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Can Baclofen Be Taken For Back Pain When Diagnosed With CHF?
My wife had congestive heart failure. Her doctor prescribed Baclofen for back pain. Within a few hours she developed severe swelling in her legs, ankles and feet. She stopped taking the Baclofen [she had only taken one dose] and notified her doctor. She also takes Lasix but even at a higher dose did not get rid of the fluid. She saw her doctor and was told the right side of her heart was not beating properly [she also has a pacemaker and was doing well before taking the baclofen]. The doctor sent her to a cardiologist who prescribed her another pill to take every other day a half hour prior to her Lasix to get rid of the fluid and also ordered an echocardiogram. the extra fluid pill was working and she did get rid of a lot of fluid and she was feeling better. She had her echocardiogram done but died suddenly the next day without warning. Since my wife had congestive heart failure should she have been prescribed Baclofen for her back pain?
Baclofen acts as a muscle relaxant that is used in the relieving of muscle spasms, stiffness or rigidity associated with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, lumbar degenerative changes etc. But this medication has some serious side effects, especially cardiovascular side effects are most pronounced. Cardiovascular side effects of this medication are hemodynamic changes, serious conduction problems such as slow heart beat or bradycardia, heart block, prolonged QTc, supraventricular tachycardia, premature atrial contractions etc. Due to its serious cardiovascular side effects, careful monitoring of cardiovascular functions is required especially in patients with congestive heart failure.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards, Dr. Zubayer Alam, General And Family Physician,
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Can Baclofen Be Taken For Back Pain When Diagnosed With CHF?
Hi, Baclofen acts as a muscle relaxant that is used in the relieving of muscle spasms, stiffness or rigidity associated with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, lumbar degenerative changes etc. But this medication has some serious side effects, especially cardiovascular side effects are most pronounced. Cardiovascular side effects of this medication are hemodynamic changes, serious conduction problems such as slow heart beat or bradycardia, heart block, prolonged QTc, supraventricular tachycardia, premature atrial contractions etc. Due to its serious cardiovascular side effects, careful monitoring of cardiovascular functions is required especially in patients with congestive heart failure. Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Zubayer Alam, General And Family Physician,