Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

[Full English]

Hi There, I am new to this site. I have tried Baclofen once before, but I only lasted 4 weeks (and up to 60mg a day), and gave into the side effects. I am going to give it another go and decided to start a thread this time. I sure it will help me, but also I hope too it will help others too.
Thanks to all those who post here. I get a lot from what is posted on this site. It is so good to see people succeed.
I am hopeful and determined - so onwards and upwards.
Full English

[christyacc]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Good luck!!

I too am giving it another shot after giving it up for side effects as well.

I will keep my eye on you

Christy

[ThirdMan]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hey guys, good luck and hopefully the second time will be easier as you know what to expect. In case folks have any advice regarding your specific side effects, I guess its safe to assume you were tired a lot... Were any other side effects preventing you from continuing? I was getting major insomnia, but i tried not taking it several hours before bed after someone recommended that and it worked! Now the somnolence isn't as big of a deal.

[Full English]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hi Christy and Thirdman,
Thanks for your replies.
Good luck to you both too.
I will keep an eye out for you too Christy. I hope it goes well for you too second time round.
Thirdman, I was on Bac for about 4 weeks in April/May this year. The main side effects I had were - I was incredibly foggy, after my dose I would sometimes have a real ringing in my ears, sometimes I would get face and eye-twitches. These I was really self-conscious of at work - I blamed them on being tired if anyone asked.
I think the worst side effect was paranoia sometimes and I was generally mopey. My partner commented that they hadn't seen my smile in weeks, that is when I stopped.
This time round, I am going to try not drink (because thanks to this site (thank-you) I have learnt this worsens the side effects and have learnt bac is more effective when you don't drink) and (if I don't drink) I will also stay away from the Nal which I have been on for 14 months with only limited success.

So this time round, you're right thridman, I know a bit more what to expect. I am going to be honest with my partner and upon up that I am on the bac. I am also going to monitor the paranoia - ie that I know it may be the bac that is casing it. If the twitching comes back, I am also going to slow down in my titration. So lots of plans this time round that I have learnt from my last try.
I didn't get the insomnia last time, but this may be because I only got up to 60mg a day. I have been taking my last dose about 5-6pm. So this may help also. Thanks of the advice here thirdman.

I hope all goes well for you both on the bac journey.
Speak soon,
Full English

[Brave Hearted]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hi Fe welcome back. I have been on bac for over a year now with good results. I dont know if this will help but when I was not feeling to good from the side effects I kept bringing to mind that I felt I was in the last chance saloon and that no side effects would be as bad a being on al and the chaos it caused in my life . Just do you best to stick with it in time they will fade !

Regards BH

[wort]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hi Full English,

I combined naltrexone and baclofen; as far as I could tell, the naltrexone did not make the baclofen side effects worse. Now that I have hit the switch, I cannot say which worked: baclofen, naltrexone or the combination.

In any event, naltrexone does no harm, so it won't hurt to continue it.

Lastly, you are doing exactly the right thing to begin tapering off now. If you can get close to AF, then baclofen will become much easier.

Good luck!
-wort

[PhoenixRising]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

It worked for me the second time. I tried to titrate up too quickly the first time and the SE's were a real bear.

[muchthought]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hello FE -

I'm glad you are trying again. RE the mopey thing. I felt the same way, and it lasted a couple months, but it lifted a couple weeks ago and I feel back to myself. Oddly enough, it lifted a couple days after I told my husband about the BAC. Not sure if it was chemical, or it just isn't natural to hide stuff like that with the one you love.

I am on 60mg, I titrated up extremely slowly, like over a period of months, and very inconsistent. Now I am being pretty good at taking those little pills, my mood is MUCH better, I drink less, though I cannot go AF, not for lack of trying.

Good luck!

[Sunnyvalenting]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

My side effects were quite severe at first even on very low doses. It took me several weeks to be able to be comfortable on even on 60/day. That being said with time they went away. I am glad I didn't bail on the plan as I am now at 8 months and down to 15 mg/day and abstinent for 8 months
Sunny

[mamacita]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Hi,
I'm new to this forum, and never knew Baclofen could help with alcohol cravings. I have a doctor's RX for it for restless leg syndrome. I haven't had side effects on 10 mg a night. What's the proper dose for alcohol craving reduction? Some of those numbers sound VERY high to me. Or is that what you need in order for it to work on the alcohol problem? I drink hard liquor nightly, and would love to stop the craving that starts around 5 PM and keeps going through bedtime.
PS I'm female and weight about 130 if that makes a difference in dosage
Thanx

