Posted by Hugh on February 23, 2014, at 11:48:23
In reply to Bacoflen, posted by brk23 on February 22, 2014, at 17:05:53
Two years ago I was taking a high dose of baclofen (75-100 mg a day) for muscle spasms in my lower back. It had the unexpected side effect of eliminating my depression and anxiety. But after a week, it started to cause terrible insomnia, so I stopped taking it. I later tried taking it at a lower dose, but it didn't work nearly as well as the high dose, and it started to aggravate my mitral valve prolapse. I'm extremely sensitive to stimulants, so most people could probably take baclofen and not experience the insomnia I did with it. In fact, some people report that their sleep improves on baclofen. One way it may improve mood is by increasing striatal levels of dopamine. An excellent book about baclofen is The End of My Addiction by Olivier Ameisen. If you take baclofen long-term, it should not be stopped suddenly. It should be tapered, otherwise it could cause seizures. Also, it causes somnolence initially, but this side effect usually fades away a few days after increasing your dose. So it's a good idea to not drive until the somnolence passes.
poster:Hugh
thread:1061073
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140214/msgs/1061100.html