Baclofen 2mg/5ml oral solution
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Baclofen is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist used as a skeletal muscle relaxant.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Baclofen
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Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Baclofen
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
50 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(8)
Spasticity in under 19s: management (CG145)
Cerebral palsy in adults (NG119)
Multiple sclerosis in adults: management (NG220)
Selective dorsal rhizotomy for spasticity in cerebral palsy (HTG245)
Motor neurone disease: assessment and management (NG42)
Stroke rehabilitation in adults (NG236)
Mollii suit for spasticity (MIB100)
Rehabilitation after traumatic injury (NG211)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
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Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 16 · Randomised trials: 15 · 1980–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Mimi Pierce, A. Sutterland, Esther M Beraha, et al.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018
C. Palpacuer, Renan Duprez, Alexandre Huneau, et al.
Addiction, 2018
James C. Garbutt, Alexei B. Kampov‐Polevoy, Robert Gallop, et al.
Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 2010
- Alcohol Drinking
- Alcoholism
- Anxiety
Steven Shoptaw, Xiaowei Yang, Erin Rotheram‐Fuller, et al.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2003
- Baclofen
- Cocaine
- Longitudinal Studies
S. Minozzi, R. Saulle, S. Rösner
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2017
G. Addolorato, L. Leggio, A. Ferrulli, et al.
Alcohol and alcoholism, 2011
Christian Müller, Olga Geisel, Patricia Pelz, et al.
European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015
- Alcohol Deterrents
- Alcoholism
- Baclofen
Esther M Beraha, E. Salemink, A. Goudriaan, et al.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2016
A. Buizer, Brian H M Martens, Casey Grandbois van Ravenhorst, et al.
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2018
Kirsten C. Morley, A. Baillie, I. Fraser, et al.
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2018
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
107 found
Half-life
2-6 hours
Mechanism
The exact mechanism of action of baclofen is unclear.
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
3 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
70%
Half-life
2-6 hours
[A245338]…
Protein binding
30%
[L40278]
Volume of distribution
0.7 L/kg
[L40278]
As baclofen is mainly water-soluble, it does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier.
[A245333]…
Metabolism
15%
[A245338]…
Elimination
70-80%
Clearance
180 mL/min
[A245343]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Baclofen was investigated for use in alcohol dependence and withdrawal; however, evidence is limited and there is inconsistent evidence to suggest its clinical efficacy in managing alcohol dependence or withdrawal symptoms.[A173905][A173908][A245338]
[L39434]
Intrathecal baclofen is also indicated for the management of severe spasticity of the cerebral or spinal original in patients 4 years of age and older.
It is reserved for patients unresponsive to oral baclofen therapy, or those who experience intolerable central nervous system side effects at effective doses. For use in spasticity due to traumatic brain injury, baclofen should be considered after at least one year of injury.
[L39429]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1563 interactions
[L40273]
Baclofen withdrawal symptoms typically occur within hours to days following interruption of either oral or intrathecal drug formulations.
[A245338]
Abrupt discontinuation of baclofen is not advised.
[L39429]
Clinical manifestations of baclofen overdose may include altered mental status, somnolence, seizure, hypothermia, respiratory depression, and coma. Overdose from baclofen oral tablets resulted in vomiting, lightheadedness, drowsiness, muscular hypotonia, accommodation disorders, coma, respiratory depression, and seizures.
[A245323][L40134]
Most overdose symptoms are neurological but uncommon cardiovascular effects such as hypertension, bradycardia, and tachycardia may be observed.
[A37219]
In case of overdose, symptomatic treatment and gastric decontamination should be initiated. When the patient is alert, gastric emptying should be performed by inducing emesis and then performing lavage while maintaining an adequate airway and respiration.
Emesis should not be induced in unconscious patients.
[A245323][L40134]
Baclofen exhibits anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities: it inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from microglia and astrocytes, and decreases oxidative stress in rats.[A173938]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A245323]
Peak effect is observed about four hours after intrathecal administration.
[A245338]
The absorption is dose-dependent and increases with higher doses.
[A245323]
There is intersubject variation in absorption.
[L40134]
Administration of oral baclofen suspension with a high-fat meal resulted in 9% decrease in AUC and 33% decrease in Cmax compared to the fasted state.
[L40134]
[A245338]
The apparent elimination half-life of baclofen oral suspension or granules is about 5.6 hours.
[L40134]
[L40278]
[L40278]
As baclofen is mainly water-soluble, it does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier.
[A245333]
Drug concentrations of baclofen in the cerebrospinal fluid are approximately 8.5 times lower than in the plasma.
