# Baclofen experiences



## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

After trying 2g of phenibut the other day and having an amazing experience, I've been researching other types of drug which also act on the GABA receptors.

From what I've been able to find out, it seems like baclofen (used to treat spasticity) works in a similar way to phenibut. They both act on the GABA(B) receptors. But the great thing about baclofen is that you don't build up a tolerance to it - you can continue taking it indefinitely.

I've been struggling to find many reviews from anyone who's used it off-label to treat anxiety. The very small number of people I've managed to find seemed to think it worked well and were happy with it.

Has anyone tried baclofen before? Did it work?


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## Mr Bacon (Mar 10, 2012)

I've tried it, up to 70mg/day. It just made me more sleepy. Keep in mind I'm not the kind to respond to GABA-related drugs. Benzos don't work for me either.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Guide 4 Dummies said:


> I took it for almost a year, and I got a little tolerant to its effects after 3 months. Surely, the tolerance is very slow but inevitable, and you can't reverse it even after a long period of abstinence. (2 years of abstinence and I'm still completely tolerant).


Hmm, that sucks. What dose were you taking? I wonder if a low dose, or taking a day off occasionally, would help to prevent the tolerance building up.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Thanks for sharing. Those side effects definitely don't sound good at all. I think I'll give it a shot though, because as you say, every medication affects everyone differently. Even if I only get a year of positive effects before I have to quit, one year is better than zero years, right?

I'll post a report in a few weeks/months once I've given them a bit of time to work.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

Baclofen is a godsend, it provides you with an overall sense of well-being with no particular side effects. Tolerance hardly builds up, at least if you take it every other day.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Awesome! Hopefully I have the same experience as you.

Why does it seem to be pretty much ignored around here? I couldn't even find an official thread for it, whereas there seems to be a thread for pretty much every other medication/supplement/etc in existence.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

swim said:


> Baclofen is a godsend, it provides you with an overall sense of well-being with no particular side effects. Tolerance hardly builds up, at least if you take it every other day.


No
Not for me anyway
**** makes me dizzy
Surprised this is a good drug 4 u


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

CD700 said:


> No
> Not for me anyway
> **** makes me dizzy
> Surprised this is a good drug 4 u


I loved since the very first pill I took, it has a great effect on mood and it's absolutely non-drowsy. When I'm let down I take meprobamate too, this one's a bit more calming rather than slightly activating like baclofen.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Well, my tablets finally arrived. I took 50mg about 2 hours ago.

So far I feel great. I'd compare it to 1 or 1.5g of phenibut. I've been really outgoing all morning at work, which is pretty much the complete opposite of me.

Side effects are a burning feeling in my legs, light headedness, and reduced motor skills. However they're all minor.

I'd compare it a bit to being drunk, however obviously without the negative things that come along with drunkenness like poor decision making skills.

If I can keep taking this without building up a tolerance then I'll be very happy. This is far far better than anything else I've ever tried before.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

About 6 or 7 hours later and I can feel it slowly starting to wear off. Perhaps tomorrow I'll take 25mg instead of 50mg. It actually worked so well that it got to the point where people were dropping subtle hints that I need to shut up and stop talking so they can do some work.

I highly recommend it to anyone who gets good effects from GABA drugs. I just hope it keeps working into the future.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

After taking baclofen daily for months, withdrawal can be brutal.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Why did you stop taking it? Did it never work from the beginning, or did it start to become less effective over time? Or another reason entirely?


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Baclofen helped me to avoid tolerance / dependence from GBL (altough both are GABA-B agonists). It should be a very useful drug for GHB withdrawal, but it didn't do much for my SAD.

After taking baclofen daily for months the withdrawal _can_ be brutal.


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## InnerPeace (Apr 21, 2011)

Guide 4 Dummies said:


> I took it for almost a year, and I got a little tolerant to its effects after 3 months. Surely, the tolerance is very slow but inevitable, and you can't reverse it even after a long period of abstinence. (2 years of abstinence and I'm still completely tolerant).


I would be careful with such a blank statement. Maybe your tolerance never reversed, but that is merely your own personal experience. I doubt there is a single study out there which supports your claim. The little bit of tolerance I got from many months of daily Baclofen use always fully reverses after at most two weeks of abstinence.

