My Baclofen Experience

[ignominous]

My Baclofen Experience

Think you're on the the right track Mog.
Congrats on 2 months, something good must be happening to your brain with 8 weeks AF

[lvb65]

My Baclofen Experience

Hi Moglor, here some of my experience:
I am at week 9 now, 210 mg/day. I posted in an other thread more detailed. I am 65 years old and weigh 105 kg. So I anticipate to tirate up to 300 mg, however I hope to get a " switch" before that.
I definitely feel that my brain is starting to rewire already. My dreams were very weird and at times cristalclear. It feels great to get a grip on " thinking" again. Where before, thinking was dominated by and for alcohol. I don?t think of alcohol anymore, now I am thinking how to maintain this state of mind. It can be accepted, that after 45 years of fairly heavy drinking, self esteem, forgetfulness, stupid habits, fysical disbillities take their toll. However, being at the eve of my life, I think it is time to re-valuate What was good and get over what was bad. Luckily I didn?t mess iup everything in my life!

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Hi All,

I've been meaning to post an update, but keep getting sidetracked. Baclofen has helped me maintain sobriety relatively effortlessly through the holiday season, something which was never possible in years past.

I have been titrating down, about 25mg every 10 days. I am currently at 75mg, and plan to stay at this dose for the near future.

I have had some desire to drink, but I wouldn't call it a craving. These desires occur in social situations where not drinking is very out of character for me, and I did not feel like explaining things. I had a long internal discussion with myself, and I now explain this to people unaware of my situation as me working on weight loss, and having given up beer in pursuit of that.

Speaking of weight loss, mine has been proceeding very well. I am now at a weight that I can't recall being at in at least a decade, if not more. I am 20 pounds lighter than my last recorded weight in 2003, and I found some old clothes from prior to that which are now quite large on me.

Without drink, I am spending a lot more time with my hobbies, and with actual functional relaxation. I used to think that "Relaxing" was sitting on the couch drinking beer. As it turns out, that's not relaxing at all. It's hard on the body, hard on the soul, and doesn't help me reduce stress or anxiety at all.

This last week is the first time off from work that I've taken since becoming sober, and I believe this may also be the first time in my adult life where I have truly managed to unwind. I enjoyed a sober Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family, and I intend to enjoy a sober new year tonight with my friends.

Another side effect of being sober - I feel like long-lost skills are starting to return. I have played guitar for many years, but always felt like I wasn't performing the way I thought I should. Since becoming sober, my technique and overall "talent" has improved dramatically. I am able to concentrate better, think more clearly, and have my fingers do more of what I intend.

I started this baclofen project in May 2010. At that time, I was drinking 80-100+ units per week. My blood pressure was 180/100, my overall health was poor, and I weighed in excess of 275 lbs. I suffered terrible anxiety and cyclic major depression. My work performance was weak but acceptable, but I had no life outside work and drink.

On October 12, 2010, I hit The Switch, and have been alcohol-free since then. My blood pressure has dropped to 128/72, my health is excellent, I have lost 25lbs, and I have stuck with a medication plan to resolve my depression. My work performance has skyrocketed, and I have integrated gym, hobbies and relaxation into a schedule that is no longer dominated by liquor, sleep, and work.

I have been trying to quit drinking since the mid 90s. I have tried various "self help" programs, anti-depressants, looked at AA, Rational Recovery, tried supplements, exercise, diet, and NOTHING has helped until baclofen. It has truly given me my life back! It has not been easy, however, and baclofen for all its power is not a magic bullet cure, but it's the closest thing to it that I've ever seen.

The most important part of this journey for me has been the wealth of information and discussions here on the MWO forums. I've never once felt alone in this, and that, I think, has made all the difference.

Best,
John Moglor

[Isolde]

My Baclofen Experience

John, yours is one of the greatest bac testimonies! You have really turned things around for yourself and your story is very inspiring. :goodjob:

Congrats on the weight loss and the lowered blood pressure! I've also lost some weight and am looking to eventually get off of my bp meds. Hopefully continuing to be AF and tapering down on bac will help me achieve that (along with getting back into the gym).

I had to scroll back a few pages to see which AD you went with. I see that it's Wellbutrin, which is the same one that I was thinking about asking my doc about. Since I just got my bac script from him recently (even though I'd already hit the switch), he was reluctant to prescribe me anything else right away. I'll see how I do for awhile before I decide whether to bring it up to him again. I've been feeling better now than I have for awhile, but every other day still seems to be an "off" day.

Dunno if you had any social anxiety disorder, but Wellbutrin supposedly helps that - any experience with that? My desire to get back in the gym is hampered by my dislike of being around large groups of people that I don't know when I'm by myself. Unfortunately that's the gym in a nutshell, esp. at peak hours!

That you are down to 75mgs and still not craving gives me SO much hope!! Especially since you hit your switch at about 100mgs higher than I did. I am going REALLY slow in my downward titration, afraid to feel the cravings come crashing back. Ideally I was hoping to get back down to 80mgs, but was worried I'd never be able to. I'm still going to take it slow, but am now feeling confident that I won't have to stay in the 100+ range forever.

Thanks so much for posting your story. This most recent update was the highlight of my day. :thanks:

[Bruunhilde]

My Baclofen Experience

John, thanks for the detailed history. It gives me hope! I'm struggling with all of the things you did, and do, and am currently sunk in a binge week of vacation ending today, which then is bringing on the gloom and doom of work Monday and how on earth I will make my sales goals this year with 1/3 my former territory.... It's nice to know I could get to where you are today and be happy about my week off, and perhaps productive too. The bac and the gin are doing me in ....

