Baclofen (Lioresal)

Description

Baclofen is used to treat spasms, stiffness and pain in muscles caused by diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

 

 

 

Drug Information

 

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant that is also an antispastic medication. This means that it can be used in the treatment and prevention of symptoms caused by muscular diseases. These symptoms include spasms, muscle pain and stiffness.

 

Warnings

 

It is important to remember that this drug can cause your reaction and thinking power to be very impaired. This means that you shouldn’t drive or operate machinery if you can help it.

 

Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. Alcohol reacts with the drug and causes the incidence of side effects to increase.

 

If you are required to have a certain level of muscle tone in order to balance yourself in stationary positions and while moving, do not take Baclofen.

 

If you have been a regular user of this medication for prolonged periods of time, you may experience hallucinations and other withdrawal symptoms when you stop using Baclofen.

 

Never abruptly stop taking Baclofen unless you have spoken to your doctor about it first. To stop taking it, a gradual reduction of dosage over time is typically advised so you won’t go through withdrawal.

 

If you use Baclofen, you are also increasing your personal risk of developing an ovarian cyst. You can talk to your doctor about the risk to you as an individual.

 

Do not take Baclofen if you are allergic to it or any of the ingredients in it. Talk to your doctor about kidney issues, epileptic seizures and your medical history especially if you have had a stroke before.

 

The effect of Baclofen on unborn children is not known at this time. If you are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant while you are taking the drug, make sure you tell your doctor first.

 

At present it isn’t known whether the medication can pass through breast milk. Do not feed your newborn with your breast milk unless you tell your doctor about it first.

 

Dosage

 

Always take this medication exactly as you have been told to by your doctor. Do not take larger or smaller doses than the prescription tells you to. Never use it for longer than necessary.

 

At times your dosage may be adjusted by your doctor in order to prevent dependency and to promote healing.

 

After a fortnight of using Baclofen to treat your muscle issues, if you feel like your symptoms are not lessened, call your doctor. Don’t simply stop taking it, because you might go into withdrawal.

 

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as you know you’ve missed one. If you are about to take your next dose, ignore the missed one and proceed as normal.

 

Do not take double doses to make up for a missed dose. If you overdose contact emergency medical services and the local poison hotline immediately.

 

Side Effects

 

Common side effects include:

 

 Drowsiness
 Dizziness
 Weakness
 Exhaustion
 Headaches
 Insomnia
 Nausea
 Constipation
 Frequent urination

 

More severe side effects include:

 

 Seizures
 Confusion
 Hallucination
 Thread pulse

 

Call your doctor if you have these side effects.

 

Interactions

 

 Baclofen will react with alcohol. Do not take the two together.

 

 Stop taking Baclofen if you have an allergic reaction.

 

 Do not take with sedatives, narcotics or other pills that cause sleepiness.