In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use baclofen for opiate withdrawal. Baclofen is a centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant that was approved by the FDA in 1977 for its ability to reduce muscle spasms, muscle tightness, and pain.
Baclofen is a prescription drug that is also known as the brands Lioresal, Gablofen, Flexibac, and more.
It’s typically prescribed for spastic movement disorders, most commonly in instances of:
- Spinal cord injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cerebral palsy
Baclofen For Opiate Addiction
As an off-label use, many people have now benefited from taking baclofen for opiate detox. More and more people are using baclofen for opiate withdrawal because its chemical makeup closely resembles the neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, so it slows down the brain and body, acting as a mental relaxant. I often refer to GABA as the brain’s natural Valium. Benzodiazepine drugs such as Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan, bind to GABAA receptors in the brain, which leads to decreased anxiety and relaxation of the mind and muscles.
Note: Baclofen for opiate withdrawal works in a very similar fashion, though it binds specifically to GABAB receptors, as does the supplement phenibut.
Baclofen For Opiate Withdrawal Studies
Research has shown the benefits of using baclofen for opiate withdrawal on numerous occasions. In a study from 2000, 62 opiate addicts were divided into two groups during a 14-day, double-blind clinical trial.
The first group received a maximum daily dose of 40 mg baclofen given three times per day in divided doses. The second group received a maximum daily dose of 0.8 mg clonidine given three times per day in divided doses.
The following is a direct quote from the study:
RESULTS: Baclofen and clonidine were equally effective in treating the physical symptoms of withdrawal syndromes. However, baclofen showed a significant superiority over clonidine in the management of mental symptoms.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that baclofen might be a novel therapeutic agent for opiate withdrawal syndrome. However, a larger study to confirm our results is warranted.
In another baclofen for opiate addiction study from 2003, the research was directed at assessing possible efficacy of baclofen in the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. In the 12-week, double-blind trial, 40 opiate-addicted patients were randomly assigned to either receive 60 mg of baclofen daily or a placebo.
The following is a direct quote from the study:
RESULTS: Treatment retention was significantly higher in the baclofen group. Baclofen also showed a significant superiority over placebo in terms of opiate withdrawal syndrome and depressive symptoms. Non-significant, but generally favorable responses were seen in the baclofen group with other outcome measures including intensity of opioid craving and self-reported opioid and alcohol use. However, no significant difference was seen in the rates of opioid-positive urine tests. Additionally, the drug side effects of the two groups were not significantly different.
CONCLUSION: The results support further study of baclofen in the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence.
How To Use Baclofen For Opiate Withdrawal
According to the above studies, one might expect to get favorable results by using the same or similar dosages. For instance, the first study used 40 mg of baclofen for opiate withdrawal daily, in three divided doses.
The half-life of baclofen is only 3-4 hours, making this split-dosing protocol optimal. The second study used 60 mg of baclofen for opiate addiction daily. Based on the favorable results of these studies, if you’re looking for the correct baclofen dosage for opiate withdrawal, you might benefit from taking 40-60 mg or even more in 3-4 divided doses throughout the day.
Note: For example, the maximum prescribed amount of baclofen dosage for muscle spasm is 40-80 mg/day. 80 mg/day baclofen dosages should be administered in four divided doses.
Important baclofen for opiate withdrawal tips:
- Use it under the care of your physician.
- Use the least amount necessary to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
- Only use it for 4-7 days to combat the most severe withdrawal symptoms (you’re just trying to make the withdrawal more comfortable, your goal isn’t to get hooked on more drugs).
- You may experience withdrawal symptoms such as seizures or hallucinations when you stop using baclofen after taking it for a long period of time.
Before deciding to use baclofen for opiate withdrawal, review the following:
Baclofen For Opiate Withdrawal Alternatives
Using baclofen for opiate withdrawal is not always an option for everyone. Since it needs to be prescribed by a physician, this doesn’t make the opiate withdrawal remedy easily available. Luckily, there are a few dietary supplements with similar mechanisms to baclofen.
Phenibut
Phenibut is a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant and derivative of GABA. It has anxiolytic and nootropic (cognition-enhancing) effects.
Phenibut acts directly on the GABAB receptor sites. Drugs and substances such as baclofen, GHB, and alcohol also bind to these sites.
Note: Some believe that high doses of phenibut also bind to the GABAA receptors, which is where benzodiazepine drugs such as Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax bind to, though this is a topic of debate in the scientific community.
Opiate Withdrawal Formula
Opiate Withdrawal Formula is a powerful opiate withdrawal supplement that contains a synergistic blend of nutrients specifically formulated to ease symptoms fast. Many people have used this product to minimize withdrawal symptoms naturally.
