NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

[Phoenix1]

I spent a lot of time yesterday reading about this med and the Sinclair method and all the glowing reports of how well it worked,apparently 80% get cured by just taking a pill one hour before they drink.If its really a wonder drug,then why isn't everybody taking it?
I was just wondering how many here have tried it and if so can you just reply and say yea or nay as regards if it worked for you.
I went ahead and ordered it anyway from Riverpharmacy so I understand it can take up to a month to receive it,is that correct.
Any thoughts at all either way?
Thanks,phoenix
PS,I have to go out but will be back later.

[scot98]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

Hi Phoenix1,

I have been taking Naltrexone for the best part of 7 months following the sinclair method.
I do have concerns regarding the sinclair method, it has not 'cured' me, not that I really thought that possible anyway!
Initially I experienced what was a great result, the initial 9 weeks were great, lowered craving and my consumption dropped 1/3 to a half, sometimes less. Sadly it increased in April and has not fluctuated much at all since then, though it certainly less than I was drinking previous to Nal.
My main concerns are that in my opinion 78% cured is grossly wrong, the subjects in the trial were drinking WAY less than me and likely others following the method. Studies on rats are fine also but human beings are not like rats.

Having now come across as being negative about Naltrexone, it is a very useful drug in my opinion and it really depresses me that here in the UK it is not available on the health service, I think if you are in the US then you have more chance getting a script.
I could not have drank for the past 7 months without it and have not suffered blackouts or general drunken mishaps I do believe that taking nal has put a stop to progression of the illness.......all good in my opinion!

There are some people who appear to get amazing results from following the sinclair method, that is fantastic and I am really happy for them, I just don't believe it's anywhere near the success rates quoted.

You would be best to start at 25 mg initially for a few days before increasing up to 50mg to lessen initial side effects.

I really hope my post hasn't come across too negative, it is a great medication and really hope it helps you the way it has benefited me.....and more!

Best wishes

[FallonsMom]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I'm picking Nal up later today my Dr finally put me on it so I will let you know

[Cinders]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I did "nal" for 3 months and I did not get any good results. Although, reading the website for naltrexone, I believe I gave up way too early.

Try it. Follow it religiously. I know that many on the naltrexone website have been cured. What an awesome testitmony.

I couldn't wait. My alcoholism had done so much to my body that waiting 6 or 12 months was not possible.

But, do not be deterred, Try it, follow the regimin and do it. It is the giving up that gets us. Do it.

Much strength anfd hope for you.

Love,
Cindi

[hoping4better]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I also did TSM (The Sinclair Method) for almost a year with no real results or lessening in consumption. I wish this method had worked for me, as it has the least amount of side effects (between baclofen and topamax, anyway) does not have to be taken for life (you only take it if you want to drink) and it seems to work for a lot of people. If you can be patient and give it at LEAST 8-10 months, it just may work for you, too.

[pompeyman]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

since recently been thro what i now believe to have been a moderate state of DT s having been on NAL for 7 months i do believe it greatly reduced the old trick of buying vodka, coke (a cola!!) mixing the 2 and pretending i wasnt as bad as i was in terms of AL .. still drank wine and beer ... i def had less blackouts whilst on nal which my docs have now stopped since my psychotic DT s episode in hospital last week .... my health profs are not convinced about TSM .... to be be truthful neither am i any more which is why they have pulled the plug on the scrip ... i have no view one way or the other ..., still on acamprosate and my non speciallist GP (great guy) sugegsted thst we double my sccrip because i'm over 60 pounds ...... these professionals in my experience only want the best for us , their patients, but it is their life and their families they have to provide for ....... it takes a brave person to risk their income for their kids ..... i deeply respect these people and am truely grateful for the risks they choose to take in terms of prescriptions ..... it could go horribly wrong for any of us ... will be eternally grateful to most of these professionals trying to help x

[RedThread12]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

Here's a link to forum similar to this that is strictly about using naltrexone according to the Sinclair method: thesinclairmethod.com • Index page

You'll find a variety of stories. It works for some people, not for others. We have several members who were/are members of that forum but weren't finding the hoped-for outcomes and have added baclofen as a means to reduce drinking.

It certainly seems a worthwhile option. But tracking the SM forum it doesn't appear there's anything close to 80% success. But for those for whom it works . . . it really works! Good luck!

[Otter]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

Nal

Here is an article about Naltrexone and the TSM:

The Paradoxical Sinclair Method For Treating Alcohol Dependence - Mark Dombeck, Ph.D.

It is a bit worrying.

The clinical trial of Baclofen shows that it works in 88% of cases. Nal works on a different area of the brain which is why it does not work in the same way to make a person indifferent to alcohol.

[eight days a week]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I completely agree with Scot.

