My Baclofen Experience

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Feels great!

I have been on 175mg/day of baclofen for the last 8 days (was at 200 prior.) The bupropion (antidepressant) has worked well, and I no longer feel like I'm constantly on the brink of disaster.

I went to the doctor today to check out my lab results (taken about 3 weeks after I quit drinking.) My lab values which were never terrible to begin with have improved, specifically my A1C, which was previously high, indicating diabetes. It's now within normal range, proving as I suspected, that my sugar issues were entirely due to the insane amount of carbohydrates I was getting in all that beer.

Amazingly, my blood pressure, which has always been high at 160/90 has dropped to an incredible 127/78! This is actually a 10+ point drop from 3 weeks ago as well, so health wise, this is really working well for me.

Next week I'm going to try really hard to get back to the gym on a regular schedule, but I am going to be fighting the holidays (Thanksgiving in the States.) I'm also going to be fighting all the holiday temptations, but between the bac and the toolbox, I think I'm sitting pretty well. I think I'm going to proactively titrate back up to 200 prior to going to any family/friend engagements though.

-Moglor

[Sunnyvalenting]

My Baclofen Experience

Mo,
Great news on your lab and blood pressure!
It is not at all amazing that your blood pressure normalized once you took the poison out of your system. This is very common and maybe one of the reasons that some people have heart problems and strokes from alcohol abuse.
I started a rigorous exercise and healthy diet 5 months ago after 5 months of abstinence on bac. I am doing very well. I found that, without the alcohol, I had much higher motivation and lost weight much faster than I expected. It is interesting how one significant success like this has allowed me to imagine and actualize a wonderful life for myself.
All the best,
Sunny

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Sunny, that's precisely the effect I hope to have as well when I get back to the gym. I am glad to hear it worked for you! Gives me hope for myself. :-)

If I had not quit drinking, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have died of a stroke or heart attack before 50.

-Moglor

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Hi All,

Today marks 6 weeks AF, which is by far the longest alcohol free period I've had since my sophomore year in high school. I am still at 175mg/day, and I'm pretty content with this dosage. No SEs to speak of, and I've been on it long enough that I don't really feel like I'm medicated. I have also been on bupropion now for 3 weeks, and my mood has definitely stabilized overall.

I had the biggest test to date of my AF willpower today. I went out with the same group of friends that led me to drinking last time. I was considering just telling them I couldn't make it, but I decided that wasn't a good long-term strategy. I was going to make up a story about being on antibiotics, but ultimately I just said "I can't drink," and that was the end of it. I drank club soda all night while they drank, and everything was fine and dandy. I was a bit bored though, social events are just plain old dull without booze.

The next big test will be at Thanksgiving with my family. They don't really know about my troubles with alcohol and depression, and they will take my refusal of alcohol as something "weird" that they'll then worry about. I think I'll probably just tell them the truth; that I quit drinking a few weeks ago because it was becoming a problem. No need to go into specifics, right?

Some things I've noticed about longer-term sobriety and mood stabilization:

- Without alcohol and depression, my "need" to eat certain comfort foods is gone.
- I have, however, developed a serious sugar jones. I am going to try supplementing with L-glut for this.
- My long battle with lactose intolerance and other major digestive problems has ended.
- My blood pressure has dropped tremendously
- My appetite has decreased significantly (and I'm losing weight, down to 254!) When I started bac in May I was around 270-275. This is the smallest I've been since 2003 at least.
- I'm sleeping better, and sleeping less. I used to need at least 10-11 hours, now I can get by with 6 no problem, although 7 seems average.

Still haven't gotten back to the gym, but that is my goal for tomorrow.

Best,
Moglor

[ignominous]

My Baclofen Experience

You're sounding fine and dandy.

Yeah, what to do with all that spare time we used to allocate for boozing.
Self help books, work, flower arranging class, AA meetings, fitness regime a la Loop?

[Sunnyvalenting]

My Baclofen Experience

Again, congrats mo on so many significant milestones. I, too, can now go out with drinking friends or family without making a big deal of it and am looking forward to my first AF thanksgiving in awhile. I am the cook and am enjoying making some of the side dishes tonight ahead of time so I don't stress as much on the "big day".
There is nothing wrong with saying "no thank you, I'm fine" and leaving it at that. You can also say, if you feel a need to, that you are on medicine which interacts badly with alcohol (buproprion), which is true. You owe no one an explanation unless you feel it is in your own best interest. I suspect that most people don't care if you drink and it is only "weird" for a few minutes. Sometimes just having a glass of anything in your hand will preempt an offer of booze so go straight for the soda or whatever and just keep that topped off.
I ate a lot of sugar and junk food the first 5 months AF. Now for past 5 months have been very good on the diet and exercise. I go to the gym daily and have improved my fitness level and lost a lot of weight. There is an article in some medical journal which indicates that baclofen may help muscle growth. I don't know but I feel better than I have in years. I don't know if I have totally stabilized yet. I went through a phase of less sleep (+/- insomnia past 14 years) but now seem to be able to sleep well for 6-7 which is good for me. The other night I slept 10 hours which is unheard of. So don't know what's up with that. I try to take it in stride.
I rambled a bit here but wanted to share with my "way out" (far out?!) buddies!
All the best,
Sunny

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Thanks Sunny. I have had another two major milestones today. When I visited my family for Thanksgiving, I got a diet pop instead of a beer, and poured sparkling cider (non-alcoholic) instead of champagne, and nobody even commented.