Among the nutrients are two herbs that also activate GABA receptors in the brain:
Note: These two herbs are some of my absolute favorites for opiate withdrawal. They both increase GABA levels in the brain naturally, leading to less anxiety, relaxation of muscles, and an easier time falling and staying asleep. If you can afford it, I also highly recommend taking this awesome supplement, because the benefits are just too good to pass up.
Baclofen For Opiate Withdrawal Conclusion
Many people have used baclofen for opiate withdrawal symptoms. It has been shown in numerous research studies to minimize both mental and physical symptoms.
Under the care of a physician, an individual can use baclofen to help them transition off opiates with less discomfort. Furthermore, there are dietary supplements that can be used to treat symptoms in a similar fashion (GABA receptor activity), without needing to see a doctor and get a prescription. Click here now to view my best home detox program.
If you have any questions on using baclofen for opiate withdrawal, please feel free to post them in the comment box below.
I have been off of opiates for 2 years been on Suboxone want to come off of Suboxone will this medication help me
This medication can help, and I’m also going to provide links to two other articles that will be good for you to read to learn more:
How To Taper Off Suboxone Like a Champion>>
Suboxone Withdrawal Remedies THAT WORK>>
I was told about baclofen by a doctor at hospital when I was suffering alcohol withdrawal. There seems to be a range of addictions that baclofen can help with, tobacco, alcohol, opiate.. the thing is I had been taking phenibut previously without knowing it could help, and the effects of phenibut were very noticeable, which got me looking into it at the time, researching GABA agonists, etc, and came across some information about baclofen but as it was prescription, I never looked further. Phenibut is prohibitively expensive, and you need much more of it, 500mg to 1gm as opposed to 10mg -20mg of baclofen.
About 2 months ago I took the documentation to my GP and he was happy to try it off label with me, which was one thing I was concerned about, doctors and myself tend to never agree on anything when it comes to providing help. This one did. And all I know is I’ve been 2 weeks today clean, still a long way to go, and I had to titrate my dose up to get the dose that for me, has been effective.
started at 5mg 3 times a day, then 10mg 3 times a day, currently I am at 150mg a day, split into 3 doses. The only issue I have is getting a script refilled at the chemist, they give me looks and ask why I’m refilling so often.. Just ring the doctor, give me my medicine.
Sleep, I have found that I can fall asleep easier, but I am also a terrible insomniac so I am still up at all hours, but if you grab the sleep just as you feel it hitting, you can easily fall asleep. In my case, this is a godsend, in itself.
Since I have responded so well to baclofen, my gp mentioned that another doctor at the practice has prescribed it to another patient also, so with hope the treatment will be more available to others, and not prescribed as a secondary medication for a different ailment, which would seem fortuitous for those lucky enough to be in that situation, but not ideal for those who will benefit from it with proper guidance.
The side effects as you titrate up can be a little disconcerting at first, but as long as you do it gradually, they subside. And as you titrate up, titrating down is also paramount. I’ve read some reports of people equating withdrawals from baclofen/phenibut as being as bad as a benzo withdrawal. I can say that for me, having used phenibut in the past and stopping abruptly, this was not the case, and in fact benzo meds just do nothing for me in the first place. Baclofen has been the only thing that has stopped a 4-5 year fall off the wagon. My liver is borderline cirrhotic, so as I say, there is a road ahead, but the feeling of having broken that chain to something I was so bound to, is itself a new lease on life.
I know they are trialing it here for methamphetamine addiction also. I seriously get the feeling that this GABA agonist will be targeted at some point, altered to be less effective, or specifically changed to work in certain ways only.. they say there is no magic pill, but it’s the closest thing to it, for me, and I have been on the rollercoaster of medications over the years which either make you worse, or send you sideways. Naltrexone, Campral, etc.. Hepatotoxic drugs plied to people with already weakened organs and immune systems, or anti depressants to counter the dire moods, anxiety… baclofen is an anxiolytic and curbs cravings, compulsive desire, and provides a cleaner arena for internal dialogue that is not wrought with self defeating self-talk.
I had a coaching client before that used prescribed baclofen to easily rid her of opiate withdrawal and alcohol withdrawal too, as well as cravings to use these drugs.
Phenibut is something I tried before for social anxiety and it worked pretty well, but it took 500 mg, and after a few days on it my tolerance built quick and already I felt a noticeable decline in the effects/benefits.
