Baclofen and medication overuse

Hi Tamara,

I'm sorry to hear you are getting conflicting information. Have you had a chance to speak with the pharmacist? If not I would encourage you to.

I take a muscle relaxer, tizanidine every night to help with sleep issues, which works well for me. I've not had any rebound issues with it.

I was prescribed Baclofen by a true migraine expert ( a doctor who is board certified in headache medicine, which is different than being certified in neurology) to take on a daily basis. I found it didn't work well for me, so I stopped. Baclofen is also listed as a rescue medication for a migraine attack. I've also used tizanidine this way too.

I hope this helps!
Let me know how you make out,
Nancy

Thanks Nancy 😀. I did find a few articles on pubmed about using baclofen as a preventative so I think I'm safe.

He is suppose to be a specialist ...... he is part of the headache management program. Took me over 2 years to get an appointment with them, but he was new and I'm pretty sure he has no special training which I think is the stupidest thing ever. He is referring me to the new clinical director for a "fresh set of eyes". This is also the same person who told me last appointment "he doesn't know what to suggest now since I've pretty much tried everything" ... I've only tried 13 meds, Botox, cannabis and other alternative treatments. Wish I lived in the states and could try another doctor - no option for that up here in the north :/

I do have a great family doctor and one who does my trigger point injections so I guess i just get to continue to do my own research and bring ideas to my docs ... they are great about saying yes or no about new treatments/ideas I bring up.

Hey maybe the baclofen will help enough, it definitely helps with the muscle spasms I get during migraines, might be enough on those off days where I've used my allotted meds for the month and still very painful .... maybe hopefully please be enough for me to get a job, I need money (and don't qualify for any assistance programs - but that another topic)

Really appreciate this site - learned more from here than any doctor, especially on those "out of boxes" ideas, 😀. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and mild pain to enjoy all the festivities,

I have been taking baclofen for about the last year. My primary doctor prescribed it to me as a preventative medication, therefore, I took it every day.

Hi Tamara and Nancy, I have tried many regimens, but not Baclofen to my remembrance. I'm enjoying migraine free days 10 to 15 days a month now using Fioricet as my rescue med; Ketorolac for headaches that last four days or more (have to be very careful with this one. Only use very short time periods in extreme situations); Propanerol 3x a day; magnesium daily; at night Tizandine, Diazapam, Amitriptyline (soon to be changed to Nortriptyline); and Botox injections every 12 weeks. I've used Cambia, which was effective rescue med, but that was taken away due to strokes, also have tried many other meds/regimens/rescues over the years. My Headache Specialist is excellent and he suggests changes depending on new info and how I am responding to treatment. I found it interesting, Nancy, that you use Tizandine as a rescue med. I often wake with migraine now, so it was added to my nightly regimen. Nothing has prevented me waking up with migraine, so I'm going to discuss with my specialist trying it instead as rescue. Will give me another option since the Fioricet is so limited to avoid rebounds. Tamara, I wish you the best in getting a knowledgeable headache specialist, and in finding a protocol that is more effective.