[Seethepony]

My Baclofen Experience

Hey Moglor, it was reading your story that finally persuaded me to give baclofen a try - back in August. For that I'm eternally grateful!

It's really good to hear you sounding so positive and confident. Your story deserves to be forever stickied at the top of this forum for all newcomers to read. I was really lucky that it was there when I needed it.

Happy New Year!

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

You know, looking back on 18 years of alcoholism used to be a pretty depressing thing for me, but I really have to say:

If the journey that I've taken and the experience that I've shared helps even one person free themselves from the chains of alcohol, it was all worth it, and I can look back on my life without regret. My personal pledge is to help out here and wherever I can with baclofen-based treatment.

Isolde: I went with Wellbutrin for a number of reasons, the main one being that I'd had previous experience with it. It's dangerous to use while drinking, as it can cause seizures. My doctor wanted 72 hours sobriety minimum before prescribing. I did a lot of research here and on the 'net regarding anti-depressants and Baclofen, and bupropion (Wellbutrin) seemed to be the best fit. I started taking it when I was at 200mg of bac, and had no problems at all.

I do (and continue to) suffer from social anxiety. Wellbutrin doesn't do much for this, but the combination of Wellbutrin, Baclofen, sobriety and improving health/weight gives me a much needed confidence boost. The biggest problem I have with social situations is that I find it hard to re-learn how to interact with people without relying on a beer.

I completely understand your anxiety about the gym. Those huge "globo" gyms are absolutely horrible for self-esteem and are pretty rotten for overall training unless you hire an expensive personal trainer. The best thing that ever happened to me gym-wise was discovering Crossfit. The classes are small, there's tons of camaraderie and peer support, and you scale the workouts to your own ability. It's been an integral part of my recovery! I strongly suggest anyone looking for a gym check out their local Crossfit affiliate.

Happy New Year!

-John

[ignominous]

My Baclofen Experience

Mog

If someone as fucked up you can get to this point in such a short time then there is hope for us all.

Really encouraging

Thanks

EDIT: What I mean to say is that you were well and truly in the belly of the beast and you've done us all proud by giving us such a remarkable lead. Think you probably understood first time but maybe not everyone saw it that way.

[Sunnyvalenting]

My Baclofen Experience

Mo,
Great post. I can so relate. Congratulations on several AF weeks. I am coming up on a year now and am enjoying holidays without fear of relapse. I, too, tried sincerely for almost 2 decades to get over this addiction. Bac was what made the difference. Here's to a happy and prosperous New Year.
Sunny

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My Baclofen Experience

Mog,
Your post moved me so much that I've printed it out and added it to the trusty bac notebook.
It moved me so much that I cried a little when I read it.
I forwarded it to my husband. And cut and pasted it to the friends and family who know about baclofen.
And I think I'll bump it from now on when newbies wonder if this stuff actually works.
Thank you.
Karen

[bleep69]

My Baclofen Experience

Wow, thanks for pointing this thread out Neva!

Thanks for posting your story Mog, I'm waiting for my baclofen to arrive, it's very helpful to read about your journey! Congratulations on your success!

[Titania]

My Baclofen Experience

So Mogler, Ive been on and off this website for 5 years now.. probably since before some of you were born... Being Scottish, I had a huge lapse on Hogmanay (aka New years Eve) and my hubby is totally pissed off at me.. might be coz I locked him out of the bedroom.. i think that was the biggest problem... so I got my BAC out of the drawer, and have taken it so much in the past 4 days... 50 meg a day.. 3 during the day and 2 at night i dont wake up till about 10 am but what the heck.. I finally told him about it. and also like.. IF you want me to walk go F yourself coz If you want this to work i have to do it almost cold turkey... so for 4 days now.. 50 meg a day... i can handle it i think coz i took it before... but i did drink tonight ... had 3 friggin nights off. come on how much do you want.... i told him it doesnt work instantly but I think he thinks it does... anyway gotta go to bed.... and I will do a few more days of total BAC.. wow my skin feels great...???? talk to you all tomorrow.... sorry I got off the wagon I guess I am an Alchi!!! love to you all

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

Hope the bac is helping, Titania!

I dropped down to 50mg/day, but I had to go back to 75. I didn't experience alcohol cravings, but I did experience a recurrence of strong anxiety. There were no changes in my life that would explain that, so maybe the bac is keeping that at bay. 75mg/day is within therapeutic dosing limits, so I'm not going to worry about it. If it's my maintenance dose, so be it. I'm not really keen on going on specific anxiolytics.

I will likely try another drop to 50 after a couple more months.

-Moglor

[moglor]

My Baclofen Experience

I dropped down to 50mg again on Monday, mostly by accident (forgot dose) and have not had a return of the anxiety. I suspect that was work-related stress. I've been on 50mg with no ill effects for 4 days now. I had a visit with the doctor earlier this week, and my blood pressure and pulse are still normal, my lab values have improved (mostly due to weight loss,) and I'm feeling pretty decent. I have to stay vigilant, though; these feelings can easily provide a false sense of the security of my sobriety. Doc says most people stay on the antidepressants for 6 months to a year, so I'll re-evaluate at that time, and continue a very slow downward titration of bac.

[RedThread12]

My Baclofen Experience

Yours is such an awesome story and I'm so grateful you've posted all the way through. Mog.

Seems like we're starting to come up with a crop of powerful baclofen successes, whether people posted from the beginning or are just coming in to do a synopsis. So thanks also to everyone contributing their stories about baclofen. It's really just breath-taking, isn't it, to be free from ever having to drink "like that" again.:h