Neonatal Baclofen Withdrawal: A Case Report of an Infant Presenting With Severe Feeding Difficulties

Baclofen is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist used as a skeletal muscle relaxant for the treatment of spasticity resulting from neuromuscular disorders or traumatic injury to the spinal cord. Abrupt discontinuation of intrathecal baclofen has been reported to cause a neuroleptic-malignant-like syndrome with symptoms such as altered mental status, increased muscle tone, dysautonomia, and fever in adults. There has been some published literature documenting seizure activity related to baclofen withdrawal in adults. However, there is limited information regarding the effects of intrauterine baclofen exposure on neonates. [...] Our case report describes a full term infant who had been exposed prenatally to baclofen and presented at 12 hours of life with severe feeding difficulties as the primary symptom of baclofen withdrawal. References