Newbies Nest! for bac

[LadyLush]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Zephra,

I am at 120 mg as well. PM or text when you want.

Lady:l

[bleep]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Ne/Neva Eva;1112847 wrote: Morning, newbie-types and lurkers.

I am very concerned about the fact that my favorite icon:

:H

is having various malfunctions that cut off sides of it's face.

aren't you?

jkttdp

love, Ne

I have read this about a hundred times, hoping to make some sense of it, but I can't. What on earth are you talking about??

[windycitylady]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Wow. After a million years of lurking, I'm finally a MWO poster! Ended up here years ago after researching nutrition/supplement approaches to alcholism, having been a big fan of "7 weeks to sobriety." I still take tons of supplements, but recently started baclofen as well. I'm currently at 60 mg, taking 10 with my first meal, 25 after work, and 25 before bed. I'm excited to go up, but (and I know this has been discussed elsewhere on the site) I'm nervous about it interfering with my job. Has anyone tried waking up a couple hours early, taking it, and going back to sleep? It's worthwhile to note that I really haven't cut back much on my drinking, and this probably interferes as much or more than bac s.e.s. Guess I'm just scared to take that first step. As much as I swore I wouldn't treat bac as a "magic bullet" and rather as a tool to achieve sobriety, looks like that's what I'm doing. Anyhow, I thought some like minded friends couldn't hurt! Glad to be here, hope to get to know some of you better. Doing this over my phone, so every little thing takes a billion years, but it's better than nothing!

[moglor]

Newbies Nest! for bac

windycitylady;1113969 wrote: Has anyone tried waking up a couple hours early, taking it, and going back to sleep?

:welcome: windycitylady!!

So glad you decided to post. I work a sedentary and boring job, so the sleepiness from bac is a problem for me. I have found that taking a large dose in the morning when I first wake up works well. I take 50mg as soon as I wake up, around 6-6:45AM. Combined with my morning caffeine, I don't really have any problems with staying awake. I take my next dose at 11, right before I go to the gym for a strenuous workout. By the time I get back to the office and eat lunch, I'm pretty tired, but the endorphins and energy from the workout keep me fairly awake until around 3, when I really start to fade out. 3pm-6pm is the hardest part of the day by far.

I take the next 50 when I get home, around 5-6pm. I try to keep myself occupied around the house, but sometimes I just keel over and nap, which sucks, but it's better than getting drunk. I take my last dose around 11pm right before bed.

-John

[windycitylady]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Thanks for the crazy fast reply, John! I worry more about an inability to focus than general sleepiness. Does caffeine help that too? I work in a fast paced, demanding environment with a very small staff overseen by a terrifying sociopath. I already have so much anxiety going into work under the best circumstances. As long as I just feel tired and not stupid, I think I'll be ok. Ironically, perhaps, I was hoping the bac might help with my pre-work anxiety. Guess I'll just have to try it and see. It's promising that I haven't really had any side effects so far. I mean, other people have a hard time at a lower dosage than 60 mg, right?

[moglor]

Newbies Nest! for bac

I didn't have any trouble focusing at lower dosages, but I sure do at higher doses. All of this can be mitigated for most people by taking it slow and easy when dosing up. Caffeine doesn't really help the focus much, but it helps keep my eyes propped open.

You should create your own thread, and tell us your story!

[bleep]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Hi Windy, and welcome.

I found the somnolence to be worse if I was sitting at a computer, or reading, and sedentary activity. If you are hustling and bustling, you won't even notice it. The mental fogginess can be alleviated with a supplement called piracetam. Many users here have used it to great effect.

I found an even spreading of my doses throughout the day helped the most.

Best of luck!

[windycitylady]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Did some research on piracetam, and I am officially intrigued! And here I thought I knew every supplement worth knowing! I read that it can help repair alcoholic brains, but should not be taken while drinking, as it increasing blood flow between the two brain hemispheres may cause more damage. Hmmmm. Guess I'd have one more reason to go completely af. My only other concern is that one website mentioned it acting on GABA. I already take the bac (acts on GABA), prescription neurontin (gabapentin), and 750 mg supplemental GABA. Don't want those poor little receptors to get burned out! I'd been thinking of just picking up some gingko or choline cocktail, but this blows those out of the water! Regardless, gonna up my bac dosage again after this weekend. Hope you really do hit the switch at a lower dosage by going up slowly, cause I'm crawling up! Thanks for listening, so glad you're all here!

