New here and starting Topa and with a question

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

WTE - I've been wondering about you! 4 AF days and only a few on the other nights? Amazing! And you are on 50 mgs?! Amazing. I am going to go up to 250 tomorrow. I've been at 200 for 2 wks at this point...

I'm so happy and inspired you have had the success you've had this time around!! Just awesome!! I am not the "pour the bottle down the drain" type though. Ugh - too wasteful. I also did not see HB last week - maybe this coming. I don't dread it at all...I'm pretty much done with him.

Anyway - I am on my own w/ all this and just do what I do. Have not felt the urge to stop or quit, yes, cut back, which perhaps I have. My son was in town this weekend with me from school and that was nice. We went to dinner and I had a glass of wine, came home, we watched a movie & I drank "a couple of more" glasses (Maybe 4??)...not uncommon. I don't get drunk, but I drink my wine. Next day I felt guilty that he is aware, but we have talked and he says it's no big deal (You don't get drunk, Mom...ok...)

So onward and another week to get thru. UGH - WTE, I am soooooooooooooo happy for you, awed and inspired this 2nd time around it is working. Maybe that is the protocol for some of us. I am going to try and get results the first time around. Keeping fingers crossed for us all - as usual.

Had a fairly good weekend all things considered. Hope so too for the rest of you :-))

[WaitingToExhale]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Heyyyy Houtx!

No, actually I am at 100mg a day - but 50 in the AM and 50 in the evenings. Also wondering about the reasoning on timing that when some people are all day drinkers and some drink in only in the evenings - some stop at 8PM and others drink until the wee hours ... hummmmm...

I've been at 50/50 for 8 days now. Going to hold as I leave tomorrow - but taking extra with me. I don't know what happened “the second time around” Houtx. I think I am “listening” more. When I get that “errrrr – do I REALLY want/crave this?” feeling, even the slightest touch of that – I set it aside or pour it out. To me, that’s not wasteful. Being willing to kill myself over $10 or $20 of wine is wasteful. I hear liver transplants are pretty expensive – not to mention some of the really poor choices I can make when “sipping” my way through life. Yes, it’s “what I do” too – I just don’t want to do it anymore. And Topa has given me just enough of a slight “edge “ to start getting my grip back. Not magic, but a tool that certainly is helping me BIG TIME! IF I work with it.

Houtx - If you are cutting back - it's a start! And RUN with it when you do get that Errrrrrrrrrrrrr feeling! Maybe keepless in the house? Just a thought ... we all have our tricks we play with on ourselves. =)

Hugs all!

WTE.

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi all!

I wish I could reply to each one of you as all of you do but it will take me forever to translate my toughts to English and I can't do it now because I am at work.
Please forgive me and please know that each and every one of you are in my thoughts and prayers. Believe me.

Thursday was my AF day, I didn't drink on Friday. I drank Saturday and had the worst hangover on Sunday. Didn't drink yesterday. 4 days and 3 were AF. Not bad I think.
I'm feeling very, very sleepy. I don't know if it is the topa or the lack of alcohol in my system. I'm supposed to go up to 200mg today, but I think I'll stay one more week at 150mg.

Hugs!

I'll try to write more later.

[hoping4better]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

WTE, have a fabulous time in Greece! I'm so jealous!
Houtx, even one less glass is progress. I have done a few WTEs this past week and thrown some half-filled glasses down the drain. But a bottle? Not yet!
Airam, you are doing great with English. Don't feel like you have to reply to every post! Congrats on your wonderful progress.

I think I'm going to try increasing my dose a bit. Been at 150 for a couple weeks now.

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Very swift post - seems a while since I have been here - just wanted to touch base! Have to go to work. WTE - have a wonderful holiday - Airam - don't worry about replying to each of us - sometimes we can't and we all understand that - I think you do so well seeing as English isn't your first language - you are doing really well! Also with the Topa - it is coming - well done!!

houtx - I sort of feel as you do re the Topa but then am back to 50 mg a day - hoping that doing it the right way will be of more help to me than jumping in at the middle. Hang in there - there is still time!!

Sapphire - I don't think I am going to take Ant - I worry to much about it - I know that it works for lots of people but it sort of freaks me out to be honest. I really appreciate your input though - every little helps!!

Hoping - it sounds as if you are getting there too! This is going to work for us all people - and on that note, I am off to get my foot looked at and hopefully get rid of this silly boot thing!!!!

Hugs to all,

love, Sun xx

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

WTE -
I am sooooooooooo inspired by you and hope you read this before you go! I am going to heed your words as well as the others...

So much to think about and comment on. WTE, you are maybe getting lucky a 2nd time around maybe?? I dunno - I'm interested in that aspect and love it. I wanted to "detox" this week and have a day or two AF. Nope - Came home and just couldn't do it. I am really disappointed in myself. Sad, frustrated...Took 100 mgs about noon then 150 about 4:30 thinking I'd feel the usual "ehhh/errrr" feelings about food & AL...nope. Maybe tomorrow??

WTE - have a great trip and can't wait to hear all about your travels!

