Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

[relocated]

Hi,
I am about to start taking baclofen,just waiting for it to arrive from inhouse.
Ordered it 1 wk ago,so should be here soon!
In the meantime,a very close friend of mine,is very interested in taking bac herself,but is currently reducing on methadone,because of previous methadone abuse/addiction. She also has alcoholism,but has been Alcohol Free for 10 mths now,so is not interested in nal. Can anyone tell me if it is safe for her to take bac with methadone,and will it work the same? She is only on a very low dose of methadone at the moment,about 35 ml i think.

Thanks in advance for any,and all replies:thanks:

[startingover]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Hiya relocated.
I am not sure about the methadone/bac interactions but I am curious, why would your friend want to start taking bac if she has been AF for 10 months?
Hope you are doing OK.

[relocated]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

startingover;815385 wrote: Hiya relocated.
I am not sure about the methadone/bac interactions but I am curious, why would your friend want to start taking bac if she has been AF for 10 months?
Hope you are doing OK.

Hi startingover,
Shes been AF for 10 mths,but still has massive cravings for alcohol,just dry/hanging in there! She was AF for 2 years before,and then relapsed into her worst period of drinking and cross addiction ever! If your craving,and white knuckling,no matter how long your AF,your always close to relapse,esp with underlying mood disorders.
:thanks:

[relocated]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Sorry startingover,
Yes im ok thanx, just eagerly awaiting my bac:thanks:

[hippie37]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Morning relocated. I think that's a question more for the 'professionals' regarding the use of the meds. No one here has the qualification to give that kind of advice you're looking for to be honest. (Unless we have any qualified medical professionals amongst us that I don't know about!)

As I've never been through a harm reduction program too I wouldn't like to comment as to what the effects the methadone may be having on your friend in the way of cravings with alcohol.

But, from my own experience with cravings I found after a few weeks the cravings were more 'mental' than physical. I was still in the same mindset and still being a dry drunk/powder-less junkie. This felt even more tortuous than when I was drinking and using. Nothing had shifted internally for me because I was still addressing the problem as being the substances I used rather than the underlying symptoms that lead me to use them. Addiction you will find has nothing to do with the substances but the behaviours that have lead us into using them in the first place.

Has your friend considered addiction counseling through maybe a treatment center or on a 1 x 1 basis? I would strongly advise this route, having gone through treatment myself for my own addiction issues. I'm not saying this is the only way either, some are not ready for that intense kind of commitment whilst still on a harm reduction program. A lot of places will only consider treatment if the client is abstinent too. What about the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous? It's not for everyone but it's where I started out on my path into sobriety. There are many options open to your friend whilst reducing on the methadone that will give her the support she needs. She just has to be willing to go to any lengths to get well.

But I agree with you totally; if you're white knuckling it you are definitely at some point going to relapse. I hope this is not the case again with your friend.

I wish you both well.

Love and Light
Phil
xx

[eight days a week]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

It makes best sense to start Bac when abstinent if you can, my alcohol specialist says (but the he doesn't subscribe to the Ameisen model).

I absolutely agree with hippie that your friend needs expert medical guidance here.

hippie37;815421 wrote: Addiction you will find has nothing to do with the substances but the behaviours that have lead us into using them in the first place.

This is your opinion hippie, not a fact, and an opinion I'd disagree with. Of course behaviour has a strong link to addiction, but if what you say is true, people who deal totally with the behaviours would be able to resume 'normal', healthy use of substances they previously had a problem with, and the number of people who can do that seem to be very rare indeed. Conversely, no-one would have success with reaching abstinence or near abstinence through Baclofen or Naltrexone (using TSM) before addressing behaviours, and that quite clearly isn't the case.

That's not to say that a good many people don't find abstinence by following the same path that you have. And if it works, it works

[Lo0p]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

I can't really comment on the baclofen and methadone other than to say I doubt it would be a problem but she needs to talk to a doctor.

If she took a naltrexone pill while on methadone, she'll feel like she had died and gone to hell... She'd go into opiate withdrawals immediately and they wouldn't subside for days.

[relocated]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

hippie37;815421 wrote: Morning relocated. I think that's a question more for the 'professionals' regarding the use of the meds. No one here has the qualification to give that kind of advice you're looking for to be honest. (Unless we have any qualified medical professionals amongst us that I don't know about!)

As I've never been through a harm reduction program too I wouldn't like to comment as to what the effects the methadone may be having on your friend in the way of cravings with alcohol.

