Baclofen is a muscle relaxer used to treat the pain, spasm and stiffness of those suffering from multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune disease affecting your spinal cord and brain), says Drugs.com. Typically, you will take 40 to 80 milligrams of baclofen daily. Take it as your doctor instructs or you may develop harmful side effects.
Common Side Effects
In a controlled study of 175 patients, the National Library of Medicine reported that 10 to 63 percent of these patients developed drowsiness, 5 to 15 percent developed dizziness and weakness while 2 to 4 percent developed fatigue. Other prevalent side effects include nausea (4 to 12 percent), constipation (2 to 6 percent), headaches (4 to 8 percent), trouble sleeping (2 to 7 percent), weakness and frequent urination (2 to 6 percent).
Hazardous Side Effects
According to Drugs.com, baclofen can provoke seizures, which are physical manifestations of your brain's jumbled electrical activity. Baclofen can also affect your mind and cause confusion and hallucinations (hearing and seeing things that aren't really there). Another side effect is irregular heartbeats, medically known as palpitations.
Other Side Effects
The National Library of Medicine says that baclofen can cause depression, tremors, lack of coordination, blurry vision and nystagmus (rapid movements of your eyes, in a back and forth motion). It can also cause miosis (condition where the pupils in your eyes constrict), dysarthria (trouble speaking), hematuria (bloody urine) and weight gain.
Additional Concerns
You should avoid baclofen if you are allergic to it or its ingredients. Hazardous side effects such as difficulty breathing and edema (swelling) of your throat, lips, tongue and face can result. Hives can also develop on your skin.
Avoid combining alcohol with baclofen. You may like to drink wine with your meals but it is important to avoid this habit as alcohol can provoke baclofen's side effects.
According to Drugs.com, you should not take baclofen with such sleep-inducing medications as muscle relaxers, anticonvulsants and pain medications. This can result in increased and dangerous drowsiness.
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