Baclofen withdrawal followed by chronic fatigue

[[Ga...]]

Hello all,

 

For the past 7 months I have had chronic fatigue that started very suddenly while I was taking baclofen.

I spoke to a doctor who is a baclofen expert and he said he cannot explain such severe and long-lasting reaction. I am hoping someone here might recognize some pattern is my symptoms:

 

- Took baclofen 3x10mg daily for 1 month. Got side effects such as very irregular sleep and hyperacusis.

- Tapered off during 7 days. Suddenly got mental confusion, anxiety, anhedonia, dark circles under eyes.

- On the last day of my taper, a family issue happened that sent me into a near panic attack. I spent 4-5 days in emotional overdrive, “fight or flight mode”, not sleeping.

- After 5 days I realized the anxiety/anhedonia was due to baclofen withdrawal. Went back on baclofen, which helped partially, but I still had many problems.

- After this I had 2 months of insomnia (waking up after a few hours or if there was any sunlight)

- Now it is 7 months later and I still have fatigue, anhedonia, and dark circles under eyes.

- Although I can sleep roughly normal hours, my sleep is still not back to normal. I don't feel rested after sleeping, and I'm unable to take naps or sleep in on the weekends.

- I think the fatigue is a sensory issue. My body has energy, and I am still able to do workouts. But I feel very tired and moving feels unpleasant, as if my body is depressed.

 

I'm concerned because the fatigue is not improving.

 

Does anyone have some thoughts/ideas about what could be going on?

[[Pa...]]

Hello GabaGhoul, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

 

We have quite a few members who had used Baclofen as an adjunct medication to get off of benzodiazepines but it can be rough to work with since it seems to hit GABA receptors much like bneoz’s.

 

Hopefully others with experience will stop by to provide their experience.

 

Pamster

[[Ha...]]

Hi GG,

Could you possibly have developed sleep apnoea?  This happened to me while I was on Lorazepam. My symptoms were similar to yours. Since I quit I don’t have any problems.

Just a thought.

Hardy x

[[Ga...]]

Hello, thank you both so much for the replies! And I will consult a doctor about the sleep apnea, yes that could possibly explain it!