Baclofen doctor in Chicago

[maaark]

Hi everyone,

I'm new on this forum trying to get help for my parents, who have been abusing alcohol for many years now. I am interested in finding a doctor in the Chicago area who would be willing to prescribe high dose Baclofen in an attempt to get them off the bottle. The problem is finding a doctor there who will do it. The name Dr. Levin keeps coming up in searches, but unfortunately he has retired and is no longer practicing. Can anyone refer me to someone who will prescribe this drug for this purpose? Thanks in advance for any help.

Mark

[Rusty]

Re: Baclofen doctor in Chicago

[MENTION=24143]maaark[/MENTION]-welcome to MWO! I hope you can get some help for your parents. Do they WANT to quit??? The highest dosages of Baclofen won't work if they don't want to quit. Another idea...have they tried Naltrexone? That is very effective. I am sober thanks to Baclofen and Naltrexone. I don't know of any other doctors in the Chicago area but please try another website that specializes in meds for alcohol addiction: The End Of My Addiction | Forum Discussing Alcohol Medication. You will find help there. Best of luck to you.

[maaark]

Re: Baclofen doctor in Chicago

Hi Rusty,

Thanks a lot for your response. I have indeed already posted in theendofmyaddiction and another member has given me contact info. I am waiting to hear back from the doctor. Unfortunately, my mom doesn't seem to recognize (or at least admit) that there is a problem. We are also trying to plan an intervention in which the rest of us in our small family will provide them with info. about Baclofen and possibly also Naltrexone. Thanks for mentioning it; I hadn't heard of it before. I already know that traditional 12-step approaches won't work for them, and that we are speaking about a chemical dependence, so we therefore need to treat it with more than just talk therapy or other behavioral/psychological approaches. At the moment, I need to find a doctor before proceeding, so that is where I am putting all my attention at the moment. Once I have found one in their area, I will then start looking for a professional who can help plan and execute an intervention. Thanks again for the help!

[Rusty]

Re: Baclofen doctor in Chicago

[MENTION=24143]maaark[/MENTION]...Naltrexone Helps immensely with the cravings… For me it helped even more so than baclofen. Baclofen did help, with my ongoing battle with anxiety. Naltrexone does not help with that. Naltrexone takes away the pleasure sensors of drinking. Also, the naltrexone is available in injection form now… It is called Vivitrol. Your doctor may know naltrexone by a different name....Revia.

I would be very cautious with that planned intervention. Sometimes they can really blow up in your face. My family’s intervention when it came down to my drinking back in 2008 totally blew up in their faces. They thought they could convince me to go into inpatient rehab and AA. I refused to go to either and my anxiety went off the rails after that. My drinking got Way, way worse after that And my relationship with my sister-in-law, who had planned it, suffered terribly because I didn’t trust her and never trusted her motivations for anything after that. It took years to mend that relationship.

Cognitive behavioral Therapy really helped me. Please don’t discount it. PM me if you want anymore information. Best of luck and keep us posted.