Hello
I have currently been taking 200mgs of tramdol a day. 2x50mg morning and 2x50mg evening for approximately 8months. I want to taper off and have Baclofen 10mg. Should skip my 100mg of tramadol in the evening and substitute a 10mg instead.
In other words should I introduce the baclofen while simotaneously lowering the tramadol?
Yes it could be used in that way with great results.
Hello I fell on ice broke left leg and broke ankle was taken to hospital in ambulance they gave me morphine and proceed to cut my boot off I remember passing out the next morning a specialist came in they took me in to surgery woke up with a cast on up to my knee down to my toes,was in the hospital for four days very bad brake in two places had cast on for a month, Doctor sent me to another hospital because I need more surgery it too two years of running 6 surgeries on my leg with final decision to fuse my ankle the only drug I’d taken was aspirin for a headache. My leg was never the same my back hurts because my left hip is higher than the right. The past year and a half I had to go to a neurologist. I was already on Norco and Xanax and Gabapentin. He changed me to Percocets,Lyrica,and.Valium no tapering , I tried the Valiums but I never could take them so 5 days ago I ran out of Xanax only took 1mg in the morning one at night never had a problem now with the 7.5 Percocet I’m having a problem I figured I would be alright but I’m not. He gave me Baclofen. What am I to do I don’t like the Percocets. I feel my pain all through my body. Can you please help me. Thank You.
Hello I am currently going through percocet detox. Cold turkey. I am on day 6 after a use of it for 2 and half years. I was up to about 4 pills a day 5/325. Not a lot. But obviously enough to get me dependant on it. I have several medical issues plus many back problems. I’m due for neck surgery on September 12th and I’m so scared to get addicted again. But I do need the surgery or one wrong move and I could be paralyzed. Basically I’m asking 2 questions. Day 6 of detox still feeling horrible. Massive anxiety attacks. Not hungry at all. But I do force my self to eat. I still have no problems drinking. So u guess that’s good. So my question is how much longer before the detox starts to ease up? Also what do I dowe about pain meds from my surgery. I already told my hubby I want him to lock them up. Any thoughts will help thank u.
Tabatha,
Most have some acute withdrawal symptoms from oxycodone for about a week and a half, with the worst being over around days 5 or 6. Having your husband help you with your medicines will help keep you accountable.
~Mary
OAS RECOVERY SPECIALIST
Don’t lock them up. Just ask your doctor not to prescribe any narcotics.
I’m choosing to post here because for the last few years of surfing , this site seems to be very motivational. I will get right to it. For about 4 years total I’ve battled with opiate addiction. Hydrocodone only . Before, I was an occasional drinker, never took any other drugs and blind to the fact of how opiates could become addictive . Started taking them for headaches and realized what a great feeling I’d get. Then realized that a few of my friends were using them recreationally and from there it became a problem. Of course it is not something that a lot of us are willing to share with our loved ones. Truthfully you don’t realize it’s an addiction or habit to you until you run out or begin sacrificing all of your financial commitments to stay in stock. If you don’t want to use subs or go to rehab, but you have tried many things. They don’t work because you have to find what will work for you. I’m going to tell you that Baclofen and Absorbic Acid (Pure Vitamin C) saved me. I was prescribed it for the back issue that I used often as a way to get pills. Baclofen balances your GABA B and stops the obsessing or fear that you begin to encounter when you know that withdrawals are coming. You don’t want to miss work or appear to be sick to anyone so many people don’t have time to withdraw. Google it and read some of the studies as it relates to addiction .
Go cold turkey or taper yourself to 3 opiate pills a day for 3 days, then 2 for 2 days, 1 for 1 day .
On Day 3 of your Taper , take Baclofen and night and in the morning for the next 7 days.
Every day take a teaspoon of Absorbic Acid every 4 hours , follow it with water. This is called Mega Dosing .
You may need a few pills of Immodium during the beginning of the taper. Take mineral vitamins each day. You have to replenish your body with all that you have sapped out.
Take the Baclofen for only a week and a half. Go to 1 pill a day before you stop. Because of Baclofen, I got my life back … You have to really want to stop and know that you will not feel withdrawals. You also have to pray and listen to some dopamine brain music .. That helps too.
