New here and starting Topa and with a question

[playland]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi All,
I'm wanting to do a good long post but I'm so really tired from a very long day, I'll make it short. I am off tomorrow and plan to stay around just resting, etc. so hopefully I can keep from drinking all day, its harder when I am off work, and I'll try to post and catch up with everybody.

First off, yes, Sun and I are really excited and determined about this and I don't think there is any danger of either of us drinking once we have taken the tab, and we have each other to make sure we are taking it, SKYPE, Yikes, if I was on my own, well, I just wouldn't take it when it came down to it, so for me, I absolutely have to have a partner, thank you Sun:h

Houtx and anyone else please join in want to especially after we post for a few days after. Dizz, you are already doing this, correct? Is this week more difficult for some reason?

Space, don't stop whatever is keeping you from drinking.

Teezah, never, never, stop the Topa if it is working for you and not causing too many problems, if you do, it never works the same way again.

Ally, I totally understand what you are going thru trying to work on the Topa. I recently had to stop taking it because I was making mistakes at work and it is not acceptable in my line of work, so I had to stop, and I really loved the Topa.

Anyway, more tomorrow, love you all,
Peace,
play

[playland]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Sun, do you have any way to find out what dose we are taking until we get ours from the pharmacy?

[spacebebe01]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Just a quick post until later but I wanted to say a big well done to Play for cutting down on the drinking, I hope today goes ok for you as well try not to worry too much about it tho Im sure you will be ok. The other thing I want to say tho is I disagree with Dizzy (sorry Dizz) in the dosage, cant you both remember what you ordered, I always got 200mg tablets so think yours will probably be that dose. Anyway the least dose you can take is the best, as you are not intending to be experimenting as to whether you can drink through the week after taking it it shouldnt actually matter what dose you do take but for safety's sake you want to be sure it has left your system by the weekend. I worry that prolonged drinking every week if you have AB left in your system could not do you any good at all and would worry about it. It is of course your choice.

Sorry to hear that your not feeling good right now Dizzy, do you know what its about?

Teezah its great that you are feeling better after reducing your dose and still not wanting to drink, keep up the good work.

Ok got to go now my son is off school with bad toothache but is terrified of the dentist after the cock up last year where he ended up with an abcess and was in pain for 3 weeks after just going for a filling so I will have to see what happens with this.

xx

[teezah]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Sun I really appreciated your quick reply the other day - I needed to know there was a plan there.

I did a bit of googling on the topa / depression to see what other people's take on it was and it was a mixed bag. Some people had to come off it, some stayed on then got better and some stayed on and got worse. Because I knew it was the Topa causing the depression I decided to stay at that level and cut out any other supplements in case they were interacting - L-glut, kudzu & Gaba. Whether it was cutting out the supplements or giving it another few days to get used to the 75mg, it seems to have worked as my mood has lifted and the anxiety has retreated somewhat. Thank goodness!

There is NO WAY I want to come off the Topa as it is working so well for the alcohol and this thread's warnings are ringing in my ears!!!

I've received my nootropic - modalert in the post yesterday so I'm going to give that a go today to see if I can get my get up and go back. I'm feeling a bit like a dumpling (topa dopa!) so am doing the Roberta Jewel thing taking this to counteract it.

Space - since when was there an ocean between England & Scotland? lol quite a few million years I think!! But then you wouldn't have ken't ah wiz a barbarian scot

[spacebebe01]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Haha Teezah I thought you where in the US I was just thinking then when I noticed your post what time it must be that you where still up and then you answered my question LOL. Another thing I got wrong was that I thought you had gone down in dose with the topa but I see you havent, anyway its great that you are feeling better.

xx

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Good Morning - really quick reply as I am off to work - Play - we are taking a 250mg tab !! well - I will take a half of it but still wouldn't dare drink until Saturday !!

more later when I get home from work - have a wonderful day all,

love, sun XX

[meggie]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Love reading all your posts. I started this site because I was using Topa. I was a mess while on it. I even had tests for brain loss. As stated in an earlier post I have lost many memories over the years. I found out I was having seizures in my sleep. I could have had these for years. I took a nap and I seized and my daughter found me. Getting off the topa( which is a seizure medication) and going on Keppra has given me life. I want to learn again, research and try anything new. Too bad Keppra doesn't helpwith the drinking. I can't tell you if I was depressed on it. I was just a nonthinking mess.
I am so healthy overall now except for the crutch of alcohol.
A question, have several of you actually met in person? You seem to know each other very well. Has any of you gone to AA? From I am reading I assume several of you are making a pact to quit on Monday. Are you doing that with Antibuse.
I am afraid to quit because I am afraid of the side effects and the lack of sleeping.

[spacebebe01]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Meggie glad you posted and happy for you that you are feeling well now.

To answer your questions I think only Sun and Play have met in person who are on this thread now, I should have met Play last year but couldnt go. I used to go to AA and went for quite a long time but dont like it, I only went because I didnt know of any other help around. I like the idea of going and meeting people in person and having somewhere to go but dont like all the other stuff that goes with it, some people do tho. and your last question Both Sun and Play are starting on Monday to not drink of a weekday but be able to have a drink of a weekend by using antabuse, Dizzy is already doing this. I hope that clears things up for you.

What will happen if you stoped drinking depends on how much and how long youve been drinking for usually, do you want to stop drinking altogether or control your drinking?

