Baclofen or Nal,so confused!

[relocated]

:new:hi to all,
posted on here the other night for first time,after reading for the first time about naltrexone and TSM.
So found myself with an optimism of curing my alcoholism,something i never thought would ever really happen! Spent the last 24 hrs,reading medical reports,journals etc about tsm and naltrexone,but since then have read many many posts on this site about people using baclofen,so have read Olivier Ameisen`s case report thru a link on here,and he stated he had been on nal for 12-18 mths without much joy at all!
So sorry i have made this a bit long winded,but my question is-just what is the best medication to take? I would just like to state that i am now unbelievably optimistic,after now having found out about not just 1 possible cure,but 2 cures in the last 24 hours!! Wow im totally blown away! But am now really confused also. Please anyone out there who can advise me,i would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any replies x:thanks:

[Guest]

Baclofen or Nal,so confused!

Relocated,
I am glad you found this information. I went to my DR after reading about TSM and Nal and after discussing with him, he called a colleague that deals with alcoholism and addiction and he suggested Baclofen. I was skeptical as I did not know anything about it but he said if nothing happened he would get me the Nal. I have been taking Bac for 14 days and I have gone without a drink for 10 of those days. If you are like me and just obsess about having a drink every night - well here is how bac worked for me. The first couple of nights I wanted a drink, luckily there wasnt any in the house so I craved it but the Bac relaxed me and made me tired so I just went to sleep and forgot about it. I usuall have trouble sleeping if not completely drunk... After the next few days, I dont even think about drinking anymore (at my usual time). While I cant imagine never drinking again, I have no desire to drink anymore. I am not sure what your goal is... if you want to continue drinking but in a controlled state, I think some have had success with the Nal as with it, you have to continue drinking and hope that it eventuall makes you drink less. If you want to get rid of it all together, I feel the Bac is the way to go - due to my success. FYI, I drank every night for over a year and didnt care how much money was in the bank, I bought booze to satisfy the addiction. I do not want to drink at all so I am very happy with the effects of Bac.

[eight days a week]

Baclofen or Nal,so confused!

Hi Relocated :welcome:

I think with the Nal it may take a lot longer to get results, (perhaps six months plus), whereas with the Bac it will be sooner, depending on how quickly you can titrate up to a level that helps (I am at 70mg a day and it's not helping at all yet).

With those that have had success in the real world that I know of with Nal, many choose to become either almost abstinent, or end up drinking very little, just like those who succeed with Bac. I have not seen any 'real world' figures that match the reported near-80% 'cure' rates from the clinical studies in the book, though some have had great success with it.

I think the advantage Nal has is that you only need to take it when you're going to drink, whereas with the Bac you're going to need to take it every day for the rest of your life.

All the best, let us know what you choose and how you get on