Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

[Cinders]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Brightlite,

Great news on the cravings!!

I, too, had issues with not breathing fully while sleeping. It has gotten better and I haven't noticed it for a while.

Titrate slowly and you will not suffer the side effects so much.

Good luck.

Cindi

[Lusus Naturae]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Bright,

Yes, I've experienced the sudden realization that I'm not breathing enough, followed by the fears. I also experenced that with AL. I haven't had that experience for a while, though. Perhaps it'll go as you become more accustomed to the level you're at.

.

[j-vo]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Thanks Zen. I'll write that down now. I didn't have any nausea when I took this morning on an empty stomach, so maybe that's good. I'll probably end up taking some with food and some without depending on where I am in the day.

[Anna B]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

response to Alex H.

Hi Alex--

I guess this is my day to post my weird/random bac side effects!

I saw that your post where you said:

"The only other side effect is that I have felt extremely goofy and talkative (especially if I mix with any caffeine, i.e. tea). Sometimes on single dosages of 15-20 mg, I almost feel tipsy (but in a good way)."

I've totally had the same exact thing happen to me from the bac. My friends and husband have been weirded out by how talkative and generally upbeat I've been (goofy is a good way to describe it!!). This is going to sound strange, but I almost feel like this kind of behavior is out of my control somehow. It's almost like how when I'm drunk, I can get really angry at people for stupid reasons and I don't feel like I can stop feeling/acting angry. Now with the bac, I feel like I can't shut up! I imagine this might be how people feel when they are in a manic state, although I've never been in one, so what do I know?

I also have the same euphoria/tipsy feeling happening. Definitely not all the time, but fairly frequently. It doesn't feel like being drunk--almost like being on a painkiller or something. I've read online of people taking bac recreationally to try to get this effect--although not everyone experiences it and generally they have to take a lot of it to have this happen (like 300 mg). Bac is a GABA-A agonist so

In general, I just feel very different on bac, not like my old self. A big part of it is likely that I'm not drinking as much. But my instinct is also that the bac itself is responsible for a lot of this.

Please don't get me wrong--I am NOT complaining. NO WAY! Being talkative, goofy, upbeat and having euphoria are all good things. And on top of it, to significantly reduce my anxiety and be drinking much less (and many days not at all) is priceless.

--Anna

[Anna B]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

response to Alex H.

Hi Alex--

I guess this is my day to post my weird/random bac side effects!

I saw that your post where you said:

"The only other side effect is that I have felt extremely goofy and talkative (especially if I mix with any caffeine, i.e. tea). Sometimes on single dosages of 15-20 mg, I almost feel tipsy (but in a good way)."

I've totally had the same exact thing happen to me from the bac. My friends and husband have been weirded out by how talkative and generally upbeat I've been (goofy is a good way to describe it!!). This is going to sound strange, but I almost feel like this kind of behavior is out of my control somehow. It's almost like how when I'm drunk, I can get really angry at people for stupid reasons and I don't feel like I can stop feeling/acting angry. Now with the bac, I feel like I can't shut up! I imagine this might be how people feel when they are in a manic state, although I've never been in one, so what do I know?

I also have the same euphoria/tipsy feeling happening. Definitely not all the time, but fairly frequently. It doesn't feel like being drunk--almost like being on a painkiller or something. Btw, I've read online of people taking bac recreationally to try to get this effect--although not everyone experiences it and generally they have to take a lot of it to have this happen (like 300 mg).

In general, I just feel very different on bac, not like my old self. A big part of it is likely that I'm not drinking as much. But my instinct is also that the bac itself is responsible for a lot of this.

Please don't get me wrong--I am NOT complaining. NO WAY! Being talkative, goofy, upbeat and having euphoria are all good things. And on top of it, to significantly reduce my anxiety and be drinking much less (and many days not at all) is priceless.

--Anna

[prancy]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Hello fellow bac practitioners.
It seems to me that one of the things that is weird about us taking this drug without medical supervision is that we are just doing whatever seems right to us.

I would like to know if it is preferable to take the bac at specific times, e.g. morning, midday and night, to keep an even "drug load" in the body and build up to a certain level or if it is does dependent and you should take higher doses closer to times when you might want to drink, e.g. end of day. It does say somewhere that if you forget a dose, to take it within an hour or to skip it. not to double dose, in other words.

I definitely feel an effect about 1/2 hour after I take it and that feeling starts to diminish after a while. The intensity depends on how much I have taken. so far I have not taken any more than 10 mg at a time as I get so spacey I can't really go on with my day's activities. I have been titrating up very slowly and am now at 25 mg per day.

