1 year on Campral

[vette]

I am about to finish one year on Campral-6 per day.....it has been a wonderful drug.....when I left my rehab, the Dr. said to take 6 per day for 1 year and then cut it back in half for the second year and then everything would be good. I was just wondering if anyone else has been on Campral for over a year. I plan on doing exactly as recommended since it has worked so amazingly but was just wondering if anyone else had used it for so long. Thanks!

[fickle]

1 year on Campral

Hello Vette,
I am interested in Campral but have no experience with it. I will post a link if i find something helpful.

[bluespaces]

1 year on Campral

Have a friend who used it

:new:Hi, I'm basically new, although i signed up a while ago, got topamax and glutamine, but couldn't stay stopped and got real depressed.
I want to try campral as I know someone who was really helped by it along with meetings & an anxiety med.
The topamax made me lose weight & i was already underweight. Plus I got more depressed on it.
So the campral sounds like it might help me.
I'll let you know.
Thanks.

[Greg]

1 year on Campral

I benefited from Campral at 6 tablets per day (total 2 grams per day) during a period of total abstinence following detoxification back in 2001. I was a very heavy drinker even back then (18+ standard drinks every night).

Campral enabled me to stay emotionally steady and stable once it had built up in my system to steady-state levels (takes about a week). It enabled me to remain sober without crawling up the walls with alcohol cravings, and its side-effects were minor. Baclofen wasn't heard of back then, and neither was TSM.

I stupidly started giving Campral a miss here and there, until I began skipping entire days. I rapidly became emotionally shaky and full of alcohol cravings as I began missing the Campral. I restarted it and began feeling better again, but soon relapsed to uncontrolled drinking. I believe I would have been far more successful long-term if I had rigidly stuck to my 6 Campral tablets per day.

If baclofen ultimately proves less helpful than I have hoped for, due to my difficulty tolerating it, I will have no hesitation in asking to be given another script for Campral...this time taking it EXACTLY as prescribed!

[fickle]

1 year on Campral

Thanks for this thread Vette.. I am seriously considering the Campral option

[eight days a week]

1 year on Campral

I took Campral for three months after a nine day detox, and I didn't seem to notice it at all. When I stopped I didn't feel any different. I guess different meds work for different people. I'm not trying to put people off giving it a try, just saying that for me the effects were either so subtle that I didn't notice, or that it didn't do anything much.

Hmm, wonder if I'd be anywhere different now if I'd continued to take it

So glad that it's been so useful for others

Hi bluespaces! :welcome:

[hippie37]

1 year on Campral

Hi vette, Well done on finding a method that works for you. You sound very determined to follow the recommendations and continue with Campral so the best of luck with that.

I did try this drug the first time I approached my GP for advice. I was also prescribed medication for depression and anxiety plus I was still drinking heavily whilst taking it. So really I can not lay claim to having a valid opinion of it's benefits. My obsession to use was far greater than the cravings I guess.

Keep up the good work!

Love and Light
Phil
xx

[Greg]

1 year on Campral

The first time I ever tried Campral was while I was still drinking, and I found that it didn't work at all. That's why I decided to try it again after being detoxed. I didn't even wait for detox to finish, I started Campral almost as soon as I was free of alcohol. That's when it worked. When I relapsed a few months later I tried it again for a couple of weeks while drinking and it did absolutely nothing again.

When it was working it was very subtle. There was no 'buzz' or sedated feelings to indicate whether it was working or not. All it did was sort of work in the background to stabilise emotions and reduce cravings.

Best of luck!

[hahatgirl]

1 year on Campral

I have just found this website. I have been taking Campral for 6 days now, but for the first 3 days continued to drink quite a bit. Night before last had 3 glasses of wine (1 bottle) and last night only 2 glasses of wine and an ambient (spelling?). When it got to the point of where I finally decided to ask the doctor for something to help with the cravings I had gotten to where I was drinking about 8 beers a night and sometimes drinking a some more beer in the morning so I could go back to sleep. Anyway, I decided maybe a glass or two of wine would help at this point, but I guess it sounds like I need to abstain all the way. My son really upset me this morning, and my first thought was "let me have a drink and just zone out and not care", but here I am and not going to do that. I don't know if this Campral will work or not, but I am glad to hear it has helped someone, so I guess I need to give it some time...

[fickle]

1 year on Campral

Hi HHG and Welcome,

Thanks everyone, this is a really helpful thread. I started Campral a couple of days ago but due to a lot of stress am not really motivated to get back to day one AF. My GP said it would make no difference if I drink or not, but that Campral will work.

After reading your comments, I think that I will save it for when I go AF again. There sounds like no point starting it while I'm still drinking as it most likely won't work. I do find it helped to calm me down a bit during the day at work though.

It takes me a little bit of oomph to get started again, but when I do I think Campral will be really helpful in keeping me stopped once I get back on track.

Am very interested to know how vette goes when cutting down to half the dose after 1 year. I am fond of the idea that I won't have to be on medication forever.

Good luck Vette!

[marriedgirl29]

1 year on Campral

First Day on Campral

I would like to add that I am taking it today but my situation is a little bit different. I am starting a medical detox with Valium tapering down and an anti anxiety med plus Campral although my psychologist only thought I should take it if I felt like I needed it I am going ahead bc anything to make this not as bad is worth a try. Even with all that this first day has been pretty rough as far an anxiety and craving. But I know the Campral and the other medicine take about a week to build up in the system so the plan is when I'm done with Valium these will be in effect. We shall see....Good luck to all also the Campral pills are big but not as bad as I thought they would be size-wise, and they're round so they're easier to swallow than the long bar pills. :thanks: