Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

[panda farts]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Not sure I'll have all that much more to add. 160mg, side effects non existent. cravings do not exist at all.

loading up at the end of the day works wonders for me.

50mg 2:30pm
50mg 6pm
60mg 8pm

[harry]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Im down to 35mg a day from 137.5mg. Had only a couple of beers 3 times in the last 4 months.

No worries at all. Doubt I will go any lower than this. No side effects at all now.

Mission accomplished....

5mg 7am
5mg noon
25mg 4.30pm

[christyacc]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

harry;732996 wrote: Im down to 35mg a day from 137.5mg. Had only a couple of beers 3 times in the last 4 months.

No worries at all. Doubt I will go any lower than this. No side effects at all now.

Mission accomplished....

5mg 7am
5mg noon
25mg 4.30pm

Harry,

This is amazing news! Thank you for sharing!!!! We need to keep hearing this so we all have hope!

[beatle]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Yes, as christy says, it's so important that you harry, you panda farts, you tipt, etc. keep posting us with updates about your successes, including details of your dosing -- it makes it real for those of us still on our way.

"Mission accomplished" -- such beautiful words.

[panda farts]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

I think with enough time, and the right dose it'll become real for anyone that can get through the side effects and go high enough.

I was incredibly skeptical of the concept of there actually being a "switch" but once I hit it I realized that "switch" is the most accurate description.. I don't know what the future holds for me or where this is going to go but if asked about baclofen at this point I would have to say a) It works exactly as described. b) I feel like reading that book and taking a chance with this med has saved my life.

I know I sound like a full cheer leading squad... but really though, I hope everyone that has this affliction has the opportunity to learn about this solution and has a way to try it.

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Works

It really works for me..........if anyone had the past 2 days I have, man, I or any "former alcoholic"!would be drunk right now!!!! Baclofen has done wonders for me!!!! Glad to hear about others doing well on it too!!

MA:h:l

[tiptronic_ct]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

beatle;733068 wrote: Yes, as christy says, it's so important that you harry, you panda farts, you tipt, etc. keep posting us with updates about your successes, including details of your dosing -- it makes it real for those of us still on our way.

"Mission accomplished" -- such beautiful words.

I am still happily AF (since 21/08). My switch point was 240mg.

I am currently on 160mg a day. 10, 20, 60, 40, 30 (the last three doses are taken between 16h00 & 22h00).

My sense of gratitude remains as strong as ever.

I cannot say "mission accomplished", however. In my case, being free from AL isn't the whole picture. I still suffer from insomnia & depression. Thanks to bac, my alcholism and anxiety is under control.

I intend seeing a psychiatrist in the weeks to come. I have found someone I can consult with despite the fact that I "self-medicated" with baclofen. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is, given that bac isn't a widely-recognised therapy for alcholism. In South Africa, its 12-steps or Antabuse, generally speaking. Should anything emerge that I think would benefit all of you, I'll post on it. But I digress...

I intend maintaining my dose at that level for now. I am finding that I still experience triggers. Not in the sense that I crave alcohol, but that certain events can leave me feeling off-kilter. My philosophy is: rather be safe than sorry.

The only side-effect that gives me problems from time to time is somnolence, but I think it is to a large extent also ascribable to insomnia. I have always suffered from insomnia - it is not a side-effect of the bac. Part of the "beauty" of AL was that I could knock myself out cold

To those of you still in search of your switch: It is SO worth it. Hang in there. Words cannot describe the relief and sense of freedom I'm experiencing.

I have also made my final decision: moderation is not for me, even if baclofen allows it. I'm done with drinking. Absolutely no offense intended to those who choose to mod. I have just come to resent AL to such an extent that I don't want it to be part of my life anymore.

[NC]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Decided to start today before I leave the country for 10 days. I have only taken two 5 mg doses, one at 8 AM and one at 1 PM. I am going to titrate slowly to try to minimize somnolence. I won't be driving while gone so I figured it might actually be a good time to titrate up. I feel no somnolence today after the first two doses. Does that usually occur with higher doses or have people experienced it with low doses?
Thanks.
NC

[WantOut]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Had a bad night last night...got way too drunk, annoyed my husband...and woke up feeling like crap. I poured out the rest of my vodka this morning (not that there was much left!) and I'm going to take alot of bac all day. I give up on titrating up, I'm going to hit my switch today, or at least fall asleep from too much bac. Either way I'm not drinking!

