Off-label baclofen implicated in dozens of overdose deaths: coroner
The antispasmodic is indicated for musculoskeletal conditions but prescribed off label for alcohol use disorders.
More than 30 patients have died in the past decade after overdosing on baclofen, an antispasmodic that is commonly prescribed off label to treat alcohol use disorder, a coroner says.
Victorian Coroner Audrey Jamieson was investigating the overdose death of a 64-year-old this month when she ordered the Coroners Prevention Unit to review baclofen overdose data.
It uncovered 34 deaths in Victoria from 2012 to 2021, including 17 deaths of patients with a history of alcohol use disorder.
The “vast majority” of all deaths were a result of intentional self-harm.
