drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

[soshack]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Hi all
I too am intrigued. I'm on my 4th glass of wine tonight and would love to control it. I've known for awhile that my drinking is an issue for me, but thankfully, it has yet become an issue for my family yet...well at least blatantly. I am reluctant to talk to my doctor about it, I guess because of the shame involved. I know I should get over that. Can I order this online? Is it safe that way? Also, do those who have had positive results with NAL, ever NOT want to take it because they want to feel drunk? Just curious. Thanks in advance for the support and feedback.

[corkit]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

soshack, you can't go wrong trying NAL. I was on it for 7 months with very positive results but had to go off of it for awhile for medical reasons, like having surgery. Right now I'm on BAC with the hope of not only getting rid of the drinking but also it's counterpart, smoking. If after the surgery I haven't hit the switch I'll go back on NAL and BAC. If you think you have a problem with drinking than most likely you do, been there done that, and telling your doctor is a very humbling event I know I've been there too but what I saw of the road ahead of me with AL was far more terrifying than worrying about what my doctor thought of me.

Good luck and what ever you decide here's to your freedom
corkit

[soshack]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Thanks corkit for your support. As I know everyone who has experienced Alcohol addicttion knows, is that it is a very humbling experience. Believe it or not, my husband does not know of my struggles. I'm a great actress I guess. I'm struggling with whether or not to keep it 'my secret'. If I can get it under control with NAL, does anyone else need to know? I guess if my marriage was in a better place, I would want to confide in him, but unfortunately, i'm feeling completely vulnerable in that respect. UGH!! What to do?

[red67]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Hi Soshack, from my short experience so far with NAL (about 8 weeks now) I have not once wanted to drink without taking the NAL 1 hour before. I think once you get to the point you know you have a problem and maybe have found a cure for it - you don't want to mess with the formula. You do still get drunk if you drink too much with NAL - for me it takes away the initial pleasure with the first few drinks. I have cut down my drinking while on NAL by about 30 to 50% and am praying that I am one who gets "cured" to where I never care about alcohol at all. If I never drink again I would be totally fine with that. I hope thats where it leads me. As for telling your doctor, I did about 3 years ago and keep telling her every year at my visits. She is a great doc and very understanding but had no real answers for me (except to try yoga or take some classes to occupy my time outside of work). After years of knowing I had a problem and trying AA, counseling, self help books, and searching the internet for anything that could help, I found this website and followed the posts of Crown86 and his progress with NAL. I decided to buy the book (the cure for alcoholism) and ordered NAL from River Pharmacy. I am totally committed to following this for as long as it takes to fix my brain. I too have hidden my alcohol problem from most everyone. I have a great job with wonderful bosses who have NO CLUE of my problem. My family knows I drink but not the extent I really do. Everyday I wake up, go to work, come home and drink til I fall asleep. Then I wake up and do it all over again. This is no way to live and has sucked all the joy out of living. I feel very sad and depressed while I drink - I live through the shows I watch on tv while I'm drinking. I have almost no friends and no one to confide in. I can't go on like this - with NAL I have hope now. It's been almost 8 years of daily drinking for me and looking back I can map how I got here. I remember the first time I got drunk (I had never had a problem with alcohol and didn't even drink for at least 10 years before that night). I remember how I started having drinks to escape any bad feelings I didn't want to deal with. I remember how I knew after the first year of this that something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I remember the two days in a row in the summer of 2004 that I didn't drink and how I wish I could have just kept stopped then. I remember my first AA meetings and counseling in April 2007, and starting again in September 2009. Day after day looking for any answers. Why is this happening to me? Why can't I just quit? Will I drink myself to death? Where will I be 1 year from now? 5 years from now?

Sorry for rambling but I just want you to know if you think you have a problem do something about it now. Please don't go years living with this. If you can afford NAL please try it. I don't get it from my doctor because I don't want it on my record for insurance purposes. I feel totally comfortable ordering from River Pharmacy (many people order it from there). I believe in this, I have followed the stories here and on the Sinclair Method forums and it really does work for a lot of people. It doesn't work overnight and you need to have faith and follow the program - take NAL 1 hour before drinking. Some people question the statistics (the book claims about an 80% cure rate) because they see the posts from the people who it hasn't worked for. I believe there are many people who have been cured by this and don't post on forums and those who used to post who are now cured and have moved on from posting on forums.