[Sunnyvalenting]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

There is quite a wide range of theraputic dose. anywhere from 15 to 300 mg with an average of 145 mg was recently published. Get a copy of Dr Olivier Ameisen's book "The end of my addiction" (also published later as Heal Thyself- same book). Read the last few chapters for a thorough discussion of baclofen and other drugs for alcohol dependence. It is becoming clear to many scientists that this is a disorder of the brain rather than a spiritual or psychological problem. It is not your"fault" but it is your responsibility. the baclofen is a GABA enhancer and slows down /interrupts the cravings so you can use your judgment and abstain.
I am glad you see your current pattern of drinking as troublesome. It can only get worse.
You can start on 5-10 mg 3 times /day and SLOWLY increase. Side effects include sleepiness. Guess that is why your doc gave it to you. If you are achieving abstinence or at least indifference to alcohol at a given dose then you are on the correct dose.
I have been abstinent for over 8 months on baclofen and currently am on a maintenance dose of 10-15/day. It can at times take a lot to reach the absence of cravings and then one can taper back to the lowest effective dose.
good Luck
sunny

[christyacc]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Just a little update....

I am up to 60mgs per day....so far, the SE's aren't bothersome. I have had incidents of drinking but for the most part, I am not drinking. I drank Saturday day/evening for my ball playoffs and BBQ, but haven't had any since then. I have gone the entire summer drinking almost every single day. I have noticed that thinking about AL doesn't send me to the beer or liquor store. I am feeling good about myself. I have also started a diet, pardon me, a lifestyle change with my hubby. I have lost 8lbs in a week!!!! Exeercise, no AL, and watching my food intake!

I am feeling good....but tired.......

[Seethepony]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Me too!

I started Baclofen in the last days of August, after knocking myself out every evening for the last 15 years. The most I managed to go AF this year was 4 days, when I felt so crap I could barely move.

Since taking Baclofen, there were a few shaky days at the beginning when I continued to drink relentlessly, then, without any real effort, entire five day periods during which I wouldn't drink a thing. The last time I drank "only at weekends" is the early 90s. Last Sunday I suddenly felt the urge to get wrecked, which I did -- but one day out 7 it is a gigantic improvement compared to getting sloshed every single day of the week.

My mother died during this time and was buried yesterday. She had made some elderberry wine in 1978 and there was a bottle of it still around, which we opened in her honour. I drank a glass - it was yummy! And I left it at that. So I got through a whole funeral without getting wrecked. Amazing!

And today, at lunch I had a single pint of beer, which I didn't even finish. So those are the only two alcoholic drinks I've in the last six days.

Thanks Baclofen and everyone on this forum! I may not be 100% AF free but I am 100% healthier than I was a month ago. Thinking about increasing baclofen dosage up a bit (I'm on 90mg per day) but if I can continue to "drink normally" instead of getting plastered at every possible opportunity, I may have already hit "the switch" as they say, or be close.

As for side effects, I have had none other than a day or two of megawatt hangovers at the beginning (alcohol overdose + sudden increase in Baclofen intake = not a good thing). Some sleepiness, which was by no means incapacitating. Great to be able to sleep easily at night without using the sledgehammer of alcohol.

I've had none of the other, scarier side effects - erectile dysfunction and bed wetting are the ones that spring to mind. No hallucinations either. I suppose for those horrors you need to be taking heavyweight dosages.

That's it for now. Good good luck everyone.

[Full English]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and replies.
I will have been on Bac for 2 weeks tomorrow. While I hoped to go totally alcohol free, this hasn't been the case. I have drunk on 3 occasions - but even this for me is pretty amazing. The 5pm alarm bell that normally screams 'drink' everyday hasn't been so strong in the past couple of weeks. But 3 times I have gone ahead and drunk. The first time I did drink I noticed I was sipping a lot slower. The last time (last Thursday) I even left some wine in the bottle. I think that is a first. So all encouraging signs.
I still have had my normal triggers - like a night on my own, or Friday night is a big one for me. It seems habit more than cravings that seems to be a big element in the times I seem to drink.
So 2 weeks in, and I am up to 60mg a day. It is funny, this time around I am not experiencing the side effects I did the first time. I think this is because I have cut back on the booze. The days following drinking, the side effects of bac have been worse - headaches and wooziness. On other days when I haven?t been drinking, the side effects have been pretty minimal. Some ringing in my ears today, and its hard to describe, but today it is like my brain is whooshing in waves. I sort of had this crackle sound in my ears - odd. The only other side effect has been trouble expressing what I have to say. I had to present in a meeting the other day and had real trouble getting my brain and mouth to work together. But these side effects are pretty minimal as compared to my first try on bac.

