I have a question, would anyone know the answer? I hit the 'switch off' button with Baclofen on 21 December. Amazing. Had titrated up very fast in this last stage (had stuck at 165mg for months due to work). So went from 200 up to 225 overnight on the 20th Dec and on 21st had my first alcohol free night without any alcoholic longings etc.
But ... over last 3 days experienced hallucinations (ok, can handle that), nausea (unusual for me), in bath noticed some slight swelling of ankles ... missed my last 25 mg of baclofen last night due to vomiting but feel bright eyed and bushy tailed now (2.53 a.m.) Was sort of attributing all of these symptoms to usual baclofen side effects of increase in dose ... but nausea and ankles didn't fit with this and seemed more appropriate (along with hallucinations) to symptoms of baclofen withdrawal. Yet, know my pills ok - they have kicked off the switch. And, yes, I did get a check up when starting baclofen that showed no probs and, no, I have no pre-existing kidney problems. Woke though with one short clear pain in my lower back (yep, just where one of a pair of kidneys sits that I've been carting around with me for the last 40 years wondering what the hell they do ...). Urination as usual is always frequent with baclofen, and no blood in urine and no marked colour change. Don't want to ask GP as she hasn't come near me since I mentioned, lightly and casually, that I was self-prescribing baclofen and that I needed her help ... yes, I know I should have been patient with her but that requires self-assertion of which my tank is empty.
Ok so now questions, and I'm sorry to be a pest and really appreciate that I shouldn't have started a new thread but when oh when is there ever going to be a search facility on this website? probably there is though and I haven't noticed it ...
Questions:
Have I the beginnings of kidney issues and is my only means of response to this to go to GP AND/OR titrate down an lose the switch? Like all of you, I would give much much much to kill the tiger of alcohol and the switch is the brilliant place where all counselling for this disease should begin. Good grief! I thought: so this is how it feels for people who aren't alcoholics - they go: "No thanks," when offered a drink and mean it. This is revelatory! And I'm desperate not to lose it. The earliest I've seen for having titrated down from Bac (somewhere here) is 12 days and most people seem to do that 10 mgs at a time - not in big 25 mg chunks (ref. to losing that last pill when puking last night). In fact, Loop mentions that he plans 'on titrating back down the way Ameisen did on days 49-63'. Is from 20th to 31st December long enough to 'fix' the switch and begin to titrate down? What are the consequences of going down by 25 mg? if I titrate back up to 225 mg today what about kidney problems? What can I do to help the kidneys I've discovered I have? Drink lots of water?
I know someone out there must know ...
Oh, and by the way, before I forget you should visit Dr Phil's website baclofen4alcoholism.com he's a complete star and we need Baclofen explored/popularised etc.
But ... over last 3 days experienced hallucinations (ok, can handle that), nausea (unusual for me), in bath noticed some slight swelling of ankles ... missed my last 25 mg of baclofen last night due to vomiting but feel bright eyed and bushy tailed now (2.53 a.m.) Was sort of attributing all of these symptoms to usual baclofen side effects of increase in dose ... but nausea and ankles didn't fit with this and seemed more appropriate (along with hallucinations) to symptoms of baclofen withdrawal. Yet, know my pills ok - they have kicked off the switch. And, yes, I did get a check up when starting baclofen that showed no probs and, no, I have no pre-existing kidney problems. Woke though with one short clear pain in my lower back (yep, just where one of a pair of kidneys sits that I've been carting around with me for the last 40 years wondering what the hell they do ...). Urination as usual is always frequent with baclofen, and no blood in urine and no marked colour change. Don't want to ask GP as she hasn't come near me since I mentioned, lightly and casually, that I was self-prescribing baclofen and that I needed her help ... yes, I know I should have been patient with her but that requires self-assertion of which my tank is empty.
Ok so now questions, and I'm sorry to be a pest and really appreciate that I shouldn't have started a new thread but when oh when is there ever going to be a search facility on this website? probably there is though and I haven't noticed it ...
Questions:
Have I the beginnings of kidney issues and is my only means of response to this to go to GP AND/OR titrate down an lose the switch? Like all of you, I would give much much much to kill the tiger of alcohol and the switch is the brilliant place where all counselling for this disease should begin. Good grief! I thought: so this is how it feels for people who aren't alcoholics - they go: "No thanks," when offered a drink and mean it. This is revelatory! And I'm desperate not to lose it. The earliest I've seen for having titrated down from Bac (somewhere here) is 12 days and most people seem to do that 10 mgs at a time - not in big 25 mg chunks (ref. to losing that last pill when puking last night). In fact, Loop mentions that he plans 'on titrating back down the way Ameisen did on days 49-63'. Is from 20th to 31st December long enough to 'fix' the switch and begin to titrate down? What are the consequences of going down by 25 mg? if I titrate back up to 225 mg today what about kidney problems? What can I do to help the kidneys I've discovered I have? Drink lots of water?
I know someone out there must know ...
Oh, and by the way, before I forget you should visit Dr Phil's website baclofen4alcoholism.com he's a complete star and we need Baclofen explored/popularised etc.
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