[windycitylady]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Did some research on piracetam, and I am officially intrigued! And here I thought I knew every supplement worth knowing! I read that it can help repair alcoholic brains, but should not be taken while drinking, as it increasing blood flow between the two brain hemispheres may cause more damage. Hmmmm. Guess I'd have one more reason to go completely af. My only other concern is that one website mentioned it acting on GABA. I already take the bac (acts on GABA), prescription neurontin (gabapentin), and 750 mg supplemental GABA. Don't want those poor little receptors to get burned out! I'd been thinking of just picking up some gingko or choline cocktail, but this blows those out of the water! Regardless, gonna up my bac dosage again after this weekend. Hope you really do hit the switch at a lower dosage by going up slowly, cause I'm crawling up! Thanks for listening, so glad you're all here!

[beatle]

Newbies Nest! for bac

windycitylady;1113969 wrote: Wow. After a million years of lurking, I'm finally a MWO poster! Ended up here years ago after researching nutrition/supplement approaches to alcholism, having been a big fan of "7 weeks to sobriety." I still take tons of supplements, but recently started baclofen as well. I'm currently at 60 mg, taking 10 with my first meal, 25 after work, and 25 before bed. I'm excited to go up, but (and I know this has been discussed elsewhere on the site) I'm nervous about it interfering with my job. Has anyone tried waking up a couple hours early, taking it, and going back to sleep? It's worthwhile to note that I really haven't cut back much on my drinking, and this probably interferes as much or more than bac s.e.s. Guess I'm just scared to take that first step. As much as I swore I wouldn't treat bac as a "magic bullet" and rather as a tool to achieve sobriety, looks like that's what I'm doing.

Welcome here, Windy. There are definitely lots of like-minded people here.

Your concerns are legit and many people will have advice as to how to deal with them. It is also important to realize that not everyone has so many negative side effects, so you don't have to "expect" them. But if you do get them, at least you will be prepared.

I also followed "7 weeks", and it has formed the basis of my current, very tailor-made, often revised, personal supplement regime. It's a lot of work, but I think it pays back.

"I work in a fast paced, demanding environment with a very small staff overseen by a terrifying sociopath. I already have so much anxiety going into work under the best circumstances. As long as I just feel tired and not stupid, I think I'll be ok".

I had the same set up, exactly. But that was why a drank. And fell. As far as not feeling tired and stupid, I'm not sure you can do it... but anxiety -- it might be helped by the baclofen.

btw, if you haven't already, you might want to look at the MWO True Calm. Somehow it seems like it might resonate with you.

As for awakening 2 hours early and taking baclofen before going back to sleep... I have done this and it seems like a good idea.

So, keep coming back here. We all have questions.

[bleep]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Hey Windy,

I'm not sure you will hit reach indifference any earlier by a slower titration. What will happen is that you will reach it easier, with less debilitating SE's. I think. Also bear in mind that at this point, unfortunately, it's all guesswork, but based on a lot of different people, so it is fairly accurate guesswork.

Waking up to take baclofen - hmmmm. I'm undecided. Baclofen can really fuck with your sleep at higher doses, so I'd just relax and go with it, taking it when you wake up. If it doesn't bother you though, go with it. The best way I have heard taking baclofen described is that you want to, as closely as possible, mimic your brain secreting the chemical into your body. The best way to do this is hundreds of doses a day, of tiny amounts. Obviously, that's not practical, so as close to that as you can get is the best. At one point in my titration, I was taking baclofen every hour. There's no need to go to such extremes, but you get the picture, I hope.

[ignominious]

Newbies Nest! for bac

I think there is definitely a sweet spot for baclofen and sleeping. 6 months post switch, I am down to 80mg/day which I was taking in the morning - fine. A few days ago I reduced to 70mg but realised my sleep was more restless, this is particularly alarming as I've set my sights on taking Wellbutrin in the near future (stimulant effect). I split the dose yesterday to 40mg/morning and 30mg/9pm and had a good nights rest. My advice to newbies is to make a note, when during your titration, you find you are sleeping like a log.

