This is the second attempt to write this as I was in classic and tried to post a link to a source and well WordPress did its new magic when working with classic and wiped out an hours worth of work.  So I will try again.  My mind is still a bit foggy so the new post won’t be as well or have as much in it as the first.   ***After I wrote the entire post I see the above was not so correct, the post is long***

I am on the maximum dosage of Baclofen and my back / leg spasms are still increasing and getting worse.  This causes an increase of pain.  My pain doctor who gives me my spine shots felt I needed more relief and I was not getting as much as I should be, so he told me to try a different drug that may or may not help me.  He did not discuss how to stop the Baclofen but simply said try this one it might give you more relief or not.  I now think I misunderstood him and he meant to use it as a back-up to the Baclofen.  He is incredibly smart and well respected in his profession so the idea he would want me to do what I did doesn’t make sense.   

Baclofen is a horribly unforgiving medication.  It is hard to get used to using, and it can be deadly if not managed correctly.  Needless to say I did not manage stopping the medication correctly at all.  Here are some things that can happen and sadly I can not post the link but will have to do it below. (I hate to do it and it will mean less posting but I may have to start posting by writing the post in Word then pasting it in to WordPress somehow.  What drew me to WordPress and then back to WordPress was the ease in just opening Classic and writing a post.   All my extensions work and it was fun.  Not so much now.)   

Baclofen Withdrawal Symptoms

Baclofen withdrawal symptoms can be similar to those of benzodiazepine and alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal from all of these substances can be severe and, in some cases, deadly. People are most likely to go through baclofen withdrawal if they have been using the drug for more than a few months. Baclofen withdrawal can occur whether someone uses a low or high dose. If someone suddenly stops using the drug, withdrawal symptoms are more likely to be severe. Baclofen withdrawal symptoms can include:

• Visual and auditory hallucinations
• Tactile hallucinations
• Confusion
• Delusions
• Disorientation
• Delirium
• Insomnia
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Memory problems
• Anxiety
• Changes in perception
• Hyperthermia
• Depersonalization
• Psychosis
• Mania
• Mood disturbances
• Changes in behavior
• Tachycardia
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Fever
• Extreme rebound muscle rigidity and spasticity

Some of the most severe symptoms of baclofen withdrawal, such as seizures, hallucinations and organ failure, can be avoided if someone participates in a professional baclofen detox.

I stopped taking it one morning.  Boy my body quickly let me know it was not happy about it.  My pain levels went off the scale, and I was in agony.  I struggled with the last one on the list also some of the others.  Plus I did not sleep.  I would lay there and toss / turn but if I slept it was in small time periods of 15 minutes or so and at most I got a total of 1 or 2 hours a day.  To put it mildly, I was having nausea, struggling with the personality changes all this was causing, confusion, insomnia, tremors, and fever as the worst of the effects.  By the end of the fourth day Ron was seriously concerned, he had looked up the symptoms and seen my rapid deterioration.  He was begging me to go back to the baclofen or at least call the doctor to tell them.  I thought it over.  What I wanted and needed was not worth what I was doing through.   So I took my first baclofen the end of the fourth day and went to bed. 

The next day which was yesterday I woke up late but felt so much better.  I was still having some symptoms but my main problem was the lack of ability to focus and confusion.  I just felt tired out.  At the appropriate time I took my second set of medication and … The world stopped.  Well the world did not but I did.  I mentioned to Ron I felt really tired and was going to go lay down.  Well I lay down, and 6 hours later Ron woke me to ask if I would like to eat and maybe I should take off my headphones which I was still wearing.  Which is weird as I don’t like wearing headphones which is why I need my own room for my computers, so I can listen to my stuff without the need for headphones or earbuds.  

I am back.  Sorry got so tired I went to lay down for an hour plus.  

So after I got up yesterday, removed my headphones, we had supper.  I was not really hungry but Ron had the desire to have crispy chicken strips and french fries cooked in the big deep frier.   I enjoy them, but we both marveled I do not eat like I used to.  I had maybe four strips and a small serving of french fries.  The good news on that front is I had been stuck on a weight plateau to 184, and recently I have dropped below that into the 170s running right now between 175 and 177 pounds.  After eating I offered to pick it up, Ron said he would do it, but I wanted to help so we split the work.  Then I went back to bed. 

I slept, then I slept some more.  When Ron came to bed at 10 pm, I took my next set of medications and my nighttime insulin.  Then after mumbling to Ron that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, I went right to sleep.  I slept until 3 am when Tupac’s small stomach alarm went off.  Every morning at that time he cries and cries until one of us gets up and feeds him half a can of wet food. He has a bowl of dry food but we got him hooked on wet food and he loves it.  But if we give him as much as he wants, he will get sick and vomit it, so we give him half a can or so at a time now.  Normally I do it because Ron is sleeping.  This morning I did not respond and Ron asked If I wanted him to do it, his tone hopeful I would offer to get up.  I did not.  I did not even hear him and Tupac come back to bed.  I slept until 6:15 or so when Tupac’s stomach alarm went off again.  He knows now since his long time feral playtime outside friend … well the night before she was seen no more we again had a young coyote scouting around the house.   We had tried so hard for two years to get her to at least come into the Florida room for the night, but she just won’t.  She has disappeared.  So Tupac has new rules.  He is allowed outside during the day but once night fall and darkness has come he is inside now.  He sometimes argues about it but, until he learns to open the doors he lives by it.  In truth he doesn’t make much fuss, and even at 3 am he doesn’t ask to go out anymore, but goes right back to bed. 

One last note.  Over the 24 hours or so I slept Ron kept checking me.  He said this morning that the only thing that bothered him was that during the times he checked on me and during the night I was very vocal.  I cried, wept, moaned, groaned, and made other sounds.  He said I did not seem to struggle or move around, and I was not begging like when it is really bad so he let me sleep.   I asked him if I talked anything clearly that could be understood more than just sounds.  He said no he was watching, I did not beg or plead for it to stop, or beg not to be hurt so he did not know if to wake me.  I said he did the correct thing as I want him to know I love he cares and understands now what I lived through and still experience in dreams.  He asked if I wanted to talk about the dreams, and I said no, I had them, I experienced the abuse in more mild than normal and I did not want to relive it or have him live it so no I did not want to tell him the dreams.   He is so wonderful he accepted that, gave me long wonderful hugs and kisses.  

So that has been the last five days.  That what I went through.  It is going to take days to get back on track if ever.   I will not be posting the meme post today or this week, I did not work on it all week so there is not really anything to post.  Love everyone who comes to my little spot on the interwebs who want to hear my opinion.  Hugs to those who wish them, my heart felt best wishes to all others. Scottie

The link for the Baclofen information is https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/baclofen-addiction/withdrawal-detox/ but a simple search will show how unforgiving the medication is and how deadly it can be to try to come off it the wrong way.