No matter what you choose to do I hope you find a solution. This is a great place to get support!

[dmbminaret]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Hi all,
Thank you to everybody for posting, particularly the person who posted the links to podcasts alot earlier in the thread. Like most of us, I stumbled upon TSM without help from the medical profession and it makes so much sense to me.

My doc prescribed me Campral which worked fine for me when I was committed to having an AF day. Being a 7 night a week drinker for 10 years, the maximum I made it to was 4 AF nights one week, another was 3 AF and mostly max 2 if any. Willpower is not my best suit.

After using champix to give up smoking, I was looking for a similar product to address alcohol consumption...campral wasn't it for me. While I believe it does work, it seems too subtle for me. It will suppress the cravings, but not the desire to get the high/buzz.

I heard about naltrexone here and asked my doctor to prescribe it to try. His view was abstinence, but I simply believe it is a case of lack of information on the subject. I have my NAL and will start tomorrow, and see him for another script in 2 months time. He seems pretty open-minded so I may even tell him about it. He said I couldn't drink whatsoever on NAL, but I think he was thinking about antabuse as he said I would get cramping and major discomfort if I had a light beer. That is what led me to this thread, and the purchase of the book.

I was originally signing myself up for a 6 month period of abstinence since moderation was not working (weekend drinking was starting to include thursday and monday) hence the drop from 4 AF nights to 2...
After coming across this approach, I feel relieved as it is something I'm sure I can do, rather than the imminent failure I knew I was setting myself up for. Now I am hoping for two things, the NAL works as is meant to and my partner is on-board to support after putting the abstinence on the table.

Thanks all,
Can't wait to report positive results and hopefully more will see this thread.

[Rusty]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Welcome to MWO Dmbminaret,

I have been on NAL for a little over 3 weeks now and am now AF. What I found with NAL is that I could increase my dosage from 25 mg for the first few days, then to 50 mg. and then after about 10 days-100 mg. per day with no side effects.

What you may find, as I did, was that NAL decreased not only my cravings for AL but that it made my tolerance so much less. For example, if you normally drink 10 beers before you'll wake up with a hangover, it might only take 5 beers before you get that godawful hangover. But this is a good thing :-)

Wish you the best of luck in your journey!

[dmbminaret]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Thanks Rusty,
Sounds like there are varying degrees of side affects as with any med. I'm going to start with 25 for the first couple of days and then go to 50 if everything is ok. Hoping I don't get the hangover, that is one of the benefits of AF nights. Although tired as hell, the AM me is thankful to to PM me!

One thing I did forget to mention is when I did get to 4 AF nights I probably could have gone more, I had just promised myself reward. Silly, I know...
My experience is night 1=easy, night 2=hard, night 3=impossible, night 4=ok...beyond that is new ground.

For anyone in Australia, naltrexone is on the PBS so would cost $30 for 30 tablets, or $5 if you own a health care card (means tested benefits). In my experience doctors are like normal people, they have different views. If your doc won't prescribe it, go to another one that will. State your case and don't be ashamed, the AA type mentality has made that. If he/she is a decent person and doctor they will see you are trying to better yourself and that is something they cannot prescribe, so a tablet to help...what's the harm?

A few people posted regarding getting a prescription.

Good luck to all in your own way out.

[scot98]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Hi dmbminaret,
Welcome to MWO. I have been on Nal for over 4 months now, I started on 25mg for the first 2 nights then upped to 50mg for one night then I dropped back to 25mg as I couldn't face work with the side effects. The SE's I noticed were transient nausea and a mild headache, which I still get regularly but it's not bad at all and I tolerate them fine.
I found the first 9 weeks on Nal pretty amazing, drinking was down to nearly a half of what it was. It has risen again but I am still not at the same levels which I was at before taking the Nal.
Hangovers for me are so much better now, my thinking is clearer drinking, no blackouts so far, my restless legs problem has disappeared and my moods are pretty damn stable and friends say the difference in me is very noticeable.......all good!
I admit I am sick of drinking, I haven't had one day AF yet but going to stick with this for a few more months and trying to stay positive.
Best of luck to you on your journey, and on getting a script from your GP, I have NO chance with my own sadly.
Keep us informed of how things are going for you.

