Baclofen and Anxiety

[Cassander]

Baclofen and Anxiety

suneelca;1253672 wrote: Posting this link from the NYTimes 'Opinionator' column from last week:

Searching the Brain for the Roots of Fear

...

Sune

Thanks for posting this. Its a very interesting article and pertinent to many of our discussions in this thread. I especially enjoyed reading the comments from readers, which led me to a book called "Triumph Over Fear" by Dr. Jerilyn Ross, which book and author are both apparently very highly regarded. I've ordered the book and look forward to reading it and reporting back here. Thanks again.

Cass

[suneelca]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Cassander;1254082 wrote: I especially enjoyed reading the comments from readers, which led me to a book called "Triumph Over Fear" by Dr. Jerilyn Ross (...)

Cass

Just got the Kindle edition, but chuckled over this sentence from the blurb: "Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, here eloquently addresses today's "number one mental health problem"--anxiety disorders--and offers help to the estimated million Americans who suffer from them."

More like 10 million? ;-)

[Cassander]

Baclofen and Anxiety

suneelca;1254101 wrote: Just got the Kindle edition, but chuckled over this sentence from the blurb: "Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, here eloquently addresses today's "number one mental health problem"--anxiety disorders--and offers help to the estimated million Americans who suffer from them."

More like 10 million? ;-)

This study:

Arch Gen Psychiatry -- Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, June 2005, Kessler et al. 62 (6): 617

suggests that anxiety and other mood disorders are widespread in the United States.

[suneelca]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Prevalence of anxiety disorders

Started reading the book last night -- she indicates that 23 million Americans have some kind of anxiety disorder, but that about a million have a severe case, like panic attacks, etc.

[Guest]

Baclofen and Anxiety

FWIW..also from toledo!!

suneelca;1254032 wrote: I was born in Toledo, FWIW. Where in Ohio are you?

Go up to the directory that lists all of the threads in this area of the MWO community, and look for the 'New Thread' button near the top on the left. Then, have at it!

Hey...just found this from you..small world!! I too am from toledo! Still haven't started thread. still tryin to understand how all this works here. may I ask where did you go to high school?? Could be even smaller world than both from toledo! panda

[ad777]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Just want to add a bit to the bottom of this thread, am Adam,49,in Edinburgh Scotland.stopped drinking 4 years ago, but,like every other time i stopped,crippled with anxiety.2 weeks in to taking bac,and for the first time in 40 years have experienced short bursts of feeling 'relaxed'!
freaked out at first because didn't realize what it was.much gratitude to people on this forum, and a couple of other baclofen forums for help,advice,support and encouragement.you know who you are!!!
For the first time ever in my life, I have hope

[suneelca]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Adam, I'm ...

Adam from Scotland -- that's awesome, as we say in California. Keep with it. The best is yet to come!

Suneel

[spacebebe01]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Hi Adam, its great that you are feeling better, I suffered from constant anxiety for so long and didnt even know most of the stuff that was happening was caused by anxiety, It wasnt until I found myself feeling relaxed and happy that I realised how bad my anxiety actually was!

[Cassander]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Bump...page 4 is too far down! Hopefully there are some new insights to be reported on this topic, which seems fairly central for many of us...

[Cassander]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Bump to report a new NIH study exploring anxiety, alcoholism and baclofen:

NIH Clinical Center Search the Studies: Study Number, Study Title


.

[Mal O' Drama]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Bump for Cleo63

[Colin]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Excellent thread Cassandra. Disseminating the truth and I, for one believe you. This post brings it back into discussion.

Referring to summaries by post# (25 and 148) works very well here but breaks down if posts are deleted in which case post#25 no longer refers to the summary.

Some people are proud of referring to themselves as serial deleters. Breaking someone else's #post# link is just one of the problems caused by deletion.

[Cassander]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Hi Colin

I fixed the cross-references to the summary posts (now ##1, 25 and 146).

Thanks,

Cassander

[truvision]

Baclofen and Anxiety

This is kinda long but SAME HERE

Its crazy to see that so many people on here have had the same experiences with baclofen as I have. I used to suffer with INTENSE, debiliating social anxiety and alcoholism and was put on every med under the sun. After much research and desperation I asked for Baclofen for alcohol cravings years ago.Well, at the time I didnt give it a real chance but after a terrible experience with anxiety at an internship site I went back to the old pills not really expecting it would really work for my anxiety, but hey it was all I had. I had NO idea what was about to happen but suddenly three weeks later I was a totally different person. One day I woke up and the anxiety was just gone. I was only on 30 milligrams but the bullies at the internship site told me it was as if I had a "renewed confidence" for which they took credit for. It wasnt them in the least, it was the BACLOFEN.

Seven years ago I quit doing hair not because I didnt like it or wasnt good enough to do it but because I couldnt take the perpetual fear of possibly displeasing people or interacting with people. I missed it so much that I had dreams about doing hair but because of the fear I convinced myself that I didnt like it and went to school for four stinking, insufferable years for something else that I NOW realize I didnt even really want to do! Since the Baclofen I have now even started cutting hair again with EASE and FLUIDITY even volunteering at a homeless shelter cutting hair.

I say this with all certainty ,and this is from someone who was pretty much against all meds for the most part, but baclofen has changed my life and opened doors again that I thought would be closed forever. Many embarrassing blackouts encouraged me to quit drinking before baclofen, but I was NO match for the social anxiety.I never dreamed that a pill could work so well and so SEAMLESSLY under the surface,not even feeling it at all but yet just feeling totally normal for the first time.

And to think that one time I had a doctor look at me like I was crazy when I said I was on baclofen and that it was the best thing Ive ever taken for my anxiety.She kind of got mad and asked who the doctor was that prescribed it to me and said to be careful because it was not used for anxiety.I cant believe a doc couldnt understand why baclofen wouldnt work knowing that it increases GABA in the brain.I told her baclofen far surpasses the effectiveness of xanax for me or ANY other anxiety med for that matter by leaps and bounds.Thankfully I see someone now who has said she might be willing to work with me on this because I have so stressed how it has changed my life and even further reduced cravings for booze and even pills.

I believe that it must truly be something in the brains of alcoholics, most likely a deficiency of gaba that makes this med so effective against alcoholism and anxiety. Hopefully I will be able to come off of it one day and stand on my own. Although it is only 30 mg I am still worried about withdrawal as I tend to have bad withdrawals, however for now it is worth it. I am thinking of possibly going up to 40 mg just on days when I really need it when I start back working. At what milligrams have you all noticed the anxiety relief to diminish?Sorry this was so drawn out but just had to tell my side, thanks for reading.

[kino1]

Baclofen and Anxiety

Its sad that a doctor would get mad when finding out you where taking Baclofen but wouldn't hesitate to prescribe Xanax. The mind boggles. I've seen Xanax turn people in to absolute shells of their former self's.