I have felt lots of small side effects. I get headaches. As someone mentioned in a different thread, I also have those "mini-sleeps" where I get really tired, seem to doze off for a minute and then wake up completely. I sleep fitfully at night and feel sort of like I am falling when I doze off. Then periodically I wake up and go through that again at least several times each night. In the mornings, I find that I am still tired and can drop back off to sleep. Sometimes I feel sort of high.

It seems others have had many of the same feelings in one way or another. It does help to hear that others are experiencing the same things but does anyone know whether it is preferable to take the drug at regular intervals or to load at the end of the day.

[brightlite]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Prancy,

As we know, everyone's chemistry is different, but for the most part I think a steady amount throughout the day is best way to titrate up slowly. That seems to be the generally accepted way to avoid bad side effects. Some have done their dosage differently according to their situation and chemistry. I am on 50mg today and I have taken it a little differently. 10mg in the morning. 20mg at noon then I'll take 20mg around 5:30pm. I will probably continue that for a couple days. Going for AF all week. So far so good.

[prancy]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Bright, thanks for the response. Your schedule is pretty close to what I am doing but I am at a slightly lower dose. I have tried my 10 mg dose at all 3 times to see if there were any adverse affects and so far, so good. So today, I am going to 10/10/10 and see how it goes. Then stay there about 4 days before adding any more.

by the way, in response to your earlier post, I too have had a few times where I have woke up in the night and realized that my breathing was pretty shallow. Just took a few deep breaths and seemed ok.
We both to seem to be on lower doses than many. I will appreciate hearing about your progress.

[cmk]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Topamax for sale

I have a bunch of Topamax I want to sell. I don't like it and it gives me a headache. I am not going to throw away 170.00 worth of meds, any takers??

[beatle]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Not appropriate

cmk;695316 wrote: I have a bunch of Topamax I want to sell. I don't like it and it gives me a headache. I am not going to throw away 170.00 worth of meds, any takers??

I said this on another thread, but I think you should post this "offer" on its own thread. I do not feel it is appropriate to this thread.

[Anna B]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Hi Prancy,

I've tried it both ways: having a steady stream of bac in my system or taking very small amounts (if any) earlier in the day and loading up later in the evening.

For me, the best thing is to keep a consistent amount in my system but I think for many others it's best to load up later in the day. The reason this works better for me is because I have a lot of problems with anxiety and bac "works" for me in large part because it nearly eliminates my anxiety and hence a lot of what triggers my drinking. I work on my own schedule and wherever I want (my office, my house, etc. I've even sat in a bar and got reading done!!). Various things would happen throughout the day to stress me out and I eventually started becoming a daytime drinker. No one was monitoring me so I could get away with it. I wouldn't necessarily get wasted because I still had to get some work done or prep a lecture. But when I was taking super small doses of bac during the day (like 5mg every 4 hours or so), it didn't do anything for curbing stress or my drinking. So I would start drinking during the day on these small doses of bac and then by the time it was 6pm or so I was well on my way to a typical, pathetic drunken evening. Low daytime doses just set me on the wrong path for the rest of the night.

But that's just me. Like I said, it seems like people really do have to experiment for themselves to see what dosage, titration schedule, timing, etc. works best for them.

--Anna

[Cinders]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Does anyone know what happened to OliveOyl and LostBoy?

OliveOyl withdrew all his posts.

LostBoy last posted 08/05.

I am just concerned.

Cindi

[j-vo]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Anna,
I just started bac today. Your post interested me because I've had severe anxiety for years/decades (I know...it led me to where I am today). I'm glad to see it's help curb your anxiety as well as helped with drinking. I just ordered Dr. Ameisen's book "The End of My Addiction." It mentioned about his anxiety and how it's helped him as well. It would be a freakin' miracle (sorry for that) if it cures my extreme anxiety as well as helps with my drinking.

[prancy]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Anna, thanks for your response. I totally understand your situation. I think it is probably best for me to have a consistent amount as well.

Interestingly, I find the bac makes me a bit anxious. I don't usually have anxiety and find myself feeling a bit weird and a bit tense. Also a little irritated at other people. Strange how this drugs affects us all differently. But then, I assume AL affects us all differently also. Some get sleepy, some aggressive, some weepy, some affectionate, etc. Just all part of the fun.

[brightlite]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Hi Cinders,

I wondered about that myself. About Olive Oyl and Lost Boy. Can they still be PM'ed? It sounded like they were doing really well, but you never know someone's situation.