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Baclofen for the treatment of muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis: A new alternative.
Hepatology. 2015 Jul 14;
Authors: Henry ZH, Northup PG
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In patients with cirrhosis muscle cramps are a common problem leading to decreased quality of life. Current therapies used in clinical practice mainly focus on vitamin repletion, electrolyte repletion, or altered energy metabolism with variable results often leaving patients with no viable therapeutic options. Here we assess the safety and efficacy of baclofen for the treatment of muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis.
METHODS: Ten subjects were enrolled from hepatology clinics at the University of Virginia. They underwent a muscle cramps survey to characterize location, frequency, and severity of cramps. Subjects started baclofen five milligrams three times a day for one week, increased to ten milligrams three times a day for the next three weeks, then tapered off over a seven day period. Safety assessments were done weekly by phone until the end of treatment. Efficacy assessments were done at the end of treatment and after a two week washout period.
RESULTS: Rates of headache, nausea, dizziness, and encephalopathy were not significantly different during treatment compared to baseline (p=0.08, p=0.16, p=0.99, p=0.99, respectively). Muscle cramps occurred an average of 5.5 ± 2.1 days per week at baseline and decreased to 1.4 ± 2.0 days per week by the end of treatment (p=0.01). Severity was significantly decreased from a pre-treatment score of 8.5 ± 1.8 on a 0-10 analog pain scale to an end of treatment score of 2.8 ± 2.7 (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Baclofen is safe and effective for the treatment of muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 26175073 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]