Shall I try Baclofen again?

[I-want-to-be-sober]

I have tried Baclofen in the past to no avail. Maybe because my dose (225mg @ 95kg ~ 2,4mg/kg) was too low? Once I ran out of the drug and suffered severe withdrawal symptoms (delirium) and was treated with Haldol and high doses of Valium.

I have tried therapies and all other available anti-craving-drugs without success and know that I will likely die because of alcoholism before getting 35 if I find no solution for my problem. If you were in my situation would you give Baclofen another chance at a higher dose? Is it realistic that eg. 300-350mg stop my cravings altough the 225mg didn't reduce them?

Thanks in advance

[Light Of Daz]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Hi IWTBS
:welcome:

I'm sorry to hear you went through horrible withdrawal. Did you receive any benefit from the 225mg you were on previously (reduced drinking/cravings/etc)? Regardless, I'm glad you chimed in here and hope you find something that works.

There was a recent success story on here of someone's brother (or maybe husband) who drank all the way up to 3XX mg and was a bear to deal with on the way up, but he hit the switch and was eventually successful. All I can say is the switch for me is absolutely real.

Please keep trying, whatever you do.

[I-want-to-be-sober]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

:thanks: for the nice welcoming!

Unluckily the 225mg did nothing for me, but I also had no sigificant side effects. I have very high tolerance to GABAergic drugs in general so maybe I really need to try ~350mg / day. I could accept that I would become physically dependent to Baclofen again if it stopped the craving for alcohol.

[Seethepony]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Difficult for me to say, because baclofen had a very positive effect on me, far sooner than I expected. If you've taken 225 mg/day without seeing any benefits (regarding your attitude to alcohol) it could simply be it will never work for you.

On the other hand, several people have reported getting nothing out of Baclofen up until stratospheric doses - though they usually had negative side effects before getting there.

Look at it this way: if you try again, and it doesn't work, it's a disappointment. But if it does work, it's better than winning the lottery; for me it's meant having a life, instead of a never ending series of hangovers, panic attacks, and blackouts.

I'd give it another try.

[PhoenixRising]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

I almost quit at 225 because it just wasn't working and it was Tiptronic_ct who suggested I go just a little higher and BAM I hit it at 245. (Also my second try, I gave up the first time)

[hangingoninFL]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Yes, I was ready to throw in the towel at 250, but I persevered, and went gangbusters last weekend (read my thread "well i did it .."). You probably are just one of those that needs a higher dose. Dr. Levin believes (and I agree) that the switch is not just a function of body weight but that genetics and brain chemistry are equally important factors.

But do make sure that you order enough not to run out next time, I did that once and had to titrate down rather quickly and it sent me into a pretty dark depression!

[Dabhar]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Worth another try

I'm on my second try also...I got blasted after increasing from only 60mg per day to 90mg. At 60 I had reached a total "indifference" to drinking...although I still chose to drink...but at least had the freedom to choose...which as we all know here is a miracle compared to our previous states of no-choice.

Give it a second shot....perhaps increase the dose very gradually...wait and watch for the point where the indifference sets in. If you get at least THAT...then you are free to exercise the little will-power to stop (which AA says is impossible...but not here!) As long as the side effects don't interfere...take it up another notch...but once you are into the 300 range....might be time to re-evaluate. Baclofen works for many...but like anything else...not for all. Listen to your body. Hope for the best...good luck.

Dab

[ignominous]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Thanks to Dab for bumping this thread. Its great to reread about people having success when they just pushed a bit further.
I'm at 220mg and been here for some time. Having misgivings about going higher but frankly don't have an alternative plan.
Also re your post Hangin, maybe give us an update there even if you have to write while drunk!
Sober I want to add something useful to your thread but am not able to contribute much except to echo Seethepony's sentiments.

[I-want-to-be-sober]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

I will give it a second shot, but it will take some time before I have Baclofen again. My upper limit will be 450mg / day (~4,7mg/kg), if I don't "hit the switch" at that dose I see no point in going any higher and even with my high tolerance to GABAergics the side effects would likely be too strong to do so anyway.

[AllyB]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

A question about the switch. When people hit it do they hit it on the day they titrate up or do they hit it several days after uping the dose? My husband had the weekend off this weekend (first one in over 2 months) and titrated up on Friday and stayed at that dose on Saturday and Sunday. He says that while he feels an awful lot better on the bac he is still getting cravings.

My instinct is that he should stay at this dose for a week or two and see how he fares. Maybe let the SEs level out, he is having insomnia and occasional muscle spasms. (Am I right that people have found exercise helps with these?) But can he hit the switch at this level or will he have to go up again?

