Smart choice Naltrex Bac Topo or Campral?

[Bobogo]

New to this great site. thank you to all respondents.

20 year heavy drinker beer and whiskey. Looking to break free. Have read alot of great information on this site.

Have been pescribed Revia = naltrexone by my doctor at $8 a tablet.

If I were to go in a different direction what would be the get off on the right foot and get AF

Revia? Baclofen? Topomax? Campral? Other?

Affordability is also a concern as I'm paying out of pocket here in Canada.

Not looking to take a medication and feel ill after drinking. More the cravings to be supressed and break the routine.

I understand there are a number of factors but I'm looking to skip the trial and error and be sucessful.

Like most my attempts on my own have left me with incredible withdrawl headaches and ringing in the head plus insomnia.

Good news my liver enzymes are normal after a recent test

Thanks everyone much appreciated

[Rusty]

Smart choice Naltrex Bac Topo or Campral?

:welcome: Bobogo!

We are glad to have you here! The best thing you can do is click on the name of the medication you want information on and you will see all the posts and the success/failure rate of the different meds: Topamax, Baclofen, Naltrexone, etc.

I think what works for a particular person depends on what they want to do: moderate or be AF, and how long your problem with alcohol has been going on. My battle with AL started almost 4 years ago. I wasn't an every day heavy drinker but binged frequently on the weekends on everything from wine to vodka. For people who have been heavy drinkers for 20 or 30 years, it can take much longer before they are AF.

Campral gave me very distressing and embarrassing GI problems. I gave up after 2 days...couldn't stand it, and it did nothing for my cravings. Naltrexone is good ONLY if you are drinking because Baclofen and Naltrexone work in two totally different ways.

I became AF on Baclofen....90 mg per day after being on it for about 2 months. It was much more effective than Naltrexone as far as cravings. With Baclofen, as opposed to Naltrexone, I take 30 mg. after breakfast, lunch and in the late afternoon, right before the witching hour. It makes me feel more relaxed, and happier, and makes me indifferent to alcohol. Naltrexone did not do that for me. A word of caution with Baclofen, if you go on a binge while you're on it....you will have the hangover from hell!

River Pharmacy doesn't ship to Canada. Several of the online pharmacies do not ship to Canada, but $$$ wise, ordering through the internet is the way to go. Some people on this thread who live in Canada have their Baclofen shipped to their friends in the US first. If it's disguised in a gift bag, customs should leave it alone.

PM me if I can help more.

Good luck to you,

Rusty

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Smart choice Naltrex Bac Topo or Campral?

Bobogo, I don't think anyone here is going to be able (or willing) to tell you what to do. In fact, I don't think there is a "smart choice" that reduces any other choices to "not smart," but there is an alcohol recovery program called SMART, and it's free!

If you are going to go off any med., it's probably a good idea to talk to the doctor who proscribed it.

There is a ton of good information on this site about all of the medications you mentioned, and the book "My Way Out" actually includes a complete program, part of which involves Topomax. If you want to know more about baclofen, there is a consolidated baclofen thread on this site, and the book that is started it all is titled "The End of My Addiction."

I hate to sound mean, but if you want to "skip the trial and error," just keep drinking. Otherwise, you are going to have to figure out for yourself what direction you want to go, and that will mean being willing to educate yourself about the alternatives along the way.

Good luck. I hope you find what you need here, or somewhere else.