Tulipe's New Campral Notes

[Tulipe]

Hi y'all,

I've been taking Campral since June, but playing with doses and drinking. I learned a lot about managing it, or not letting AL manage my campral treatment. It may take a while for all this Campral stuff to come out, but here are the most important lessons I've learned.

1. Campral works to stop AL cravings, but if you don't take it regularly, early enough in the day, and every day, the cravings get nuts.
2. If you drink while taking your full dose of Campral, you get drunk very quickly. The good news on this is that it takes 2 drinks to get drunk, not a bottle, so in total you are not damaging your body as much. The bad news is, if you do this more than one day in a row, the campral starts to lose effect.
3. If you skip all of the Campral dose and drink, it takes twice the amount you would normally drink before you feel any effects. THis means that you can down 2 bottles of wine very quickly to get the feeling you want, but then you are a drunk skunk and incapable of functioning. Very bad.
4. If I knew I was going to drink in moderation, and would not have access to more than 2 glasses of wine, I would skip the last round of pills for the day and drink some wine with dinner. This worked ok so long as in fact I didn't drink more than 2 glasses. If I skipped the last round, but took the other earlier daily rounds of campral, I would feel a little buzz from the 2 glasses, not drunk as if I had taken all the doses, and a little undersatisfied but so long as I had not more access to AL I would be ok for an AL free day the next day and I could sleep ok.
5. If I did number 4 and drank the next day, anything at all, the Campral would start to lose its effect.
6. To regain its effect, I cut the dose back to 1/3 of normal, took it in the morning, and drank a lot at night. Then, with a hangover and not much campral in my body, I started the full dose again. I took 9 mg of benso the first day to stay calm, and yesterday, day 2, took 3 mg of benso to stay calm. Yesterday and the day before were kind of VERY stressful, but I don't want to talk about that in this section.
7. Today, day 3, will take full dose at the right times. I hope to not need more than 1.5 mg benso at night.

I hope this is helpful. Please share your experiences if you wish.

[Greg]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Hi Tulipe,

I am on a slightly different treatment path to you at the moment, but I wish to share my own past experience with Campral.

I was detoxified as an outpatient, supervised by a qualified nurse and prescribed diazepam (Valium) by a doctor. The nurse and I kept in touch regularly and we used an Alcohol Withdrawal Scale to monitor my withdrawal symptoms, so I would know when to take the diazepam. It was a rough ride even using the diazepam, and I have heard a few people say that phenobarbital is a more humane detox agent.

Anyway, I was started on Campral before the detox was fully over. I wanted to start it ASAP because it is slowly absorbed and takes about a week to reach the required steady-state level in the body. I didn't think the Campral was doing much to help me, but I stayed sober AND emotionally stable as long as I took it as prescribed. I took it as six tablets per day...two in the morning, two around lunchtime or in the afternoon, and the last two towards evening. Each tablet was 333 mg. so the daily dose was 2 grams. I called them "horse pills" due to their size, but they really did help me stay sober and I have only just looked back on that time after reading a detailed diary I had written. I always told myself that my 2 months of sobriety were due to my own willpower, but that is rubbish. Campral kept me sober by stabilising me after I had quit drinking. I stopped taking Campral after a month or so, for no obvious reason, and the alcohol cravings came back almost immediately. I only blocked them by taking codeine (not recommended). I restarted the Campral but it was too late and I was compelled to get drunk again.

My best advice is to take Campral as it is meant to be taken, and not make up silly excuses or "forget" to take it like I did. I ruined a real chance of achieving lasting sobriety and emotional stability when I stopped taking Campral. I know it does work to stabilise the mind and emotions if it is taken without alcohol.

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Greg,
Thanks for sharing. What I wonder is how long you need to be on it, sober, before you taper off, if you ever can.

I totally empathize with your going off it because you thought I wasn't working. Now I know it worked for me, at least. The benzos I am taking are like valium. But I want to get off them asap because I know they are addictive.

How are you feeling now?

[Greg]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

I think the recommended time to stay on Campral is 12 months but I'm sure a doctor would consider extending that time if you felt uneasy about stopping it, or if you stopped it only to find your cravings coming back. I don't know of any long-term problems with it and it's not addictive.

I have taken benzos during periods of sobriety but they did not really help me so I didn't keep taking them. I had some Valium left over after my outpatient detox but when I started taking it after the detox was over it just seemed to keep me awake all night. I don't know why but it seemed to have what is called a paradoxical reaction, meaning it acted opposite to how it was supposed to. If you have withdrawal symptoms getting off benzos, which many people do experience, you may have to talk to a doctor about slowly tapering off. Baclofen is a drug being used by many people here and one of its benefits is reducing anxiety like benzos do, but without the psychological addiction or tolerance of benzos.

