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    #1

    NAL for Abstinence?

    Hello, I am a 29 year old round the clock type wino. I went to the doctor and was prescribed a medical detox(Valium) which is going well and I'm 9 days sober along with AA meetings and Celexa which I haven't taken long enough for it to kick in yet, supposedly it takes a month. I am going for total abstinence. I have tried Campral before felt it was useless. My new doctor says we are going to start me on Naltrexone soon, do you think the reason would be for my chronic relapse history so if I do slip I won't get the buzz? Or does it have any actual effects on reducing cravings? Thanks for your help!
    MG29 :thanks:
    I ain't afraid of no ghost....
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    #2
    NAL for Abstinence?

    Welcome MarriedGirl,

    Yes, the Naltrexone has worked marvelously for me on cravings....it really changes the way you look at alcohol. You don't feel that "charge" of energy that says, " I NEED A DRINK NOW NOW NOW!!!!!!"
    You might enjoy one or two but then you say, 'huh....well, I think I'll stop now." Then eventually, you can say, "nah, I really don't even want one." Which is what happened to me and I am so glad.

    The script says take 50 mg. an hour before drinking. I take 75 mg....and on the weekends, when I was extremely vulnerable, I would take 50 mg. before noon to keep my cravings at bay. Then I would take another 50 mg. about 4:00.

    Have you thought about Antabuse? Many people here are having success with it. It's worth a shot.

    Good luck on your journey,

    Rusty

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      #3
      NAL for Abstinence?

      So Rusty, are you still on Nal or what? Why stop if it was working for you? Curious -

      Comment

        #4
        NAL for Abstinence?

        Houtx,

        I am still on NAL. 75 mg. a day....I just don't need to take the higher dosage (100-150 mg) like I did every Saturday and Sunday (and when I had days off and I was at home alone) when I first started out.

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          #5
          NAL for Abstinence?

          I am on 300mg of Naltrexone and 50mg of Baclofen and I still occasionally drink (which I do not want to do!)...

          However, I don't think it is physical cravings at all that lead me to drink, but emotional self-medication. I really need to STOP GIVING MYSELF PERMISSION to drink.

          Yet, the good news is that even WHEN I drink, I cannot get drunk. I cannot tolerate alcohol the way I once did. You can have a couple of drinks with little effect and eventually you think "Why bother?"

          Keep with the Nal. It really is a kind of "wonder drug!"
          The Universe stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, forcing us to use out wings...

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            #6
            NAL for Abstinence?

            Hi Reneesmiles,

            I think you're doing well! You've had more AF days then not, correct? I know what you mean about the BAC. I stupidly binged while on BAC several weeks ago and OMG I had the hangover from hell. Never again!

            I have a question for you....how long were you on NAL before you were mostly AF? I am asking this question not for myself, but for another MWO member who PM'd me that they want to try it but wonder how long it takes for the NAL to "kick in?"

            Thanks so much!

            Rusty

            Comment

              #7
              NAL for Abstinence?

              Renee,

              I forgot to add, you hit the nail right on the head. I was able to stop drinking while on NAL but I had to stop giving myself permission to drink as well. Funny, I never thought of it that way until now. You have educated me today, and I thank you!

              Comment

                #8
                NAL for Abstinence?

                Nal is effective for me as well but I don't like the way it makes me feel. Nauseous and shaky and just generally ill. It works tho. I don't feel the urge to drink nearly as much when I take it. I have slacked off at times but know it is for the best so am still working on that. All the best.

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                  #9
                  NAL for Abstinence?

                  Im on only 50 mg Naltrexone

                  Hmm..seems like everyone else mentions larger doses of nal than what I'm on which is only 50 mg. Maybe that's why I don't have any side effects. I also take Celexa and find it extremely effective in preventing the super highs and lows of first getting sober, I hope to go on an increased dose in fact. And you can get it super cheap as a generic.
                  I ain't afraid of no ghost....