But, from my own experience with cravings I found after a few weeks the cravings were more 'mental' than physical. I was still in the same mindset and still being a dry drunk/powder-less junkie. This felt even more tortuous than when I was drinking and using. Nothing had shifted internally for me because I was still addressing the problem as being the substances I used rather than the underlying symptoms that lead me to use them. Addiction you will find has nothing to do with the substances but the behaviours that have lead us into using them in the first place.

Has your friend considered addiction counseling through maybe a treatment center or on a 1 x 1 basis? I would strongly advise this route, having gone through treatment myself for my own addiction issues. I'm not saying this is the only way either, some are not ready for that intense kind of commitment whilst still on a harm reduction program. A lot of places will only consider treatment if the client is abstinent too. What about the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous? It's not for everyone but it's where I started out on my path into sobriety. There are many options open to your friend whilst reducing on the methadone that will give her the support she needs. She just has to be willing to go to any lengths to get well.

But I agree with you totally; if you're white knuckling it you are definitely at some point going to relapse. I hope this is not the case again with your friend.

I wish you both well.

Love and Light
Phil
xx

Hi Hippie37,
thanks for the reply,i appreciate the sincerity of your words,and am pleased to hear,that you found release form your illness,in the manner in which you did.
However,,my friend and i for that matter have been down the road of AA,NA rehabs,(12step and otherwise)CBT, personal one to one psychotherapy,addiction counselling,relapse prevention.......the list is endless! Sadly none of these methods/programs,can cure or suppress,the disease(for that is what it truly is)of alcoholism/addiction and their underlying causes.
But thankyou for the imput,it has been appreciated:thanks:

[relocated]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

eight days a week;815562 wrote: It makes best sense to start Bac when abstinent if you can, my alcohol specialist says (but the he doesn't subscribe to the Ameisen model).

I absolutely agree with hippie that your friend needs expert medical guidance here.



This is your opinion hippie, not a fact, and an opinion I'd disagree with. Of course behaviour has a strong link to addiction, but if what you say is true, people who deal totally with the behaviours would be able to resume 'normal', healthy use of substances they previously had a problem with, and the number of people who can do that seem to be very rare indeed. Conversely, no-one would have success with reaching abstinence or near abstinence through Baclofen or Naltrexone (using TSM) before addressing behaviours, and that quite clearly isn't the case.

That's not to say that a good many people don't find abstinence by following the same path that you have. And if it works, it works

Thankyou,eight days a week,
I echo your reasoning 100%,and it really helps to see those words wriitten by someone else!:goodjob::thanks:

[relocated]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Lo0p;815615 wrote: I can't really comment on the baclofen and methadone other than to say I doubt it would be a problem but she needs to talk to a doctor.

If she took a naltrexone pill while on methadone, she'll feel like she had died and gone to hell... She'd go into opiate withdrawals immediately and they wouldn't subside for days.

Thanks Loop,
Thats how i see it too:goodjob::thanks:

[craving]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Honestly why would you ask this in a such forum?
If that person is getting methadone, the medical system knows already that they are addicted - to tell your doctor you are also consuming alcohol is not a really serious matter. They can tell you for sure what interaction that can have with Baclofen.

My 2 cents are that it should not effect with it, as opioid receptor is a whole different story than GABA - ask your doctor!

[smeggz97]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

::new:well i am on 150 milligramsof methadone(for several years due to heroin addiction),recently had a stroke and since my left side gets spasms pretty bad at times because i had to re-learn to walk and was in a coma for a long time, anyway, sorry for rambling but i take 10 mgs of bac for spasms and it works great other than the fact that im an addict and took it way too much and too often and ended up drooling on my shoes until my girlfriend finally took em away!! not good for addicts i must say i just want to reiterate, its not good for THIS addict as i consume drugs like a glut:new:

[RedThread12]

Methadone + Baclofen,is it safe?

Hey, relocated!! I'm glad you're here, and glad you bring the issue up. I am very interested in this topic re bac. I don't have anything specific to offer re methadone, but I DO know of one person who successfully and with almost no discomfort came fully of suboxone by titrating up with bac, which diminished withdrawal symptoms, then eventually titrated off the bac, as well. I fully believe this is more than doable.

However, as smeggz - welcome, also! - points out, it is crucial for you to have a plan and to stick to it. If this topic is uncomfortable for some MWO members, please don't hesitate to PM me. I will help any way I can.