You are generally painting a way to dark picture of Baclofen. It's a fairly benign drug when compared to the majority of other psychotropic drugs.

That being said, based on following your postings over at Mind & Muscle for years, it is important to say that you probably have the weirdest and most unlikely responses to drugs people there (including me) have ever come across.

With that in mind, you are probably the worst candidate for extrapolating drug responses of other individuals.

But of course thanks for sharing your experience.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Interestingly there seem to exist no real tolerance issues with baclofen AFAIK, but at least some people can get physically dependent on it when taking the same dose daily for a longer time.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Medline said:


> Interestingly there seem to exist no real tolerance issues with baclofen AFAIK, but at least some people can get physically dependent on it when taking the same dose daily for a longer time.


Doesn't bother me at all! I'll gladly take it until the day I die as long as its effects remain the same.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

I been trying baclofen out again just because I have a bottle and seen it mentioned here the other day
I have tried all kinds of dosages and it just useless for me
If I got above 100mg I just get really dizzy 
Everyone is different but baclofen is useless for me


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Right now I'm on 100mg (important event today) and I feel so good. I'm standing at the airport and I'm feeling so extroverted that I'm tempted to just start talking to a random for fun. 

Can't believe this medication is so unheard of for anxiety. It's a miracle drug for me so far.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

nekochan said:


> Right now I'm on 100mg (important event today) and I feel so good. I'm standing at the airport and I'm feeling so extroverted that I'm tempted to just start talking to a random for fun.
> 
> Can't believe this medication is so unheard of for anxiety. It's a miracle drug for me so far.


100mg is way too much, unwanted side effects do kick in at that dosage.
75mg is the maximum I can take in a day.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

swim said:


> 100mg is way too much, unwanted side effects do kick in at that dosage.
> 75mg is the maximum I can take in a day.


I was fine all day right up until I started drinking (I was at a wedding). I learnt the hard way that baclofen reacts horribly with ethanol. I ended up in hospital and my parents missed half of their daughters wedding.

I feel so horrible about it, but it wasn't the drugs fault, it was mine for not doing enough research. I will still take it, I'll just be more careful in the future.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

nekochan said:


> I was fine all day right up until I started drinking (I was at a wedding). I learnt the hard way that baclofen reacts horribly with ethanol. I ended up in hospital and my parents missed half of their daughters wedding.
> 
> I feel so horrible about it, but it wasn't the drugs fault, it was mine for not doing enough research. I will still take it, I'll just be more careful in the future.


Wow, my brain is still ****ed up even today. I don't even remember making this post and it was only a few minutes ago. Ffs.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

I'm sorry that you had such a bad reaction. Nevertheless - in general - baclofen is a safe (off-label) drug vs. alcohol dependence and quite some people use it at relatively high doses for that (they believe in a theory from Dr. Ameisen). Compared to benzos baclofen has just additive effects in combination with alcohol, but the two don't potentiate each other.


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## nekochan (Oct 29, 2013)

Hmm, the symptoms I had were sort of similar to alcohol poisoning but far stronger. Severe vomiting for several hours (even after my stomach was empty), etc. I only had two glasses of wine so clearly the baclofen massively amplified it. 

Either way, 24 hours later and I feel good as new again.


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## aljue (Jan 24, 2013)

nekochan said:


> I will still take it, I'll just be more careful in the future.


Do you still take it? At which dosage? I have been considering to give this drug a try. Except from feeling extroverted, could you go a little bit into detail how it has affected you physically and psycologically? Would be great to hear...


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

aljue said:


> Do you still take it? At which dosage? I have been considering to give this drug a try. Except from feeling extroverted, could you go a little bit into detail how it has affected you physically and psycologically? Would be great to hear...


I have been trying for a few months to get benifit from baclofen, from doses ranging 20mg to 90mg. It does nothing at all except make me feel dizzy at doses above 60mg.


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## Moddis (Jul 24, 2018)

Baclofen feels very similar to phenibut. Slightly cleaner
Tolerance to baclofen builds more slowly than it does to phenibut though, so clearly it’s the Better drug 

It’s not addictive. In fact it has anti craving properties. 
This drug should be used in psichiatry


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