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Gerhard H. Fromm, MD; Christopher F. Terrence, MD; Amrik S. Chattha, MD; Jay D. Glass, PhD

Arch Neurol. 1980;37(12):768-771.

Abstract
• Experiments with cats showed that baclofen resembles carbamazepine and phenytoin sodium in its ability to depress excitatory synaptic transmission in the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Baclofen was, therefore, given to 14 patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia. Ten patients were relieved of the paroxysms of tic douloureux while taking 60 to 80 mg/day of baclofen. A reduction in the dosage of baclofen in six of these patients resulted in a recurrence of painful paroxysms in five patients. Seven patients have been pain-free or almost pain-free on a regimen of baclofen for four to 12 months. Our results suggest that baclofen may be a useful drug in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and that our experimental model may successfully predict the efficacy of a drug in the treatment of this condition.

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs Fromm, Terrence, and Chattha), and Pharmacology (Dr Glass), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and the Neurology Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, Pittsburgh (Dr Terrence).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Dec 28, 1979.

Read in part before the 32nd annual meeting of the Eastern Association of Electroencephalographers, New York, Nov 30, 1978, and the 31st annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Chicago, April 26, 1979.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261 (Dr Fromm).

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