New here and starting Topa and with a question

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

The reason I fristly chose Topa over Bac is I live in a country where Bac is not sold. No even under prescription. On the other hand you can buy Topa over the counter.
Later I found Topa had a SE effect I liked very much. It helped me control my hyperhidrosis.
Then I read you can suffer withdrawals from Baclofen. After suffering withdrawals from alcohol, I decided not to take ever any substance that could cause that horrible, horrible, horrible thing again to me.
That's why I am on Topa and not on Bac, and I am having pretty good results. I know not everyone does.
And I am always happy when I read that someone has that amazing success with baclofen. Really.

[bleep]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Thanks airam, it makes perfect sense. Regardless, I urge you all to consider. Please excuse my proselytizing, I recently hit my switch!

Sorry for the cross-post, I wasn't sure if guys read the other threads.

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Thanks Bleep - I am really happy with where I am - but appreciate the thought. Glad all is going well with you though.

Hugs, Sun x

[Dreams2thrive]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Well I am off and on with the topa. I was on just 25 mgs and noticing a huge loss for words and just saying stupid things without thinking. It was a bit of an embarrassment at work. So I stopped for a few days. Cravings came back big time, and so I took topa for a few more days, and then "forgot" to take it again.
Last night I drank too much. I actually feel hungover. I feel like the problem is the motivation is not consistent. Of course not feeling well today I am super motivated.
Why can't I just be normal? I just want to be like other people who don't have to drink every day.
I hope everyone else is doing well!

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Oh dreams, I am so sorry that you have such noticeable effects when you are on such a low dose - I had no effects - either with cravings or SE's on 25 mg. You could try and stick with the 25mg and see if the SE's go away - they do sometimes as your body gets used to it. Or try something else. Have you considered Naltrexone - some of the people in this thread have tried it and had luck with that. I hear your cry about wanting to be like a normal person!!!! Unfortunately this is the hand that we have been dealt - and we will deal with it - we can do it - really we can - we are here for each other - and somehow or the other we will work it out - just stay with us okay????? Post whenever you need to - one of us will be here.

love and hugs to you, Sun xxx

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi kids -
Just checked in here briefly...seeing that not too many of the "old timers" are posting & thats sad! I will come back soon and let you know how I'm doing w/o the help of any meds for the first time in 2 yrs...

Doing good! Hope so too w/ all you out there...XO

[doyourdream]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

When I started on the 25 mg. exactly one week ago it kicked my ass and I felt terrible so I started on 1/2 of a 25 mg pill. I wonder if starting more slowly would help with your SE, Dreams?

Now I'm on 50 mg but I can't say that it's helped with my cravings at all. I'm on my 3rd beer tonight and I don't feel any desire to stop. When did the rest of you feel like it kicked in and made a difference? I did ramp up slowly so maybe I need to give it more time.

My CD's finally arrived and I need to get a portable player so I can listen to them in my bedroom. I hope they help.

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Good morning DYD - the Topa can take a while to kick in - with me it took 4-6 weeks. If you go to the beginning of this thread and read the first few posts, I think I told airam how long it took - it works very subtly, and although for some the feelings can work at a low dosage, for some (i.e., me) it takes a higher dosage before the indifferent feeling to AL actually do start to show!! I think in the book they say that (long time since I read it) - do you have the book? Which is why you need the 50 mg tabs as well as the 25 mg ones - you titrate up slowly. I remember feeling the same as you - drinking my 3rd Guinness and wondering if it was going to work - then suddenly one day I poured a 4th (!!) and thought "I DON'T want this" and tipped it out! And it just got better from there.

Hang in there,

hugs, Sun

P.S. - Hi Houtx - nice to see you - how are things going???

[Illuminae]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hey guys, I'm sorry i haven't been around more either. I've been super busy and don't know when it will let up. i might have a decent chance to catch up this weekend.

I also have become inconsistent with my treatment despite my best intentions because there is just too much going on in my life and then to top it off I have now come down with some kind of cold/virus that is sweeping through my workplace. My 2nd in charge has been out with a fever all week after being home with her daughter with the same thing last week. Mine started day before yesterday with a simple scratchy throat. Now I feel just generally shitty. i've come home from work two days in a row and napped so now here I am feeling like crap but can't sleep yet.

I have tomorrow off and NOTHING TO DO besides get the kids to school by 8am and then volunteer work in their school garden at 1pm so my goal is to go to sleep tonight, zombie myself out of bed enough in the morning to get them to school, go back to bed for the rest of the morning, rouse myself up enough to be presentable and get a bite to eat before showing up at the school all chipper and ready to help.

Bonus round, hubs is leaving on a man only motorcycle camping trip this weekend, so while that leaves me soloing with the kids tomorrow, his mother is now back in town and will be taking them overnight on Saturday, starting from when my daughter's dance class ends at 1030am on Saturday! I will be getting the household ready for me being out of town for a week but also resting and I think I'm also going to be able to fit in lunch and a movie with a girlfriend that I don't get to do stuff with very often.

So we're here about alcohol so I guess I should say one more thing about that. I'm not feeling very well (seems like classic head/chest cold symptoms) so I really didn't feel too much like drinking. But i did some anyway. Had a very mild, tall screwdriver with dinner (vitamin C and all ya know!) And then had a couple glasses of wine later. Why? I don't know.

*****I wrote this last night and then I guess I never hit the button. I am actually not feeling horrible this morning remarkably, but I definitely am sticking with the plan of going back to sleep for the rest of the morning after I take the kids to school. Hope everyone else is staying germ free and has a great weekend ahead of them!

[doyourdream]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Sun,

I have read the book. I recall Roberta feeling results the first week.

