Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

[Fibejebe]

Hello all. :new:

I have been on Naltrexone for 6 months and only had one bust in that time when I drank New Year's Eve. My general practitioner specialises in addictions and we always discussed me just having the six months on the Naltrexone. But I have been having shocking cravings and last weekend begged my fianc? to buy me wine. Thankfully he didn't.

I was apprehensive going to the GP today as I didn't think he would prescribe any more Naltrexone. Thankfully he suggested Baclofen. He has me on a starting dose of 50mg once daily at night. He wants me to go back to see him in a couple of weeks. He has given me a prescription for 100 x 25mg tablets plus 5 repeats. So I am guessing this is considered a long term treatment.

Reading thru the threads here I am a bit concerned that others tended to start on 5mg three times a day or 10mg three times a day. Is 50mg in one go gonna sedate me? Fortunately I don't start work tomorrow till mid afternoon so it doesn't really matter if I sleep in.

I have been an alki since 1999 but had 22 months of sobriety from 2001 to 2003.

This looks like a really supportive forum. :thanks:

[FallonsMom]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

50 mg seems very high to start with

[Guest]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Yes seems high and not to plant a seed but you may have side effects. But Your DR knows you better than us so good luck and Bac really works!

[Fibejebe]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

I took 25mg half an hour ago and now feeling about drowsy. :nutso: Might take the other 25mg and call it a night. Will try and find my way back here tomorrow.

Good night all. :illbeback:

[Guest]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hey,
If you can just sleep than that is better than drinking!

[hoping4better]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hi Fib, were you following The Sinclair Method while taking your naltroxene? TSM has been very successful for a lot of people. That said, it didn't work for me, which is why I'm on bac now. 50mg does seem awfully high to start with. Most people start with only 15mg divided dose. However, I think Lo0p had success with starting high and titrating up quickly, but for most people the side effects would be intolerable. I'm at 90mg and I already have tingling in my fingers. GL with whatever you decide.

[Fibejebe]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Wow. Slept 12 hours. Not sure I am even properly awake yet. I just put the jar of instant coffee in the fridge instead of the milk. LOL. :H

My doc specialises in addictions and I trust him. I made him one promise six months ago - not a promise that I would not drink again, but a promise that I would always be honest with him. He knows about my bust New Years Eve. And he knows how desperate I got last weekend when I begged my man to buy me wine. I know within myself that had I busted last weekend it might again be years before I got back on the wagon. That is how fragile I am right now despite 9 months (minus a day in the middle) of sobriety.:upset:

But I am determined to beat this. Hence why I keep going back to my doc. Thank goodness I am on afternoon shifts the next few days. I am a registered nurse and my doc has asked me not to read the side effects of Baclofen. That is going to be difficult for me as I will not take any medications without reading up on them - hence how I found this forum last night.

Thanks for listening.
Feebee.

[red67]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hi Fibe, sounds like you were not drinking while taking NAL. For it to work to cure addiction you are supposed to only take it one hour before drinking (The Sinclair Method-TSM). It does nothing if you take it and don't drink. IMO I think it is very scary for a doctor to tell you not to read the side effects of a RX he is giving you. If it were me I would be terrified if some of the side effects I have heard about BAC would happen and I wasn't expecting it. But aside from that, I wish you the best with BAC, many people here have been helped by taking it and hopefully you will too. Alcohol addiction is horrible, horrible, horrible!!! My wish/prayer is for everyone who is fighting addiction to find a cure that works for them.

[red67]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Fibe, also wanted to say how great it is that you have such a supportive Fiance. That is so important to have that kind of help at home. I think you will also find tons of help here too. Between your bf, these forums, a good doctor and your determination you will make it! Keep posting - it really helps you and all of us who are working to beat this monster.

[Fibejebe]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

red67;846783 wrote: Hi Fibe, sounds like you were not drinking while taking NAL. For it to work to cure addiction you are supposed to only take it one hour before drinking (The Sinclair Method-TSM). It does nothing if you take it and don't drink.

G'day Red,
I have not heard of the Sinclair Method but don't really understand the point of taking medication and still drinking when I was abusing alcohol to the point of 1.5 to 2 litres of wine a night. And still worked full time as a registered nurse. Have missed less than 5 work days in the last 5 years directly related to my alcohol abuse. When I went on the Naltrexone it was clearly with the goal of total abstinence. If TSM is about controlled drinking it was never an option with me.

My fianc? is kinda supportive. He was fed up sleeping with a drunk so encouraged me to get help. But last weekend when he refused to buy me wine he went to the bottle shop and bought himself a 3 litre cask of merlot. The first month I quit he didn't drink at all. Then for a couple of months he only drank beer. Now he is back on the merlot. The thing is he can have 2 or 3 glasses and no more. Where as I would need 2 or 3 bottles. He also works away from home alternate weeks and doesn't drink at all that week at work, so he enjoys a drink when he is home.

