Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

[AMELIA]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

PS, my doc just prescribed me another 3 months supply!!! It only cost me ?60 (for the appointment and the prescription). That's what happens when you get a Dr. that is willing to help without judgement.

[Zman]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Amelia,

Are you AF/hit the off switch?

What dose are you on?

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

just bought the book!

I just bought the book "The end of my addiction", cannot wait to get it, started the Bac yesterday, he has me on 10 mg three times a day, guess I up it daily???? I took a research study by Dr. Ameison for him to look at, didn't read it too much, but said if I want to try the bac he'd write it, he is a cool doc.....................hope it kicks in soon, cuz I will probably drink today!? So hopeless right now:upset::upset:, but having acupuncture today too at 2:30, am pulling out all the guns!!!

MA:l:h

[cpn1004]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Amelia, how did you get your doc to prescribe baclofen?
Thanks,
Phil

[Guest]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Go Cow gal most started at the 5 mg x3 rate i did the 10mg x 3 when first started . I so hope this works for you it did for me. Just be patient it takes time . Ps I hate saying this as I think it gives the wrong impression but i did keep drinking while i triated up. But the drinks lessened... I think what Cinders says is best white knuckle it and go af until you feel the relaxing affects and anti anxiety effect of bac and you wont need to take as much to reach your switch off point. I am exicted for you and every one here .
Take care
Reggie

[AMELIA]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Hey Guys,

I ended up going to a private doctor. Over here in the UK, if you want to go to the doctor (free of charge) it is called the National Health System (NHS). I must have seen 3 or 4 NHS doctors (over 2 - 3 years) and none would prescribe Topamax (when I wanted that) they just wanted to refer me to Alcohol Treatment programmes each time (I had been to most of the treatment programmes there were).

So I decided instead of going to the NHS (for free), I would go to a private doctor and ask for Baclofen (and pay ???'s for my appt).
I went armed with Dr. A's book and I emailed the private doctor a link to a story about Bac treatment before I went to see him. I spent an hour with him on the first appointment (NHS doctors only allow 10mins per patient).

This is my second go at Bac.

The first time (the first two months I was on it), I was happy to just keep drinking through taking the tablets and then I got sloppy with taking them, titrated down as I was running out of tabs, next thing I was back to drinking a lot again.

This time, I decided I would just stop drinking on a certain day and carry on taking the bac.
I am now still on 90mg (I haven't yet gone up to 100mg - as I said I would a week or so ago) and I have been AF for nearly a month.
Zman, I don't know if I have hit my switch. Occasionally I think about drinking...fleetingly...then move on.
I am exercising...I am now running 45mins a couple of times a week with a couple of 25min-30mins runs as well. I have NEVER run for this long in my life!!
I am working well and sleeping relatively well.

3 months ago I was drinking a shit load of booze. Drinking every night with my partner (plus drinking another whole bottle of 'secret' wine every day). Some days I would start necking beers as soon as my partner left for work, then carry on until a few hours before he got home, then start again.
I made HUNDREDS of secret trips to the local shops for my bottles to hide around our house.
I lied and lied and lied.
ALL of this has stopped within the last month. I can not even imagine doing any of it. So, yes perhaps my switch has switched....

What I do know is that my relationship with alcohol has changed to such an extent, that I feel like a different person. Those thoughts and actions that I speak of above feel completely alien to me.
For the last week our fridge has been full of beer, each day I have worked from home (I have some huge stressful deadlines on at the moment), but I haven't touched any of those beers. Most nights my partner will sit beside me on the couch and have a beer....I hardly even notice. (Before, I would have been waiting til he left the room so that I could drink some of his while he was gone!!!!!)

[prancy]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Wow, Amelia. that is fantastic! I have been known to do a fair amount of secret drinking myself and I hate it. Before I started the bac, I went 30 days AF and since then I have had 1 1/2 glasses of wine on one occasion and about 1/2 glass on one other. Can't say I haven't wanted it, though, just not allowing myself to have it.

[cpn1004]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Amelia,
Thanks for your post. Today I went to an AA meeting and am AF. I took 60 mg of baclofen, 10 mg a dose starting at 730 am, then about every 3 hours. Seemed to work today anyway.
Love and Peace,
Phil

[individualnz]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Hi there Amelia,

Thankyou for sharing that story, it is fantastic to realise someone is doing the same kind of thing as me. I have just titrated up to 40mg today. I by no means have hit the switch and feel like adrink right now, but I have not had anything for the last 5 days, which is an absolute record for me. Cravings there but not so strong. I do worry about side effects of the Bac, but at this point in time I have to take that risk and not wait for the drug trials, I dont have that time! I will purchase Dr A book.

Thanks again

[AMELIA]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Hi Prancy, Phil and Individualnz,
Sounds like you are all having positive experiences so far on Bac.

