Benzos Baclofen for migraines & adjunct to benzo taper?

[Where Wolf?]

I'm currently in the early stages of a medically supervised diazepam taper, having failed to quit through a self-administered reduction programme. I started off tapering from doses of 100+mgs of diaz a day, after switching from cocktails of alprazolam, temazepam, nitrazepam and midazolam, but though I managed to get down, several times, to 25-30mgs, I inevitably relapsed/rebounded and got stuck in the 50-70 mgs a day range on diaz.

I'm now down to 55mgs, and am frustrated by the slow pace of tapering - whether as a consequence of dose reduction or for unrelated reasons, the latest (5mg) drop has been accompanied by one of the worst few weeks of daily migraine attacks (up to 3-4 a day) I've ever suffered. Tryptans aren't always effective, for me, and I'm concerned that I'm taking too many NSAIDS (never above therapeutic doses, but daily APAP or ibuprofen, often in combination with low-dose codeine (OTC where I live). I've read both controlled studies and firsthand user reports praising the anti-addictive properties of baclofen and its action as a migraine prophylactic. Does anyone have any experience of using baclofen for either, or both, alcohol/benzo withdrawal and migraine prevention?

I've got a doc's appointment tomorrow to discuss the next step on my taper, and a few weeks ahead of me with no work and few social obligations, so here's what I'm thinking...

a 1mg DAILY dose reduction on diaz, supplemented by 10-30mgs of Baclofen. Any opinions or advice would be very welcome.

 

[Coraline]

Be careful with baclofen. It really is a powerful drug. If you take it for a while you will need to do a taper off that as well. It will lower heart rate and bp. You don't want increased anxiety if you don't do a taper.

With benzos wd's be careful. It's nothing to play around with. If you think your might be having seizures get medical help right away.

It's not a game. The dr is tapering you slowly for a reason.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

Sorry to sort of go off on a tangent and not address your questions but I think zoey did so beautifully and I feel this is important to mention - while it's obviously essential to get through this taper and get off the benzos, if you don't have a plan in place to deal with things after that and address why you got to the point you did with them, the likelihood of staying off them is unfortunately very low.

Benzos are notorious for their nasty PAWS which often drives people to relapse or replace their addiction with something else and I'd hate to see that happen to you. Your best bet is to have a solid plan in place with how you're going to cope with things and stay away from using. Formal treatment and support groups are obviously common options but not the best for everyone. I strongly recommend working with a professional in some capacity to assess the situation and find the right way to address it but that doesn't mean 90 days of rehab and a lifetime of NA meetings are the only or even best option.

We constantly see threads here where people are asking about how to get through a taper or withdrawal but have nothing in place past that and quickly wind up back in the same situation or worse. This doesn't have to happen and it starts with just preparing for how you're going to deal with the next phase.

 

[Where Wolf?]

Thanks for your replies, Zoey & Cane. My doc's tapered a fair few patients in his time, and point-blank refused to consider a drop of more than 5mgs a week, emphasising that the lower I get, the smaller the dosage reductions will have to be. He didn't seem to be overly familiar with Baclofen, so we're treating the migraines as a seperate issue: and yes, adding another GABAdrenergic compound to the mix might well complicate things.

As to post-taper support, that's a tough one. 12-stepping isn't for me, nor are anti-depressants. I'm inclined to try and find a good CBT practitioner with some experience of treating addicts, to learn some techniques for dealing with anxiety, and I'm of course concerned that I'll end up relapsing or substituting - most of all, with booze or opiods. I know the deep-rooted reasons for my addictive behaviour intimately: there's no great mystery, just a practical problem that I have to face in day to day, pragmatic ways. But tbh, with 50mgs left to go, life post-taper seems impossibly faraway, and may, if I make it there, require some kind of mood stabiliser, at least for a while. We'll see.

So a 'no' on the Baclofen, and point well taken, Case, I need to give serious thought to dealing with PAWS. It seems I have plenty of time to plan: it's going to be at least 6-7 months till I kick, at this rate. I do find that frustrating: I've picked up and dropped pharm opiate habits with quick tapers or a few tabs of subuxone with ease, but this benzo habit is a whole different story. Strange that such a marginally (to me) recreational class of drugs should be so tough on body and mind when it comes to habituation and recovery: talk about a long fall for a short slide.