Baclofen for Alcohol Treatment
Is it a Wonder Drug?
Baclofen has been around for many years but has only recently been used to help people stop overdrinking. Like any new medical treatment, it comes with big questions: Have we finally found a cure for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)? Is this the wonder drug that will end overdrinking forever? Is it as easy as taking a pill?
The answer, of course, is no. Using baclofen isn’t a catchall guarantee that you’ll be able to brush off alcohol without a second thought for the rest of your life — it’s never that easy, because alcohol and its effects are complicated. So what can baclofen do?
The FDA approved baclofen for medical use in the United States in 1977. Since that time, doctors have used it to treat muscle spasticity. But baclofen also has an off-label use. In 2004, Dr. Oliver Ameisen published the findings of a self-study he conducted to combat 7 years of failed alcohol treatments. After years of struggling and even hospitalization, he successfully used baclofen to reduce his cravings and gain total control of his drinking. Since then, several other baclofen studies have shown promising results for alcohol treatment, and baclofen’s popularity has grown.
In Australia and parts of Europe, doctors already prescribe baclofen to treat AUD. While the United States is still behind on this particular treatment, LifeBac is trying to change that.
Drink Less | Live More
We started using baclofen for its off-label potential and providing medically managed access to it in 2019. We want everyone to have access to treatments that can help them. For many people — especially when other treatments haven’t worked — baclofen is a life-changing option, and it’s time we spread the word.
How Baclofen Works & How LifeBac Uses It
Baclofen is one of several medications used to help people overcome compulsive drinking that doesn’t create an aversion to alcohol. It doesn’t make you sick when you drink, and it doesn’t affect the taste of alcohol. Rather, it’s a medication that causes alcohol cravings to fade over time.
That’s why we use baclofen — to diminish alcohol cravings. We combine it with success coaches who help you change habits that push you to drink. Counseling can also be crucial for some people’s success, particularly if their drinking stems from trauma or mental illness. While counseling isn’t part of our program, we are partnered with an addiction specialist, Adi Jaffe, to whom we can refer members.
Whether or not you need counseling to reach your drinking goals, LifeBac’s combination of baclofen and coaching accounts for the neurological element of AUD and the habitual element, so you have the best chance of making a lasting change.
While baclofen is an effective tool, its efficacy depends on how and when you take it. That’s why LifeBac uses a variety of formulas to customize your medication plan to your drinking window. The amount of baclofen needed to reduce cravings varies, so we have each person slowly increase their dosage until they find that number (we call it their Effective Dose). Our customized plans show you when to take each dosage so that it is most effective for you.
We also monitor your progress with the medication so that we can adjust your plan (if needed) and account for side effects. Most side effects of baclofen are mild, and we can typically control them by adjusting your dose. It can take time for your body to adapt to the new medication, so side effects are often reduced or removed by slowing dosage increases. Baclofen is non-habit-forming, so you don’t have to worry about trading one set of cravings for another.
How it Works
The exact methods by which baclofen treats AUD are still being discovered today. What we do know is that baclofen and alcohol both stimulate GABA receptors.
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it controls inhibitory processes that do things like calm or slow down the body and mind. Activating these same receptors is how baclofen produces its anti-anxiety and anti-addictive effects. When a person consumes alcohol, both GABA and dopamine are released. GABA causes some of the initial pleasure (e.g., relaxation, confidence, stress relief) that comes from drinking, and dopamine integrates that occurrence with the reward system. This process is a major part of how alcohol dependence forms. The more you drink, the more your brain motivates you to seek out alcohol — that’s what causes cravings.
Baclofen also acts on GABA receptors, but it doesn’t stimulate dopamine. Because of this difference, we believe that baclofen causes the brain to begin to disassociate one of the main effects of alcohol from the reward system. As an effect, cravings disappear over time. This is a simplified explanation based on current data. If you want to read a little bit more about how baclofen works, check out How Does Baclofen Work?
As we learn more about baclofen and the brain, we may discover exactly how it works and who it’s best suited for. In the meantime, we know baclofen has worked for many people, and we want to continue to share its success with those who may have lost hope in other treatments. If you or a loved one are looking for a way to take back control of alcohol, see if LifeBac can work for you.
