For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

[reneesmiles]

How long were you on it before you were AF? And if you aren't AF after taking it, what does that mean?

I really have tried to convince my Psychiatrist (who specializes in addiction) to give me Baclofen even while I am on Naltrexone. He has been hesitant and I'm not sure why. He said that Nal worked better than Baclofen, but I have been unable to stay AF for any length of time. In fact, in July, I was pretty much AF the whole month. In August, only 6 days AF. September, only 3 days AF, and so far in October 0 days. I have been on Naltrexone tablets since August. I have had 2 injections of Vivitrol, but because of insurance problems, I have not taken that consistently. I take 100mg a day of Naltrexone.

The wierd thing is I have no cravings at all until the hours of 8:30pm-10pm for some reason. And I take 50mg of Naltrexone in the morning and again at 7pm. What the heck is going on there???? Habit? I just don't know.

But I need all the help I can get right now. I am in no way drinking the quantities I was before. But I still feel that guilt and horror of the next day, when I though I would "make it" the day before and failed.

So, my questions are: How has Baclofen helped you? Are most of you AF? Or are you still drinking, but less? Or has there been no effect?

I would really appreciate hearing your experiences with it. I'm getting to the point where if he doesn't give it to me, I will buy it online IF the success rate is high. So I would really like to know your experiences so I can make a decision.

Ugh! This battle is draining me and I just want help. lease:

Can anyone help me?

[Brave Hearted]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Hi Smiles

I can only tell you my personal esperience on bac. My drinking history was I was more of a binge drinker then a a daily drinker but I thought about al most of the time and would have gladly drunk everyday and at some points in my life have drunk a daily botle of wine reguarly. Once I started taking bac in Aug 09 it has just transformed my life I tirated up to 125mg a day but I am fairly small and it started to make me feel ill at that dose I am now down to 50/75 mg a day depending on whats goign on how I feel etc. Now to how it works !! well I really dont know but it just takes away the desire to drink and believe me I have had that desire for well over 30 and its wrecked my life , But back to the bac it just takes that monkey off your back, I have just ordered Naltrrxone online because I still want to be able to have the odd drink as and when and feel the that it will enable me to do that without the fear of it turning into a binge which it can even though I am on the bac which is not a "one talblet cures all" solution. I get my bac online fro 4rx , which I have found to be the cheapest around and what I pay for them is worth every penny as it really has goven me my life back and I keep thinking to myslef "god is this what normal people feel like? " no wonder they think anybody with a al problem is weak because al does not dominate your thoughts, its kinda weord and I dont feel I am explaining it very well and I am sure there are other members who are on bac and will explain it better if you have a trawl around this site on some of the posts. BUT for me it working yippee !!!

Good luck to you smiles and keep us posted to what you decide to do !

BH

Baclofen is saving and giving me life !

[Brave Hearted]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Oh and smiles something else I forgot to put, taking the bac has taken the guilt for me away from my problem with al. I used to beat myslef up asking why was I so weak and gave into al, but taking the bac has made me realise I am not weak but ill because the bac is working which proves it a clinical conditon that has ( finger corssed and will continue to work) been altered by a drug ! that got nothing to do with self control or weakness of character !! would anybody sugguest that a diabeltic was weak becuae there blood sugars are shot ??? no they would just give them insulin to correct the inbalance !! job done !!! well bac is someone with an al problems insulin !!! phew will get down form my soap box now !! hope this has been of help !

BH

Baclofen is giving and saving my life and sanity !

[brightlite]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

First of all, welcome RS. Read through everything there is about Baclofen and everyone's experience on here. It can help with the cravings and anxiety. No offense to your Psychiatrist and all the training they may have in addiction, but have they or are they an alcoholic? I just don't know if you can really understand completely unless you've felt the pain of addiction. Maybe you can print out some of the documented facts about Baclofen to bring to your Doctor.

My history with Baclofen is very similar to Brave Hearted. I got up to 100mg and although I am a small person, I would have hung in there with the side effects except that I drive 1 1/2 hours each way to work 3 times a week. Basically you should NOT drive while taking this medicine at such a high doseage, it can be very dangerous. Anyway, I tapered back down to 30mg and held there to keep my anxiety in check. I was ok for awhile, but then the binging crept back. I am slowly going back up in my dosage.

BH is right though, taking Baclofen has turned my thoughts from I'm hopeless and thinking about drinking 24/7 to Wow...I actually feel normal and even though I think about a glass of wine and I'm not going to lie....every day, It is so much easier to just say..."no..it's not worth the trouble.

Good luck on your quest for Your way Out. Everyone is on the same journey, but are finding different tools work for different people. Keep us posted.

[panda farts]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

I started taking bac August 13th
First AF day was October 2.. I think.
Haven't had a drink or a craving (that was anything more than a fleeting thought) since October 1ish

My "switch" happened right at 150mg ... definitely not lower than that.. and when it "switched" it truly felt like they say... I went from still feeling the need to indifference going from 140mg to 150mg

I'm at 150mg and will stay here indefinitely.

