Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

[dexterhead]

My apologies for starting a new thread. I know there is a ton of info here, but I'm feeling overwhelmed at finding it.
I have had Naltrexone, ordered from River Pharmacy, for several months, but have been afraid to take it. Familiar story ... pour a gazillion gallons of alcohol down my gullet, but afraid of a small pill ... Anyway, I am at my wit's end and I need to start. I am interested in the Sinclair method. I have a rather testy digestive system, so I am wondering:
-- how much should I initially try taking, and at what time of day, and every day?
-- do I just continue drinking while taking it in my usual vast quantities?
Thanks SO much for anyone who can help! :thanks:

[greeneyes]

Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

I don't know kitty head but I love you!

[Krazy1]

Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

Naltrexone/Starting TSM

Hi dexter/kitty head!

I've been doing The Sinclair Method (TSM) for a long time now - it has definitely changed my life for the better, and I hope it will work wonders for you too. I'm not typically very sensitive to meds (except Topamax -long story), so my experience with starting Nal probably won't help.

However, I've heard from MANY others about this. They typical side effects are fatigue, nausea, feeling spacey, and bizarre dreams. These usually disappear or become very minor after a few days, but a week or so for some who are more sensitive. The suggested approach is to take 25mg the first two days, then increase to the standard 50mg dose after that. It seems to work best if you take it on a full stomach to avoid nausea. A few have had a rough time even at 25mg, and then decided to go with 12.5mg and work up from there - I've yet to hear of anyone who wasn't able to tolerate Nal after a couple weeks, even if they had a difficult time working up to the 50mg slowly. Even though some have been very sensitive to Nal, it is a VERY safe drug in general, and certainly at the 50mg level.

Whatever the dosage, Naltrexone should ALWAYS be taken one hour prior to drinking! That is the GOLDEN RULE - if you stick to that, you can't really do anything wrong with TSM. Therefore, the time of day you take it will depend on when you want to start drinking. Have you read the book (The Cure for Alcoholism) by Dr. Roy Eskapa? Several chapters are available on-line at thesinclairmethod.com and you'll find a lot of info and great people there. The site is down for now due to some technical difficulties, but you really should visit when things are back to normal.

In the mean time, many of us are connecting here. In fact, I believe most of the TSM veterans "met" here at MWO, and therefore have probably established many relationships here. I joined the other board first, but have found everyone here to be just as welcoming. Nice to know we're not alone, isn't it? I can't imagine what we'd do without the Internet these days.

I wish you well on your journey with TSM - for 80+% of us, it has been well worth the roller coaster ride. Feel free to ask questions. I'd be glad to help if I can. Best of luck! :thumbs:

[redcat]

Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

What if you took Naltrexone planning to drink in one hour, but something came up and could not drink exactly in one hour, Let's say you started to drink in 1.5 or 2 hours after the Nal. What happens then?

[Krazy1]

Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

Timing of drinking with Naltrexone

It's OK to drink and hour AFTER you take the Nal, but not before. It needs time to get into your bloodstream. The 50mg dose should cover a day for most, but for people who drink 24/7, it's probably best to take another dose after 12 hours. It's also really important to NEVER drink without taking Nal, because you will be more sensitive to reinforcement soon after Nal leaves your system. So drinking at that point would work against you by further reinforcing the "reward" your brain gets from the addictive behavior.

TSM is still new enough that we don't have all the answers as to how it might vary from one individual to the next. 50mg was the dosage used in the test subjects, and it was found to be effective for 80-90% of the people. However, to be safe in my mind, I take an additional 25mg after 8 hours if I'm going to continue drinking. Luckily, those long summer party days/weekends aren't going to be an issue anymore for quite a while!

I'm really not explaining it too well. I wish the other site was available (thesinclairmethod.com), but it's been down for a few days now. Several of the chapters from the book (The Cure for Alcoholism by Dr. Roy Eskapa) are posted there on-line. I'd recommend getting the book if at all possible, as people like me may accidentally leave out important points or cause confusion. I can speak of my own experience, but I've seen that mine differs from that of many others. Overall, I'm VERY happy with my progress, but it's taken a lot longer than it has for others. The test subjects only drank about 35 drinks per week - I wouldn't even see that as a problem compared to what I was drinking! I've also been drinking for over 30 years so it makes sense that I have a lot of experiences to extinguish. Patience is difficult, but it's absolutely critical with TSM.

[redcat]

Need Help re Naltrexone, please ...

Thank You for clarification. I wish You and all others here success and all the best. Peace.