Baclofen Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Baclofen Tablet (generic name: Baclofen) is a prescription skeletal muscle relaxant used to treat muscle spasms, stiffness, and tightness caused by conditions that affect the nerves and spinal cord. It works on the brain and spinal cord to calm overactive nerve signals and relax muscles. It is available as tablets as well as oral solution, suspension, and granules, and should be used exactly as directed by a doctor.

What is Baclofen Tablet

Baclofen is a prescription muscle relaxant that treats muscle spasms, stiffness, and tightness caused by conditions that affect the nerves and spinal cord.

Baclofen Tablet uses

• Muscle spasms, cramps, or tightness caused by conditions affecting the nervous system, such as cerebral palsy, motor neurone disease, and multiple sclerosis
• Spasticity and muscle pain from multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury or other spinal cord diseases
• Muscle spasticity from multiple sclerosis
• Muscle spasms due to spinal cord injuries
• Muscle stiffness from cerebral palsy
• Muscle spasms after stroke
• Tetanus-related muscle spasms
• Neurological disorders causing muscle rigidity
• Involuntary muscle contractions
• Rehabilitation support after injuries

Benefits of Baclofen Tablet

• Relieves pain and improves muscle movement
• May allow other treatment, such as physical therapy, to be more helpful in improving your condition

How Baclofen Tablet works

Baclofen acts on the brain and spinal cord to calm overactive nerve signals, which relaxes muscles and reduces spasms and stiffness.

Baclofen Tablet dosage

Take this medicine by mouth exactly as your doctor tells you, and keep taking it unless your care team tells you to stop. Try to take it at the same time each day. It's best to take it with food or a glass of milk, particularly if it makes you feel sick. Swallow the tablets whole.

If using granules, shake and pour the entire packet to dissolve in your mouth or swallow whole at once, with or without liquids. Measure liquid forms with the supplied measuring device, not a kitchen spoon.

Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly; your doctor will lower the dose gradually if you need to stop. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is almost time for your next dose; do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Talk to your care team about use in children; it may be prescribed for children as young as 12 years for certain conditions, with precautions.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet
• Oral solution/liquid
• Oral suspension
• Oral granules

Side effects of Baclofen Tablet

Common

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Headache
• Muscle weakness
• Nausea
• Dry mouth
• Feeling tired or weak
• Problems with eyesight
• Mood changes
• Muscle pain
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Feeling faint or lightheaded when standing up suddenly
• Increased need to urinate
• Sweating
• Trouble sleeping
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Serious

• Allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) - skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, and difficulty breathing
• Slow or shallow breathing, shortness of breath, feeling faint, dizziness, confusion, trouble staying awake
• Liver problems, which can cause yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
• Very low mood and suicidal thoughts
• Severe drowsiness or breathing problems
• Confusion or hallucinations
• Muscle weakness, itching, tingling, or twitching in hands, arms, feet, or legs
• Fever
• Seizures
• Unexplained muscle stiffness
• Fainting
• Chest pain, pounding heartbeat
• Bloody or dark urine
• Ringing or buzzing in the ears
• Slurred speech or other speech problems
• Swelling of the ankles

Warnings and precautions

• Do not stop taking baclofen suddenly, as this can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, seizures, high fever, confusion, severe muscle stiffness, and in rare cases organ failure or death. Your doctor will lower your dose gradually.
• Baclofen can make you drowsy and affect your coordination and judgment, so use caution during activities that require alertness and balance.
• If baclofen is stopped suddenly during pregnancy or continued through delivery, the newborn baby may show withdrawal symptoms like increased muscle tone, tremor, jitteriness, and seizures.
• People with epilepsy should have their condition and brain wave tests monitored regularly, as baclofen has occasionally been linked to worsened seizure control.
• Baclofen may cause ovarian cysts in some patients, though these usually go away on their own while continuing treatment.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Baclofen may be used during pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the risks, but your baby may need to be monitored after birth for withdrawal symptoms.
• You may be able to take baclofen while breastfeeding, but check with a pharmacist or doctor first, as they may recommend a different muscle relaxant.
• Baclofen is removed from the body by the kidneys, so people with kidney disease may need a lower dose because the drug can build up and its effects may be stronger.
• Tell your doctor if you have liver problems before taking this medicine.
• It is best not to drink alcohol while taking baclofen, since alcohol can increase side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, and fainting.
• This medicine may affect your coordination, reaction time, judgment, or eyesight. Do not drive, ride a bike, or operate machinery until you know how the medicine affects you.

Storage

• Store at room temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C (68 and 77 degrees F)
• Keep container tightly closed
• Get rid of any unused medication after the expiration date
• Keep out of the reach of children and pets
• Take the medication to a medication take-back program; check with your pharmacy or law enforcement to find a location
• If you cannot return the medication, check the label or package insert to see if it should be thrown out in the garbage or flushed down the toilet; if safe to trash, mix it with cat litter, dirt, coffee grounds, or other unwanted substance, seal it in a bag or container, and put it in the trash
• Store the oral liquid in the refrigerator; do not freeze
• Store the oral suspension at room temperature away from moisture and heat; throw away any unused portion 2 months after first opening

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, are unusually tired or sleepy, or show signs of an allergic reaction such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or a rash with itching and hives.
• Call for emergency help if you think you might be having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) or are having difficulty breathing.
• If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, or think you may be having another serious side effect, contact a health professional right away.
• Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have taken too much baclofen. Overdose symptoms may include increasing drowsiness, dizziness, sleepiness, trouble focusing, shallow breathing, seizures, or muscle weakness leading to loss of consciousness.
• Contact your doctor right away if you notice confusion, hallucinations, severe drowsiness, breathing problems, muscle weakness, itching, tingling, or twitching in your hands, arms, feet, or legs, or fever.

Alternatives

• Tizanidine
• Methocarbamol
• Dantrolene