Baclofen - A Miracle

Hi All

I'm 25 years old and I'm an alcoholic.

I don't see any topics on this form related to Baclofen, the drug that Dr. Olivier Ameisen believes to be the cure to alcoholism and possibly all addiction. I know its an incredibly bold claim for someone to make but if addiction does have a physical basis then I really believe that this is the best possibly physical treatment.

I just got out of rehab about three weeks ago and I started drinking again. Obviously it wasn't long before I was binging and drinking myself into a stupor. I didn't know what to do, I knew that I had to do something to get my life back on track but I was stuck in the cycle again.

So one day I was googling around and I found this little gem, Baclofen. A few studies had been posted and few anecdotal reports about how it this little muscle relaxant drug can reduce cravings and obsession with alcohol. Since it is only approved for the treatment of alcoholism in France and I'm in South Africa, I downloaded a few studies and took it to my gp to discuss using it off-label to help with my cravings.

So I've been on 30mg a day, a relatively low dose, and it is amazing. So far I've had 0 cravings, I'm not worrying about scoring booze and drugs 24/7 and all in all I just feel well and whole. I'm not sure if it will work as well for everyone but I can say for the past six years of my addiction I have never felt this sense of well-being and complete indifference to alcohol.

I realise some may see this as swopping addictions, baclofen for alcohol, but I'm going to be on lithium and seroquel for the rest of my life for my bipolar disorder so why not baclofen? It's a safe drug, its been around for years for the treatment of muscle spasms and some people have been taking it for years. It doesn't harm the body. But more than simply my alcoholism my addictive behaviours have all reduced, I smoke less and I smoke more slowly, same with my eating, drinking less coffee... I just don't feel that void that I have to fill with things anymore. I feel a contentment that I would never feel when I was sober.

Its a GABA-B receptor agonist, these receptor sites are commonly found on the Ventral Tegmental Area, part of the mesolimbic pathway in the brain. The reward pathway plays a significant role in many addictions by increasing the desire to use substances repetitively.

I'm not claiming that addiction can be cured with a pill. It still takes the a good healthy mindset and a willingness to lead a decent life. But baclofen comes really close for me. Combine this with psychotherapy/AA and a willingness to recover, it would make the journey so much easier. I just have to share this knowledge, I feel hope again.

I have heard of this before, but I thought you had to take a really large dose for it to work. So that's not the case?

Since it is only approved for the treatment of alcoholism in France

That's interesting, I never knew that. Do you know of any research, controlled trials, how effective is this drug, does it work on most people?

Ja Dr. Ameisen said he needed a dose as high as 270mg. I've been taking 30 mg a day for about three weeks and so far it has been really great. I think I am quite sensitive to most substances and I'm still interested in upping the dose but even at 30mg I'm feeling major positive effects. The idea of drinking just doesn't consume me so much and I live with two people who drink every night. I don't even take a second look at their wine glasses now, it just doesn't bother me.
As far as studies go, these are the ones I found. Not all good, but there are some great findings in most of them.

http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/5/504.full (This one shows efficacy at doses of low doses)

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01604330

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662805 (This one shows no efficacy, but this happens. Even studies for drugs that have been proven in practise to be effective get "bad reviews" by some researchers)

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/752211_3 (The results of this study are kind of mixed)

http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/conten ... 70333f86ea (This one suggests 60mg a day is more effective than 30mg, but 30 is still more effective than placebo)

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/Baclofen%2 ... son_A0.pdf (Also, higher doses)

Unfortunately not a hell of a lot of studies have been done. There doesn't seem to be a lot of incentive to research (or funding) to do the research but it is happening. I think it could work for anyone just certain people need much higher doses, I'm lucky in that I am sensitive to most drugs.

Some people are looking at doses of 100mg+... one downside is that must be damn expensive. I don't know about other parts of the world but I'm paying R660 per month (+/- 66 us$) which is quite a lot down here in africa.

Thanks for the links, will be studying them later.