[reneesmiles]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Thank you all for your feedback. I am going to talk to my doctor again and if he still won't give it to me, I think I will order it online.

All My Best and I appreciate all of your feedback!
Renee

[beatle]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

I know Brave Hearted doesn't think he (or she) explained it well, but I think it is perfect -- there is no doubt you will feel a change. What you do with it is up to you. If you have anxiety and it goes away, maybe you don't NEED to drink anymore. Maybe you want to, maybe you don't. The bac takes away the NEED.

Brave writes:

the bac is working which proves it a clinical conditon that has...been altered by a drug ! that got nothing to do with self control or weakness of character !! would anybody sugguest that a diabeltic was weak becuae there blood sugars are shot ??? no they would just give them insulin to correct the inbalance !! job done !!! well bac is someone with an al problems insulin !!!

yep

[RedThread12]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Hi Renee - Today (Saturday) is the beginning of my second week on baclofen. Here is what has happened for me:

I relapsed after three years of sobriety on May 19. I struggled to regain sobriety - went to AA meetings, did all of the things I did to get sober the first time - didn't work.

Went to a friend who is a psych (I have no insurance) and she wrote me a scrip for Campral and told me to get it filled and start right away, even though I wasn't AF at all. She also wrote a scrip for Topomax and said I could try that if the Campral didn't work. The Campral made me suicidal - a "rare" side effect of the $270/month medication. When I researched online I found that the side-effects of Topomax were generally far more severe than Campral. Not an alternative. Felt bleak and completely discouraged that I might have to make every day for the rest of my life be about not drinking - and I couldn't even figure out a way to quit.

So I read every bac-related post on this board and bought Dr. Ameison's book. And then I ordered the bac from an online pharmacy. While I was waiting for it to arrive my life was completely insane. I had to assist my sister through an episode of suicidal depression, and while doing that I found a treatment center that I found a tiny bit hopeful (addresses life traumas as preceding addiction) and decided that I would go there and get help.

I picked up my baclofen from the P.O. on a Saturday morning - I don't remember how much I had to drink the day/night before, or even for the 3-4 weeks preceding. I was drinking not only what I bought but a lot of a friend's wine and vodka, as well. Several lost weeks.

I took my first 10 mg dose in the parking lot of the P.O. An hour later I knew that I was going to be okay. I drank two glasses of wine that night, and have not had more than 2-3 glasses of wine, and some night 0-1, since that day. Immediate, beneficial results for me. Freaking miracle!

I don't have any cravings, and I have the opposite effect from most people - bac doesn't make me sleepy at all. It makes me slightly hyper, in a totally good way. No more lethargy, highly productive. I do seem to talk a lot more with people now that I'm on the bac. Don't know what that's about!?

I had already begun the process of entering the out-patient program of the treatment center I found while looking for help for my sister, so I will be going there in the near future and am required to be AF. I have only had a couple of AF days in the last two weeks, but I don't anticipate any problem.

The drinking I'm doing is more out of being somewhat enamored with being able to have 1-2 glasses of wine and then quitting without any further desire than from any strong craving or need. I have spent a lot of my life AF, so I anticipate that that is where I'm headed. Just now, I'm not making any effort one way or the other, and I'm drinking 0-3 glasses/day. After two weeks I'm up to 80 mg of bac/day, and although there have been some odd side effects (I posted "Amusing Side-Effects of Baclofen), I feel like I've come through "the worm-hole" into not just a different relationship with alcohol, but a completely different and more elevated consciousness.

I have no experience with naltrexone, so I have no idea if it's a good idea to do nal and bac together. So far - only two weeks in - I am astounded and completely satisfied with the results from taking baclofen. Since I'm doing this on my own, I did confide in a friend and am keeping him fully informed of my titration, side-effects, and alcohol intake. This is the second "getting sober" he has seen me through, and he, too, is astounded and delighted with the results of my taking bac.

Maybe your doc doesn't want to give you the bac because he doesn't know as much about it as those of us on this board who are using bac in this "off-label" way. And for sure, since it's a generic drug, he doesn't have any pharmaceutical reps coming by leaving samples and providing incentives for him to prescribe bac, as they do naltrexone, vivitrol, topomax and campral.

The combination of what I read and what I experienced, all of the accounts of side-effects and results that I found here on this forum, along with my desperation, gave me the courage to do the baclofen on my own. Today I am liberated from the hell of having to decide if I wanted to feel suicidal from drinking or from the medicine prescribed to me to stop the craving to drink. I don't have to worry about whether or not I will drink too much - I have no desire at all to drink too much. I can focus, I can concentrate, I feel good and I'm amazed and grateful for my life.

Not bad for two weeks!

Sorry for the long post, but you asked!!!!! Best to you as you keep working on your own way out.

[reneesmiles]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

WOW!

That is an amazing story. I feel a little hope just reading it. I will probably consult him, but I am going to advocate for myself - namely that I want Baclofen. If that means I have to stop taking the Nal, so be it. From everything I have read here and elsewhere, Baclofen seems to work better in the "real world."