I have to say most signs 2 weeks in have been very positive. My cravings and drinking days are way down. 3 days in two weeks is more than what I achieved on 14 months on the Sinclair Method. I feel healthier. I had someone ask me last night why did I look so healthy. I didn't say, but the answer is the bac. My appetite has increased I have to say. I can?t stop eating! But I am trying to offset this, by riding my bike everywhere and getting to the gym. So overall I feel pretty good.

(I am not sure how you quote from other posts n this forum? so apologies for replying like I am needing to below)
Thanks Braveheart for welcoming me back. Thanks for the advice on the side effects.
Thanks Wort for the advice on the nal. I think you're right regarding the booze and the side effects. They are a lot worse when I drank.
Thanks Muchthought for the advice on the mopeyness. It certainly has been better this time round. Good to hear you are feeling better.
Sunnyvalenting - congrats on being sober for 8 months and thanks for the advice on the side effects.
Mamacita - welcome to the forum. I wish you luck on bac. My early signs have been promising. I hope it goes well for you too.
8 Days - thanks for your encouragement that you gave me on another thread. I wish you luck on you bac journey. I know it has been a bit of a rocky road for you, but great news you are seeing some results,
Chrisyacc ? good to hear it is going well for you too. I know this is your second time round too. Good to hear you are feeling good and seeing some results. Interesting you are losing weight ? I feel like it is going the other way for me.
Seethepony, good to hear it is also going well for you on the bac front. May the positive signs continue. I am sorry to hear about your Mum.

Very long post. But thanks all for your replies. I wish all well on their bac journies.
Speak soon,
Full English

[Full English]

Baclofen Again - Full English's Thread 2nd Time Round

Been on BAC since 6th September.
My head is swimming, but I thought I would post.
I am at 190mg a day now.
Am going OK and and benefiting from the BAC - but of course there are the side-effects there as well.
I have drunk once in the past 18 days. To be honest I feel like I want some sort of release - but the idea of alcohol doesn't appeal.
I do get some twinges to 'drink' but mostly I am able to say 'no'.
I thought I had reached my switch at 170, but then I drank. (Abstinence is the only option for me). So onwards and upwards.
Side Effects are most certainly there.
The most worrying was chest pains. But these seem to come 3 days after in go up in my dose. My father died of a heart attack quite young, so I thought if the chest pains continue, I would come off the BAC. But the chest pains seem to have gone since I introduced Glutamine in the morning and a multi-vitamin.
I have also introduced Magnesium in the evenings to help me sleep. So whilst I have palpitations occasionally, my chest pains have gone. I have also stopped drinking coffee. This is also amazing. I loved my coffee. I really don't feel like I want stimulants at the moment. No Coke or Diet Coke even. I have become a Tea drinker! I never drank tea - but now I am loving it.
I do still plan to go for a heart test in the next few weeks.
My Side-Effects have been:
- Occasional Palpitations
- Some anxiety and panic attacks. Bit embarrassing at work. But I also used to get them when I was badly hung-over - which was quite often.
- Leg cramps at night (which I think may be a result of the Magnesium)
- Insomnia - I look shocking - with dark lines under my eyes. Insomnia is probably the most annoying side-effect.
- Difficulty concentrating. Writing this email is taking a lot of concentration. I worry that I don't make sense in my work emails.
- Eye Twitching - some times these are really bad at work. I am conscious my eyes and face in twitching in meetings. I must look a site.
- Some Hair loss and face sag. I am very vain - so these are a bit of an issue for me. I look in the mirror and I don't like the way I look, but I like the fact I like me because I am not hung-over and beating myself up because of it - if that makes sense.

But I have to say. If the BAC works - all these side effects are worth it. I have some moments of clarity when I think - I think this is going to work. I so hope it does.
I have tried everything - AA, The Sinclaire Method, Rational Recovery, Hypnotism - so I am really banking on the BAC.
1 days drinking in 18 is pretty amazing for me - so I see that as a good sign.
I will try post more so you can see how it is going.

I have a big presentation at work next week. I am so worried I am going to have a panic attack. Does any know of a natural equivalent of a beta-blocker I could take to calm my nerves?
So all is good. Thanks all who post on this site. It really helps on this journey.
Full English