I went to visit some friends afterwards (and ate my 2nd thanksgiving feast of the day, ugh!) with whom I am well known as a man who enjoys large quantities of beer. He was (rightly) concerned that he only had a half a case of beer, but I told him I wasn't drinking tonight. I fended off a few offers of wine and taste tests of various unusual beers, but it was otherwise a complete non-issue.

I guess in hindsight, not drinking is much stranger to ME than it is to my friends and family. Since they are not alcoholics, they don't think twice about having or not having a drink, but to me it consumes my consciousness and is at the forefront of every thought in my social interactions.

When the dust settled today, I remain completely sober. This marks my first holiday when I did not have to deal with festivities while hungover. I will also not waste all day tomorrow recovering!

-Moglor

[Sunnyvalenting]

My Baclofen Experience

by George! I think you've got it! The drinking or not issue is only an issue for those of us who are or were addicted. That part gets easier too. Now that I have decided on lifelong abstinence it is just one more thing I choose not to participate in. I am becoming a "normal" non drinker. Baclofen has given me this.
Good luck
Sunny

[Amy1]

My Baclofen Experience

Hello I am new here and I too have also started Baclofen, suggested from my coach. Are there any serious side effects? Is it addictive? I would like to get my info first hand not from google. Thanks

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Hi Amy,

Welcome aboard!

There are lots of posts here about side effects, and lots of information on peoples' experiences, dosing, etc. that you should read through. Before I started Baclofen, I read just about every post on this board, trying to figure out what to do, how to do it, what to expect..

Here's a good first start:

Side Effects

You should also start your own thread: Click on the "Topamax, Campral, Naltrexone, Baclofen, other meds" link at the top of the page, then click "New Thread" on the upper left. Introduce yourself, tell us about your history with alcohol, how much you're currently drinking, and any other details you care to include, and people will reply.

I look forward to seeing your progress!

-Moglor

[Doggygirl]

My Baclofen Experience

Delete

Sorry about that. I am watching a figure skating comp and also reading here between skaters and I keep posting the wrong stuff here! My comments about the skaters would make no sense!

[ignominous]

My Baclofen Experience

Would've given us a laugh though.

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Today marks 50 days alcohol free!

I'm still on 175mg/day of baclofen. I'm going to drop it down to 150.

-Moglor

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My Baclofen Experience

Fantastic, Mog. Thanks for sharing your journey. You continue to inspire!

:rockon:

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Today is 8 weeks alcohol free. I have been at 150mg/day for about a week, and I have noticed a slight trend in increased thoughts about alcohol. I'm not sure if these would develop into cravings at a lower dosage, and I'm not keen to find out. I will remain at 150 for another couple weeks and see if anything changes.

I'm back on the wagon with respect to the gym too, going twice a week for now. Hopefully I'll be able to ramp that up more soon. My diet and sleep schedule are still adjusting to the antidepressants and being alcohol free, so I'm pretty wiped out in the afternoon/evening.

I posted this comment in the General forum, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of crossover between there and the meds thread, so I'm reposting here in my thread:

I've seen lots of posts about dreams recently, and I've been having my own. Vivid, bizarre dreams that usually involve me drinking and screwing up my 8 weeks of sobriety. It got me thinking about some of the other things I experience after being alcohol free.

I still:

- Have dreams about drinking, missing medications, being drunk and stupid
- Wake up feeling hungover even though I'm not, because my body thinks I should be
- Smell like stale beer when I sweat at the gym (even though I don't)
- Absently reach for a beer can on my desk that used to be there but isn't now
- Feel like I "forgot" something at the grocery store, or plan to make stops at liquor stores
- Unconsciously plan around drinking days, or social events, knowing I would have been hungover
- see bottles in my house out of the corner of my eye and think it's a beer bottle

I attribute a lot of this to "phantom limb syndrome." Anyone else get this?

I've also been having a lot of dreams involving high school. This last 8 weeks is the longest period of sobriety I've had since my sophomore year in high school (age 15.) Once I turned 16 and had a driver's license, I began smoking cigarettes and weed, and occasionally drinking. Once I turned 17, I got into LSD and various other drugs, and more liquor.

I suspect my brain is starting to rewire, and is trying frantically to sort out the last 20 years...

-Moglor