Baclofen Overdose

Baclofen Overdose

Baclofen is a drug that acts as a muscle relaxer and used as antispastic agent. This drug is extremely important and useful for treating disorders like multiple sclerosis, muscle spasm, muscle stiffness and pain. Overdose of the drug Baclofen can cause the impairment of brain and can affect thinking capability. Alcoholism increases the effect of drug Baclofen, and driving must be avoided when a patient is suffering from Baclofen overdose. In few cases, it has been noted that Baclofen overdose reduces muscle tone and hampers body balancing capacity. Intake of the drug for a long period of time can lead to hallucination and disruptive thoughts. Do not terminate the intake of Baclofen without taking advice from a doctor. The medication of Baclofen must not be terminated at one but patient must slow down the intake of Baclofen slowly.

Baclofen is a derivate of ?-aminobutyric acid that is used for the relaxation of spasmodic and stiffened skeletal muscles. Till know, the exact effect of the drug is unknown but it helps in relaxing motor neurons of spinal cord. Accidental or intentional overdose of drug Baclofen causes several malfunctions in the body including vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, hypotension, etc. In some cases, the patient also feels difficulty in breathing properly and experiences seizures and cardiovascular dysfunctions. In the case of Baclofen overdose, patient must immediately be taken to the hospital for proper medical assistance.

Symptoms of Baclofen overdose

When the intake of the drug Baclofen exceeds the prescribed quantity, or the drug is taken for a longer period of time, it results in Baclofen overdose. Over a dose of the drug often leads to the development of ovarian cysts in females. If the patient is allergic to Baclofen, then the drug must not be taken. However, it is still unknown that if the drug affects the unborn baby during pregnancy but for precaution, doctor advices to prevent the intake of the drug. Also, trhe drug is not recommended for nursing mothers as the drug can pass through breast milk to the infant. In the case of Baclofen overdose, the patient must be immediately taken for medical assistance. Listed below are the common symptoms related to Baclofen overdose.

•    Patient suffering from Baclofen overdose suffers continuous feeling of itchiness.
•     Patient with Baclofen overdose suffers tingling sensation with pain in muscles.
•    Frequent change in blood pressure has also been noted in cases related to Baclofen overdose.
•    One common symptom related to Baclofen overdose is stiffness of muscle.
•    In severe cases of Baclofen overdose, patient experience change in mental state.
•    Other symptoms related to Baclofen overdose include high fever, headache, irritation, etc.

Baclofen dosage information

For adults, a doctor recommends 5 mg of oral dose of three times in a day for 3 days. In initial stage, doctor prescribes less quantity of Baclofen for the patient but slowly the dose can be increased after seeking medical assistance. If the tests seems to be positive in initial rounds then doctors increases the dosage of Baclofen. In many cases, patients suffering from severe cerebral palsy, doctor recommend 300-800 mcg Baclofen per day. However, before taking the drug, the patient must consult with a doctor regarding the allergies and alternative medicines.

Treatment of Baclofen overdose

The severity of Baclofen overdose and toxicity depends on the amount of Baclofen ingested. In some cases, if the drug is taken for prolonged time span, it resulted into Baclofen overdose. The condition of overdose can prove to be fatal and life threatening. In most of the cases, doctors prescribe alternative antidote that nullifies the effect of Baclofen. If the quantity of drug ingested is more than doctors can recommend gastric lavage. In this case, doctors insert a pipe through mouth in the stomach to pump out unabsorbed amount of Baclofen. But if gastric lavage doesn’t work then doctors can go for hemolytic dialysis to filter out the drug from blood.

Side effects of Baclofen

The drug is used for relaxing skeletal muscle, but it is associated with several side effects. Listed below are few major side effects that arise due to prolonged consumption of Baclofen.

•    Patient feels drowsy.
•    The prolonged consumption of drug Baclofen increases weakness in patients.
•    The drug Baclofen promotes hallucination in few patients.
•    The drug Baclofen also might cause depression and sudden mood swings.
•    Other side effects related to the drug Baclofen includes blurred vision, nausea, muscle pain, tremors, rigidity of muscle, chest pain, dysuria, rashes on body, difficulty in breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting, slurred speech, taste disorder etc.

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