Ive been battling opiate abuse for half my life, most recently had 3yrs clean and relapsed and have been struggling to maintain ever since. Doesn’t seem like ill ever get it, feel hopeless. Through all my research and development of getting strung out and getting clean, here lately about twice a month for 6months going through almost all the withdrawal and fucking up in the end, usually because im drinking to help with detox and I do a nerve pills and pot, and on day 7 or so I usually fuck up, guess thinking that ive been through the worst part so i wont be sick tomorrow if i use, and i wont be, but 3 days later im back to square one :/ Anyway my point of commenting was to tell you serious addicts who have a desire to stop. If you cant call into work, you have to be as comfortable as possible and be able to sleep at night. so be prepared if possible with as much of the following you can obtain. Get a 8mil.Suboxone. Get an eighth of some fire weed($50). Get as many nerve pills as possible, any kind,(Xanax is best of course),. Me personally I get a couple strong 24oz beers,but be careful cause the fuck its come easier when your drinking and may cause relapse. back up drugs you can use are, clonodine, baclofen, remron,seroquil. When doing the sub, start with a half, next day a quarter,next day half a quarter, and last day half a quarter. and i usually take 3 or 4 tramadol for a couple days after. you should be pretty close to back to normal in a week or less, and having been a fairly comfortable withdrawal. The Suboxone seems to ease your way through the withdrawal, instead of kicking your ass wide open for days like cold turkey. This recipe is for opiate addicts ,not for people coming off Suboxone, which in that case you would need to wing down as low as possible before stopping, then take all the above drugs and hold on cause its still gonna be tough, that’s the worst withdrawal Ive been through including methadone. Hope this helps people. Please reply with thoughts that may help me.
I had almost a symptom less detox using baclofen
Does gabapentine /neurotin work similar to baclofen ? I am about to go through opiate withdrawl from using heroin, heavily for 2 years (snorting, never shooting) . Will gabapentine work just as well as baclofen? If so, Any suggestions for how many mg of gabapentine to take daily would be appreciated !! Also, any suggestions on where to buy phenibut? Thank you,
Cindy
To answer your questions Cindy, please check out the following links:
How To Use Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal
Peak Nootropics Phenibut
No one understands how happy i am to read this i went from being prescribed hydrocodone to buying suboxone over the last 6 months i have been struggling with quitting and going back well this week my doctor gave me a prescription for Baclofen for my back pain after reading this im thanking god lol. Im a man and i couldnt handle withdrawals past 3 days i have a child and i just want to quit for her to be a better dad. Thank you for this post
Plus the fact i could easily take up to a 100mg+ hydrocodone and feel the same exact way as if i took one just alot more tired the less i took. Today im at 10mg per day id just rather quit all together
Glad this post found it’s way onto your screen! I wish you the best of luck, and having a child is such a gift. Glad to hear you’re going to end you’re addiction!
Hello, I am currently on 8 – 10 mg/325 norco’s a day for severe arthritis, fibro, cervical neck surgery one year ago with replaced disc, plate put in my neck a fusion, removal of re-active arthritis, stenosis, bolts and screws to hold it all together. At the same time I had lumbar surgery with all the same as had to my cervical neck. Since my surgery I have developed more re-active arthritis, stenosis, bone spurs in both cervical and lumbar of my spine. I have pinched nerves, and now the norco’s are not working and my pain is getting worse. I have had spinal shots with steroids which worked in my neck for a short time but it is back. It wouldn’t work in my lumbar. Now they want to put a spinal simulator implant to control my pain. I don’t want to be on this Pain medication no longer but I am afraid if I go off the pain will be lot worse. I can’t take it any longer any suggestions.
i tackled addiction to 40 mg hydrocodone/day maybe a year ago. I used that much for only 6 months maybe. Before that, I had been taking 5mg/325 maybe 2 a day for a couple years. So—overall, had been taking 10–40 mg a day for 2-3 years. I really don’t know how long anymore. But, I got through what I felt was a bad withdrawl. I went to work and I have a rather high level position. I took epsom salt baths every night and took some natural remedies. But I got past the physical symtoms which, for me were extreme achiness and restless sleeping/muscle spasm thrashing during sleep.
Then I made mistake of refilling a script for 5/325s, thinking I could use these at low level now to “feel better”. I also had a script for Butalbital which has codeine in it. I took twice as much as perscribed of that and got a bit of a “high”. Then I picked up some codeine (co co domol) in UK and did cold water extraction of that to get some in between “buzz”. It may not have been extreme amounts, but for me…It was abuse if not addiction. I had no pain—I wanted to feel “different” and I’m sure that was from the years of taking hydrocodone. Oh–and I also took my sister’s tramadol perscription and was taking 3 or 4 of those a day for past few weeks.
I was determined to stop for new year. I read about Bacolfen for withdrawl and I had a perscription for that for something else a while ago. I refilled it and took 4 10 mg tabs on new years day. I felt good. Thought that was the answer. Yesterday, I must have lost track and took probably 100 mg through the day. I was dizzy and overwhelming sleepy from 7pm to 7am. I called in sick to work on a day I should be there. Now I’m wondering whether I should take baclophen. I have 7.5 mg hydrocodone left (which I found after I thought I tossed the remainder on new years day). Should I take that? More baclophen?
