but I'm assuming just that will not do the trick. I have to talk this over with my pcp cuz my neurologist had his secretary tell me he gives the diagnosis and my pcp does everything else so...if you haven ideas or suggestions it would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Alyoop]

I have never heard or read, that baclofen is opiate resistant. I know it can help with opiate addiction. If it is opiate resistant? Then you can have non opiate based analgesics. You will need to discuss it with your Doctor, and find alternatives.

I am interested in your comment about overdoing it, and taking a couple of days to recover. Seems to be a common problem with pls. I can be floored for 24. -48 hours after doing strenuous exercise without very frequent breaks.

 

[AKmom]

baclofen does not seem to effect my pain meds. When I take a norco for instance, they usually work, and not with a high feeling for me. Although I do not take much opiate based meds as you can grow a tollerance to them if you take them too often and then they wont work. I am intersted where you read that baclofen makes the opiate resistant?

Yes, overdoing will cause me to be layed up for days afterward. No fun at all!

 

[momofsixkids60]

Seems 2 me UR doasge of Baclofen seems vrey high. From what my PCP (who was a phjarmacist in the armuy 1st), 1 should not take more than 80 mg per dauy. Hace thjey tallked 2 U about the Baclofen pump? How about othjre muscle relaxamts with the Baclogfed? I take sevreal diffrent 1's at diffrent intrevals. Valium & Amitriptylime R also qiute helpfiul.

& I too hace learmed ecem a trip 2 the drs cam cauise me to B laid up 4 secreal dauys.

 

[notme]

I make it a habit to read all the warnings on all medications I take. I was just started on baclofen TID. NOTHING in any of my research shows that it has any type of reaction which would cause pain medications to be less effective. I also take valium 10mgs BID and morphine TID.

Valium alone wasn't stopping my muscle spasms, nor was zanaflex, so she gave me baclofen. I have read that the dosage should not exceed 80mgs a day.

Baclofen is a CNS depressant, and can enhance the effects of other CNS meds--which may be why you feel a little 'high' with pain meds. Also, if they didn't help your pain, it might not have been a high enough dose. Remember, with most on pain meds, they develop a tolerance, and the 'high' feeling doesn't last very long. There is no reason you can't take pain meds after your surgery with baclofen, too. My doctor is aware of my morphine scripts, too, and said it is not a problem at all.

Your neur is prescribing you a TON of it, apparently. It's excreted through the kidneys....I'd imagine too much of it may cause problems in that area over time.

Some of your symptoms are actually side-effects of baclofen. Are you sure that it's not the high dose causing some of the problems with your shoulders?

At any rate--apparently baclofen and diazapam can be used together--though they'd watch for enhanced drowsiness of course.

I was on 3600mgs of Neurontin--it did nothing for me for pain--and caused severe swelling in my legs as well as major mental 'fog' that was horrid. I finally stopped it on my own.

Hopefully, they'll find a working combination for you.