How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

[gyco]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

hi otter,ive had bac once,i beleive it was 5 mil,once a day,it was actually for hick ups,i couldnt stop,hicupping,it did stop them,your talking extreme doses,so was the doctor,that thinks its a cure,on 5mil it made me dosil,i guess 80 mil would put you out of it, no at the hi dose there would be side affects,withdrawl and it wouldnt be nice,as far as doctors,i think there doin a great job,most havent a clue on addiction,TABOO, to them,i do wish you well and have a wonderful christmas gyco

[terryk]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

I have no vendetta against Phill and I apologize for my lack of tact that has made it seem that I do. It was not my intention to hurt Phill or drag his name in the mud. I mention the fact that he has lost the right to practice medicine because, by intention or not, he misleads his readers into believing that he is a qualified medical professional *in good standing with the peers and officials of his field*. He is not and that is disingenuous.

I have mentioned previously here just a bit why I feel a doctor might be unimpressed by the text. For the individual that wants to self-prescribe baclofen, Phill offers some of the same useful information that you can find on MWO coupled with a generous helping of baseless speculation, self-promotion of other (unpublished?) books that he claims to have written, no description of what "The Switch" feels like (which maybe not everybody experiences?), and advisement about a controlling and maintainance baclofen dose that conflicts with reports of Dr. Levin's latest statement about the importance of maintaining a high switch dose. Hearsay on all sides, I know, but I've spoken to Dr. Levin twice, I know he's for real and there's many other folks on this forum that will vouch for him. I've checked his license and it's real.

Finally for advice on taking baclofen, Phill writes:

There is absolutely no set protocol, as yet, for using Baclofen to help / treat / cure chronic alcoholism. There is most definitely no "one size fits all" regime. You're pretty well on your own. So, take care!!

If that's the kind of advice you are searching for to determine a course of treatment for yourself, then by all means send $30 to Phill.

I'm not telling anyone not to buy it. I'm just voicing concerns about the information in it, the notion that it is a golden pass to get a doctor to prescribe or even take high dose baclofen seriously, and the fact that the way the book is presented leads the reader to believe that medical advice given comes from a qualified medical professional in good standing in his/her field, which it does not.

Sorry to be the big jerk that ruined Christmas, I'm not proud of it -tk

p.s. and with that, to each his own, I'll try to butt out and shut up

[Raphael]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

terryk;1024397 wrote: Sorry to be the big jerk that ruined Christmas, I'm not proud of it -tk

You shouldn't be.

p.s. and with that, to each his own, I'll try to butt out and shut up

Good

I e-mail Dr Phil at least once a week. And he always replies. FOR FREE. I tried to contact Fred Levin. His housekeeper gave me an appointment to telephone him and (each time) it was going to cost me at least 5 x what you say the book costs. Who's making money here?

I know very little about Dr Phil. And to be honest I don't care. All I know is that he is there whenever I contact him. I'm getting the book. I will tell yu what I think.

Tell us tk, have you ever contacted him?

If not, you should.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Otter;1023013 wrote: what bothers me is that when you talk about alcoholism doctors just go blank. It's really unbelievable isn't it?

I know Phillip Thomas has now written a Baclofen Handbook and it seems to me that whatever you think of him and whatever has befallen him in his profession, which is no different to what happened to Olivier, the next logical step is for doctors to be "educated" on the use of Baclofen and I believe the Handbook is the only book out there at the moment. Hm. Dr. Ameisen and Phillip Thomas took extremely divergent paths for treating their alcoholism. While Dr. Ameisen experienced serious repercussions while seeking treatment for his addiction and anxiety, he was never accused of malpractice or mistreatment of his patients. He closed his private practice so that he didn't jeopardize his patients health.
[/QUOTE]Maybe if anyone has bought the book they could comment on whether it is useful and might be something which you should take to your doctor to show him the way forward. Thank you Terry. I've been meaning to order it, and may, just to continue to gather information. Perhaps the dark art is something they teach at Hogwarts?
[/QUOTE]I don't see what alternative there is when a doctor just turns to you, as ours did, and said she was not an expert in alcoholism. Surely it is a doctor's duty, if they have a patient with an illness to study up on it with whatever information they can find. So why not make it easy for them and put them in an uncomfortable position so they cannot weasel out of it. [/quote]That happened to me and it still makes me furious. I will definitely follow up with her. A pity that I feel like I have to have my alcoholism suppressed in order to be able to introduce her to high-dose baclofen treatment. But I'm well on the way.