Also he drank quite a bit last week on 5 different days, will that still be having an effect on the SEs? And will it hinder him from reaching the switch? Do people who go AF early on baclofen have a lower switch point?

[rudolf]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

i am at 350 now and think that the switch is close...

[Publius]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

I-want-to-be-sober;987539 wrote: Unluckily the 225mg did nothing for me, but I also had no sigificant side effects. I have very high tolerance to GABAergic drugs in general so maybe I really need to try ~350mg / day. I could accept that I would become physically dependent to Baclofen again if it stopped the craving for alcohol.
For some, myself included, baclofen helps curb cravings gradually as the dose increases, and starting at 50 mg, my cravings started to be affected, and now at 110mg/day, the cravings are a mere fraction of what they once were. That being said, the doctor who prescribed it to me, someone with a lot of experience with this treatment, instructed me that it is quite possible that I won't feel anything until I reach my threshold dose, so I wouldn't be discouraged if you haven't felt anything at 2.4 mg/kg, and going up to 3.6 mg/kg or higher may be required for you to reach a dose that is effective.

AllyB;999297 wrote: A question about the switch. When people hit it do they hit it on the day they titrate up or do they hit it several days after uping the dose? My husband had the weekend off this weekend (first one in over 2 months) and titrated up on Friday and stayed at that dose on Saturday and Sunday. He says that while he feels an awful lot better on the bac he is still getting cravings.

My instinct is that he should stay at this dose for a week or two and see how he fares. Maybe let the SEs level out, he is having insomnia and occasional muscle spasms. (Am I right that people have found exercise helps with these?) But can he hit the switch at this level or will he have to go up again?

Also he drank quite a bit last week on 5 different days, will that still be having an effect on the SEs? And will it hinder him from reaching the switch? Do people who go AF early on baclofen have a lower switch point?

From what I've heard, people do not hit their switch immediately upon upping to their "switch" dose, it takes a few days for the dose to sink in before your body realizes that that dose is sufficient. I always suggest that people stay at any given dose for a week before titrating up again, as it gives your body time to adjust to that dose. That being said, it is quite possible that that dose won't be sufficient, and you will decide to continue on up. The side effects should dissipate after a few days on any given dose. Going AF is always a good idea for two reasons, one because it will help the side effects, and two because those going AF tend to hit their switch at a lower dose. I believe this is the case because chronic AL abuse, while in the short term lowers anxiety and acts as a substitute for GABA, over the long term it makes the transmission of GABA to the b receptors less effective, so being AF for a period closes the gap of how much of a GABAb agonist you will need to reach a threshold dose.

[rudolf]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

the switch is unfortunaely not a precise science, however I think after 7 months on bac it exists. i was not sure and i am still not sure about it..simple secret is the longer you stay of the booze the better bac works...i thougth many times i've hit it...but was still not there...the SE's actually are bearable even for me who is extremely high up...provided you stay off the booze

[Scuba]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

OK --- you have to let the drug work for you. If you fight it, it will not work. Some people say, "take a deep breath." I say, "just let it go, however it feels best for you."

Anyway, the best thing I have learned is that you have thousands of friends on MWO. Thanks be to God. Use it, it's free.

[AllyB]

Shall I try Baclofen again?

Publius;999353 wrote: From what I've heard, people do not hit their switch immediately upon upping to their "switch" dose, it takes a few days for the dose to sink in before your body realizes that that dose is sufficient. I always suggest that people stay at any given dose for a week before titrating up again, as it gives your body time to adjust to that dose. That being said, it is quite possible that that dose won't be sufficient, and you will decide to continue on up. The side effects should dissipate after a few days on any given dose. Going AF is always a good idea for two reasons, one because it will help the side effects, and two because those going AF tend to hit their switch at a lower dose. I believe this is the case because chronic AL abuse, while in the short term lowers anxiety and acts as a substitute for GABA, over the long term it makes the transmission of GABA to the b receptors less effective, so being AF for a period closes the gap of how much of a GABAb agonist you will need to reach a threshold dose.

Thanks, hopefully with a bit of AF time on this dose he'll hit the switch. At the moment he's still working long hours and not sleeping well so he says he's just too tired to know if he's craving or not. I am a bit worried that he'll get so tired he'll drink to try and pass out into sleep especially as we can't get OTC sleeping tablets in Ireland and the herbal ones don't help at all. Although any time he has drank enough to pass out since being on bac he still wakes up and hour or two later, wide awake and really sober, so he knows it won't help him sleep.

We are going to a big potluck dinner party (emphasis on party) on Friday which will be a good test of what state his cravings are at. Last time we were in an alcoholic environment he was definitely experiencing some cravings. Hopefully he'll notice a difference this time.