[tiptronic_ct]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

WantOut,

Please be sensible about this. What is your AL intake? Are you in danger of WD?

[franziasgone]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

be careful....

Wantout~
I agree with tiptronic-depending on how much you have been drinking, maybe you shouldn't go cold turkey.
On the other hand...... if you take alot of baclofen and then still end up drinking, this could be a dangerous situation......
Good Luck and keep us informed.

[panda farts]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

You're not going to hit your switch in one day and you'll probably make yourself really sick. Go slow

[cowgal]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

Keep going up!

SLOWLY!!!!! (just re-read your post Wantout!!! Sorry, didn't read closely about. How you wanted to hit your switch in ONE day!?!? That could be really dangerous........hope you are ok!!!?) hope you stop drinking soon but keep going up in your dose, so you will lose your desire..... It WILL happen, I know
MA

[christyacc]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

OMG...I know that Bac works....I was up to at least 100mgs of Bac per day, however...I have had to titrate down to almost nothing and I have drank more in the last couple weeks because I have had to decrease the Bac.

I KNOW Bac works.....I have seen proof.....

[ThirdMan]

Consolidated Baclofen Success Thread

WantOut, I have to agree with the others that it's most sensible to go slow. I've learned the hard way that too much of almost anything is bad, even helpful substances. Too much Bac will just make you tired and leave a bad taste in your mouth, possibly making any potential side-effects more apparent and creating a negative association with the Bac. Maybe or maybe not, but when something works I personally wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it.

Just for the record, I thought I would chime in on my own experience with the Bac so far. Coming off a 13 year binder which has only lightened up in the last three years (to varying degrees) I am pretty sure I'd give Bac the stamp of "miracle drug." I've only been taking it for two weeks, but in those two weeks I have not had a single sip of alcohol (despite a friend leaving a six pack in my fridge over a week ago) and I honestly haven't felt any inclinations to drink WHATSOEVER. I know this sounds too good to be true, and I would easily chalk it up to a placebo effect IF:
• ...I hadn't already been taking Naltrexone with SOME success in moderating my quantity of drinking and its effects, but little success in my frequency of drinking (daily)
• ...I had a healthy dose of control over my drinking, which I don't. As a professional 30 year old with a masters from a reputable school who has consistently stayed employed throughout even the worst of times, I would say I have some degree of self-discipline in many aspects of my life. Not so with drinking. In the worst possible situations I will drink to the point of blacking out, have been arrested, made loved ones worried, etc. and nothing could stop me. Baclofen has been a truly painless way to magically LOSE INTEREST in drinking. It's weird to say the least.

My theory on its success with me personally is its anti-anxiety qualities. For years I had severe anxiety attacks, which really kicked my drinking into high gear (and vice versa). In the past few years I had seen a therapist and done research on the side to address how anxiety still controlled me, years after the anxiety attacks themselves had gone away. Not only am I not drinking, but I have been able to jump into projects that I had put off for years because they intimidated me too much to deal with. In situations like that I would typically drink to overcome the fear and move forward, and then probably not finish what I started because I was constantly phasing in and out of sobriety and couldn't complete the task at hand. I have always maintained just enough functionality to get done what I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO, and then it was drinking time.

I feel a little premature giving the Bac so many accolades only two weeks in, but I am shocked by how totally uninterested in alcohol I have been. It's as if all the distaste for drinking I have been harboring over the last several years have finally been allowed to dominate the weaker feelings that have been driving me to drink anyway. Now all that is left is the distaste. Totally amazing.

One question, if I'm already feeling "indifferent to alcohol" at 70 mgs a day, how will I know when I hit my switch? I plan on titrating up just to go by the books, but at this point I can't really imagine feeling much more indifferent.

Thanks!