Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

[pompeyman]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

hi all i am nearly into my 3rd week on 50 nal a day in uk ...... not usual over here been prescribed thro nhs ....... am drinking but really dont wont to ....... loads less units ...... its like a magic drug ...... enjoying re runs of friends at mom ..... forgot how funny it is ..... still not as good as fawltey towers ... but close ......... take care all of you ..... thinking about abstinence ......... any feedback welcome........ x

[scot98]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Hi, well on my 9th week on NAL with the sinclair method. My consumption has dropped by a third to half and seems to be staying that way. I did have a night out last weekend and had more than previous weeks, actually more like pre NAL but hey ho.
Right the benefits so far on NAL....clearer mind, reduced craving (halved) no blackouts, function well at work, no dash home at 5 pm to have first drink, no more restless legs at night and my mood has been very stable, no episodes of depression, other than minor.
The down sides are few, the first 2 weeks I had transient nausea,mild headaches...which I have on occasion still but rarely. My only remaining SE is tiredness, It's not that bad but I really do feel like a sleep during the day and it tends to be quite a deep sleep at that if I get the chance Lol

I am going to to carry on with this method for another 6 months or so, it has made my life so much easier in day to day living. My hope long term is for pretty much total abstinence. Al has caused me so much emotional grief etc...................why would I want to continue drinking the S..T!

Best to everyone

[Tryin my best]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Hi all,
I'm new here and just starting with Naltrexone, too. I think it helps to read the Sinclair method book and really understand how it's supposed to work. While on Nal, you drink, and supposedly you DO get an alcoholic "buzz" but you don't get the underlying "pleasure" sensation. That, over time, will train your brain that drinking no longer brings pleasure, and then you just don't seek it. It's like Pavlov's dogs: he rang a bell when he fed them, so they learned to expect food when the bell rang (evidenced by their salivating). Later, he untrained them by ringing the bell and NOT giving the food. After a while, they no longer salivated when the bell rang: their association (bell=food) was extinguished. With Nal, you extinguish the association of alcohol=pleasure.

So I understand that I should not expect big changes right away. It's a fairly slow un-learning process.

But my biggest problem is that the "rare" side effects from Naltrexone have hit me like a wallop! Within a half hour of taking my first 25mg, I had a headache, dizzyness, and slight nausea -- what fun! It REALLY put me off eating AND drinking, but makes me afraid to take more Nal. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't know if I can continue with Nal -- I'm going to look into this website's method. Thanks.

[eight days a week]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Tryin my best;827743 wrote:

But my biggest problem is that the "rare" side effects from Naltrexone have hit me like a wallop! Within a half hour of taking my first 25mg, I had a headache, dizzyness, and slight nausea -- what fun! It REALLY put me off eating AND drinking, but makes me afraid to take more Nal. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't know if I can continue with Nal -- I'm going to look into this website's method. Thanks.

Hi Tryin, welcome aboard

How long have you been on Nal? I had different side effects at first, but no less frightening. By the third day I too was almost too scared to take it, but I just took the plunge, and things eased really quickly, within a day or two. Now I no longer notice I've taken it! I'm seven months in now, but I reached that stage after about a week. The really scary side effects lasted just a few days.

I've heard of a few people whose SEs lasted for a bit longer, but most people seem to lose them around the week mark.

[seeking1]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Hi, Tryin.

I am in Week 7 with Nal. My SEs were horrible in the first couple of days but evened out pretty quickly. Nal still makes me feel a bit spacey right after I take it, and I suspect that it flattens my mood out in general (perhaps fewer endorphins in general). The good news (anecdotal evidence only) is that it seems that people who have SEs, especially early on, are the ones for whom TSM is probably going to work. And the good news on top of that is that if it does work for you, eventually you'll be taking Nal less and less (thus SEs less and less often). Hope this helps along with the other good advice above!

