Podcast 604: Baclofen Withdrawal

<p><strong>Contributor: Erik Verzemnieks, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Baclofen is used to treat muscle spasms or spasticity.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Baclofen comes in two forms: oral and intrathecal</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Withdrawal is much more common with those receiving intrathecal administration from a Baclofen pump, which is typically spinal cord patients</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 1-3 days after stopping baclofen</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Symptoms include altered mental status, muscle rigidity, and fevers, which can mimic other severe illnesses</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is nearly impossible to reverse withdrawal symptoms with oral baclofen if a patient is receiving it intrathecally, so solving the pump problem is key</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Ross JC, Cook AM, Stewart GL, Fahy BG.</span> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20717751/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Acute intrathecal baclofen withdrawal: a brief review of treatment options.</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Neurocrit Care. 2011 Feb;14(1):103-8. doi: 10.1007/s12028-010-9422-6. PMID: 20717751.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD</span></em></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">AMA PRA Category 1 credits™</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">via online course mo