Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

[PhoenixRising]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

cowgal;772248 wrote: I have such hope now, there is "a way out", if you will for me and the kids.................they are happy, talked to them last night, Mike was out drinking and i fell asleep before he got home, need to find a apartment to stay in, then some peace will enter my life................for once in a long time..............wow!!:h

Hope you all are doing well, will be here more often heart and soul so I can try to help, since my energy won't be wasted on this toxic place,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it is all good!!!

xoxoxoxo MA:l:h

Why do you have hope now, Cowgal?

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

divorce!?

Never thought i would have this strength, have been dealing w/ this shit for at least 5 or so years now. but went to counseling w/ Mike 2 years ago, he said "i am not going to stop or change for her no matter what, it is not worth it" at the first session, feel the love!?

Second session he came in drunk,and was even more mean,and I was at least 90day af at that time...............the next day the same, then he said "we are not doing this anymore it is just a waste of $$", meanwhile I paid for all the sessions, not inexpensive!!!!

met w/ a lawyer friend last night and a dear girlfriend as we had to go over pretty sensitive subjects....................gave me lots of hope, but he has been acting so sweet the past few days, a friend said he probably still loves me, but i doubt it.........

oh well, gotta eat something now, maybe take a nap..................xoxoxoxoxo

MA

[Spectra]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

I'm not far behind Andy, down to about 125mg a day, coming down by about 12.5mg a week, still getting the odd urge early evenings.

Eight weeks ago when I first started Baclofen I was drinking a minimum of two bottles of red wine every night. I had probably only been AF for one or two nights in the last five years. I was drinking a weeks worth of alcohol every night of the week, it was costing me a small fortune, and it was starting to take it's toll on my than just my finances.

As I say that was eight weeks ago. Then I started on Baclofen, L-Glut, B-complex et al, after about four weeks I was down close to recommended limits, and I've now been dry for two weeks.

Now I've just gotta tidy the mess I've made...

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

stick w/ it !

I think if you stick w/ it Spectra, you may be surprised, I know I am and have been, a little blown away w/ the new dose/pharm stuff, but will get used to it, alot of other shit going on in my life sucks, but the drinking is ok......................best of luck to you!!

MA:l:h

[NC]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Hey all. Thanks for all of the info you have given since I have been reading these posts for the last two months. I have posted a few times, but am now seriously into the bac regimen and also have started nal. I plan on posting much more now.

I started bac about 5 weeks ago. Went from 15 mg up to 120 mg with no problems in three or four weeks. Went to 130 mg and got hammered with somnolence. Went back down to 100 and felt good for a few days. Tried to go up to 110 and still have bad somnolence. Am going back to 100 mg today and will stay there for a few days if I feel good. I then plan on going up just 5 mg a day for maybe four or five days and then try to go up 5 mg again.

I also started nal one hour before drinking on Dec 1. I don't know how the combination will turn out. I am worried that I won't be able to titrate up the bac because of the somnolence, thus I figure if I start the nal, I will have a head start on the Sinclair program if I need to stop the bac. Bac and Nal block different receptors in the brain, so I figure taking both maybe beneficial. I don't think the nal has anything to do with somnolence.

I do have bad insomnia now which may contribute to the somnolence. So, I am just going to titrate up with bac more slowly than before and continue the nal program.

Again, thanks to Cinders, Panda Farts, Cowgal, Billb, Billp, PhoenixRising, beatle, LoOp,
Dr Phil, and all of the rest of you that I did not mention. These threads are a lifesaver.
I initially found out about this through Mywayout, read Dr A's book, and Dr Eskapa's book.
I am just hopeful that I can beat this addiction.

NC

[PhoenixRising]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

NC, have you tried taking a larger dose early evening and smaller doses throughout the day? I don't actually mind the sleepies after work, it actually helps keep me AF. I have fallen asleep at my desk, however, but I figure that's better than being hungover at my desk, LOL!

Cowgal, how is it going today?

-P.