[L40278]
[A245338]
Deamination yields the main metabolite, β-(p-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxybutyric acid, which is pharmacologically inactive.
[L40278]
[L40278]
There is intersubject variation in elimination.
[L40134]
[A245343]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:15617512 PMID:18165688 PMID:22660477 PMID:24305054 PMID:9872316 PMID:9872744
Within the heterodimeric GABA receptor, only GABBR1 seems to bind agonists, while GABBR2 mediates coupling to G proteins .
PMID:18165688
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of down-stream effectors, such as adenylate cyclase .
PMID:10075644 PMID:10773016 PMID:24305054
Signaling inhibits adenylate cyclase, stimulates phospholipase A2, activates potassium channels, inactivates voltage-dependent calcium-channels and modulates inositol phospholipid hydrolysis .
PMID:10075644 PMID:10773016 PMID:10906333 PMID:9872744
Plays a critical role in the fine-tuning of inhibitory synaptic transmission .
PMID:22660477 PMID:9872744
Pre-synaptic GABA receptor inhibits neurotransmitter release by down-regulating high-voltage activated calcium channels, whereas postsynaptic GABA receptor decreases neuronal excitability by activating a prominent inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) conductance that underlies the late inhibitory postsynaptic potentials .
PMID:10075644 PMID:22660477 PMID:9872316 PMID:9872744
Not only implicated in synaptic inhibition but also in hippocampal long-term potentiation, slow wave sleep, muscle relaxation and antinociception (Probable)
PMID:15617512 PMID:18165688 PMID:22660477 PMID:24305054 PMID:36103875 PMID:9872316 PMID:9872744
Within the heterodimeric GABA receptor, only GABBR1 seems to bind agonists, while GABBR2 mediates coupling to G proteins .
PMID:18165688
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of down-stream effectors, such as adenylate cyclase .
PMID:10075644 PMID:10773016 PMID:10906333 PMID:24305054 PMID:9872744
Signaling inhibits adenylate cyclase, stimulates phospholipase A2, activates potassium channels, inactivates voltage-dependent calcium-channels and modulates inositol phospholipid hydrolysis .
PMID:10075644
Calcium is required for high affinity binding to GABA (By similarity). Plays a critical role in the fine-tuning of inhibitory synaptic transmission .
PMID:9844003
Pre-synaptic GABA receptor inhibits neurotransmitter release by down-regulating high-voltage activated calcium channels, whereas postsynaptic GABA receptor decreases neuronal excitability by activating a prominent inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) conductance that underlies the late inhibitory postsynaptic potentials .
PMID:10075644 PMID:22660477 PMID:9844003 PMID:9872316 PMID:9872744
Not only implicated in synaptic inhibition but also in hippocampal long-term potentiation, slow wave sleep, muscle relaxation and antinociception (Probable). Activated by (-)-baclofen, cgp27492 and blocked by phaclofen PMID:24305054 PMID:9844003 PMID:9872316
PMID:10452968 PMID:18799424 PMID:24912431 PMID:28978524
Involved in the AKT signaling cascade .
PMID:24912431
Plays a role in regulation of cell migration, e.g. during wound healing .
PMID:28978524
Acts as a receptor for extracellular ubiquitin; leading to enhanced intracellular calcium ions and reduced cellular cAMP levels .
PMID:20228059
Binds bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) et mediates LPS-induced inflammatory response, including TNF secretion by monocytes .
PMID:11276205
Involved in hematopoiesis and in cardiac ventricular septum formation. Also plays an essential role in vascularization of the gastrointestinal tract, probably by regulating vascular branching and/or remodeling processes in endothelial cells. Involved in cerebellar development.
In the CNS, could mediate hippocampal-neuron survival (By similarity)
ATC M03BX01
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Baclofen
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
2104
ChemSpider
2197
BindingDB
24182
Guide to Pharmacology
1084
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4507
GenAtlas
GABBR2
GeneCards
GABBR2
GenBank Gene Database
AJ012188
GenBank Protein Database
3776098
Guide to Pharmacology
241
UniProt Accession
GABR2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4070
GenAtlas
GABBR1
GeneCards
GABBR1
GenBank Gene Database
AJ225028
GenBank Protein Database
3892594
Guide to Pharmacology
240
UniProt Accession
GABR1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2561
GenAtlas
CXCR4
GeneCards
CXCR4
GenBank Gene Database
L01639
GenBank Protein Database
189314
Guide to Pharmacology
71
UniProt Accession
CXCR4_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q413717), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.