Well it’s been a while but I’m back on baclofen. My previous experiences of 18 to 24 months ago didn’t go all that well, so I’ve been hesitant to try it again.
I tried dantrolene, but it can cause liver damage and while it didn’t make my sleepy like baclofen might again, it really messed with my GI tract. So I’m back to baclofen. I’m going to be a lot more careful with it this time, slow and careful to try to figure out a good dose. I went a little crazy last time with doses. Baclofen overdose is bad, baclofen withdrawal is worse.
A few months after the wreck, January 2004, the neurosurgeon who fused my neck, suggested a baclofen pump. This puts baclofen directly into the spinal fluid which minimizes side effects. But it’s costly and sometimes dangerous, even life threatening if the pump malfunctions or you accidentally run out. In any case the pump is only a good idea if you don’t respond at all to the pills, so I think the neurosurgeon was jumping the gun just a bit.
Anyway we’ll see how baclofen round two goes.