Best wishes

[aurora borialis]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

I like the Sinclair Method. It has helped me in many ways. I am not even close to the person I was before I started it. I still do not like the way I feel on the drug so I have to admit I don't always take it which I know is wrong but my drinking is quite controlled. I have few problems but I have noticed that during emotionally stressful times I have to be more vigilant about it. It works for me.

[dmbminaret]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Thanks for your replies guys,
One week later and I am sifting through these forums again.
To report:

Night one: I had a half, felt a bit doughy while drinking as normal, as nothing was too bad I took the other half. Drank enough, not heaps.

Night two: Had a mild headache all day and muscle ache pretty much all over. I had a full 50mg pill one hour prior to normal drinking time which actually gave me some relief from the headache and overall crap feeling and the doughy feeling was a bit of a high. I drank the exact amount as the night before to the glassful (coincidence).

Night three: After feeling so crap, I have not had any since day two. I was not sure if I was coming down with illness as it is the change of season here or the effects of the naltrexone. I do feel the intake of alcohol has gone down even while not taking it for a few days but is probably going up again now.

I was going to harden up and go the campral to get 4+ AF days a week, but I have read the naltrexone side affects can sibside quickly. I would be interested to hear others accounts.

Is there a period to become 'used' to it? It is not that bad or unbearable by any means, just mild discomfort which I would like to realize to be a short time thing. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[sylvia1]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

All side effects were gone after 7 to 10 days

[sidf]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Side effects

I started the Sinclair method on Saturday. I am experiencing some queasiness and a light headed feeling. Hoping those side effects wear off as you say Sylvia. Are these pretty common for Naltrexone?

[Rusty]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Welcome Sidf,

Yes, queasiness can be a side effect. I started out at 25 mg. for 3 days, then went up to 50 and I didn't have any queasiness until I had titrated up to 75 mg and took it on an empty stomach. I also get a mild headache, and like Sylvia said, as your body gets used to the NAL, the side effects are mitigated.

[Otter]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Nal

We ordered Naltrexone and it came in a brown envelop from India I think. The strips of pills were held together with an elastic band. My wife took some and said she felt as though she had been doped. It did not stop her drinking at all.

It was also very expensive particularly compared with Baclofen which is a fraction of the cost. TSM seems to be some sort of trick you play on yourself. If you take NAL then drink, after a while you won't get the same kick from the alcohol so you will take the rational decision not to drink so much. I am afraid I don't get it but if it works for some people then I suppose it is a good thing. Most studies of Nal show that it becomes ineffective after a few months. Seems to me to be a waste of money. Hate to be so down on it but I had a huge argument with a top drugs specialist here a few years ago when I demanded Naltrexone and he said it did not work and would not prescribe it. I ordered some and found he was right. It just made me feel stupid and a lot poorer.

[scot98]

drinking on Naltrexone (sinclair method)

Having been on Naltrexone now for over 6 months I am going to agree with Otter. I have followed the sinclair method religiously and my consumption is still high though to be fair it certainly has not deteriorated and it does have added benefits, for me anyway.
The book A Cure for Alcoholism is in my opinion seriously flawed, 78% "cured" after 3 to 4 months! Well given what I have read on the TSM forum, this site and my own experience this is NOT true by any means. Personally I would say it fails with 78% or more.

I do realise there are people with whom Naltrexone has been a godsend in overcoming their alcoholism and I am so happy for them but for many it's short lived.......sadly.

I am not trying to put anyone off trying Nal, I sure as hell couldn't have drank for the period I have without it, so maybe for some it is worth trying.I just feel that if someone is at wits end, drinking round the clock, then perhaps naltrexone is a bad choice It is expensive as Otter says compared to baclofen, though the side effects are minimal for most unlike bac.

Just my thoughts, it is a beneficial drug to many and people should be aware before making decisions on whether to try a medication

Best wishes whatever you decide