Really try not to get to bogged down with the SEs (easy to say from my perspective). Just try to keep to your schedule and increase your dose 'til you find the switch.

The slow titration should allow your body and mind enough time to acclimatise to the baclofen which should theoretically get you to your switch at a lower dose, you won't overshoot it. However I do think there is something to be said for shocking your brain into submission (for want of a better word) if you decide to titrate quickly.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Ne/Neva Eva;1112847 wrote: Morning, newbie-types and lurkers.

I am very concerned about the fact that my favorite icon:
:H
is having various malfunctions that cut off sides of it's face.
It's the smilie face, bleep. It has the sides cut off on my computer. It makes me sad that the laughing smilie is chopped off.


A belated :welcome: Windy!

windycitylady;1113979 wrote: I work in a fast paced, demanding environment with a very small staff overseen by a terrifying sociopath. I already have so much anxiety going into work under the best circumstances. As long as I just feel tired and not stupid, I think I'll be ok.

Yowza! That's quite a description, it made me smile. And quite a job! Pretty sure that if you weren't tired and stupid before, you don't need to be now. :H
I was pretty stupid and tired from booze... I had some of that going on at different points in my climb up, but mostly it was when coupled with booze.

As to waking up early or disrupting your sleep in general: GUARD YOUR SLEEP! That's advice given to me eons ago, and holds true. We almost universally suffer from insomnia and that can make or break the ability to titrate up. Talk about being tired and stupid! Try not sleeping for a day or two. The effects of that will be much worse than bac or booze. imho, I suppose.

I'm going to order some piracetam too! Just on principle and because Isolde recommends it. You and beatle have a good deal in common, I think, in terms of supps.

I look forward to hearing more!

Hiya Evey and Z and lurkers everywhere!
:l
Ne
Edit: slow or fast, just take the medicine, and do it so you can manage the SEs, if they arise and you'll be fine. I had horrible SEs at low doses which went away when I titrated up. Beware, I think, of going up too much because you aren't experiencing SEs now. That might change and there's no telling since it's pretty individual.

[Murphyx]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Ne/Neva Eva;1114604 wrote: Beware, I think, of going up too much because you aren't experiencing SEs now. That might change and there's no telling since it's pretty individual.

Abso-buggering-lutely! The SEs can catch you up and dump on you all in one go.

Go fast if your circumstances allow you to be a bacced up, stoned, zombie type with no night-time sleep but nodding off mid-sentence, but if you need to operate in the real world you need to take it easy with the titrating up. IMHO.

[windycitylady]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Thanks all! I may start titrating a tiny bit faster now that I have some bac stockpiled and some more on the way. But still only 10 to 15 mg every 3 to 5 days. As for gettin up early and taking it, I think I'm gonna try it. I should have mentioned before that my boyfriend and I do suffer from insomnia, and from 8 in the morning on, we're both in and out of sleep until we actually get up at 1 pm (we're not super lazy, we both work nights). So it's not like I'd be setting an alarm to wake up to take the bac.
Beatle, your description of your suppplement plan as "tailor made and often revised" describes me perfectly. I actually worked in a vitamin shop for a while. I feel that outside of work my anxiety is pretty well controlled. GABA, neurontin (a real life saver for me, a prescription anti-seizure medication that I take off label), taurine, b vitamins, glutamine. For the first time in my life, I have a boyfriend who will take whatever vitamin I put in front of him, which initally thrilled me, but now I'm realizing it's twice as expensive! He is an alcoholic too, and is not taking bac, but has agreed to cut down whenever I do, and he's stuck to it! Our pathological drinking is what initially drew us to each other, now I'm hoping we'll get better together.
Who described themselves here as a "sobriety tart"? I liked that. Supplements, bac, rational recovery, and I almost went to a Quad A A.A. Meeting (for atheists and agnostics) the other day. Then I drank a margarita. Sigh. I've had a very strained relationship with A.A over the years. But, whatever helps, right?
Thanks all for listening, glad to be here!