Inquisitive!

[Gumby]

So...Im asking for some input here......I have been greatly unsuccessfull in quiting my drinking on my own. Of course my attempts to do so have been weak at best. I rationalize the shit out of it! With that said...I'm tired of this existence. I am thinking of trying the baclofen, however some of the side effects that people post scare me. Like not being able to wake from a horrible nightmare, or not being able to move....I think I could overcome the tiredness...as I already am from being hungover daily. Obviously though the side effects are worth it, or else people would not be posting their success....right? I guess I just want to now if it is really all that bad. Thx

[Guest]

Inquisitive!

Gumby,
I have had great success on baclofen at a low dose (60mg per day) - 49 days on bac - 45 without any alcohol. I have had some tiredness but it has dissipated. If you start at a low dose and increase slowly, side effects should not be too bad until you hit very high dose (if you need to go high). I know everyone is different in terms of how much you drank, for how long and how meds effect you but I definately reccomend Baclofen. It has changed my life.
Good luck!

[Gumby]

Inquisitive!

Well it is done...I have ordered the Baclofen, and I guess it will take a few weeks. In the meantime I will try to moderate. It is with great trepidation that I embark upon another attempt to be done with this nuisance..... alcohol.....I feel I'm over it now, it has become a large burden. So I will post my findings/outcomes with the Baclofen once it arrives, in the meantime I will keep coming here for support.

[hangingon]

Inquisitive!

Good decision Gumby, the bac does work. Be careful if you drink when you start taking it as the al will hit you hard. I had bad nightmares the firstfew nights but they stopped. Keep posting and let us know how you do.
hangin

[Henrietta]

Inquisitive!

Gumby, I found Baclofen to be the answer for me. But what really got me to the finish line was this site. I read everything I could, especially about the side-effects. I won't kid you, they can be fairly severe. But knowing what to expect and what is happening really removed the fear for me.
I hit my switch at 130 mg. I'm not a big girl (5'-4" and 110 lbs) and sensitive to meds. I was having very strange sleep patterns and had the sensation a few times of my body being dead asleep while my mind was awake. Frankly, it was not pleasant. But it was BEARABLE. And certainly better than the alternative, right? I think what also helped me a great deal was the fact that I tirated up very slowly, about 10 mg every four or five days. I also spread the dose throughout the day. That said, even then I couldn't stay awake after dinner some nights! I was never in danger with driving or anything though.
So stay with it Gumby. This is a fantastic, generous group of people. And Baclofen is amazing.

[christyacc]

Inquisitive!

Henrietta;826798 wrote: Gumby, I found Baclofen to be the answer for me. But what really got me to the finish line was this site. I read everything I could, especially about the side-effects. I won't kid you, they can be fairly severe. But knowing what to expect and what is happening really removed the fear for me.
I hit my switch at 130 mg. I'm not a big girl (5'-4" and 110 lbs) and sensitive to meds. I was having very strange sleep patterns and had the sensation a few times of my body being dead asleep while my mind was awake. Frankly, it was not pleasant. But it was BEARABLE. And certainly better than the alternative, right? I think what also helped me a great deal was the fact that I tirated up very slowly, about 10 mg every four or five days. I also spread the dose throughout the day. That said, even then I couldn't stay awake after dinner some nights! I was never in danger with driving or anything though.
So stay with it Gumby. This is a fantastic, generous group of people. And Baclofen is amazing.

Henrietta,

Are you AF now? How long have you been on Bac? What dose are you at currently?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I am curious....I always want to hear of others experiences...

Thanks!!!
Christy

[Henrietta]

Inquisitive!

Hi Christy,
I have been AF for six weeks. I know that?s not a huge amount of time, but for me it is nothing short of miraculous. I literally could not go a day or two without it before. I?ve known for a long time that if I ever got here, moderation could never be an option. I?m one of those who, if given a choice, I?ll make the wrong one!
Previously I had tried rehab, campral, topamax, and naltrexone, in that order. No success on any of them, though naltrexone really helped me to cut down. So needless to say, when I hit the switch on Baclofen at 130 mg, my relief was very guarded. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and the cravings to kick back in. After 30 days, it really started to sink in to me that my actual brain chemistry might have changed.
Over the six weeks I have tirated down to 50 mg, again applying my golden rule of going very slowly. By the way, when I dropped the first 10 mg from my maximum dose, all my side-effects went away. So in my case all the nasty side-effects I had coming, are not there as I?m going, so to speak.
Also, and I don?t know if it's this way for others, but the longer I go AF it?s hard for me to pinpoint what is contributing more, the baclofen, the time that I?m putting in between myself and drink, or some of the other things I?m doing (supplements...excercise to come I hope but Rome wasn't built in a day!). But I?m definitely not as fearful as I was in the beginning. That said, I have a long way to go, especially with lots of emotional stuff. But I?m in a different world than I was 6 weeks ago.
Hope that helps!

[craving]

Inquisitive!

Baclofen works. 68 AF days for me so far.
Good decision in getting it. I am sure it will help you!

Once drinking is out of control it is very difficult to moderate - I was not able to do it. It took a lot of efforts to reach not even half of what I wanted to reach. With Baclofen it was effortless.

[brightlite]

Inquisitive!

Gumby,

1. Love the name...but you need the avatar.

2. I need more information to properly understand your needs.

3. What do you drink, frequency, how long you've been drinking....


I swear I want to invent a computer program for the exact right meds/program that will work. I almost feel like a veteran in this area....

Anyone with me...there are sooo many smart people on this forum and we ARE a breakthrough forum, why can't we do this???

I know there are a lot of variables, which history and emotional stability will be a huge factor, but....any computer scientists out there willing to take it on????

[Gumby]

Inquisitive!

brightlite..you are soo right about the avatar...done! If only quitting drinking could be so easy. I drink approx. 4-6 alcoholic beverages a day/evening...typically 3 large glasses of wine(red) then 3 light beers, sometimes more. This is something I maintain...and funny I find this a great feat...duh! I have been drinking steadily for like...uhhmmm 10 to 15 years.. I like your idea about the computer program...I think, however, there needs to be more research...ya know how that goes. There are alot of programs out there...but not for free~ ya know how that goes to....