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

ok

thanks for asking phoenix, this new bac is kicking my butt..............but I am determined to stick w/ it................was always wondering why I never had any of the side effects anyone else did, WELL, they are all coming out, not too bad though, I am determined..............mike is being really nice which is confusing me emotionally, am going to be ok, hope all is well here, bye for now, napping as I have to work tonight, will take my phone and charger so I can bug all you guys all night......................

xoxoxo :l :h

MA

[Larisa]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Checking in

Like all of you, I'm continuing the fight. I went up to 280/day, but the sleepiness was just ridiculous. I'm kind of tired of going to bed at 8 pm! So I've been going down - now I take 50 at 9 a.m., 50 at 1 p.m., 70 at 4:45 p.m., and 40-50 sometime after that. I think I need to reduce the 70 dose a little because I still can't stay awake. (And I still get high.)

I think I've hit as much of a switch as I'm going to hit. I can't say I'm entirely indifferent to AL. I live alone, and my life has become small because I'm an alcoholic, and my tendency on Friday and Saturday nights is to want to get a magnum of wine and drink my face off. I can say that most of the time, I've been able to NOT do it, which was not possible before. (And when I did, it wasn't satisfying at all - blacked out fast and barfed in the morning.) In fact, pre-bac, I drank EVERY night, not just on weekends. The fact that I've come this far is amazing. I've given in and gotten drunk a few times, but for the vast majority of the last 3 or 4 months, I've been AF.

I'm much better, and I'm going to keep up the bac as much as I have to until I'm used to being totally AF (and then as much as it takes to stay that way).

I keep up with all of your posts. Thank you for sharing your battles with me!

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

go girl!

I am with you, gonna win this fight!!! I am starting over, think i took 100 mg yesterday, was loopier than ever, may have to go down w/ this new stuff, just keep us posted on your progress..........................love, MA:l:h

[Lo0p]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

cowgal;772948 wrote: was loopier than ever

Maybe, but still not lo0pier than me...

Keep at it both of you!

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

HAHAHA

:H:H:H:HAs I was posting that, I thought "I hope this doesn't offend loop"..............funny, thanks for the much needed chuckle!!!:thanks:


MA:l

[Nickydo]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Starting out

Hello all.

I'm 36 and have been drinking heavily varying degrees since i was 16, and it's something that has ALWAYS been sitting in my mind. Even days i didn't drink there was something in my head crying at me to get some booze, and for the last couple of years it got really bad due to a break up with my long term girlfriend.

To cut a long story short i moved back home and currently live next door to my folks. I have held down a decent and physically demanding job for the last 2 years but the drinking has always been there. If i was feeling flush at the end of the week on a Friday night i would get 4 cans of cold Stella and a bottle of vodka, surf the net, listen to music and slowly drift out until i felt the nothingness come over me. That's probably the best word to describe what i was aiming to do when i drank, just dampen my active brain and dissolve aching muscles and eventually slump down to bed. In the last few months i can safely say that i couldn't remember going to bed at night because i was so drunk, blackouts ahoy. Up for work the next morning and by about mid afternoon my mind would start thinking about the next evening binge, filling me with excitement, but the next morning i would hate myself, feel terrible until later in the day, start thinking again then booze. Rinse and repeat. This went on for MONTHS at a time until i floored myself by watering down my folks bottle of Whisky because i had ran out of my own booze, they tore my head off and i felt like i had betrayed everyone for some reason.

Anyhoo, i decided to go to an alcohol and drugs counsellor and i decided i wanted to be prescribed Antabuse. It worked because i knew flat out that i couldn't drink full stop and was abstinent for 4 months. I ran out of my subscription then started again, a minor hiccup and i have now been sober for another 2 months.

Even though the Antabuse has done it's trick i really wanted to know WHY i was doing this to myself and what i was trying to achieve and realised that i have had an inability to relax for as long as i can remember. I did a lot of digging and someone mentioned Baclofen to me, i pounced on it and researched what i could on the net. This struck a major chord to me:

"Dr Amieson says that Baclofen helps by replacing GHB, a substance in the body important for our ability to relax. A deficiency leads to anxiety, muscular tension and/or depression. To deal with these, people often self medicate with drugs such as Alcohol."