Prancy you have probably set yourself up in quite a strong position to carry on with Bac if you have begun to take it immediately after going AF for a month. Your body and brain will have already gotten used to being without the alcohol. Being on Bac should make it a whole lot easier for you.

Phil, are you feeling tired going straight in at 60mg? Heck if I had done that I think I would be asleep at the keyboard instead of typing right now!! Glad it's working for you and that you have the added support of AA!

Individualnz, sounds like you are doing well too. As far as side effects go, I have read Dr A's book and looked into side effects on the net. I am more concerned about the damage the booze was doing to my body, relationships and life in general, than the side effects I have read about or felt myself.

Looking forward to reading more about your progress.

[Lusus Naturae]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Cross posting this to threads it applies to...
This is intended to be a brief summary of my progress, from receiving my first Baclofen tabs to now. We'll see how short I can keep it...

Day one (7/21/09):

I received my tabs 7/21, 2PM. Took 5 mg immediately. Took another 5 (all dosages will be in mg) at 3PM, another 5 at 4PM, another at 5:30, and the final 5 at 8:30PM. I drank a total of 8 oz of vodka interspersed with that. I felt a little somnolence, and increased effects of the AL. Sleep was weird. I woke up after about an hour, and was totally confused. I thought I was on vacation, then I thought it was the weekend, and only after a few minutes of confusion did I figure out tomorrow is a work day. I woke about once an hour, but got back to sleep.

Day two:

35 mg total. 5 drinks total. Still had the urge to drink, but the effects were magnified by the bac, and I drank more slowly. Much less than usual. Sleep was again punctuated with waking, but overall better with than without bac. I had a headache that began just before bedtime, and increased during the night. It turns out I can't blame that on the bac. I had a serious sunburn, and those always give me this kind of headache.

Day three:

50 mg, 2 beers. Not much somnolence, and increased relaxed attention. Not sure which is bac, and which is reduced al. Noticed some physical and psychological effects similar to hydergine. Weird. Sleep is again distirbed: 4 hours straight, then again with the one hour stints.

Day four:

60 mg, 4 drinks. Sleep was incredible. Dreams were incredible. 12 hrs sleep!

Day five:

70 mg, 3 beers.

Day six:

Slight fuzziness in the morning, but one cup of coffee remedied that.

100 mg, 2 beers.

From this point on, I'll just list the bac/day.

7: 140 mg
8: 80 mg
9: 90 mg
10: 110 mg
11: 130 mg
12: (8/1) 200 mg. AL free this day. Not such a good night.
13: 140 mg
14: 90 mg
15: 100 mg
16: 90 mg
17: 140 mg
18: 150 mg
19: 80 mg
20: 110 mg
21: 110 mg. AL free from here 'till now.
22: 130 mg
23: 140 mg
24: 120 mg
25: 150 mg
26: 140 mg
27: That would be today. Still AL free, no bac yet today.

Sorry about the excessive/anemic detail. I thought the first few days would be more interesting (excpet for the events surrounding day 12).

I'm sure you noticed the extreme titration rate, as well as the variation day to day. I'll post about that, how it worked, and the reasoning behind it elsewhere.

I've experienced some somnolence, especially at the higher intakes, but nothing all too bad. Other than that, and the initial minor (I think) sleep disturbances, there's been nothing that I can either attribute to bac alone, or is significant.

It's been an interesting ride. Up to day 20 I was still drinking. The initial numbers were quite low, surprisingly low for me. At that point I was thinking that if that were the extent of it, that would be enough. I was reaching what I considered to be my goal of moderation. Simply amazing.

AL intake went up from there, but not to anywhere near the levels just prior to bac. At the most, I'd have maybe six or seven drinks.

By day 21, it was clear I was just drinking out of habit, and to make sure I slept. Lack of sleep is just one source of anxiety for me, and leads me to do stupid things, like drink. It was one of the excuses I had for drinking. Bac both reduced that and other anxieties, and helped with the sleep. Two (of four or so) benefits of bac.

On day 20, I had run out of AL, and day 22 I couldn't be bothered to go to the store to get more. The desire just wasn't enough to make a 15 minute (total) trip.

That lack of desire continued, and I would purposely think of alcohol to try to spark some kind of desire. I did manage to do so a couple of times. One was after doing some yard work in the heat and sun, and I thought a nice cold lager would be nice. Though it was more of the taste and sensation I wanted, not the buzz. I had some ice water, and the thought soon passed. I had one other similar experience, and actually briefly thought of going to the store. That's as far as that thought went. It simply didn't persist.

