Is baclofen an analgesic?

Abstract

Baclofen has been reported to be an analgesic in a wide variety of animal pain models. To study the analgesic potential of baclofen in humans, we used a postoperative dental pain model. Thirty-three patients were enrolled in a double-blind study using either baclofen, acetaminophen, or placebo. There was a statistically significant difference in pain reduction at 1 and 2 h after acetaminophen ingestion, compared to that of placebo. Baclofen was not statistically superior to placebo at any one of the four hourly measurements. In contrast to the promising animal work with baclofen as an analgesic, our study in humans does not support the notion that baclofen is an analgesic.