Anyone who is new here and wondering how to find a doctor or support, there is a ton of information here at My Way Out. It's a good place to start. It seems that doctors, at least in the US, are coming around. Particularly, perhaps, outside of the addiction community. Dr. Olivier Ameisen is indeed a practicing cardiologist. He's also spearheading a campaign around this country and others to get baclofen introduced into addiction medicine. His accolades and awards are rather astounding, as was his courage and ingenuity when searching for a solution to his own problem.

Finally, if you're new, it might help to look at the number of posts individuals have when weighing their thoughts. And also whether or not they are actually using high dose bac in order to threat their own addiction. I am not impugning anyone's character or their intentions. We all have good intentions, I think.
And one more thought. sorry. The Lancet is a well respected journal that helped to convince my loved ones/friends that are in related fields that this stuff is legit. And worth the effort. All of the links are on the first page of the consolidated baclofen thread.
Anyone else want to weigh in with approaching a doctor?

[terryk]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Raphael;1024438 wrote: Good

Tell us tk, have you ever contacted him?

If not, you should.

If you want me to shut up, smart ass, don't ask me questions. I've implored and begged Phill to post his story and experiences and insight on this forum. He ignored my and others' requests to participate and share in this forum like everyone else and instead tried to direct the discussion on his terms. Now he is selling the info we share with each other for free. I contacted him via email once and he responded once. The answer to your question is yes. I'll shut up on this this thread if you shut up your questions to me.

-tk

p.s. To new people visiting this site for the first time I apologize for stooping to act like a child in *this* post. There's a lot of good information and good people here. I'm usually one of them. But evidently not now.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Dr. Levin is my prescribing physician, Raphael. I would expect to pay for his services if I were to call him, much the same as I would expect to pay any professional for their services. I've never spoken to a housekeeper, or anyone else, ftr.

I have also had email contact with Phillip Thomas and was grateful for his input, but it didn't change the course of my treatment and he can't advise about taking bac. The comfort he offered I've since found in spades, and with a lot more well rounded input, here at MWO.

You're not raining on anyone's parade, tk. (Bummer that you felt that you had to change your original thoughts about the book.)

[seeking_serenity]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

He charges alcoholics at a drastically lowered rate than he does his "usual" patients, and he's willing to go lower for those for those with lower incomes. He gave me his office number, home phone number, and personal cell phone number. In the U.S., it's hard to find a physician who will take the risk of prescribing Bac off-label.

[ignominous]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Dr Levin is a licensed Doctor and I'm thankful that he is willing to stand up for Baclofen. Another chink in the armor of the establishment. Dr Phill also has much to offer and I'm sure means well. Where ever you can find help is good for me.

Raphael and Bachope, can I suggest you read back on some of the posts on this forum before weighing in with how you think things should be conducted.

[Otter]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

When I posted this I was not intending to open up the Phil debate.

There are a couple of issues. One is that he has written a Manual which is at least a step in the right direction. I have heard from a few people that their doctors have found it useful and have prescribed because of it. I actually don't think most doctors would care if the author had given up practice or been deregistered because he had health problems. It can happen to anyone. Phil was not taken off the register because of his lack of skills as a doctor qua doctor.

The point is that in the UK where we can get prescriptions free and don't have to worry about buying online, it is ethically wrong for doctors to allow a patient to self prescribe and when they are told that a patient is self prescribing, they should step in and educate themselves to a level where they feel comfortable in dealing with the issue. Telling a doctor that you are on Baclofen and have stopped drinking but you want help in dealing with the dosage should make a doctor take over prescribing. If it does not then you should look for a doctor who understands that issue.

I think a manual, however rudimentary it might be, is at least better than nothing. So many doctors seem to be sceptical of anything to do with the internet and many in the UK are just too conservative to get involved in this unless they are confronted with a situation where they must act. Then, if they do act, they have to have something, anything to steer them in the right direction in terms of how they treat a patient.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Cheers from Blighty

[bachope]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Hi Otter,
I am so glad you added your thoughts.
I agree entirely with you and so glad that we took the info to our GP as without it my loved one would never have been prescribed Baclofen, purely because our GP had no knowledge of it being used to treat alcoholism, and still is curious hence regular progress reviews to get a prescription to allow for dosage increase.
So far it is a success story and i pray it will continue to be so.
Thanks once again.
BH.

[Arbat1991]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

ANyone know where to get The End of My Addiction book on line? I am ready to buy hard cover but wanted to read today, so I can talk to doctor sooner than later

[tyson6]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Does anyone know of a doctor in cape town that has prescribed baclofen?

[tiptronic_ct]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

tyson6;1026918 wrote: Does anyone know of a doctor in cape town that has prescribed baclofen?

Hi, Tyson

I have responded to you in a PM.

[Otter]

How to get a doctor to prescribe Baclofen.

Welcome back.