Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on December 13, 2004
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2005 40(2):147-150; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh130
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Alcohol & Alcoholism Vol. 40, No. 2 © Medical Council on Alcohol 2005; all rights reserved
CASE REPORT
COMPLETE AND PROLONGED SUPPRESSION OF SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL-DEPENDENCE USING HIGH-DOSE BACLOFEN: A SELF-CASE REPORT OF A PHYSICIAN
23 rue du Départ BP37, 75014 Paris, France
* Correspondence: Tel: +33 675599914. E-mail: oameisen{at}noos.fr
(Received 2 October 2004; first review notified 19 October 2004; in revised form 10 November 2004; accepted 11 November 2004)
Aims: To test whether the dose-dependent motivation-suppressing effect of baclofen in animals could be transposed to humans, and suppress craving and sustain abstinence. Methods: Neurologists safely use up to 300 mg/day (10 times the dosage currently used for alcohol dependence) of high-dose oral baclofen, to control spasticity, in order to avoid invasive therapy. I am a physician with alcohol dependence and comorbid anxiety. I self-prescribed high-dose baclofen, starting at 30 mg/day, with 20 mg increments every third day and an (optional) additional 20–40 mg/day for cravings. Results: Cravings became easier to combat. After reaching the craving-suppression dose of 270 mg/day (3.6 mg/kg) after 5 weeks, I became and have remained free of alcohol dependence symptoms effortlessly for the ninth consecutive month. Anxiety is well controlled. Somnolence disappeared with a dosage reduction to 120 mg/day, now used for the eighth consecutive month. Conclusions: High-dose baclofen induced complete and prolonged suppression of symptoms and consequences of alcohol dependence, and relieved anxiety. This model, integrating cure and well-being, should be tested in randomized trials, under medical surveillance. It offers a new concept: medication-induced, dose-dependent, complete and prolonged suppression of substance-dependence symptoms with alleviation of comorbid anxiety.
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