I'm feeling pretty crook every day at the moment because I am now drinking very heavily. I am going into an inpatient detox clinic next week, because my high drinking level makes it potentially dangerous to try another outpatient detox (mainly danger of seizures and going into the DT's). After that is over I am going to take baclofen and see if that helps me, since it has helped a lot of others on this forum. I have been lucky enough to find a doctor willing to prescribe it at a high dose level, which many people say is needed for it to really stop the alcohol cravings. Campral didn't totally block the cravings in this way but it did make them a lot more manageable, and if baclofen didn't work for any reason I would go back to Campral. My thinking about Campral shows just how illogical the alcoholic mind becomes. I thought it wasn't working because I didn't feel any kick or buzz from it, but I didn't even stop to realise it was working in the background to ease the cravings!

I haven't heard of anyone taking Campral and baclofen together but that could be an option for you if you need something to help with anxiety once you stop taking benzos. Baclofen is very difficult to get from most doctors however, and many people have to order it online.

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Greg,
Wow you have a lot to think about with your new start next week. How much are you drinking? What do you drink? Will you just go all out until the start of the next week or are you trying to taper off? I hope bac works for you, but be careful with it. I'm not up for trying bac and campral. On day 4 now, was an hour late for the afternoon dose, got some cravings, but after taking the pills they went away. Now I am close enough to kids pick up that I'm out of the woods for the day. I'd kinda like a beer though. But not in the cards, not for today anyway. I ate an ice cream, so I can't be BOTH fat and drunk, no can I?
Be careful between now and next week...

[aspman]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

hi guys, I have been drinking solidly for 20yrs between 15-30 standard drinks a day. recently 20drinks a night was the norm. I started campral after cutting down to max of 12 std drinks a day for a week (I lied to my gp aboout previous lvls). Has been so gr8 so far, I am taking 6 tabs a day as directed, but the cravings are much reduced. bearable anyway.

looking forward to AF forever.

[Greg]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

My drinking history is almost identical to aspman's. 20-21 standard drinks per night currently, and have been drinking to excess for about 20 years (I'm 42 now). I usually drink cask wine and vodka, and occasionally beer or cider if I go out. When I first started 20 years ago it was nowhere near as heavy, more like 6-10 drinks a night. I'm trying to taper down but it's hard, because once I've had a fair bit I stop caring. I truly believe my only option is total, permanent abstinence, even though others seem to be able to moderate on baclofen or naltrexone (taken TSM way). Baclofen does have some issues but I figure than anything is better than keeping on drinking like I am. I'm worried about having to deal with the upcoming holiday season, since almost everyone drinks heavily at Christmas and New Year's Eve, but I'll just have to deal with it when it comes.
Best wishes to all.

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Hi aspman, thanks for joining in. So you have almost a month under your belt. good job. Does it get easier? Day 5 was tough for me, that was today, but I made it.
Well I'm 45 so we're all about the same vintage. I'm worried about holidays too but at the moment am just trying to go one week.
Feeling very tired tonight, so good night!

[aspman]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

hey guys, i found days 4&5 my hardest whole days now i have "only" cravings once every couple of days, AL calls, 'common only one youve earnt it". but so far ive distracted myself.
we havving birthday party satnight, gonna be a big deal.
Oh, i got an early start with AL, recived a bar fridge full of beer for my 16th birthay. not had more than 3 days of in a row till now.
Thanks.

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Update - my heart was racing at night, I think because 6 campral/day is too much for my weight. Yesterday I cut it down to 5. I slept more peacefully, but I'm fighting cravings all day today. Psychological or not? Who knows.

[ciderjim]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

I have been an excess drinker for 50 years! I have been off and on campral for about 12 years! I recently picked up again after 6 months total abstinence and now after 1 month am feeling dependent again!
i think once your off booze, campral taken regularyly can help ! But for me complacency sets in and I start missing doses ( then I would remember and take 6 at once!) I am now trying to taper off again with valium but finding the emotional thing much worse now than shakes etc!

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Hi Cider,
12 years on campral. Wow, I had no idea this was around for so long. Did you have wd from campral? Did you feel addicted to campral? Did you immediately start drinking when you stopped taking it? Did you stop taking it because you planned to drink? Please share your 12 years of experience!

[BILLYJACK]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

Sorry, but Campral has not been around for 12 years.

On July 29, 2004, the FDA approved Campral? (acamprosate calcium) Delayed-Release Tablets for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence. The approval brings an important new medicine to the aid of those committed to beating alcohol dependence

[Lo0p]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

From wikipedia: "While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States approved this drug in July 2004, it has been legal in Europe since 1989."

[Tulipe]

Tulipe's New Campral Notes

a HA! Still would like to hear if anyone has stopped taking campral and remained AF or successfully moderated, and what coming off it was like.