Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

[beatle]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

My psychiatrist also says 80mg per day is the limit. She is comfortable prescribing 100mg/day (doctors are really able to prescribe higher levels if they feel it is warranted) but doesn't want to prescribe any higher dose (maybe fear of malpractice or censure by colleagues?).

She gets around this by prescribing more days than I need (x100). Apparently apothecaries do not check this very carefully, presumably because baclofen is not a class A (or however they measure it) drug, or even a class B or C? -- considered not dangerous, and thus does not attract much attention to detail.

Even if the pharmacist noticed the larger amounts than allowed, you could just take different scripts to different apothecaries. I don't think they consult each other.

But I think this is distracting from the subject of the post.

[CoventGarden]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

beatle;847442 wrote:
But I think this is distracting from the subject of the post.

Not entirely - the subject was how we get the word out to GPs and get them prescribing to make Baclofen more accessible.

At present I suspect most GPs in the UK won't prescribe Baclofen for alcoholism, or if they will, they won't prescribe at higher levels (over 30mg). Psychiatrists - particularly those with an interest in Alcoholism - seem more likely to have heard of it.

What would help is for us to identify those psychiatrists who are in the know and enlist their help in informing our own GPs.

I agree completely with the need to spread the good news.

[Brave Hearted]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Hi all I am more than happy to join theis thread and proclaim baclofen is working for me I went up to 120mg and now have a maintnetance odse off about 50mg daily.

Suzanne; I reguarly go into chat and I am also surprised how many people dont know about baclofen and in my humble view, I think a lot of that is attributed to the fact that opinions on al problems are so entrenched in the it being a disease of the weak willed or some kind of lacking moral fibre, that even some memebers on here cannot acknowledge that a pill can provide and answer to this disease ! And I may add for many people on and off this site determination and will power have provided the solution ( which I applaud) but I know the only thing that has worked after over 20 years of trying to give up and failing is baclofen ( which I am now able to sucessfully drink in moderation on ) .

Otter I would happily join in spreading the word but I am not sure how to go about it ? I am in the UK and coming in the open would be difficult for me due to my profession but I am happy to spread the word in whatever limited way I can ! especially being what I call in a very tentative (I would not like to jinx myself, where I am now at with my drinking is far to precious for that) a sucess on baclfen !! yay Yay and double bloody yay ! I have tortured myself for decades over my weakness at my inability to overcome my al problem !!!! Baclofen is a winner for me all way and I hope it cn help other people in the same way as it has me ! I will also make sure form now on that I bring baclofen up when I am in chat as a sign of my commitment to this thread and baclofen and if just one person is introduced to it and it helps them it will be a job well done !

CG all good points , I must admit I like the idea of sending a fairly standrad email to gp's on mass I should imagine email addresses are fairly easy to come by, would ideal if we could link it to some media attention alert them to an email campaign ? must be worth a few lines in some papers ????

BH xx a baclofen convert and potential champion of the cause !!!!

Otter can we not form some kind of a lobby to send emails to eminante people with all the information on , ideally we need a standard email compossed by an articulate sole that we can circulate to polititians, the media , doctors and just about anybody who might listen or assist us in getting baclofen out of the closset and into the public areana ! Surly all of us could come up with a good few people who could pass the email on and what about facebook could we have a baclofen has saved is saving my life sight or something of that ilk ????? ( quite a few members to my knowledge are already on face book. We need a brain storming session I think lol

Beatle your doctor sounds a totally understanding dream of a person, we need many more of that callibore on board !

[Light Of Daz]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Quoting the whole thing as a bump to this thread. I'm spreading the word as much as I can! Great post Otter.

Otter;829074 wrote: I am proposing a call to arms to bring Baclofen treatment to the attention of doctors, their professional bodies, insurers and legislators.

Ameisen's treatment model has been hailed by Nobel laureate for Medicine Jean Dausset: "Ameisen has discovered the cure for addiction". His book has received the official endorsement of the Oxford Journal of Alcohol and Alcoholism, which represents the United Kingdom's National Council on Alcoholism, and by its chief-editor, Dr. Jonathan Chick who has taken the unusual step to support Ameisen's findings in the media. Jerome B. Posner, Chair of Neuro-oncology, George Cotzias director of the laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center wrote in January 2009:
"One wonders if high-dose baclofen will apparently become the treatment of choice without ever undergoing a controlled trial, simply because more and more alcoholics will be treated and the effectiveness will spread by word of mouth. If it works as well as you indicate that it does, it shouldn't need controlled trials. Even if a controlled trial were to show no overall benefit, it is clear that at least some (maybe all?) patient's do respond."

Now is the time, if you care about yourself, your family, your friends and the rest of us unfortunates whose lives are a living hell because the medical profession know little about the treatment of alcoholism, and could not care less, to do something.

