baclofen

Hi Ann1961,

Yes, I have taken Baclofen for two years now. My GI doctor initially put me on Zantac 150 X 3 per day because I refused to use the PPI that he would normally recommend. The Zantac brought only minimal relief, so during a follow up he included the Baclofen 10mg X 2 per day, morning and evening with a Zantac. The improvement in my symptoms, esophagitis, LPR, and acid aspiration in the lungs, was significant within the first couple of weeks. I was able to sleep through the night, and I was more comfortable during the day. He said that many people take Baclofen up to 4 times per day/40mg, so my dose was fairly mild.

While on 20mg Baclofen for two years, I have not had any issues; no muscle weakness or drowsiness which some have experienced. Just goes to show you how different we all are. I personally react/overreact to all kinds of supplements, medicines, and therapy; the Baclofen continues to work to this today without problems. BUT...... it does not work alone. I recently had to replace my 150mg morning Zantac with 20mg Prilosec in the morning and I maintained my 10mg Baclofen. My GERD was getting worse as I was addressing my Hashimotto's with Levothyroxine...... so the Baclofen works in conjunction with other medication/therapies to assist in their effectiveness, at least that has been my experience.


I believe that if I were to eliminate the Baclofen right now, instead of the persistent LPR, I would once again suffer from the painful heartburn and acid aspiration that disabled me in the beginning.

Hope this helps,

Nina

Hello again Ann,

No, I can not eat what I want, not even within reason. I can not eat a vegetable without acid reflux, as well as various other foods that I have discovered through trial and error. Sometimes I will find that I can eat a food for a few weeks and then it will cause reflux; so it's been an interesting condition to manage.

Prior to having GERD, I had Ulcerative Colitis for many years, and I have had to learn to live on an extremely limited diet. So I basically stick to my "safe" foods, and try various foods from time to time just to see if they are a reflux trigger for me.

As for whether Baclofen is habit forming, I don't think so. My GI doc is an integrative physician and he explained quite thoroughly about all my drug options and their potential side effects; he never mentioned anything about Baclofen being addictive, and after two years I don't feel like I need it more than when I began.

Nina