I’m just going to put this here as it may help someone else avoid what I’ve just been through with baclofen.
Before my stroke I had to be super diligent with what I call my ‘mental health hygiene’, and since my stroke, non of my go-to strategies had been helping at all. I suspected one of my medications may be exacerbating the problem.
When I got my most recent baclofen prescription filled, there was a very comprehensive printout in the bag. Under ‘side effects affecting one in ten people’ there was a list of very worrisome mental health side effects that I started to tick off.
I immediately rang my pharmacist and explained the situation and asked if it was safe to stop taking it, which they confirmed as I was on the lowest dose possible.
This was last Friday and I’m already feeling much better in my head.
My wonderful OT from the stroke team has been speaking to the Neuro Psychology team as I feel I need extra support in that area and will get back to me today, but at least I don’t feel like I’m going into crisis mode.
All of this is to say, if you are struggling with your mood DON’T hang about, tell your GP or Pharmacist and ask them to look at your current medication.
EDIT - If you are being prescribed new medications and have struggled with your mental health pre stroke, ask about possible impacts on your mental health - if I had known what I know now I would have chosen not to take baclofen.
Thank you for sharing - medicines affect people in different ways, and people have different attitudes to medicine with some happy to take them and others perhaps not so.
It is pretty much well known that all medicines have side effects and in my opinion ?
You should always read the leaflet / information pack about the medication before taking it.
After taking it, monitor your condition, look out for adverse changes and look out for known side-effects (as documented)
You may also come across a new side effect that is not documented (I guess this might be rare) and if you do report it to the relevant authority. The information is in the leaflet, but you can also report it here.
I started keeping a progress diary pretty much the day after my stroke (because I’m like that ), mainly just to chart my progress and see where I felt I needed to focus rehab-wise and get on top of any ‘red flags’ early on.
I would highly recommend anybody do that (in whatever way you can).
I love the idea of a progress diary, thank you, I shall do the same. I too have to be careful with my mental hygiene. I had a number of breakdowns before my stroke, and since the stroke I’ve struggled with agonising loneliness and deoression. I’ve been put on On metazapine and certralin. Both antidepressants. And to add to the stroke I’m going through the menopause the change in hormones of course affecting my mental hygiene!
), mainly just to chart my progress and see where I felt I needed to focus rehab-wise and get on top of any ‘red flags’ early on.
