Failures of Baclofen

[My hair hurts]

Failures of Baclofen

what a fab idea - simple but you can see the 'closure' aspect - brilliant bit of thinking

[My hair hurts]

Failures of Baclofen

louise - just about right really, but the trap I fell into was having so much faith in Bac. that I wanted to test it - my advice; dont test it.

[My hair hurts]

Failures of Baclofen

also -(guess who's train of thought is all over the place) if we talk about failure of Bac. - one thing that I experienced was, because of the lack of support, and the early effects of Bac. was as follows;
getting dosage mixed up, and the 'what the heck' attidude that induced, I started having major 'ticks' - flashbacks and very strange physical sensations - eyesight went a bit funny, breathing was off...... actually in hindsight - thats not a failure of Bac. it was me or 'support' - but something to look out for.

[mintytess]

Failures of Baclofen

I got upto 60mg of bac a day and began to feel really ill. I've been vomiting for 2 days now, can't seem to stop, i'm so thirsty but even sips of water are coming back.
I'm too scared to any more

[Guest]

Failures of Baclofen

Hello everyone,
I've be too busy and was so sick from Baclofen previously to post. I posted somewhere else about how I had reactions taking Baclofen.
I am happy for all you that seem to be having such a positive experience on it. But some of us, AF, cannot take it. I think a balanced view should be possible on this medication. Not everyone is going to get a great result.
To blame reactions to Baclofen on past alcohol use or claim we aren't healthy and the negative effects we are getting are not caused by taking this drug, defeats the information flow here.
I don't have time to go into detail right now. But, I'm doing OK, almost now. It was not a drug I can take. I'm healthy, do have high blood pressure which is controlled through prescribed medication.
My feeling is just that, let some of the facts come out.
Let the other side be heard.
You can still have your wonderful results, but maybe we can't all take the drug. Let people make an informed choice. If you have a thread on Failures on Baclofen. Let some of us post the facts pertaining to us, and not find all kinds of reasons why we failed the 'plan'.
I know I've almost given up on posting about this. I don't want to keep people from trying it. I just think both sides should be represented. I'm thinking people having real problems on this medication are afraid to post that fact.
I am very happy for all you having success on it. It does present some dangers for some of us though.
Best wishes to all.

[beatle]

Failures of Baclofen

Saving Grace;687013 wrote: Hello everyone,
My feeling is just that, let some of the facts come out.
Let the other side be heard.
You can still have your wonderful results, but maybe we can't all take the drug. Let people make an informed choice. If you have a thread on Failures on Baclofen. Let some of us post the facts pertaining to us, and not find all kinds of reasons why we failed the 'plan'.
I know I've almost given up on posting about this. I don't want to keep people from trying it. I just think both sides should be represented. I'm thinking people having real problems on this medication are afraid to post that fact.
I am very happy for all you having success on it. It does present some dangers for some of us though.
Best wishes to all.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with Bac. And I think it is important that people are aware that like any other medication, this is a chemical substance that each individual's body will respond to differently, some in very subtle ways, and others in more extreme ways. The same can be said about any substance, whether chemical or natural.

And as you say, SavingGrace, people should absolutely hear "the other side of the story".

However, I do not think there has been any concerted effort to block the flow of information. Quite the contrary, it seems to me the entire information flow is meant to do exactly as you say, to share facts and individual experiences.

I am finding it difficult to understand why anyone would be afraid to post about their problems on Bac, considering that most posters are practically begging to hear about the negative experiences, and this "Failures" (perhaps not the best of terms, I realize) thread was initiated for precisely the reason that this community desperately WANTS to hear "the other side of the story".

Anyway, I am sorry that you have encountered problems with Bac, and I do believe EVERYONE truly WANTS to hear about the problems people are having (there is also a "side effects" thread to address this).

So if anyone else has problems with Bac, I sincerely hope they will not feel afraid to post. That would be a huge disservice to those considering taking Bac, as well as those already on Bac who are also encountering problems.

[Guest]

Failures of Baclofen

Beatle,
Thank you for responding. This is the problem on forums and with emails, the intent of my post was not that anyone is trying to suppress information about Baclofen, not at all. I just feel it needs to be acknowledged that some of us can't take it. It does not mean we did not follow the plan or the book.
I was once on a high blood pressure medication that made me cough uncontrollably for 6 months, even though I only took it for one week. I kept calling the doctor, sure I was dying of something lung related. He always reassured me, it was the medication I took. I finally overcame it. But I carry a card saying I'm am allergic to that medication.
It is said over and over again how safe this drug is. My reaction to it is not safe. I know I am not the only one who will have this adverse reaction to this drug. That is all I wanted to get across, some of us may not be able to take this.
I've read through the drugs people have used on different threads. It seems many people jump on the bandwagon, thinking this is the answer only to find their body cannot tolerate that drug.
Please forgive me if I am sounding judgmental. Not at all. I gave it an honest try. I do not feel like a failure nor do I want anyone else to feel as if they are failing again, if Baclofen does not work for them.
Again, best wishes to everyone with Baclofen. I so wish it had worked for me.

[Guitarista]

Failures of Baclofen

Hiya Saving Grace.
I don't take meds, and i know i'm barging in here, but i just want to wish you all the very best, and strength and clarity to you on your journey. This is such a great site. Keep trying, wont you? You will find your way out if you really want it.

