Does Campral work?

[Tatahi5]

Hey All,
I am searching like most of us for answers. I am wondering if any of you have tried "Campral" and if you had a positive experience with the drug or not. I keep reading about Baclofen on here but I am nervous to take something that I would probably have to get online. Hopfully the Doctors will come around on that one. Have any of you triend any other med that helped?
Thank you for you time!!!
~t.

[spuddleduck]

Does Campral work?

ive been on campral since feb and have been mostly AF. now im not actually convinced it is the campral as i didnt feel any 'different' towards alcohol. maybe it has helped in combination with a bit of determination. who knows, im staying with it though. i think its worth trying

[Tatahi5]

Does Campral work?

Thanks for the imput

Thanks for the reply....I am finally going in to see my Dr. on Friday and am going to come clean about my drinking. I am nervous. To say "Hi. You know me. I'm Taya. I have been lying to you for a very long time." I'm not even sure I would be quiting but I feel like I am going to kill myself if I do this any longer. I have quit many times and been to AA many, many times. I am prying this or another med helps give me the extra edge I need. I want sobriety. I want health. I want to be whole and happy again. I just can't do it alone.

[Tatahi5]

Does Campral work?

BTW...that quote at the bottom of your response was my facebook status today

[Sunnyvalenting]

Does Campral work?

Taya,
Check out all the meds mentioned here. I am Alcohol Free for 8 months now thanks to baclofen. Campral, topamax, and Naltrexone also have their success stories. Unfortunately I failed on all 3. Baclofen saved my life.
Good luck and keep trying until you find what works for you. I promised my son I would keep trying despite numerous failed attempts over several years. Glad I kept at it. Glad you joined this forum. there is a lot of wisdom and experience here.
Sunny

[taytayhi5]

Does Campral work?

I have been reading some clinical studies on Bac and I think it is worth a try. But, how do I get it? I am seeing my Dr. on Friday but it sounds like most Docs will not perscribe it. Another person said he spends $300 a month on it and I don't have that kind of money...(not even for alcohol)....What are my options?

I changed my profile name from Bjghakh

[taytayhi5]

Does Campral work?

Thanks for the welcoming Sunny. I see that you are a regular here. I already feel better knowing I have the support of MWO. I will let you know how it goes at my apointment. I hope he is reseptive to trying me out on Bac...or something at least.

...and congrats on being alcohol free for 8months! I hope I can say that in, well, about 8 months and a few days from now!!

[ThirdMan]

Does Campral work?

Hey Taya! Congrats on finding this forum, because it is very helpful and people can be very specific, and for that reason I wouldn't worry too much about ordering your medication online. I guess several people on here have much higher regard for doctors than I do, but ordering online I found to be simpler and LESS stressful than seeing a doctor actually. I am lucky because someone put me in touch with one and it is good to have one in case an order gets lost in the mail (which has happened to me once now, but it is rare) or in case of emergency it is preferable of course.

But ordering online has its advantages in that: A) you don't have to confess your drinking habits to a medical professional. We know it is unhealthy, but medical professionals can certainly make you feel a lot worse, and they almost always insist on running expensive test immediately. Furthermore there's just the embarrassment. B) they don't honestly know what will work and what side effects you may have any better than you will. Seriously. Doctors are just as clueless and the whole thing quickly becomes apparent that together you are just playing a potentially expensive and uncomfortable guessing game. Most often you are just telling them the obvious, only to hear back the obvious. C) There's a good chance they won't give you what you want!

And all this when no one here has had any life-threatening problems from taking Bac, and when you can find more valuable info than any doctor will ever give you about a med in a 30 minute session anyway. Honestly, I'd go with what works and if Campral doesn't do the trick I'd start hitting up India for some meds that do STAT!

[ItsJustMe]

Does Campral work?

Hi Taya –

I have actually used Camprel for several months and it really didn’t do anything for me. It did lower the cravings – but they did not go away. Also there are no issues with you drinking while on Camprel so for me it really was not that effective. The only thing I have found that is 100% effective is Antabuse. No it does not make the cravings go away but it does remove the debate in your head about if you are going to drink or not. It removes that typical “I deserve a drink” moment. You cannot drink while taking Antabuse. You can’t skip a morning does and drink that evening. Doing so will make you very very sick. Technically Antabuse interrupts the normal metabolism of Al in your system.