H4B, 2Run, Tay, Sapphire, Airam, Sassy, Sun... anyone else?? - still got all the SEs (tingles, Topa Dopa, stuff like that...) but nothing like I'd wished for! UGH - waiting...:-))

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

It will come Houtx - it seemed that it was never going to kick in for me - but all of a sudden it did! I had just about given up hope! I knew that I couldn't go much higher - and all of a sudden, I was there. As the saying goes - 'just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly'. Eventually - it happens.

this time round me for, I have no tingles, which was one of the first SE's that I had - odd! anyway I haven't been in long from work and am going to pour a Guinness (oh the shame!!). sorry people.

Hugs to all - Sun xx

[SassyLassy]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

first titration

Today's my day to up my dose, and the book says to just take both pills in the afternoon...any thoughts?

[hoping4better]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

sun, do you remember what dosage you were at when your topa suddenly kicked in? Kinda sounds like what happens with baclofen, if you can tolerate the SEs. I don't find topa's SEs to be that bothersome, except for the hair which I think I'm managing with rogaine. And while I think I'm drinking less -- well, I know I am -- I haven't experienced any AF days yet. Nor, damn it, weight loss. (I was really counting on that one!!!) While I'm on SEs, is loss of libido one of them? Or maybe it's b/c I have issues with my weight. I really find it hard to feel sexy when I'm even 8-10lbs over my normal weight.

houtx, see above. I think we can ride this one out, don't you? We are both seeing some results, so I am hopeful our experience will mirror sun's.

So, girls, cheers! (With cranberry juice, of course)

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi there everyone - Hoping - I have PM's you about the libido!!! LOL. Sassy - I would follow the schedule in the book - that is what I did. Now, I sort of have a problem - I thought I was up to a really high dosage before it kicked in BUT I checked my calendar from last January - and I was up to week 5 when it kicked in. I am not sure why in my head it was way later than that - I think because my Doc and pharmacist had said it would take about 6 weeks and I was getting panicky - anyway the dosage I was on as far as I can make out, at week 5, was 150 mg a day. I am not sure why I thought it was higher than that - I know I kept going up til I got up to 300 mg a day. But it was week 5. This week I was supposed to go up - realised it today - but it was too late in the day, so will go up tomorrow. I had thought about taking Ant as some of you on here probably saw, but am not going to. i did it with Topa before and am going to do it again. I have been going through a tough time mentally but am going to give myself a kick in the rear and really dedicate to this. It felt good - although I lost my happy - when I was AF - and I want - and will be - AF again. I will sort out my happy when I am AF - it wasn't the Topa but ME. I will deal with it when I get there and I WILL get there. SO, I am pulling up my socks, and girding my loins and I AM going to do this!!!!! I need to check the schedule and see what I go up to tomorrow. I know the Topa can help, but I also have to do my part - the Topa isn't a magic pill - I have to help it! I need your support friends. Thank you all for being here with me.

Hugs and love, Sun xx

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

H4B - I felt my first "ehhhh" feelings about food & AL at about 100 MG; then 150 then 200...now I'm at 250 mgs and did not feel a significant ehhhh feeling at that point...All those plateaus left at a week or so...we shall see...

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

:l:l:l We are here with you Sunny. You did a great job last January, you'll do it again.
And you ARE a happy person, it's not the topa, it's not the AL, it is and always been you.

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

aaaawww Airam - thank you. you are right though. I am going to do it. I also did a lot of thinking today and have decided that i have got to stop letting AL dominate my life. Not so much physically, but mentally. Last time, I took the Topa, then basically sat back and waited for something to happen - this time I keep fretting. I am going to try and go back to the last time and just let Topa do it's thing. no Ant - just let Topa work for me. it will, and I am going to be fine.

Sassy - Hout, Tay - Hoping, 2 run - how are you all doing? Hout I was thinking about you tried going back but in the end decided to just ask again - how far along are you? how long have you been on the Topa and how high is your dosage? you have my number - please call me?

Hugs to all,

sun xx

[SassyLassy]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

50 mg topa

I'm happy to report that I've upped to 50 mg of Topa, but haven't noticed any SE. I was tired last week, and still have yawns here and there, but nothing major. I feel MUCH clearer-headed in the AM;s, and I think that's because I have cut back, but only by one or two wines per night. I was up to 5-7 drinks/night, sharing a bottle with hubbie, and supplementing with my own stash, so it's hard to quantify. I know it's been a bit less, and I know I've felt much better in the mornings. I posted earlier that my face isn't puffy in the mornings anymore...I used to have one side of my face that always was more puffy than the other. I'm not symmetrical, and it was REALLY obvious in the morning when I was puffy. But it's gotten way better, and I'm very pleased by that. Don't know whether to attribute it to the slight cdut down in A, the supplements, or what. Hoping that as I increast the Topa, the A obsession will cease. Hope so. Good luck to all on this site!

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

I had 2AF days, then I drank 1 day. Then 3 AF days then I'm drinking today. Not too much yet, but I'm kind of mad at me. I thought I would resist but I couldn't. I hope I won't drink tomorrow.