                  Comment

                    #10
                    NAL for Abstinence?

                    marriedgirl29;899375 wrote: Hello, I am a 29 year old round the clock type wino. I went to the doctor and was prescribed a medical detox(Valium) which is going well and I'm 9 days sober along with AA meetings and Celexa which I haven't taken long enough for it to kick in yet, supposedly it takes a month. I am going for total abstinence. I have tried Campral before felt it was useless. My new doctor says we are going to start me on Naltrexone soon, do you think the reason would be for my chronic relapse history so if I do slip I won't get the buzz? Or does it have any actual effects on reducing cravings? Thanks for your help!
                    MG29 :thanks:

                    Hi marriedgirl

                    Are you in the US? It's my understanding that Nal is often prescribed there as an anti-craving med for abstinence, and it's my guess that's why you've been prescribed it.

                    My personal experience is that Nal had zero effect on my cravings.

                    There are far more knowledgeable people than I on the subject, but from my understanding:

                    Sinclair (of The Sinclair Method) and Eskapa (who wrote the book on the subject) say that Nal is wrongly (and widely, in the US) prescribed as an anti-craving drug. In actual fact, it works by taking one 50mg tablet at least one hour before you drink for many months (in the book it worked for some subjects in as little as three or four months, but in the real world it takes some people perhaps up to, or even longer than, a year) to gradually reduce/remove the inclination to drink.

                    I have heard of only one or two people from among hundreds who felt any immediate anti-craving effect, or a tendency within days of starting Nal to be able to drink significantly less for a sustained period. In fact, it's usually quite the opposite.

                    My own experience drinking on Nal is that I didn't imbibe less (apart from the first few days which has become known as the 'honeymoon' period and very                     quickly passes in almost everyone). In fact, I took it for eight months before my units started to decrease, and then only after I'd started taking Baclofen. In those eight months, there were a couple of times I almost drank myself to death once again, despite taking Nal.

                    Almost every doctor experienced with Nal I believe that I have heard of, following The Sinclair Method or otherwise, says 50mg should be enough for almost everybody                    , though a small minority may need to go to 100mg.

                    1) I would definitely                     not take your doctor's prescription of Nal as an indication that he expects you to drink - that's very dangerous thinking in your position imho.

                    2) I would ask my doctor about it.

                    3) If you drink on Nal you may find yourself back at square one, unless you're prepared to risk continuing to drink on it for maybe up to a year or longer, to see if the Sinclair Method works for you (and after all that, it may not).

                    4) I would not normally say this, but I strongly suggest you ask the same question on the Sinclair Method forum. There are some really lovely people there, it's just not a forum I normally recommend anymore, but I think in your case they would be able to give you some potentially life-saving advice.

                    Best wishes to you

                    eight
                    I don't come here much anymore but you can always mail me at rotunda 2000 at hotmail dot com (no spaces). Might be able to help with Bac emergencies

                    Comment

                      #11
                      NAL for Abstinence?

                      Nal works by blocking the reinforcing/reward system in play when we drink. The studies show that some but not all people on nal will drink less than those not on it. Many of those people will choose to remain abstinent. I note that you already had 9 days of abstinence. I would not suggest purposly "testing" the nal to see if it worked by drinking but I suspect your doctor gave it to you "incase you did relapse". I agree that total abstinence makes sense in most cases of alcohol dependence.
                      Good Luck and keep us posted.
                      Sunny

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                        #12
                        NAL for Abstinence?

                        I'm on the 50mgs too but still get the side effects after 2 years or so! But I am super sensitive to prescription drugs. So maybe that is why.

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                          #13
                          NAL for Abstinence?

                          Bizarrely I get more side effects now than I did taking it at the beginning. Go figure!

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                            #14
                            NAL for Abstinence?

                            sorry to add so many posts but wanted to say one more thing re Nal . When I take it and drink I notice that my mind remains more clear for longer than if I don't so I know it is blocking those receptors.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              NAL for Abstinence?

                              Interesting stuff here. I will be taking Nal for the first time. I really want it to work but get second guessing when I hear some people's experiences not being effective.

                              My goal is for total abstinence. I don't ever want to drink again. So I am hoping it will block out those tough days. Just not sure if I should take it every day or just on the days I really crave and am vulnerable (Sinclair Method).

                              Hmmmmmm.

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