Hi all, could really appreciate some advice.I started taking 10mg baclofen before bed for muscle spasms, worked quite well for the last year but now the spasms are back , I can’t increase the baclofen as any higher dose results in jelly legs during the day. The doctor has prescribed zaniflex, the advice is to stop taking the baclofen and replace the night time dose with 2mg of zanifex(tizanidine) will this be a high enough dose? am I going to suffer any ill effects coming off baclofen and changing to zaniflex ?. All this was done over the phone this morning by a locum, as there were no appointments.I explained that my spasms had returned and had been so painful they had kept me awake, Her initial suggestion was’ had I tried exercise’ I politely replyed that I had tried everything. Really nervous about taking new drug any advice greatly appreciated, thanks in advance, Mully
Hi Mully,
Can’t tell you anyting about coming off baclofen but I am currently taking 80mgs of baclofen for muscle stiffness/spasms. I don’t get jelly legs but my symptoms are getting progressively worse and my physio wonders whether this could be caused in part by the baclofen - causing weakness.
On the other hand my neurologist is suggesting having a baclofen pump surgically placed in my abdomen and connecting directly to spine. I’m confused by it all.
I know this is not of any help to you with your query but it might bump you up to where somebody might be able to help you.
I understand that it’s hard to make a decision.
Good Luck
Marie x
Hi Mully!
Your post concerned me too much to simply ignore it, especially as muscle spasms/ spasticity have been my only ‘real’ MS symptom since my diagnosis in June 2013. Consequently, I have had experience of both Baclofen and Tizanidine. My first major relapse resulted in my initial prescription of Baclofen. Unfortunately, it made absolutely no difference to my spasms and relief for me only came once I was prescribed Tizanidine. During my relapse which lasted from June to August (inc), I took Tizanidine x3 daily and it made a huge difference. Unfortunately, it did make me very drowsy though!
Thankfully, I wasn’t on Baclofen for more than a couple of weeks, but you state that you have been on 10mg of Baclofen for a year. Unfortunately, Baclofen is now losing its effectiveness for you, so an alternative now has to be sought. An alarm bell rang for me when you stated that the Locum told you to stop taking Baclofen. My MS Nurse made it very clear to me that there is such a condition as Baclofen Withdrawal Syndrome. This means that it is very important that Baclofen cannot normally be stopped straight away. Instead, its dose has to be reduced gradually. Personally, I would want to ensure that the Tizanidine was introduced at a dose that could be married with Baclofen until it was safe to continue with Tizanidine alone. Speak to your MS Nurse preferably, or GP as soon as you can to discuss. Good luck.
hi mully
i was on baclofen a while back but have been on tizanidine for long time now and take 22mg a day which is spread over 4 doses and it doesn’t give me any ill effects as i still drive all day and only have the odd spasm at night when in bed.i did change straight over from baclofen to tizanidine and didn’t have to wean off baclofen before starting new drug
hope you get something sorted soon to help you
take care
baz
Thanks for the replies, I dropped the baclofen last night and took 2mg of tizanidine It knocked me out for a couple of hours, only to wake up with terrible insomnia, I think the problems are a result of stopping the baclofen, so I will work the dose down over a few weeks , thankyou so much for the advice I think all the best advice and information I’ve had has come from this site best wishes to you all Mully
Hi again Mully
I think you are doing absolutely the right thing. I would be doing the exact same thing myself, without question.
Anyway, my fingers are crossed that Tizzanidine works as effectively for you as it did for me.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, we MS sufferers know more about the medication we are prescribed than the actual GPs. Some GPs have not a clue when it comes to dealing with MS patients. I know through bitter experience. I now make my MS Nurse/ Neuro Consultant, my first port of call, if I have any health concerns that may be MS related.
Best of luck from Tracyann
Hi Mully,
Baclofen, reduce your dosage week by week, it tkes a while to flush out of the system and can be dangerous if you stop taking it suddenly. Baclofen only has a half life of 4 hours so its effectivenesss wears off quite quickly.
Tizanadine, has a much longer half life so it will stop your spasms for longer. You can take it with baclofen, well I do and I’ve had no side effects so far.
Gradually increase dosage of tizanadine week by week until you through the night without being woken up. That’s what I did. Of course different people react in different ways so don’t take my advice as gospel
If in any doubt talk to your MS nurse or consultant. Basically gradually reduce one and increase the other.
Good luck and happy New Year,
Patrick
I take both tizanadine (2mg) and baclofen (10mg) 4x day takes the worst of the spasms away but doesn;t get rid of them completely.