I was a very fussy drinker. The whole time I have been quit we have always had heaps of beer in the house and I have not been tempted to have a drop. I have even made two complete brews of home brew beer to cellar for our wedding in October and I have not had a drop. I cant stand the smell of it let alone the taste. But I enjoy making it for my family. We have also had 3/4 of a bottle of hazelnut liqueur on the bar in the games room and again I have not been the slightest bit tempted.

But put a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc anywhere near me and I will kill to get my hands on it.

Feebee.

[Henrietta]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Welcome Fibejebe!

50 mg of BAC to start sounds really high. If I had started at that dose, I wouldn't have been able to stay with it. The SEs can be quite severe. It was only by titrating up very slowly --and backing down when needed, that I was able to make it 130 mg where I hit my switch. It was worth it for the results. And because of that I suggest that it is worth doing carefully.
My SEs included much more than sleepiness. If I hadn't been armed with understanding of BAC and the wealth of experience on this site, I would have blown it off a couple of week in.
Your fiance sounds wonderful Fibe. IMHO though, I'm a little concerned about the advice from you doctor. Did he tell you what he is basing the 50 mg on? I also agree completely with Red above. He prescribed Naltrexone incorrectly. I had a doctor in the US prescribe it the wrong way as well. Didn't work. Even after I began using it correctly though via TSM, the effectiveness seemed to plateau out at 6 months. I was drinking way less, but still had cravings.

[Fibejebe]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hello Henreitta,

What does "hitting the switch" mean? I saw it mentioned elsewhere too.

How long do you plan to stay on the Baclofen?

Thanks to everyone for your replies. It is good to hear from others who understand where I am at and have been there too.

FeeBee.

[Henrietta]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hi FeeBee. It's not an understatement to say that hitting the switch is the entire point of taking BAC. As you titrate up you will reach a point where you are suddenly indifferent to alcohol. Dr. A compares it to seeing a bottle of alcohol and being as indifferent to it as a vase. I compare my switch to viewing AL like a lemon scone --I remember I liked it, it didn't repulse me, but I had absolutely no craving or emotional attachment to it. The food analogy justs works better for me, HA!
Anyway, everyone who has had success on BAC seems to reach the switch at different dosages. There are some clever people here who are trying to correlated height & weight, amount of AL, etc. I think they will figure out some kind of a pattern, but it seems to me the stats are all over the place. I am 5'-4" and 110 lbs, and drank about 7 - 10 units of wine per night for 25 years, with a 6 year stint of being AF. Others hit the switch well over 300 mg a day, others at 60 mg.
I would say that it took me about 2-1/2 months slowly titrating up on BAC to 130 mg before I reached the switch. I stayed on 130 for about a week (the SEs were a bit insane at that point!) then I went down to 50 mg over the next month. I went too low too fast though, and the cravings came back. Now I am holding steady at 60 mg per day and will stay there for another few weeks before I try to go down again. I'm not crazy about taking a maintenance dose forever, but given the choice between this and my life before, there's no argument. BAC really works FeeBee. So I am hoping the more time I put between myself and AL, my poor little brain will do some healing on its own and I'll be able to go down to 20 or 30 mg a day (maybe less) as Dr. A. did.
Since titrating dow, I have had NO SEs at all, so I do think your body gets used to it!
Best, Henrietta

[red67]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

Hi Fibe, TSM for me isn't about controlled drinking. It's all about "fixing" the addictive wiring in my brain so I don't want to drink. Believe me I am not looking at all for a way to keep drinking. I have been a daily drinker for 8 years and am also a "fussy" drinker. I only drink one thing - Rumplemintz. I could have a house full of wine, beer, vodka, gin, rum you name it - I would not touch any of it. Some people don't understand what NAL and TSM are and think we are trying to find a way to keep drinking. It's difficult to explain in a post but I did a ton of research, read the book by Dr Eskapa and followed the posts of people on here and the TSM forums from a different site and I believe this approach is working for me. I am so glad that in todays age we have choices in dealing with our addictions and NAL and BAC are great options. I hope to be completely AL free within 6 to 9 months.

From one "fussy" drinker to another - I hope BAC works for you and NAL works for me. The world is a much better place to live in when we are AF

[hoping4better]

Switching from Naltrexone to Baclofen today

I second Red's comments. If I had my pick of what med to take to become AF, I would choose naltroxene and the TSM. For many people, it actually alters the superhighways in the brain that associate alcohol with pleasure. And it's not a drug you have to take forever, like baclofen. You take it one hour before you drink and drink as usual. Over time, you drink less and less. When you have no desire to drink anymore, you stop taking naltroxene. If you do choose to drink, just take the nal one hour prior to drinking. It actually allows people to drink moderately, if they choose. I wish it worked for me, but it has worked for many others.