Medication Change

[MichaelBett]

Hi, I have central cord compression remaining after two-level laminectomy of C-2-3, C3-4. I suffer from increased muscle tone, among other residual effects post surgery. i was put on an initial dose of Baclofen- 10mg three times a day. My PCP bumped it up 10 mg to 40/mg daily. the inital dose of 30 mg daily did absolutely nothing. with any functional activity my mm tone gets worse. how many of you take Baclofen and at what dosage? i'm about 250 lbs, a big man. i was hoping for a larger dosage increase. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Hidden]

Hi Michael. I was put on baclofen, , and my legs got a really weird uncontrollable feeling. My Dr. Switched me to diazepam. I get 30 mg. a day. Seeing as your a big guy, 40 mgs, doesn't seem to be enough. Just a thought. Perhaps they can up the dose? M.

[MichaelBett in reply to Hidden]

My PCP is very conservative. He upped my dose 10mg. i was hoping for 60mg. Maybe I will call the ortho doctor who operated on me and see what he can do. hope you are doing OK? In Conn at your mom's? Please see if she will meet with a home health nurse or caregiver so she can put to rest the feeling she will lose her independence- it's just help if she needs it. Take care...Michael

[Hidden in reply to MichaelBett]

Thanks for asking about my Mom. I've got her all set with social services. We've got a monitoring thing that all of us kids can track her. It's the NORAD for seniors. yes! ask your Ortho guy for his 2 cents on the increase for you. Sounds like it would be beneficial. I Hope your felling as well as possible. Talk soon. Hugs. X

[Dodlink Moderator]

Hi Michael. I'm a big woman and currently prescribed 20mg Baclofen three times per day. I think it helps a bit but not dramatically. I was on 30mg three times a day but felt so out of it dr agreed to cut back. On days I have to concentrate a lot I miss out the lunchtime ones as I still get very sleepy. There are alternatives such as tizanidine which some people find better. Didn't suit me but others do well on it.

Check out myelopathy.org website and join the Facebook Myelopathy Support Facebook Group. I'm sure lots of members will share their experiences of Baclofen with you.

[MichaelBett in reply to Dodlink]

Hi,Thanks for the reply .I'm going to see if my doctor will prescribe me more Baclofen as it's not working. I've been a member of myelopathy.org for a couple of months or more. I contribute regularly to the group; it's a great supportive group.

[Dodlink Moderator in reply to MichaelBett]

Also ask about alternatives. People and how they react to meds are all different.

[MichaelBett in reply to Dodlink]

thanks. i am a retired occupational therapist, so i know all about meds,lol. from my medical training and also for me as a patient,who has taken many different meds over the years, too many to remember. thanks so much for your helpfulness.I'm Michael Bettinger, that's my n ame on the myelopathy.org group on Facebook(the first online help group I've ever joined and the best!) I've learned alot from the group members.

[cynrose in reply to MichaelBett]

I'm a 5'9 woman, 136lbs and I've been taking 4 (four) 20mg pills a day for a year, increased from 3day which i took for years with no problem. It helps me tremendously

[MichaelBett in reply to cynrose]

Thanks for your input. I'm on a small dose of anti-anxiety medicine and a fairly large (100mcg) dose of Fentanyl skin patch. Maybe my doctor is trying to protect me from having any problems with new meds (Baclofen) but I still have the same amount of muscle spasticity-the dosage hasn't helped me at all. This is my PCP-I might go to the orthopedic surgeon who performed by surgery to see what he thinks.