Question about Tizenidine

[Mike in Maine]

Have another question for you all (hope I’m not being a pain), the Doctor has me on 90mg (3X30) a day of baclofen (tolerate well) and I’m still having a lot of issues with the spasticity especially in the neck, arms and ribs. He has now added 2mg of Tizenidine to be taken with the Baclofen and this is dropping me in my tracks. I tried to phase it in slowly over time but no matter what I try it still puts me out. I believe the tizenidine would be effective if only I can get past the side effects. Have any you had a bad time with tizenidine and were you able to work though it?

 

[Tokahfang]

It took me about 3-4 weeks to adjust to the Tizanidine. The first day I took it I collapsed to sleep in 15 minutes! It became tolerable after that first month.

 

[IhavePLS]

Hi Mike, agree with Beky...it does take a while to adjust to these types of meds. I've been on either (and on both) at different times, and I clearly do better on baclofen (I see you are at the highest dose, which is why tizanidine is being added).

I would only suggest that tizanidine can be extremely hard on the liver -- insist that you have liver enzyme studies, as some people are highly sensitive to it.....this includes me - after I was started on tizanidine, my liver enzymes elevated to well over 30 times the norm. Two weeks after my neuro stopped it, they were normal again (I'll note here that the term "normal" doesn't explain whether even brief toxicity can have adverse longer-term effects).

Mikee

 

[billbell52]

The doctor prescribed 3 2mg pills/day. Just one wiped me out. I decided to take them just before bedtime to get my body adjusted. It helped with leg cramps I get at night. It really took months to get adjusted. I generally only take 1 during the day and one or two at night.

 

[Mike in Maine]

Again thanks for the replys, even though I find relief from the Tizenidine, I have deceided not to take it and hang with just the Baclofen. Can't handle those side effects.

 

[billbell52]

Mike, one option is to take 1 pill at bedtime for a few months to build up your tolerance. It actually helped with my sleep. Then take 1 during the day and see how you do.

 

[old dog]

Mike - I take tizanidine (2 mg) at bedtime. Occasionally take 4 mg if I'm having a bad day. It is the medication that relieves the "jumpy leg syndrome" for me. I have been taking this medication for about three years with no adverse effects to my liver. I take 10 mg of Baclofen in the morning and am supposed to increase this to another 10 mg tablet in mid-afternnon. I haven't done this yet because I'm dealing with other issues and don't want to further impair my cognitive abilities.

The suggestion that you monitor your liver enzymes closely is a valuable one, if you should decide to give this meds another try.