Best wishes to everybody.........

[Guest]

Failures of Baclofen

Guitarista,
I'm not giving up in any way. I am determined to not let alcohol win over my life, it did in the past, I am 59 years old, I want my last years to have meaning. I'm just trying to get past the month I was on a drug that didn't work for me.
I am beginning to feel better, slowly. Still slowly coming off from it, so I don't have a withdrawal reaction. Suffering headaches now, still hair loss to the extreme, I gained 10# in one month and ate less than I normally do.
I'll be OK.
Thanks for thinking of me.
I will always come back here. Think drug free is probably the best way for ME, not saying it is for anyone else.

[Cinders]

Failures of Baclofen

SavingGrace,

I, too, am very glad you posted about your experience. It is why this thread was started, as well as the side effects thread.

I am so sorry this is one route you could not take. I had the exact same experience with Topamax. Very allergic to it. It was disheartening to me.

MintyTess,

Veritas and others have experienced nausea and vomiting. I believe what Veritas did was to go back down to the very minimum dosage (5mg 3 x Day) and insure she ate food while taking the Baclofen. She eventually overcame the nausea and is doing very well at a low dose and staying AF.

If that doesn't work, then you may not be a good candidate for Baclofen. I hate to see that happen because it has worked so well for me and others but if the side effects are intolerable for you, they just are.

I am glad we started this thread because like anything, nothing is a 100% and I do believe it is good for those considering Baclofen to realize this.

Thank you both.

Minty, let us know if you can get this resolved. You might pm Veritas and find out exactly how she worked through it.

Love,
Cindi

[Zman]

Failures of Baclofen

Hi All,

Just wanted to weigh in here. I started this thread because, as Beatle correctly states, I wanted to know whether Bac did not work for people. Earlier in the thread, I along with a few others worked out a definition of "failure", that being having titrated up to a high dose (i think I said 200, but BillB said 300) and not seeing a significant reduction or cessation of cravings.

I wouldnt categorize having side-effects and quitting the Bac due to the severity of such side-effects as a "failure". Discussions of that sort, while helpful, should probably take place on Zen's "side-effect" thread.

Not trying to suppress information at all, just trying to make sure people find what they are looking for when they visit the various threads.

[Guest]

Failures of Baclofen

Zman,
I am going to disagree with you here. If I was doing an internet search on Baclofen, I would want to know, as I did, about people who had felt Baclofen failed. This thread heading is Failures of Baclofen.
Yes, I posted in side effects. But, we are not talking here about personal failures I hope, or else we need to start another thread about 'my personal failure on Baclofen'.
I was encouraged to post here. I don't feel this should be a thread where we are confronted about saying Baclofen failed me.
If, I cannot get to the level you are at, if I cannot take it at all, then yes, Baclofen failed me.
I wanted this to work so much, I spent money I could not afford to try this. I gave it my all, and yes, it failed me.
Maybe your thread should be, I titraded up to a high dose of Baclofen and I am not AF.

[Lusus Naturae]

Failures of Baclofen

I know others have floated the idea that gecko toe (sticky) threads would be useful. I agree, but it seems the quantity of them could be problematic.

I've been thinking... Within the confines of the structgure of this forum perhaps there's a workable alternative. There could be one person (or better yet, a small number of people) permitted to modify a single sticky thread with a single post that would be updated by the designated person (or people).

The single post would contain a list of other threads each with a short description and a link to the thread itself. That list, the name of the thread, and those permitted to modify it would be decided by the community.

This would avoid the "bumps" that are currently required every few days, and would avoid the post noise that the bumps create.

[Zman]

Failures of Baclofen

SG,

I guess you can post whatever you want, wherever you want. But inability to continue Bac due to side effects was not what my intent was.

Sorry it didnt work for you though...

Are you going to try something else, like Nal?

[Guest]

Failures of Baclofen

Zman,
I received a PM after I posted in the thread about side effects, that I should post here. I think that was at the least a week and maybe two ago. I now have gone back to read your original post. I do feel you should change the heading. It is misleading.
No, I've avoided all drugs my entire life, from pain pills to Valium, etc.
I do not understand the resistance to hear the other side. Please do change the name of this thread. This has nothing to do with failure on Baclofen. Why would anyone be opposed to someone saying it did not work for me.
I will always be inspired by those who have found relief from their alcohol addiction on this drug. But it also is not the 'cure all' for everyone, and I find it disturbing that your joy in having that positive result, makes you defensive to us that don't.
I say in every post, I envy you, I wish you all the best, but we don't ALL get that positive experience. Go spread your good news, by the way, if this is a place to talk about failures, why are you here defending it? Shouldn't you be posting on the positive side? I'm not trying to cause problems. If I started a thread, I would never tell someone to post somewhere else.
Zen,
Thank you. I am so very happy for you.
Yes, it is very difficult to realize this does not work for me. But it has not taken me down. My husband is gloating about the fact I was so gullible to try this and he wanted to take me to the hospital, that is how ill I became.
But I am OK with it. I can see it has benefit to many, and I followed all the rules and was conservative, since I don't take medication without researching the side effects, etc.
I do feel everyone here, including me, is devoted to finding a way to live a productive AF life.
I send my best wishes to everyone, no matter what route they take to find that.
Oh, Zen, yes I am on all supplements.