In law there used to be a doctrine called "local practice" whereby a doctor who knew nothing about a new treatment could defend his ignorance by saying he acted in accordance with local practice. Well, the days of disseminating information by pony express have gone. There is no excuse for any doctor to ignore the internet and the ever-increasing evidence, supported by some of the most prominent physicians, that baclofen is likely to be an extremely effective treatment for alcohol addition even if it may not be called a "cure" for a few years yet.

Every doctor should fear that in the not too distant future he could face law suits from patients who have not been given the opportunity of being prescribed with Baclofen. Every lawyer who has a client who has an addiction may have a law suit against the client's doctor and the insurers of medical professionals could face an Tsunami of litigation if they do not take this seriously. It is time that they took notice.

Tell your friends about this medication. Tell your doctor. Send an email to the professional body for doctors in your area asking why doctors are not prescribing Baclofen for alcoholism. Tell them it works and let them know that an increasing number of people afflicted by this horrific illness are healing themselves with little or no help from the medical profession. Give them something to worry about.

If the only way Baclofen can become a widely used treatment for alcoholism is through word of mouth then start spreading the word. I have written to the General Medical Council in London, England, the American Medical Association and told two local doctors about Baclofen. I am telling everyone I know about Baclofen.

Hundreds of millions of people around the world are affected by this illness. Stop being a victim of this illness and a medical profession which has little knowledge of this effective treatment for alcoholism and cares even less. Help lift the stigma that blights the lives of alcoholics and their families which labels alcoholism as a moral attitude rather than the illness it is.

It only takes a few emails. It costs nothing and it could change the lives of millions.

[Otter]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

New site for Baclofen

Hi

I have set up a site called Home - Baclofen UK. I was so upset with the way our doctor treated us and the total lack of knowledge about treatment of alcoholism. I don't want it to take the place of this forum and it is not for profit. I still have a job...just.

Anyway, I was hoping it might be helpful to anyone who wanted a lot of information from MWO all in one place as it took me a long time to find various things and I have tried to put some intereting sites from other countries. There are some articles too, some of which I wrote myself which demonstrate how alcohol is treated differently from other addictions. The French site, Drugs and Baclofen, states that alcohol addiction is the worst of all addictions. The UK Government has already implemented a programme for treating heroin addiction with drugs such as Methadone and Subutex. Is not Baclofen much cheaper and not just a substitute?

With all the media hype about drug related violence why are the supposed "experts" at the UK Home Office and in NICE so complacent and lacking in knowledge about Baclofen?

I just think the more pressure brought to bear and the sooner it is brought to bear the more people can be saved from this illness.

I have put a testimonials page in case anyone is interested.

There is a forum but I want to use the site to encourage a dialogue about the use of Baclofen and where we go from here, particularly in the UK. I don't want to dilute what is already being done on MWO to share information and give personal help and advice.

One day I want to see some people in government departments explaining why they have done nothing to promote Baclofen.

Best wishes
Otter

[PhoenixRising]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Well done, Otter. Thanks for the website!!

[Otter]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Have changed the web site Baclofen for Addiction - Baclofen UK to include addiction. There is an Opiate page with a testimony by a opiate addict who cured his addiction. Feel free to add a testimonial.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Bump (Otter continues to add helpful insight into Baclofen)

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

I thought about Otter the other day after seeing this clip -(No comparison -but now I have to look into getting an Otter-lol)

Baby Otter Fenway vs. Stuffed Walrus. [video]

[StuckinLA]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

But if I lose my stigma how else can I announce that I'm the Second Coming?

Er... you said "stigma"... sorry, missing a few letters...

[Otter]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

I like the Otter film.

Actually, I took the username from a placename, ie., where I live, not the furry creature.

I originally put an image on my website of a man at the end of a tunnel with his arms outstretched, until I looked at it one day and realized it looked like I had a crucifixion complex. Although, I think there is something to that...

Have you heard of this Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus ?

It seems that the second coming has already happened!

[emily]

Baclofen - Spread the Word - You have nothing to lose but your stigma.

Brave Hearted;847786 wrote: Otter can we not form some kind of a lobby to send emails to eminante people with all the information on , ideally we need a standard email compossed by an articulate sole that we can circulate to polititians, the media , doctors and just about anybody who might listen or assist us in getting baclofen out of the closset and into the public areana ! Surly all of us could come up with a good few people who could pass the email on and what about facebook could we have a baclofen has saved is saving my life sight or something of that ilk ????? ( quite a few members to my knowledge are already on face book. We need a brain storming session I think lol

I was thinking along these lines also. What about writing to a well known celebrity, the likes of Russell Brand, he is always on the telly regarding addiction. Also, there are already face book groups for addiction. I was looking at one the other day 'addiction actually' which is a good page but no mention as far as I could see about baclofen.