Baclofen: One year sober. How I did it.
Some personal History: I am a 46 year old male. I started drinking at age 14 on the weekends with high school buddies. Heavy weekend drinking continued on and off through H.S and college until age 25, at which point it became nightly. From 25-39, I estimate my average consumption was 8-10 units (US) per night. At 39 my drinking escalated to between 10-13 units per night. This amount quickly became unsustainable. My work performance began to deteriorate. I decided to attempt to quit. From 39-45, I was able to go AF for brief 3-6 month intervals, but always returned to double-digit consumption due to intense, uncontrollable cravings. I could no longer conceal my level of intoxication from my wife. My friends and peers began to comment on my appearance. Acute physical/psychological symptoms began to emerge (bruising, terrible diarrhea, sweating, shaking, profound anxiety, etc.). Everything was beginning to unravel. I knew I was at the end of the line. Thankfully, along came Baclofen.
I came across a story on Dr. Ameisen and Baclofen during the summer of 2009. During my research, I discovered this forum, which has proved to be an invaluable source of information. There were only a few early adopters on the site then, so multiple, comprehensive, long term testimonials weren't available. Still, I was eager, so I ordered my first batch of Baclofen from 4RX in July, 2009.
I had no interest in moderation as others on the forum were attempting. I wanted to quit. So before the Baclofen arrived, I went to my doctor and explained my situation (minus my plan for the Baclofen). She prescribed a small amount of Valium and Ambien to help me with the initial withdrawal, along with Antabuse at my request. I had used Antabuse before with some success, but always stopped taking it when the cravings became unmanageable. I also had a complete blood workup done, primarily to check my liver and kidneys. To my surprise both were still normal.
The Valium and Ambien helped immensely with the initial withdrawal. I began taking 250mg of the Antabuse after my first day sober. I was AF for 1 week when the Baclofen arrived. I followed an aggressive titration schedule as recommended by a member who had done a great deal of research and who had stated that medicine was his profession. Initially, my experience with Baclofen was as advertised. I felt the anxiety lift and the cravings dissipate. It was wonderful. Within 3 weeks, I had upped my dosage to 160mg, desperate to reach the magical "switch". This rapid titration turned out to be a mistake. I began to experience terrible side effects. Profuse sweating, eczema, red face, acute anxiety, memory problems, and a bizarre feeling of "unreality" which made me feel as if I was going insane. I could no longer function, so I slowly reduced my dosage to 80 mg and many of the SEs diminished. Predictably, the cravings returned. I soon stopped taking the Antabuse and resumed drinking.
I did not give up though. I decided to titrate up more slowly, and in two months was back to 150 mg per day (25 at 6:30am, 25 at 11:00am, 50 at 3:30pm, 50 at 7:30pm). My drinking had slowed a bit, but not appreciably. Thankfully, I learned a very important lesson on Nov. 12th, 2009. I drank about 17 units that night, and the next morning I thought I was losing my mind. High levels of Baclofen and alcohol do not mix well. I was done.
Since then, I have taken 150 mg of Baclofen religiously every day along with 125 mg of Antabuse every morning. I could not have made it to this point without both. Baclofen works, but it is not a panacea. Cravings come and go occasionally, almost exclusively at night or during standard trigger points like social events or after a hard week of work. Fortunately, they are not strong and do not last. And unlike before, when I would occasionally equivocate about my morning Antabuse, there is now not a moment of hesitation.
Could I push up the Baclofen dosage and reach complete indifference? Perhaps. But higher levels concern me. And after a year, I am close to indifferent now.
My recommendations:
Go to your doctor. You may need to detox in the hospital. Get a complete blood workup to see where you stand. Ask about other drugs that can help you through the first week. Ask about Antabuse.
4RX has been great. The 25 mg tablets are relatively well priced. The efficacy has been consistent and the customer service has been top notch.
Titrate very slowly. This will help mitigate the side effects. The Antabuse will help you avoid drinking as you titrate up.
Many alcoholics (myself included) suffer from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). My doctor prescribed 20 mg of Celexa. This was too much for me (I do enjoy sex), so I settled on 10 mg per day. It has helped.
Reach a comfortable Baclofen dosage. You may never reach the "switch", but you can reach a dosage that lessen the cravings considerably. This gave me the ability to take a small amount of Antabuse which keeps me from drinking even when briefly tempted.
Fill the void. Exercise, golf, pick up a hobby; anything that will fill the time you spent drinking. This is not something I had anticipated; my void was very large. Plan ahead.
Time. Take my word for it, the cravings dissipate with Baclofen. And so do the side effects (I have none now). There is no doubt in my mind that Baclofen works, but Baclofen is just a part of the whole process; a process that takes time. Don't expect an overnight fix.
Be prepared to work hard at it.
Things will look and feel very different in a year. You won't believe it.
Good Luck. See you in a year.
D.
"There'll be two dates on your tombstone
And all your friends will read 'em
But all that's gonna matter is that little dash between 'em..."