That little passage struck a major chord for me. I feel that is the reason, the crux for me drinking in the first place. I don't have any deep emotional problems/thoughts hampering me in my past, i'm not someone who i resigned to the fact that i will always be an alcoholic and looked at by other people as strange or "Dirty" for want of a better word. The reason i have been doing this is purely to relax due to having an anxious personality, and i'm drinking to create the illusion of relaxation and needing to feel the same in the evenings due to my high levels of anxiousness throughout the day due to hangovers etc, a vicious circle no?

A week ago i went to my Doctor and managed to persuade her to prescribe me Baclofen. I have no idea how i managed to get her to prescribe, she didn't know anything about it's link to addiction and seemed to almost frown upon it but for the last 3 days i have started taking it. As of this morning i'm up to 30mg a day, really early days and not feeling a thing but as i have read it will take time to find my level.

I'm tailing off the Antabuse whilst slowly building the Baclofen. If it doesn't work i'll go back on the Antabuse full time, but for now i'm in fresh territory and would love to hear from anyone who has a similair set up to me, and more importantly if Baclofen has helped them in any way.

I want to be at a stage when i CAN go out for a drink if i want to, or a have a few inside occasionally. I'm hoping that I will be controlling it, and i'm hopeful that the thing in the back of my head driving me to think about booze will lie down and shut up. I know it's not a miracle drug but i'm keeping everything crossed. Luck to everyone here xxx

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

welcome

:welcome:Nick, you have come to a great place for support and knowledge, read and read, post and ask away.....................Dr. Ameison's book was a godsend, glad you read it, sorry you are so badly right now, just to let you know, there is hope.....................

Good luck there is another site, baclofen4alcoholism.com that may help you too...............Dr. Phill is a godsend, and we are( a few of us only so far) to help you...................you may want to drop him a note..................

good luck, and hang in there!!!!:l

lots of love, hugs.....................:h:h


MA

[Spectra]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Nick, first of all well done, what you have achieved is truly truly fantastic. But (big BUT) go steady on the Bac. It's powerful stuff and personally not something I would choose to take unless I felt I had no alternative. I can't help feeling that if you've managed to get your drinking under control without it you may be better off trying to find an alternative.

One thing to note is that Baclofen is a muscle relaxant, if you play a lot of sport (I do) or have a physically demanding job, it will affect your balance, your physical strength and your stamina.

I'm currently on 125mg a day, I'd like to get off in about six months time but it may take a couple of years. I'm looking at alternatives including Naltrexone and or Baclofen as a prn, and various supplements including L-Tyrosine, L-Glutomine, GABA, 5HTP, L-Tryptophan, Kalms, St Johns Wort and more. The other thing worth investigating is post acute withdrawal syndrome or PAW (I might start a new thread on that).

For me Baclofen has been a life saver, but for the long term I want to look for something more natural.

Well done, good luck, and this isn't meant as a lecture - honest!

S

(p.s. from wiki.answers.com: The term "PRN" is a shortened form of the Latin phrase pro re nata, which translates roughly as "as the thing is needed". PRN, therefore, means a medication that should be taken only as needed. Pain medicines, sleeping pills, and cough medicines are common examples of PRN medicines.)

[NC]

Consolidated Baclofen Progress Thread

Hey all,
I took 25 mg at 7, 25 mg at 11, 25 mg at 3, and plan on 25 mg at 7. Just a little bothersome somnolence this afternoon. I am going to stay on this for a few days and then try to add 5 mg. I am going to really try to take it slow. I am going to keep on the nal as well. I figure at the rate I am going to titrate up on the bac, the nal might kick in sooner than I hit the switch with the bac.

Thanks for your help again.

I did switch to a different brand of bac just as the somnolence started to become a problem. I don't know if that made a difference or not.

NC