For those it works well for, it seems to be an incredible 'cure', absolutely. But the numbers of these from the sinclair method website itself are not encouraging at all that the % is anywhere near the 78% reported in the book.

I've been on it for a year myself. My early reaction was really promising, and it seemed to completely remove the magical 'allure' that alcohol has always had for me, but that wasn't enough for me to stop drinking. In fact, after five months on TSM I was in as bad a state almost as when I started (which is pretty bad indeed).

I have to take diazepam daily for extreme GAD and some including Eskapa have said this may interfere with the process, but as far as I know have never fully explained this beyond a pretty heavy 'hunch' (and that included a close professional acquaintance of both Sinclair and Eskapa that I consulted). So I just go on the numbers of others I've seen who've given TSM a really proper go for up to a year.

What I think is pretty sure is that for almost everybody it removes enough of the attraction of alcohol that with determination (or quite possibly even without it) you can cut down at least somewhat, and that in general people have fewer blackouts and incidents where they lost control - and this is something wonderful!! So, my opinion's that it's a very useful medicine, but only a complete 'cure' for a small percentage.

If you're not in any immediate danger and can afford up to a year to try it then I'd fully recommend it. If you're one of the 'cured' by TSM then your life will be transformed Otherwise I'd recommend Baclofen, just based on my own experience.

[Rusty]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I have taken both BAC and NAL. BAC worked so much better for me with regard to controlling cravings....at 60 mg. per day.

[Sunnyvalenting]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I, too, tried nal but the side effects were disabling. The bac worked beautifully and 100% for me. I was put on both in January but after a few weeks stopped the nal. There may be some usefulness in taking both to attack this disease at 2 fronts.
Sunny

[sylvia1]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

Im another one who has been on tsm for six months now. Am I cured? no I dont think so but the benifits are huge for me. In 6 months Ive never had a fall or an unexplained bruise- these were a constant in my life, Ive broken every single toe I have at some time or another. Ive never had a blackout since I started, one or two vague bits at the end of one or two nights but thats it. I used to wake up in the early hours drenched in sweat and sometimes worse full of anxiety with my heart pounding to say nothing of that awfull guilt, again that is all a thing of the past. Rows with hubby about drink were also a constant and that too is gone.

YES I still drink too much at times and some of the hiding and sneaking are still there a little bit and this is something that I would love to see gone.

One of the big differences for me is that now when I go out I no longer focus totally on alcohol and can really enjoy the night for what it is. On Saturday night I was so busy talking that I missed the bar closing and it didnt really bother me at all. It was hometime anyway and I knew I had alcohol at home, yet when I got home I made a cup of tea and sat with hubby telling him all about the night. That whole senario would just not have been possible 6 months ago. Its great knowing before I go out that Im not going to fall, make a fool of myself or have a complet blackout of the later part of the night.

All that being said I dont think that 80% who try nal have found it benificial to this extent. But it is vital that its taken correctly EVERY SINGLE TIME. Ive now started taking it 2 or 3 hours before drinking because I had one or two occasions when I didnt wait the full hour and I could feel the difference straight away and had a greyout one of those nights. You might ask why when nal has all these benifits for me would I even attempt to mess with the formula- why indeed?- I guess because Im an alcoholic and old habits die hard.

I would eencourage anyone who is drinking alcoholically to try nal- after all there is nothing to lose and from what I can see over in the tsm site its very few that it has no benifits at all for.

[Phoenix1]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

I want to thank everybody for there replies,I really do appreciate it.I'll give it my best shot since I've already ordered it online and hope for the best but after more research I think bac would have been a better option.
Still,it's worth a try,can't wait to start but delivery can be up to a month.
Fallonsmom,how are you getting on,have you started yet.
Phoenix

[eight days a week]

NALTREXONE-too good to be true???

Sunnyvalenting;946387 wrote: I, too, tried nal but the side effects were disabling. The bac worked beautifully and 100% for me. I was put on both in January but after a few weeks stopped the nal. There may be some usefulness in taking both to attack this disease at 2 fronts.
Sunny

Hey Sunny

a few weeks is too soon to quit Nal under TSM I'm sure you know (for some people it takes up to a year) but I'm so glad the Bac worked a treat for you, and completely agree that for some (like me - eight months on TSM but still in a bad state until I added in Bac) a combination may do the trick.

If I had my time again I'd try the Bac first as I think that did most of the work (and going the TSM-only route almost killed me; so bad was my alcoholism, and so long the wait for the 'cure', which never came with Nal alone), but heigh-ho, I'm not in a situation where I want to risk messing around to see what's doing what right now, I'm just glad to be drinking 'normally' and to be free at long last! So, continued Bac and Nal it is for me.

Very best wishes to all

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