[Buffy40]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Hi Trying and welcome. I too am new here. Its a great place to be. I feel bad because this is my first reply so far to anyone. I don't feel ready to give any advise at the stage I am at, but the people on here have been wonderful to me. I started Nal just over a week ago. I too got very sick on 25mg. It was awful, terrible dizziness and nausea....didn't know where to put my head. I posted the next day and 8 days suggested I go to 1/2 of the 25mg and said eventually the SI would go away.......thanks 8....you were right! Unfortunately, I am still scared to take 25mg (thats how terrible I felt), but I have been taking 12.5 for over a week every night. Its amazing how much better I feel. I have drank every night still, but I have gone from drinking 2 bottles of white wine (1.5 litres) per night to 2-3 very small glasses of red. I have never been a red wine drinker and I don't enjoy it nearly as much. So I thought that since the Nal was definitely decreasing my pleasure of drinking, I would only give my body something it wasn't used to. Its working too. I never even thought of drinking until about 7pm last night. Even then, I sipped on one glass and then two the whole night and really didnt even enjoy it much. I believe, I still am having small cravings otherwise why do I want a drink I don't really enjoy? I am just taking it one day at a time. Even though the 12.5mg is working for me, I have heard your body gets used to it and then it is important to increase the dose. I plan on trying 25mg on the weekend and HOPEFULLY I do not get as sick as I once did. I am feeling hopeful for the first time in a LONG time and it is an amazing feeling to think I am starting to get some of the control back. Instead of rushing home for the bottle......I have been enjoying long walks and bike rides with my son.
All the best Trying! Read all you can on here. There is so much helpful information on this site

[eight days a week]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Buffy40;827849 wrote: ...I too got very sick on 25mg. It was awful, terrible dizziness and nausea....didn't know where to put my head. I posted the next day and 8 days suggested I go to 1/2 of the 25mg and said eventually the SI would go away.......thanks 8....you were right! Unfortunately, I am still scared to take 25mg (thats how terrible I felt), but I have been taking 12.5 for over a week every night. Its amazing how much better I feel.
...
I plan on trying 25mg on the weekend and HOPEFULLY I do not get as sick as I once did.

You're most welcome Buffy, I'm so glad it worked for you, and you're doing so well on it already! Just be aware that most people go back up to their pre-Nal drinking levels (or even higher) once the 'honeymoon' period wears off, until the 'cure' finally sets in, which might take many months. This is normal, don't be discouraged!

Anyway, it's definitely time to step up to 25mg! 12.5mg will only definitely cover you for a few short hours, and I've never heard of anyone reaching the 'cure' on that amount! So you will have to step up eventually! Now your body is used to it I'll bet you hardly notice the increase

[Camla]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

I'm on week 7. I had side effects off & on for the first month. My main side effect was abdominal cramping (BAD) about 12 hrs after I took the pill. I would walk up 'writhing' (that word came to mind for some reason; I looked it up and it fit). Fortunately, it lasted only a few minutes and went away. And none lately.
More than offset by the feeling of control I have now when I drink. Somehow, the strong desire to have MORE, is controllable. Well worth any side effects.
My drinking is a little less than when I started but I can see my feelings about drinking changing in a good way.

[Tubal Cain]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Mike with a dream, Orlando Doctor?

Mike with a dream;494957 wrote: Dr. Sinclair maintains that most doctors are prescribing Naltrexone incorrectly. That is, alcoholics are to take the drug while not drinking. The whole point of Naltrexone is to "short circuit" the pleasure response to alcohol. So he recommends that you drink when you get a craving. Since there is no pleasurable response, the brain "unlearns" that drinking is a good thing.

This podcast is absolutely fascinating! Take the time to listen to it.

Mike, I am in Orlando as well; may I ask the name of your doctor (I am having a hard time finding one)?! I am ready to start the journey myself and am really excited about the possibilities with Naltexone!!

thanks!,
Mike " Tubal Cain"

[Tubal Cain]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Mike, I am in Orlando as well. May I ask the name of your doctor (I am having a tough time finding one and am anxious to start my journey with Naltexone)?
thanks!,
Mike "Tubal Cain"

[YouKayBee]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Tubal Cain;1591171 wrote: Mike, I am in Orlando as well. May I ask the name of your doctor (I am having a tough time finding one and am anxious to start my journey with Naltexone)?
thanks!,
Mike "Tubal Cain"

Mike hasn't been active since 2009, so doubt he's going to answer - or he might just be lurking and see this post.

[Alky]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

Nal is pretty mainstream, so you won't have a problem finding a prescriber. There is a board certified addiction psychiatrist in Maitland that uses suboxone and vivitrol (injectable naltrexone) in her therapy. My own psychiatrist offered naltrexone to me, but honestly, the blackouts and the falls were getting so bad I didn't think I would have lived another 6-12 months. I think my GP mentioned it too. I'd try and find a good GP. Getting an appointment with a psychiatrist in Orlando is a months-long process. And I wasn't too impressed with the addiction shrink in Maitland. When I told her she didn't accept my insurance, she just tossed out the boilerplate, "find an AA meeting."

[usf1970]

Feeling Like Shit on Naltrexone

I just started on Nal yesterday - 50 mg. I was nauseous all day yesterday but took another one today. Does the nausea go away? I'm much too nauseous to drink or even think about drinking. I think I'll try w/half doses or every other day to see if it helps w/the nausea. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks much.