PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF THE USE OF ORAL BACLOFEN - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY

Spasticity is a common problem following spinal cord injury. The drug of choice to control spasms is baclofen. There would appear to be no r eported studies which have evaluated the psychological and emotional e ffect of this drug. This preliminary study investigated a number of su ch effects, including depression, anxiety and general mood state. Firs t, we examined 10 subjects before and during the administration of bac lofen. They were then compared to a control group of 12 subjects. A se cond cohort of 12 subjects taking baclofen were compared to a control group of nine subjects at a specific time after injury. Results indica ted that whilst some significant differences were found, suggesting an increase in fatigue with use of baclofen, no major adverse psychologi cal effects were noted. The implications of these results were discuss ed and suggestions for further research were highlighted.