baclofen

noun

bac·​lo·​fen ˈbak-lō-ˌfen How to pronounce baclofen (audio)
: a gamma-aminobutyric acid analog C10H12ClNO2 used as a relaxant of skeletal muscle especially in treating spasticity (as in multiple sclerosis)

Examples of baclofen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Approved medications in the antispastics group include baclofen and dantrolene. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 June 2023 Other treatments, such as rituximab, also clear antibodies, while others relieve the symptoms, including baclofen or Valium (diazepam). Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 9 Dec. 2022 At issue is a drug called baclofen, a decades-old treatment for muscle spasms that is increasingly used in France on an off-label basis to help people control their drinking. Ed Silverman, STAT, 25 June 2020 Oral meds, such as baclofen, cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and benzodiazepines like diazepam, are often required for generalized dystonia to reduce muscle spasm. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 9 Dec. 2019 Doctors hand out more than 8 million prescriptions of baclofen every year. Dennis Thompson, chicagotribune.com, 17 Nov. 2019 Garg and other doctors had started noticing that kidney patients on baclofen sometimes became disoriented and dazed. Dennis Thompson, chicagotribune.com, 17 Nov. 2019 The researchers pulled health data on nearly 16,000 older Ontario residents with chronic kidney disease who had been prescribed baclofen between 2007 and 2018. Dennis Thompson, chicagotribune.com, 17 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from beta + chloro- + -fen, altered from phenyl, parts of the compound's systematic name

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baclofen was in 1971

Dictionary Entries Near baclofen

Cite this Entry

“Baclofen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baclofen. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

baclofen

noun
bac·​lo·​fen ˈbak-lō-ˌfen How to pronounce baclofen (audio)
: a gamma-aminobutyric acid analog C10H12ClNO2 used as a relaxant of skeletal muscle especially in treating spasticity (as in multiple sclerosis)
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