Some personal History: I am a 46 year old male. I started drinking at age 14 on the weekends with high school buddies. Heavy weekend drinking continued on and off through H.S and college until age 25, at which point it became nightly. From 25-39, I estimate my average consumption was 8-10 units (US) per night. At 39 my drinking escalated to between 10-13 units per night. This amount quickly became unsustainable. My work performance began to deteriorate. I decided to attempt to quit. From 39-45, I was able to go AF for brief 3-6 month intervals, but always returned to double-digit consumption due to intense, uncontrollable cravings. I could no longer conceal my level of intoxication from my wife. My friends and peers began to comment on my appearance. Acute physical/psychological symptoms began to emerge (bruising, terrible diarrhea, sweating, shaking, profound anxiety, etc.). Everything was beginning to unravel. I knew I was at the end of the line. Thankfully, along came Baclofen.
I came across a story on Dr. Ameisen and Baclofen during the summer of 2009. During my research, I discovered this forum, which has proved to be an invaluable source of information. There were only a few early adopters on the site then, so multiple, comprehensive, long term testimonials weren't available. Still, I was eager, so I ordered my first batch of Baclofen from 4RX in July, 2009.
I had no interest in moderation as others on the forum were attempting. I wanted to quit. So before the Baclofen arrived, I went to my doctor and explained my situation (minus my plan for the Baclofen). She prescribed a small amount of Valium and Ambien to help me with the initial withdrawal, along with Antabuse at my request. I had used Antabuse before with some success, but always stopped taking it when the cravings became unmanageable. I also had a complete blood workup done, primarily to check my liver and kidneys. To my surprise both were still normal.
The Valium and Ambien helped immensely with the initial withdrawal. I began taking 250mg of the Antabuse after my first day sober. I was AF for 1 week when the Baclofen arrived. I followed an aggressive titration schedule as recommended by a member who had done a great deal of research and who had stated that medicine was his profession. Initially, my experience with Baclofen was as advertised. I felt the anxiety lift and the cravings dissipate. It was wonderful. Within 3 weeks, I had upped my dosage to 160mg, desperate to reach the magical "switch". This rapid titration turned out to be a mistake. I began to experience terrible side effects. Profuse sweating, eczema, red face, acute anxiety, memory problems, and a bizarre feeling of "unreality" which made me feel as if I was going insane. I could no longer function, so I slowly reduced my dosage to 80 mg and many of the SEs diminished. Predictably, the cravings returned. I soon stopped taking the Antabuse and resumed drinking.
I did not give up though. I decided to titrate up more slowly, and in two months was back to 150 mg per day (25 at 6:30am, 25 at 11:00am, 50 at 3:30pm, 50 at 7:30pm). My drinking had slowed a bit, but not appreciably. Thankfully, I learned a very important lesson on Nov. 12th, 2009. I drank about 17 units that night, and the next morning I thought I was losing my mind. High levels of Baclofen and alcohol do not mix well. I was done.
Since then, I have taken 150 mg of Baclofen religiously every day along with 125 mg of Antabuse every morning. I could not have made it to this point without both. Baclofen works, but it is not a panacea. Cravings come and go occasionally, almost exclusively at night or during standard trigger points like social events or after a hard week of work. Fortunately, they are not strong and do not last. And unlike before, when I would occasionally equivocate about my morning Antabuse, there is now not a moment of hesitation.
Could I push up the Baclofen dosage and reach complete indifference? Perhaps. But higher levels concern me. And after a year, I am close to indifferent now.
My recommendations:
Go to your doctor. You may need to detox in the hospital. Get a complete blood workup to see where you stand. Ask about other drugs that can help you through the first week. Ask about Antabuse.
4RX has been great. The 25 mg tablets are relatively well priced. The efficacy has been consistent and the customer service has been top notch.
Titrate very slowly. This will help mitigate the side effects. The Antabuse will help you avoid drinking as you titrate up.
Many alcoholics (myself included) suffer from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). My doctor prescribed 20 mg of Celexa. This was too much for me (I do enjoy sex), so I settled on 10 mg per day. It has helped.
Reach a comfortable Baclofen dosage. You may never reach the "switch", but you can reach a dosage that lessen the cravings considerably. This gave me the ability to take a small amount of Antabuse which keeps me from drinking even when briefly tempted.
Fill the void. Exercise, golf, pick up a hobby; anything that will fill the time you spent drinking. This is not something I had anticipated; my void was very large. Plan ahead.
Time. Take my word for it, the cravings dissipate with Baclofen. And so do the side effects (I have none now). There is no doubt in my mind that Baclofen works, but Baclofen is just a part of the whole process; a process that takes time. Don't expect an overnight fix.
Be prepared to work hard at it.
Things will look and feel very different in a year. You won't believe it.
Good Luck. See you in a year.
D.
"There'll be two dates on your tombstone
And all your friends will read 'em
But all that's gonna matter is that little dash between 'em..."
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