No offence to ThirdMan at all. I know many that have done well with on-line pharmacies. However, I am in the pharmaceutical industry and have a much different take. You really have no way of knowing what you are getting. Could be fake or expired drugs. Could be lots that are destined for other countries so they are not FDA regulated. If there is a recall and you are getting lots going to the UK and you live in the US for example, you would never be notified of the recall. You also need tests with just about any med you take. Most all of them have some adverse affect that needs to be monitored so your dosage can be adjusted. Also to agree with Thirdman, I don’t that that your standard primary care doc is going to be much help. For me, I went a step further and avoided dealing with my PCP and went to a psychiatrist. He has the training do deal with stuff like this and can medicate me as well as discuss my triggers, etc. Since he understands the issues he augmented my Antabuse with Xanax to deal with the extreme anxiety when the cravings hit hard. He also closely monitors the Xanax dosage to make sure I am not trading one addiction with another. In my opinion, it is well worth it. And mental health is covered under most commercial health insurance plans. Even if not covered, I’d still recommend that route. However, there is a big difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist or licensed counselor. You really need the psychiatrist because of the three, s/he is the only one that can prescribe.

Well, that’s my two cents for what it’s worth. I wish you luck on this journey.

ItsJustMe
AF since 8/21/10

[taytayhi5]

Does Campral work?

Hey All

So after reading all of your wornderful responses, ideas and input and reading everything else I could find online about Bac I think I am set. Friday I will see my Dr, present the info I am going to print off and see what he says. If he says "no"..really hoping he is willing to work with me.. I think I will give it a go myself...(with help and support from MWO fellow friends). I keep thinking, "but I don't have the money for $150+ a month for Bac." But really? Who am I kidding? I spend that and them some and some more on wine. And it sounds like if I can find my switch afterwards I will be able to maintain my sobriety for a lot less.

Question: Many say they are not working when they are searching for the switch. Will I be too tired to work? I do not have an option, (I have a six-year old who as it turns out likes to eat So not working is not an option. I know I can work tired...I have been drunk or hung over for 14 years so Bac tired can't be that bad, right? Titer up slowly I guess.

I will keep you all posted. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your advice and help. I am more ready then ever to be sboer. I want it; I can taste it.
:thanks:
I don't want to die yet.
~t.

[taytayhi5]

Does Campral work?

Thank you 3rdman and IJM for your time

[RV434]

Does Campral work?

Hello and welcome to this wonderful site.

Personally, Campril didn't do a thing for me except mess with my digestive system. Also found that taking it 3x/day was difficult to adhere to sometimes with a busy schedule; would just forget.

People here seem to be having success with all types of different meds (BAC, Topo, Naltrexone, Campril) so whatever works. Naltrexone seems to be a "wonder drug" for me so I just stick with that.

[Blondemerlot]

Does Campral work?

Tried "AA",Natrexone and tOPA..dID NOT WORK.
doES ANY OWN KNOW WHERE i CAN GET THE RIGHT MEDICATION AND THERAPY IN THE tAMPA BAY AREA?

i AM DESPERATE!!
E-MAIL ME AT KATYLOU888@MSN.COM

tHANKS

[Rusty]

Does Campral work?

Welcome Blondemerlot,

You can get MUCH cheaper meds on line. I have been on 30 mg 3 times per day and I've been AF for most of the time, with the exception of about 6 or 7 days, sine the end of June. I live in the US and some of the more affordable online pharmacies are 4Rx, Goldpharma, and Inhouse.

Good luck with everything and PM me if you need to.

Rusty

[vette]

Does Campral work?

I have had success for almost 2 years after going to Florida Alcohol Rehab & Drug Treatment Centre Mental Health Programs - A.T.I for 30 days in Clearwater. It is a non-12 step approach where you get to the root cause of your problem-drinking, of course, is not the problem-it is the result of the underlying problem. Hope this helps. They will give you medication also-I continue to use Campral.