Anyone ever had Baclofen?: I have... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Anyone ever had Baclofen?

Finvola profile image
13 Replies

I have pulled my back severely and have been prescribed Baclofen which has no interactions on the leaflet applying to me or my meds. BUT - there are references to palpitations and other more worrying things like lengthened QT in some research papers I have found. Hopefully, these are extremely rare.

As I never take anything without researching first, I wondered if anyone has anything to say about their experiences? Desperate for pain relief and a night's sleep.

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Finvola profile image
Finvola
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13 Replies
BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

The fen bit suggests it is an NSAID like diclofenac which as we all know should not be used if you have AF. Sympathy re the pain . Winter is coming according to my knees.

Finvola profile image
Finvola

Thanks Bob - the 'fen' made me suspicious, even though I had reminded my doc that I couldn't take NSAID's - hence my research. Apparently it isn't a NSAID but a muscle relaxant and pain killer not related to any of the 'fens'.

We live on the side of a mountain but we managed to get flooded last weekend and my back couldn't cope with clearing blocked drains and waterways. Look after those knees.

More research needed, I think.

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer in reply to Finvola

Know the problem. The big storm we had earlier in the year overflowed our gutters and got into the tank system which promptly over filled. Lots of poking with rods and some loud glugging later and I was exhausted. Then had to spend a few days clearing moss out of gutters. Annoyed really since I only did that at the start of lockdown in that fine weather.

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply to BobD

Backbreaking, unwanted work. If our tank hadn't been isolated from run-off water, we would have been in real trouble - powering torrents coming down the mountain - lovely to look at. 😂

Finvola profile image
Finvola

Some more information: I talked to the pharmacist who confirmed Baclofen isn't an NSAID and both he and GP said there should be no interaction with Apixaban, Flecainide or Nebivolol.

This is confirmed by online UK drug interaction sites which show serious interactions with both Ibuprofen and Diclofenac but not Baclofen.

BUT (and there is always a but) there are some references to Baclofen having some anti inflammatory properties. Anyhow, I've taken my first dose with fingers crossed!

Hope this helps someone else with severe back pain from a pulled muscle.

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50

Sorry to hear you've had to be putting up with pain Finvola, I really hope the Baclofen works, have never heard of it myself. Can you let us know how you get on with this drug and if it works well to curb your symptoms.

Jean

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply to jeanjeannie50

Thank you Jean! I'd never heard of it either - seems that it is used for serious spinal conditions which cause muscle cramping. I'm taking a half dose, prescribed for 4 days and I'll certainly report back on how things go.

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply to jeanjeannie50

An update at the end of the second day of 3 x 10mg Baclofen:

It seems not to affect AF or heart rhythm, thankfully.

It makes me tired, beyond belief - falling asleep in mid-sentence, my husband says.

It stopped the painful cramps and spasms in my back and groin.

Unfortunately, it does very little for the bad pain of the injury itself.

The prescription is for 7 days, not 4 as I originally thought, so I intend to contact my doc again tomorrow to get better pain relief.

Old women shouldn't do physical work. 😂

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50 in reply to Finvola

Old women shouldn't do physical work? Or should we do more of it so that it doesn't upset our bodies when we do. 🤔

I wonder why you were given Baclofen just for 7 days and if they thought your back would heal in that time. I've always had more pain relief from paracetamol than any other drug including morphine, but perhaps I was only given a very low dose of that.

I have a friend who suffers dreadfully with pain and nothing she's been given has helped to ease it. There was me thinking that these days no one had to suffer with pain, sadly that's not true.

Hope you are soon feeling better.

Jean

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply to jeanjeannie50

I've always been very active and wouldn't consider that I couldn't/shouldn't tackle something - grrr!

Don't really understand the short-term thing either - certainly, the pain at the focus hasn't changed in 10 days, so I cannot even think about seeing my chiropractor which has been our main way of dealing with back pain. My husband has had 18 months of knee/hip pain which painkillers - also including morphine - haven't helped. Only chiro and physio have done anything. I suppose pain is the body's way of reporting a problem and it will go only when the problem is tackled. 🙁

Thank you for your good wishes - at least I am able to sleep now!

researchx profile image
researchx

It will make you sleepy usually

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply to researchx

Oh boy - that's the truth!

researchz profile image
researchz in reply to Finvola

I called a pharmacy tech to ask if it effected gaba, and the answer was yes! sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and take it to get back to sleep

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