On the other hand I did stop at three beers last night which is pretty good for me so maybe I'm not recognizing that it is making a difference. I tried the CD for the first time this am and it was very relaxing.

TGIF!

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi everyone - Illum - there is something called oil of Oregano which is MAGIC and really works for colds - RC told me about it and as soon as I feel a cold starting (you know - scratchy throat etc.), I start it - it isn't great to take but it always works - there has been a really nasty one going round work and the only ones who haven't got it are the two of us that take the Oil of Oregano!! PM me if you want to know more!! anyway I do hope that you are feeling better.

DYD - how are you doing with the AL? Roberta may have felt the effects of the Topa the first week - I def. didn't !! It took me almost up to the 300 mg to actually stop. My pharmacist was really good and had looked some research up for me - once I knew what the chances were I went gaily on drinking but when i was up to the 250, I began to worry that it was never going to happen for me, then it did! It started earlier - I wasn't drinking as much so that was good. Right now I have been on 200 mg and am going to go up to the 250 mg on Monday. I was on 150 mg for a while and was keeping to 1 or 2 a night then started creeping up, so went up to 200 mg - and know I need to up it again. I never get drunk, but know me, and know where I want to be. And Topa can help me get there.

DREAMS - where are you and how are you?? We need to hear how you are doing please?? there are so few of us on this thread these days that when even one of us doesn't post, they are missed!! How are you feeling on it - are you doing any better? I do hope so 'cos it is good when your body can take it. Check in eh and let us know how you are doing/feeling.

Airam - please check in too and let us know how things are going - and Houtx - where are you? WTE - you said AGES ago that you were going to let us know what was going on?

Hugs to all of you.

Love, sun XX

[doyourdream]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Sun,

Someone recently recommended Oil of Oregano to me. I think it did help but it tastes HORRIBLE!

I'm willing to give the Topa time. I'm definitely on the right track here. I'm on 50 mg now and so far loving the first CD. If nothing else, it is very relaxing. I'm thinking that they would be good just for relaxation for my son. The first CD is all about relaxation and letting go of negativity so I think that would be good for him. Do any of you use them? I'm going to try the one you use when you sleep tonight.

I went to a party last night so I didn't stress about not drinking and enjoyed the wine and good food but of course made sure I was okay to drive myself home. And tonight I had a friend over for dinner and had some wine. Not feeling the off switch yet but I'm confident I will. I'll slowly go up with the Topa week over week until I hit the point where I feel like I don't need more.

My friend tonight had the smallest amount of wine and even left some in the glass. I don't know how she does that. And she was amazed that I could have a jumbo size bag of chocolate chips in my pantry and not eat them all. They don't tempt me in the least. They're there for when I bake and they don't call to me at other times. Isn't that odd? I wonder how that works.

I guess we're a small community here in the Topa world? Are there more folks trying Bac? If so, why is that? I haven't research Bac enough to know why that is. My impression is that it's used more for abstinence than moderation. Is that right?

DYD

[doyourdream]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

One more thing...

Has anyone experienced the side effects of losing weight that Roberta wrote about? I imagine that I will lose weight just from not drinking and eating as much but I wonder if there will be more? It would be nice! I don't really have much to lose but I would welcome losing 10 pounds!

[Illuminae]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi guys, I did the zinc and vitamin C thing plus some rest and my cold seems to be scaling back again thank goodness. I have never heard of the oregano thing but will keep it in mind for next time.

So you will definitely think I am crazy if you don't already...

Hubs if off on a motorcycle camping thing... mom in law took the kids over night... and instead of relaxing and stuff I decided to paint my son's room. I've been working like a banshee and then just when I was going to really veg out a friend recalled I had told him that I was solo for the weekend and since he was already having a small dinner party invited me to join in so I did. I was so tired but the company was nice and livened me up a bit. Was proud of myself as I only had 2 1/2 glasses of wine and came straight back home. Usually when I go over to his house I overdo it. especially since it's in the same neighborhood so I overjustify that it's not really drinking and driving since there are no freeways involved, blah blah - oh wait - usually it's my husband driving anyhow!!

In any case it was a lovely time with nice people and I was a good girl!

Oh back to the crazy... it's even more so because I'm leaving on a business trip to the East coast on Monday morning and I have to get our household ready for that tomorrow too! And the painting the bedroom is also a complete surprise for my husband. So tomorrow morning the friend who had me over for dinner is coming over to help me put up the new curtain rod in my son's room and put all the furniture back in place, then I'll clean up, go shopping and straighten up the rest of the house, mom-in-law will bring the kids back and I'll pack for my trip, somewhere in there hubs will come home and be surprised and then I'll leave the next morning!!!! :nutso:

Oh, and over lunch I also looked at a few more condos for our income property and found one that we have decided to make an offer on....

Anyone have a Valium??

[Dreams2thrive]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hey all, thanks for checking up on me.
well, today is day 3 of moderation here. I started on the topa again and have been taking it every day. So far so good. I am just tired!
Friday I started drinking around 2:00. That night we had a bbq and something snapped in me. I poured out what was left of my wine, grabbed a glass of water, and went to bed shortly after that. It was a little hard because others were thinking what's up with her? Saturday I had 2 glasses of wine, yesterday 2 again. So far so good....
It's difficult because I get grouchy when I don't drink. Even though I don't want to, it's like I am not sure how to be. I am a bit uneasy or a little lost, yet content at the same time. But I come across as cold or bitchy.
Does anyone else notice a change in mood?

To answer DYD's question about weight loss, I haven't had the weight loss that was promised in the book that's for sure! and boy do I need it! I never got up to the dosage that might curb appetite, yet I had great success with the alcohol cravings at 50mg. I did lose about 8 lbs but I was also really working at it.
We'll see, maybe this time huh?