Hello all!
I'm pretty new to this community and I'd just like to say thanks for all the information/support I've been able to get by lurking for the past few months!
A little bit about me: I'm a 24 year old male recovering from crippling and nearly fatal alcoholism. From the age of 20-24 I drank myself nearly to death despite two trips to inpatient rehab and a stint in long term intensive outpatient as well. I also tried antabuse,Campral, various antidepressants, anxiety medications, exercise, diet, cognitive behavioral therapy, sober living, intensive 12 step participation, and probably many things that I am forgetting to mention without being able to scrape together more than 90 days of consecutive abstinence.
I am the type of alcoholic who drinks to extreme excess each and every cycle. It is truly an insane affair and usually ends with a barely breathing me laid out in the ICU.
Anyways! Now for the good news- for the past several months I have been doing absolutely great. I read Heal Thyself, which got me interested in exploring GABAb agonists as a possible treatment for my own alcoholism. I broached the baclofen question with my psychiatrist (the only doctor I see), but was shot down quickly on the grounds that baclofen hadn't held up under clinical trials (the extremely low dose one mentioned by Ameisen).
Frustrated, I searched for other compounds with easier access that shared a GABAb agonist profile, and landed on Phenibut. I received my first batch of Phenibut a few months ago and have not had a drink since. The extremely odd thing is that the abstinence has been nearly effortless. The anxiety and panic-inducing cravings are so dulled that I haven't had any problems avoiding alcohol, and hence my life has taken a 180 degree turn for the positive.
Although I am happy with the results I am getting under Phenibut, it comes with some serious drawbacks. As many of you know, high dose Phenibut comes with significant nausea, "hangover" feelings, visual disturbances, etc. Worst of all, the Phenibut is not a viable source for long-term therapy as it rapidly loses its efficacy and requires increasingly large doses to suppress craving. This leads to a nasty dependence cycle and I am very concerned that it may soon not be an option for treating my alcoholism.
I want to switch to baclofen asap. The problem is that I dont have insurance, and my psychiatrist is unwilling to prescribe it to me. I do not have any problems paying for a doctors visit to get baclofen, but I really dont have the money to shop around looking for one who may be willing.
My ultimate question is this: Does anyone know of a baclofen-friendly doctor in or very close to Washington state who may be willing to work with me? I have no problem traveling from my home in Spokane, WA to see them on a monthly/bimonthly basis. Any suggestions would be so very appreciated. This is really a matter of life and death for me.
If you have a suggestion but dont want to post it publicly, you can PM or email me as well.
Thanks all that best of luck to all of you!
I'm pretty new to this community and I'd just like to say thanks for all the information/support I've been able to get by lurking for the past few months!
A little bit about me: I'm a 24 year old male recovering from crippling and nearly fatal alcoholism. From the age of 20-24 I drank myself nearly to death despite two trips to inpatient rehab and a stint in long term intensive outpatient as well. I also tried antabuse,Campral, various antidepressants, anxiety medications, exercise, diet, cognitive behavioral therapy, sober living, intensive 12 step participation, and probably many things that I am forgetting to mention without being able to scrape together more than 90 days of consecutive abstinence.
I am the type of alcoholic who drinks to extreme excess each and every cycle. It is truly an insane affair and usually ends with a barely breathing me laid out in the ICU.
Anyways! Now for the good news- for the past several months I have been doing absolutely great. I read Heal Thyself, which got me interested in exploring GABAb agonists as a possible treatment for my own alcoholism. I broached the baclofen question with my psychiatrist (the only doctor I see), but was shot down quickly on the grounds that baclofen hadn't held up under clinical trials (the extremely low dose one mentioned by Ameisen).
Frustrated, I searched for other compounds with easier access that shared a GABAb agonist profile, and landed on Phenibut. I received my first batch of Phenibut a few months ago and have not had a drink since. The extremely odd thing is that the abstinence has been nearly effortless. The anxiety and panic-inducing cravings are so dulled that I haven't had any problems avoiding alcohol, and hence my life has taken a 180 degree turn for the positive.
Although I am happy with the results I am getting under Phenibut, it comes with some serious drawbacks. As many of you know, high dose Phenibut comes with significant nausea, "hangover" feelings, visual disturbances, etc. Worst of all, the Phenibut is not a viable source for long-term therapy as it rapidly loses its efficacy and requires increasingly large doses to suppress craving. This leads to a nasty dependence cycle and I am very concerned that it may soon not be an option for treating my alcoholism.
I want to switch to baclofen asap. The problem is that I dont have insurance, and my psychiatrist is unwilling to prescribe it to me. I do not have any problems paying for a doctors visit to get baclofen, but I really dont have the money to shop around looking for one who may be willing.
My ultimate question is this: Does anyone know of a baclofen-friendly doctor in or very close to Washington state who may be willing to work with me? I have no problem traveling from my home in Spokane, WA to see them on a monthly/bimonthly basis. Any suggestions would be so very appreciated. This is really a matter of life and death for me.
If you have a suggestion but dont want to post it publicly, you can PM or email me as well.
Thanks all that best of luck to all of you!
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