My AWFUL Experience with Baclofen, So Far

[musicman]

My AWFUL Experience with Baclofen, So Far

Hey folks, sorry I disappeared for a while. It's been, well, a clusterf%@k, to say the least.

I actually ended up getting let go from my job about a month ago. I don't think I can really attribute it to the Baclofen and the effect it had on me, although it probably did not help, at all. Realistically, it was just a bad situation, all around, and probably would have ended in some sort of disaster, either way. Anyway, no worries... Have a new gig lined up, starting Monday, so we're all good there.

Back to the issue at hand (I know I should post in the meds forum, but I just wanted to update here first, since the thread had already developed here)... I backed off the Baclofen to 60 mg/day for a bit and then began titrating back up, slowly. So far, I seem to be tolerating it well, and am now at 120 mg/day.

So, hopefully, I can continue on and get to the necessary dosage, without too much grief.

Thanks for listening, and God bless!

[musicman]

My AWFUL Experience with Baclofen, So Far

NE, just to comment on your response, maybe "bandaid" was a bad choice of words. I simply meant that Baclofen was not a "permanent" cure. It requires the constant continuation of treatment, in order to work. In contrast to TSM/Naltrexone, whereas, after time, it effectively "cures" you. Your body/brain no longer craves alcohol, with no medication maintenance required.

Regarding your comment about doing it again with both Bac and Nal, I just wanted to comment, for anyone else's benefit, who may be starting out. For me, at least, doing both together does not seem to be a way to "fast track" it to the finish line. They are two totally different processes. From what I've seen and heard, Baclofen is a much quicker path to sobriety, however, requires continued maintenance. TSM/Naltrexone seems to be a much longer approach. I have seen many people who have had success with TSM, that have said that it took nine months or more until they started to really notice any real results. I have been noticing the same. I have been doing TSM for about seven months, and am just now starting to experience a reduction in overall craving/desire to drink, even with the lower 60mg Bac dosage. Meaning, I think it's fair to attribute the positive results to the Naltrexone, as the Baclofen dosage was too low to account for the positive results, recently.

So, I guess basically my point is, it really depends on which path you're trying to go down. Hopefully, my rambling actually made sense and didn't just confuse people more. Cheers!

[COSGringo]

My AWFUL Experience with Baclofen, So Far

Hi MM,
Glad to see you are back.

Sorry about your job. Hope things are getting better. I did not have much luck with Nal but I did not do the TSM method so I can't comment on that.

Bac took me months also. I don't think you can rush anything. It takes time, patience, and a lot of willpower.

Good luck with that program! I wish you the best.

[musicman]

My AWFUL Experience with Baclofen, So Far

Ok, so I'm still here. Never actually went anywhere, but just haven't posted in quite a while. Been keeping my nose to the stone, focusing on work (trying NOT to get fired from another job), but still trying to find "the answer".

That brings us to my latest post. I finally moved it to the "right" forum, for anyone that's interested in following my saga (It's a good one, for once)...

Finally! (My Baclofen Story)

[Spiritfree]

In my opinion, this is (was) a really good thread. The information and posts contained herein seem to sum up the Baclofen experience and other medication experiences.
(1) Some people have success with Baclofen while others do not.
(2) Some people take Baclofen for extended periods of time and then relapse, but continue to try and find their freedom using Baclofen again and again.
(3) Most all people experience extremely difficult side effects from Baclofen but continue to take it until the side effects lessen and they find freedom from AUD.
(4) Some people take other medications for AUD -and succeed and/or fail to free themselves from AUD.
(5) Some people end up ending all medications and find freedom from AUD.

The moral of the story is that you can take any and all the AUD medications that you want, but if the underlying mental-brain issues (disorders) are not addressed then no AUD medication is going to help (imo of course).

For any of you who may be reading on this forum who do not suffer from AUD, I hope that you will respect or try to understand my following opinion:
Many like to say that "a person will not become sober until they really want to do so". This is quite literally a load of crap that you have been fed to believe or decided on your own to believe.
There is no single AUD sufferer that I have ever known, including myself, that "wanted" to stop taking alcohol (or other) until they reached a point to where they knew they were on death row, or, they were convinced that they may be able to live life and feel ok without their addictive substance using xy or z medications/treatments. In other words, no brain that is addicted can initially believe their life (brain) will be ok without the addictive substance.

Again, this thread, imo, clearly demonstrates just how complicated the AUD brain disorder is and how no single medication and/or treatment works for everyone.

For those of you who are all out Baclonfenites, please consider how others have may not been as fortunate as some of us who have found our freedom from AUD by taking Baclofen.
As most of us know, and few will admit, overcoming our OCD relative to chemical addictions is and will remain a lifetime pursuit (which is not necessarily a 'bad' thing).

Musicman and others, thank you for your contributions to this site and this thread.

[Spiritfree]

No, SF, that isn't the moral of the story. When Ameisen published his book in English back in 2009, he said in it that apart from him, one man and some laboratory rats there was no one using baclofen. It may be that the effects of "drying out" take a few years to have their full effect. Also, if the drug is available to stop relapses, then one is no longer addicted to an overpowering drug. One might relapse from time to time, but that isn't alcoholism or AUD under the DSM V criteria if it can be stopped by taking a pill the next day.

So, you admit that you and others have become sober with baclofen. "YES -sf".

Post by MusicMan:
First of all, let me say hello to everyone here! I've been reading the boards for a few months now, but this is my first post.

That said, I've been taking Baclofen since sometime, late last year (November, December, don't really remember, exactly), starting at 20 mg/day (that was what my doctor prescribed initially). Then, based on information I had read, regarding "clinical trials", asked my doctor to increase it to 30 mg/day. Finally, after reading many of the posts on here, I realized that 30 mg/day was nowhere near enough to actually be effective.

I then went online, in search of Baclofen, through online pharmacies, since I knew getting my doctor, or anyone else in the area (I'm in Las Vegas), would be an uphill battle. I found the cheapest source out there, by far, and began ordering online.

I began titrating up, fluctuating up and back down, due to ill effects, and after a few months, had reached about the 150 mg/day mark. This is where things started getting really bad.

I have been pretty much stuck around the 150 mark for weeks now. Everytime I try to go higher, the side effects become too unbearable to progress, and I have to back off. Let me list the side effects I've experienced, so far...

Nausea / Loss of appetite
Severe headaches
Daytime somnolence / Nighttime insomnia
Sleep paralysis / Hallucinations
Stage 2 High Blood Pressure (I always had perfect BP, before)
Complete inability to focus/think, I constantly feel like my brain is being poisoned
Bizarre brain zaps/pops, some of which are actually somewhat painful, but most often are pretty jarring

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting, but you get the point. I can safely say, without a doubt, that I have never experienced such severe side effects from any medication I've taken in the past (and I've been on many). I generally tolerate all medications very well. I can't think of any that I've had any immediate ill effects from. In fact, a lot of medications (especially, for anxiety) I seem to be refractory to. This is the only medication I've ever taken, that I seriously start to dread, when it's almost time to take my next dose, because I'm still feeling so awful from the previous doses, that I literally don't want to take it."

So Otter, just because Baclofen worked for me and a few others does not give us the right nor authority to tell others that they are "wrong" if Baclofen does work for them. Not being an alcoholic yourself, you simply have no way to understand the fact that alcoholism (AUD) is a symptom driven brain disorder.