Hi all,
I was so nervous this morning, because I had an appointment with my doctor to try and get a Topamax prescription. I mainly decided to go to my doc rather than order online due to cost, but also because I'm already on a med. for high blood pressure, and if I add another drug to the mix, I feel better doing it with his supervision. I also feel pretty comfortable talking to him, but I was nervous in any case.
He listened to my story - I told him how my daily alcohol consumption over the past few years has turned into numerous drinks per night and how I'd tried cutting back on my own but always (quickly) relapsed and about how I'd come across the My Way Out program and how Topamax as an integral part of it, etc. I had printed out a few things to show him, but the only things he asked to see was the Lancet study and the list of supplements.
I'm so glad I read through all 50 pages of the Topamax survey - it really helped to be able to give him info. about how different people are faring with the drug, from the amount of the dose to how long they stay on it. He said he had a few patients on it for migraines and other things, but that not many were at 300mg. He asked me whether the program was for abstinence or moderation, and I told him that I would like to be able to moderate. He said that my 4-6 drinks a night (I thought it was only 2-3 until I actually measured the ounces) technically makes me an alcoholic and that somtimes people with a strong dependence like that find it very hard to moderate, and that one drink can make them slip. Which I understand, and I may consider doing an initial period of abstinence, but I don't think I would ever want to cut it out of my life completely (assuming I am able to take control of it). I also told him that most people find that the Topa helps them be able to say no to the 2nd drink (or just forget about it completely, which is my dream!).
So he said that he had no problem giving me the Topomax, but that he'd want to see me back in a month to see how I'm doing on it. He gave me a prescription that goes up to 100mg/day, at which point I'll see him again and we'll assess if I need to go higher at that point. Nice guy that he is, he also gave me a 3 week freebie sample pack (love that!).
I was planning to wait until I got the supps. and the hypno CDs before beginning, and start everything together. But since I'm due back to the doc in a month, I guess I'll go ahead and get started today. The side effect I'm most concerned about is the dopiness. I've had the odd day here and there when I just feel like I'm completely brainless and it sucks! So I'm going to be proactive and order the Adrafinil TODAY. So if the Topa instantly turns me into a blithering idiot, hopefully I'll have the Adrafinil to counteract it before people start catching on.
So here I am, ready to begin the journey. Though I am new here and haven't posted much yet, I want to thank everyone who does post and contribute. There have been so many things I've read that have been helpful to me already, and I'm sure there will be much more as I continue to visit.
I was so nervous this morning, because I had an appointment with my doctor to try and get a Topamax prescription. I mainly decided to go to my doc rather than order online due to cost, but also because I'm already on a med. for high blood pressure, and if I add another drug to the mix, I feel better doing it with his supervision. I also feel pretty comfortable talking to him, but I was nervous in any case.
He listened to my story - I told him how my daily alcohol consumption over the past few years has turned into numerous drinks per night and how I'd tried cutting back on my own but always (quickly) relapsed and about how I'd come across the My Way Out program and how Topamax as an integral part of it, etc. I had printed out a few things to show him, but the only things he asked to see was the Lancet study and the list of supplements.
I'm so glad I read through all 50 pages of the Topamax survey - it really helped to be able to give him info. about how different people are faring with the drug, from the amount of the dose to how long they stay on it. He said he had a few patients on it for migraines and other things, but that not many were at 300mg. He asked me whether the program was for abstinence or moderation, and I told him that I would like to be able to moderate. He said that my 4-6 drinks a night (I thought it was only 2-3 until I actually measured the ounces) technically makes me an alcoholic and that somtimes people with a strong dependence like that find it very hard to moderate, and that one drink can make them slip. Which I understand, and I may consider doing an initial period of abstinence, but I don't think I would ever want to cut it out of my life completely (assuming I am able to take control of it). I also told him that most people find that the Topa helps them be able to say no to the 2nd drink (or just forget about it completely, which is my dream!).
So he said that he had no problem giving me the Topomax, but that he'd want to see me back in a month to see how I'm doing on it. He gave me a prescription that goes up to 100mg/day, at which point I'll see him again and we'll assess if I need to go higher at that point. Nice guy that he is, he also gave me a 3 week freebie sample pack (love that!).
I was planning to wait until I got the supps. and the hypno CDs before beginning, and start everything together. But since I'm due back to the doc in a month, I guess I'll go ahead and get started today. The side effect I'm most concerned about is the dopiness. I've had the odd day here and there when I just feel like I'm completely brainless and it sucks! So I'm going to be proactive and order the Adrafinil TODAY. So if the Topa instantly turns me into a blithering idiot, hopefully I'll have the Adrafinil to counteract it before people start catching on.
So here I am, ready to begin the journey. Though I am new here and haven't posted much yet, I want to thank everyone who does post and contribute. There have been so many things I've read that have been helpful to me already, and I'm sure there will be much more as I continue to visit.
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