Beyond that, my feelings surrounding thoughts of alchohol now seem like a lifetime removed from just a month ago. I simply don't care. I don't have any aversion, and if I had a nice cold beer I'd give it a try. I just don't have enough desire to make any effort to do so. I've been within steps of the stores a few times, but just didn't feel the need to go there.

It's been just a week of that, so I'm not declaring myself "cured", but at this point, I simply can't express the difference between now and a short time ago. The difference feels like years, not weeks. The positive changes that simply happened are too many to mention in this "brief" post.

My deepest thanks to all those who have posted their experiences with bac on these threads. It was through these threads that I decided to try bac. It would not have happened otherwise. At the rate I was going, I'd be doing the Sinclair naltrexone method and hoping I would be one of the lucky ones where it would take a few months, and if not, hoping for less than a year for success.

Ok, I think I've reached my brief limit. And yes, for me, that was brief.

.

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

progress

Just thought I would let you all know my progress, thanks for all the advice, I am SOOOOOOOOOO GLAD I started the bac, you guys have NO CLUE (or maybe you do) of how hopeless and sad and depressed I was, really thought I would end up offing myself, I was that miserable.................thank GOD it didn't work!!!

I am on 30 mg 3x a day, very tired now, but I had a really busy, early day, off to bed, watching a movie which should put me out...................then I need to be up at 4:30 to go to work, will have some caffeine on hand....................

lots of love, thanks again for all the support,:thanks::thanks:

g'night!!!!


MA:h

[cpn1004]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Yeah, day 2..finally. I played golf in 100 degree (F) heat and drank NO beer.

Amelia wrote "Phil, are you feeling tired going straight in at 60mg? Heck if I had done that I think I would be asleep at the keyboard instead of typing right now!! Glad it's working for you and that you have the added support of AA!"

Sorry I was not clear, I titrated up very slowly, I did not leap in at 60 mg.
Stay sober y'all,
Phil

[eakarno]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Finally got there

I had been trying Baclofen as a means to quit drinking for several months, and though it did a remarkable job of eliminating my general anxiety, it had no effect on my cravings for alcohol so I gave up on it. After a short detox stay in the hospital, with my doctor titrating me quickly from 30mg of Baclofen daily up to 100 mg, in conjunction with 50 mg daily of Naltrexone, I was able to stay sober for once but the cravings were still intense.

Unable to get a physician to prescribe a higher dosage of Baclofen (the hospital pharmacy made my inpatient psychiatrist reduce the dosage from 100 mg to 80 mg daily upon discharge), I placed an order for Baclofen online without an Rx. Desparate to stay sober I rapidly titrated up by 25 mg a day (the pills that come from India are offered in 25mg rather than 20mg dosages) until I hit up to 300 mg a day (at 200 lbs. this was still below Dr. Amiesen's calculated 3.6 mg per Kg of weight and at the max level found safe for temporary use for severe MS spasticity by neurologists).

At this level, (achieved via an ad hoc dosage schedule dictated primarily by "feel", but never to exceed 300 mg and usually stopping at 240 or 270), I finally reached that feeling of indifference. It was very subtle, but suddenly I just had no desire for alcohol. Though I still sometimes crave some "relief", the thought of actually drinking isn't appealing. The use of Naltrexone also probably helps, primarily in knowing that if I do drink, I supposedly won't achieve that euphoric rush that I had craved so desparately for the past 30 years. As for somnolence, it only really rears it's ugly head when I'm trying to read or watch TV in the evening, at which point it is an annoyance, but certaily not a deterrant. I do, however, plan to start to titrate down slowly until I get to a level of 120mg daily or less, or whatever minimal level it takes to remain "indifferent."

On another remarkable note, in my attempts to get sober I had begun taking Xanax (only 1 to 2 mg daily) hoping it might substitute my need for the relief provided by alcohol. Instead, all it did was make me physically dependent on Xanax. Attempts to quit "cold turkey" or even wean off of it left me feeling as though I were going to die -- literally! I was resigned to being dependent on that miserable drug forever. Once I began taking Baclofen, however, I was able to quit taking the Xanax completely, without the slightest notice of any ill effects. From what I have heard from others, it seems to work similarly for most if not all Benzos.

For those of you who haven't yet hit the right level, keep plugging away you will likely find the right level and and when you do, you will definitely know it, subtle as the experience may be, though it might take a while if you are having problems with somnolence, morning grogginess, or disrupted sleep patterns. I was fortunate in that I didn't run into those issues this time around, however, when I tried Baclofen while still drinking, daytime somnolence was a severe problem, as were nightime insomnia and very weird and intensely vivid dreams when I did sleep. I never have had any experience with morning groginess associated with Baclofen, and in fact, I now find that I sleep better than ever and awake earlier and more refreshed than at any time since when I was a teenager.

Best of luck to you all.

[prancy]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

eak! What a wonderful post. You just made my day. Thanks.