I am really lucky right now, my intentions have never been to stop drinking totally but I have already cut down a lot except for the bender that lasted a few days in December I then went back to drinking some beers of an evening, I decided not to drink over Christmas tho as I had family staying and havent had a drink since. At that time I had just changed my medication for bipolar to Epilim and cant think of any other difference, I obviously dont have proof its the Epilim that has caused the change but theres no way I want to stop taking it to find out. I do still think about drink some times but I dont crave anymore, nor do I have an aversion to it, its just not there, some day I might like to enjoy a glass of wine or a cool beer with a meal but thats just not happening today, as in Im not going to be going out for a nice meal any time now so its not an issue. Even typing this tho makes me nervous because I do keep worryin g that my bubble will burst and I will drink and go on a bender again so I will stop typing quick

[WaitingToExhale]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi All ?.

Well, I have just been away because as Sun said (for me) I just didn?t feel like I have much to contribute. But I miss you guys!

I can?t possibly catch up on all with everyone right now, and with VDay about to hit ? time is even harder .. I?m sorry.

SUN! I missed your birthday! Shame on me!! Dang it! Well, we all celebrate BDs when we get together soon. And Play and Sun you KNOW you are more than welcome here when Houtx visits in March!! Houtz ? get the dates together so I know when you are coming! ***laughing Boitoi***

So basically I am about same ol, same ol. Dammit. Some days better than others ? but mostly the same. I am temped at time to try Topa again and then the fear sets in again after what had happened.

Sun, Play (and whoever else is doing it!) ROCK ON with AB! I hope it is your answer to a great jumpstart! Play, like you, I am a Nooner that starts to crave. UGH! Awful!

SPACE!!! I am SO HAPPY for you and whatever the heck made a great change for you and not drinking. YEA!!!!!

A quick hello to Nora ? as you just popped into my mind ? HUGS

OK ? This about as much as I can write tonight. WELCOME and hello to all I missed.

Please know you are all in my heart and mind ?.

WTE & C

[playland]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Dear WTE, how wonderful to have you back, we missed you as we'll, and this is odd that, I Swear To God or The Universe Or to Myself or whatever, that I was taking a nice bath 5 minutes ago and thinking that when I got out I would email you, I've just been busy and let it slip by, and then Wham, here you are when I opened my computer and you weren't here befor I took the bath, anyway:h

Play

[playland]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Again,

I have a few things I want to post about and it would take all night, so I'm going to make a list here so that I don't forget the topics when I come back tomorrow.

1: the thing about this being a Topa thread and perhaps some people might find it strange that many of us are no longer taking it.

2: I recently stopped taking my Zoloft that I have been taking for over 15 years and the amazing experience that caused it.

3: I am going to read back to my initial experience with Topa on this thread about a year ago and list the page numbers so some Topa newbies can read about my experience.

4: the fact that Sun and I are starting our AB experiment on Monday. We thought about starting a new thread for it but finally decided we might overextend ourselves regarding time to put into it. I also :thanks am selfish, I just love our thread and want to keep things here, lurkers will see it anyway LOL.

5: yes, some of us have met in person and have no regrets, my best friends are right here, I'm thanking the Universe for you and I look forward to meeting more of you.

Well, I may add other thoughts to this and they probably won't be in this order but it is a start, so bye for now, I'm going to start collecting my thoughts.

For now, I'm feeling a great sense of relief that something big is happening again finally with what Sun and I are trying. Dizz, you did this first off and I so admire that you had such courage to do this by yourself, and I know that you talked about it a little at first but none of us really were too enthusiastic about it I guess, but it finally got thru to me and Sun was already thinking of it too, so thank you.

Going to think and get to bed early. Oh yes, trying to taper a bit, I'm holding at three glasses of wine the last three days, not great but not so bad I guess.

Love and Pace,
Play

[spacebebe01]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Welcome back WTE great to get up this morning and see your post

I am so looking forward to hearing more from you today Play, you are doing really well with just drinking 3 glasses, I know you will be fine.

Got to go now but will check back in soon x

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Good Morning everyone - WTE - lovely to see you here again! You have been missed and you DO have stuff to contribute - we all do - our experiences with topa for one thing !! then there is your great advice and comments on what is going on with the rest of us ....... you HAVE been missed !!

Meggie - was the Topa giving you seizures or were you having them before the topa? have you stopped them now that the topa is stopped? Or is it 'cos you are taking the keppra - I have never heard of that. Yes, as Play said, she and I have met and I have also met WTE. We all got on really well together and I am planning on going to visit again soon !!

Play - I do think you are doing wonderfully re the amount you are drinking. i am not doing so well and am rather worried about the sweats and sleeplessness, which Meggie commented on too, but I know it will only be a couple of nights and will handle it. I am going to try and cut way down today and over the weekend so Monday isn't too much of a shock to my system!! I must try and remember to take the L-Glut and hopefully that will help.

teezah - so glad that things have looked upo for you. Often with Topa, the SE's go away once your body gets used to a certain dose, which is why we always say to stay on a dose rather than go up, if you are experiencing SE's. And that it is working for you is wonderful!! I am not familiar with the nootropic - modalert - it is a long time since I read the book - what is it used for?

Houtx - Good to see you - we will keep you posted next week on how we do and yes - maybe you can do it too. I have high hopes for me with it.

Hi there space - how is your son's toothache? I don't blame him for being worried about going to see about it after his last experience! You are sounding pretty good at the moment too, which is nice to hear......

I need to get ready for work,

Hugs, sun XX

[playland]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Off to work, went to bed at 9:30 rather than 12:30 probably because I didn't drink as much which makes me stay up later, didn't eat my way thru the evening, feeling pretty chipper thi morning.

Peace and Love to everyone here,
Play

[teezah]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Dizzy Bee ? Hope you have managed to get through the week ok! Been thinking about you >>hug