I feel really depressed that I have screwed up so bad.
Is this amount/history even a concern? It IS a concern for me because I don’t NEED pain killers for any true medical reason. I’m just wondering from a withdrawl perspective if it is a concern. I am prone to alcohol abuse and have not drank much in past couple years while on hydrocodone. Now I find I drank more than “a few” glasses of wine/beer the 3 days following the stop of hydrocodone. I guess trying to feel different.
I would appreciate ANY insight here.
I’m also going to take your elearning class.
Thank you for your blog and your work in this area. It sucks.
what if you already are on a high dose of ativan? does nothing btw but a dr has has me on it for 12 years i will have seizures if i stop.. what will this do with that even the oTC , will it suppress mt cns enough to stop breathing?
Please talk to your doctor about which medications you should use for coming off opiates.
I am going to be starting withdrawls within 12 hours. My doctor called me in a script for Baclofen today to pick up tomorrow. I’ve been through opiate withdrawal before and my main problem was sleeping and restless leg syndrome. Will Baclofen help with sleeping as well?
According to my studies, at appears as though baclofen might assist in sleep. However, I’ve yet to here from any readers via comment or email that they tried this and it worked. The studies I linked to had excellent results though.
baclofen helps for sleep. be careful about taking too much through or you might feel sleepy for a whole day. sit in epsom salts baths for as long as you can, as frequently as you can. that helped me some. I am now reading date of your post Michelle…I hope you got through it with minimal chaos.
Yeah, Michelle. It will fix your sleep deprivation in no time. Besides, it will alleviate most if not all of the other withdrawal symptoms. I’ve used it to get off of Methadone and it worked miracles in my case.
Almost Symptomless Detox
That’s incredible Sonia. Well done! And thanks for sharing your experience using baclofen for opiate withdrawal. Take care.
Yes it is. It’s a shame people don’t know about it . Glad I found it to get myself out of 3 – 4 years of pure misery.
Hi Angel,
Can you tell me how much and when etc did you follow Finch’s plan or did you do your own . I have about 50 10mg’s of baclofen and I’m going to try and taper (have failed for the last three weeks). I’m going to detox over the weekend in two weeks. I’m starting another job and need to be off of the norco. I need a fresh start. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Hey how many mgs daily wher you on before having to withdrawal?
I received an email today, telling me about your addiction story, so thought I would check out your site. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did. I have been prescribed methadone for chronic pain, as well as baclofen, for about 5-6 years now. For the past year, with my doctor’s knowledge but without his help, I have been weening myself down from the methadone in the hopes of coming off of it completely. I’ve managed to get myself down from approximately 80mg/day to 15mg/day, buy have been pretty much stuck for the past several months at this dosage. I’ve read an immense amount of information online for various at-home detoxes from methadone, but am petrified of what it will be like this time around, as I have detoxed from methadone myself in the past…although, at the time, I was only taking a max of 10mg/day and had only been taking it for a max of maybe 2-3 months, it was still a solid 30 days of hell, so I can’t imagine what this time will be like. As I said earlier, I’ve talked with my doctor about coming off methadone, but he keeps putting me off, which considering they make their money off people like me continuing to take this drug, I wouldn’t really expect anything different. A detox and rehab is not an option for me either, as I don’t have insurance, and I’ve looked up all the county/state options I might have, and they all consist of switching methadone for suboxone, which I refuse to do, as I’m not looking to trade out one set of shackles for another, longer-wearing set. I was thrilled though, when the first article I saw when I came on your site was about baclofen, and it’s benefit towards opiate withdrawal, as I have a stockpile of this medication, as I rarely take it, scared to mix anything with methadone. I’m on my way out the door right now, headed to another doctor’s appointment, but I will definitely be bookmarking your site, and I will be back to find any other little pearls of knowledge you may have to share. Thank you so much for the work that you do. I’m sure you hear it all the time, but you have made my outlook on the future so much brighter with just that one article. Also, I apologize for my long-windedness, I wasn’t really trying to write a book of my own here. Thanks again!
Hi Kimi,
I’m so glad the email led to you finding this article. Since you have so much baclofen stockpiled, this must really excite you! I appreciate you taking the time to read my story, and I sincerely thank you for sharing yours with me as well 🙂 I’m happy to hear you will looking at my website more, as I’m sure you will find many more pearls of knowledge. Take care!