How Long Does Baclofen Stay In Your System?

Before you start to take this medication, you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist to be sure you understand how to use it safely. Examples of questions that you may want to ask include: Can you get addicted to baclofen, can you overdose on it, and how long does baclofen stay in your system? 

What is Baclofen?

Baclofen is the generic name of a prescription medication that is commonly used to treat muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries. 

Spasticity refers to a prolonged muscle contraction that leads to severe tightness or rigidity, which makes it difficult or impossible for a person to move the affected body part.

Baclofen earn approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1977. In addition to its authorized use to alleviate muscle spasticity, the drug is also used on an off-label basis to address several other concerns, including:

• Trigeminal neuralgia, which is a chronic condition that causes the sudden onset of severe facial pain
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Intractable hiccups, which are rare cases of hiccups that last for 30 days or longer
• Spasticity in children who have cerebral palsy
• Leg cramping due to a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back area

Baclofen interacts with receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) that are associated with a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA):

• GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means that it slows the delivery of messages between the brain and various body parts.
• Researchers believe that baclofen causes elevated levels of GABA and lower levels of excitatory neurotransmitters, which are designed to speed up CNS function. 
• Altering the balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in this way has a calming effect on the body, leading to muscle relaxation, an easing of muscle pain, and a sense of drowsiness.

In the United States, baclofen is sold under several brand names, including Fleqsuvy, Lyvispah, and Ozobax. It is usually taken by mouth, but it can also be administered via injection.

How Long Does Baclofen Stay In Your System?

Baclofen has a half-life of two to four hours. 

A half-life is the amount of time it takes for 50% of a substance to be eliminated from your body. To explore how this applies to this medication, let’s consider the question, how long does 20mg of baclofen stay in your system?

• If you take 20mg of baclofen, in two to four hours, 10mg will have been eliminated, leaving 10mg still in your system.
• After another two to four hours, the remaining 10mg will have again been reduced by half, leaving you with 5mg of baclofen in your body.
• Two to four hours after that, the 5mg of baclofen will have been reduced to 2.5mg.

It usually takes four to five half-lives for the amount of a drug to fall below a clinically significant level. That means we can estimate that a 20mg baclofen dose will be out of your system in eight to 20 hours. 

This timeline can be influenced by several factors, including your metabolism, how long you’ve been taking baclofen, and how much of the medication you usually take.

Here are a few reasons why it’s so important to understand how long does baclofen stay in your blood or elsewhere in your system:

• Normal doses of the drug can cause dizziness, confusion, headache, and a variety of other disconcerting side effects. 
• Taking too much can lead to baclofen toxicity, which can be fatal. 
• Abruptly stopping after using baclofen for an extended period can trigger a variety of physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

When you know how much baclofen is in your system, you can minimize your risk of negative outcomes such as these. 

How long does baclofen stay in your blood? ​

The amount of time baclofen stays in your system and the amount of time baclofen will show up on a drug test are not necessarily the same. This is because different types of tests have different detection windows. 

For example, a blood test may detect baclofen for up to 24 hours after the last time you used the drug.

How long does baclofen stay in your urine?

If you take a drug screen that analyzes your urine, you may test positive for baclofen for up to 48 hours (or two days) after your most recent use of the drug.

If baclofen should be eliminated from your system within 20 hours, how could you test positive more than a day after that? This is because drug screens don’t only look for the actual drug. They also detect metabolites, which are byproducts that are created as your body breaks down a substance to prepare it for elimination.

Some metabolites will remain in your system after all of the baclofen has been eliminated. If a drug screen detects these metabolites, that is proof that you recently used baclofen.

How long does baclofen stay in your saliva?

For baclofen, saliva tests usually have the same detection window as blood tests. So you might test positive on a saliva test for up to a day after you last ingested baclofen.

Does Baclofen Show Up on a Drug Test?

In addition to the timeframes we discussed in the previous section, there’s one more important piece of information to discuss about baclofen and drug tests: Most standard drug screens don’t even test for it.

Most work-related drug tests are called 5-panel screens. That means they’re set up to detect the following five substances:

• THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana)
• Opioids 
• Cocaine
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Amphetamine

Seven-panel screens add benzodiazepines and barbiturates to this list, while 10-panel screens can also detect methadone, methaqualone (a sedative), and propoxyphene (a pain reliever).

For baclofen to show up on a drug test, you must be taking a test that was specifically designed to detect it.

How to Get Baclofen Out of Your System?

To get baclofen out of your system, you need to wait while your body completes the metabolization process. There’s no way to rush this process. As we noted earlier, your body should eliminate this medication in 20 hours or less, so you shouldn’t have a particularly long wait.

Is Baclofen Becoming a Problem? Contact Phoenix Rising Recovery in Palm Springs, California

If you’re unable to stop using baclofen, or if you’ve begun to use it more often or more frequently than directed, these could be signs of addiction. 

In the absence of effective treatment, addictions to baclofen or other prescription medications can be devastating. But when you receive comprehensive care from a reputable treatment provider, you can end your baclofen use and begin to live a healthier life in recovery.

Phoenix Rising Recovery offers a full continuum of personalized services to help adults who have become addicted to baclofen and other substances. When you choose our rehab center in Palm Springs, CA, your treatment options can include detox, residential care, and several outpatient programs.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.

Published: 11/14/2024