If he still won't give it to me I will research what happens if you take Bac and Nal together. If it's not a good idea.... I'll probably try leaving the Naltrexone alone for a while, and just try the Baclofen.

Seems like so many of you have gotten great results. Thank you all for your responses.

Blessings,
Renee

P.S. And I forgot about those kickbacks! LOL

[cowgal]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

article

There is an article on this site by Dr. Ameisen, I printed it out and took it to my doctor, it helped, he was a little skeptical, but gave me an rx.....Red, I am like you, I get hyper when I take it, sometimes, very rarely I get really sleepy, mostly at night thank god!! Thanks for sharing your experience!:thanks: was af alot, but like moderating, now I can successfully do that!! What a miracle that is, in AA they say "once a pickle, you can never go back to being a cucumber"(or something like that).....well, I have!!! YAY~

I have been on it since 8/14 and feel like a totally different person, lost most of my obsessive thoughts, going through a job loss right now, not too secure, but handling it better than I did last time.................It has GOT to be the bac!!!

Keep us posted guys, good luck to you all, it has been nothing short of a miracle for me!!!

MA:l:h

[Anna B]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

cowgal;739918 wrote: There is an article on this site by Dr. Ameisen, I printed it out and took it to my doctor, it helped, he was a little skeptical, but gave me an rx.....Red, I am like you, I get hyper when I take it, sometimes, very rarely I get really sleepy, mostly at night thank god!! Thanks for sharing your experience!:thanks: was af alot, but like moderating, now I can successfully do that!! What a miracle that is, in AA they say "once a pickle, you can never go back to being a cucumber"(or something like that).....well, I have!!! YAY~

I have been on it since 8/14 and feel like a totally different person, lost most of my obsessive thoughts, going through a job loss right now, not too secure, but handling it better than I did last time.................It has GOT to be the bac!!!

Keep us posted guys, good luck to you all, it has been nothing short of a miracle for me!!!

MA:l:h

Hi MA,

I'm SO happy for you. I'm totally amazed by how well you're handling all of the stress that you're under. That is just huge. :l Keep updating us!

Also, just wanted to say that I totally know what you mean about the pickle/cucumber analogy. I've been successfully modding (or moderating--whatever you want to call it, you know what I mean) since early July. I can barely REMEMBER a time in my life when I was able to do that. Even when I first started drinking at 14, I was bingeing!!

Even times when I'm really stressed out (like last night when I got into an argument w/ a work colleague) and all other triggers are in place (e.g., being around other hard-drinking friends, a work dinner, etc.), I almost never have more than a glass or two of wine. This drug is seriously a MIRACLE! I can't say that enough.

--Anna

[cowgal]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Ditto!!!!

I agree Anna, I finally got a job today, not the one I really wanted, but am already thinking it will be doable...... It is from 7pm-8am, YUCK, but it is better than unemployment, right!? I mean, I might like it, getting home as Mike leaves for work, could be cool, and having EVERY day off!?!? Could suck, but won't know until I try it, right???

Just glad to have baclofen!!!

MA:l:h

[christyacc]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

article?

cowgal;739918 wrote: There is an article on this site by Dr. Ameisen, I printed it out and took it to my doctor, it helped, he was a little skeptical, but gave me an rx.....Red, I am like you, I get hyper when I take it, sometimes, very rarely I get really sleepy, mostly at night thank god!! Thanks for sharing your experience!:thanks: was af alot, but like moderating, now I can successfully do that!! What a miracle that is, in AA they say "once a pickle, you can never go back to being a cucumber"(or something like that).....well, I have!!! YAY~

I have been on it since 8/14 and feel like a totally different person, lost most of my obsessive thoughts, going through a job loss right now, not too secure, but handling it better than I did last time.................It has GOT to be the bac!!!

Keep us posted guys, good luck to you all, it has been nothing short of a miracle for me!!!

MA:l:h

Hi MA!

Can you please tell me where to find the article? I would like to print it out for my dr visit in a few days.

Thanks!

Christy

[NickUK]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

christyacc;740531 wrote: Hi MA!

Can you please tell me where to find the article? I would like to print it out for my dr visit in a few days.

Thanks!

Christy

His site is here
Olivier Ameisen, MD

here is a link to his case report
COMPLETE AND PROLONGED SUPPRESSION OF SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL-DEPENDENCE USING HIGH-DOSE BACLOFEN: A SELF-CASE REPORT OF A PHYSICIAN -- AMEISEN 40 (2): 147 -- Alcohol and Alcoholism

Hope it goes well for you at the doctors

[cowgal]

For those of you using Baclofen.... Questions????

Sorry and thanks!!!

Sorry Nick beat me to the reply, great site btw! Thanks Nick :thanks:

There is also a "research" tab up at the top of this page and on it is a bunch of research articles, either way go armed w/ the proof and if the doc is uncool, if you can, shop around......I would, it is that worth the try!!!! Good luck!!!!

MA:l:h