Newbies Nest! for bac

[StuckinLA]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Tex, man I'm so glad to hear you're doing well. I'm on my phone & hate typing on this damned thing, so this'll be short. I don't want to ignite a firestorm over the X monster. So I'll just say stick to the script. It's medicine and should be taken like medicine. Not as needed to fall asleep, and not in higher doses, from what I can tell.

I've never taken it, so I don't have a basis for any of this. Also, yeah the insomnia sucks but at some point you just gotta live with it for a whole. Do what you can, of course, but don't go overboard. Just think if you went the AA route: you'd get 4-5 hours a night tops, for at least 2 months, just from quitting drinking. And you wouldn't have anything to help with it.

Anyway more later I'm sure.

[TexasAg]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Stuck, you're right, I'm going to stick to the script. I definitely don't want the point of my post to be misinterpreted.

Thanks and Cheers!

[TexasAg]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Good morning y’all. I’m alive and well! Thank you for checking up on me, and Stuck, if you keep being such a good person, I’m going to have to nominate you for sainthood or something. By the way, have you ever read The Confessions of St. Agustine?

Again, I feel terrible for not posting an update, really no excuse except that things are going well and what can I say, I’m selfish and self-centered. On the Baclofen front I went up to 160mg and stayed there for approximately 3weeks. I have since gone down 20mg a week and am now on 120mg. I think I’m going to stay here for an extended period because my SE’s have almost gone away completely and I’m still feeling pretty confident in my ability to abstain. Not to say I haven’t had a drink, I had a drink with a co-worker a few days ago, but I didn’t feel the urge or need to continue. It’s been 70 days from my last binge. Let me repeat, 70 DAYS! Things have changed so much for me that I have to remind myself that I was binging 2-3 times a week less than 4 months ago.

And to my psychiatrist and sponsor who told me to stop being a “magical thinker”, I’ll tell them like my friend who I’m nominating for sainthood said, “Tell them to FLOCK OFF!” (Well he didn’t exactly say those words but it was in that context.) My relationship with my kids is healing and getting better. And more importantly, I’m at home and my wife and I are going to marriage counseling! We’ve only had two so far and they’ve been brutal to say the least but if I would’ve listened to the “experts” and not been a magical thinker, I would’ve been planning for a divorce instead of planning on spending the day tomorrow with my wife and kids in College Station watching my Ags BTH outta LSU!

Thanks again to y’all for the support and MWO for this forum. I promise to try not to be selfish and pay it forward.

Cheers!

Day 98 on Bac – 120mg
Binge Free - 70 days

[catalunya]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Hello,

I'm new to baclofen and am having troubling side effects!!! I know there are several threads on baclofen and sexual problems, although I haven't really come across the answer that I'm looking for, nor do I want to revive an old thread. Anyhow, I haven't been on baclofen for a terribly long time, although it's curbed my cravings to a significant extent and I'm hesitant to up my dosage from where I am now (60mg/day split between three doses of 20mg every eight hours) because I'm suffering some massive anorgasmia as well as loss of libido. It was enhanced for a day or two while titrating up, but I have been left with a whole lot of nothing.

As AL controlled the symptoms of an underlying anxiety disorder, baclofen at this dose is also controlling the anxiety and so I can't go down as this dose seems to serve as both a maintenance dose and as a dose that acts as an anxiolytic adequately enough.

Anyhow, to those who have suffered from sexual dysfunction, and I know there are a great many, does the anorgasmia or the loss of libido subside? Or are they permanent (as long as one is on the drug). I'm young - 28 and I can't emotionally handle sexuality taken away from me. Of course the erectile dysfunction drugs do nothing for anorgasmia nor lack of libido, so those aren't options.

Also, important/relevant information, I'm 5'8" and 130lbs, so the relatively low dose of 60mg/day may be a bit higher for me in terms of the mg/kg ratio.

In summation, have any members who have had sexual problems at a fixed dose had them subside? Is this a temporary side effect or a permanent one while on the drug? I hope it's not a permanent one whilst on the drug a la SSRI status.

Thanks for your help!

[TexasAg]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Cat,

I can relate, while I was titrating up one of the side effects was loss of libido. It was a blessing and a curse because I was going through a very hard seperation so it was a blessing in that I wasn't obsessing on sex cuz frankly, I wasn't going to get any. But it was also a curse because in one of the moments of love you, hate you with my wife it turned into a green light and to my horror I couldn't. This triggered me into a complete panic attack because I was thinking this was my one and only time I'd get a chance to do this and I blew it. If I remember correctly it was in the 80mg range. I'm also a bit older than you so that probably had something to do with it too.

The good news is that wasn't my last chance and I've had a few opportunities to "makeup" for that episode. I've come down to 120mg from a high of 160 mg and happy to say that it hasn't been an issue lately. One other thing, when I was titrating up I had a loss of appetite and also for some reason didn't feel like listening to music or watching sports as much as I used to. At the time I attributed it to the hurt associated with my seperation from my wife but it might have had a little to do with the Bac. I now am starting to enjoy food and sports, etc. like I used to. Oh, and I can't get enough sex.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Day 98 on Bac – 120mg
Binge Free - 70 days

[StuckinLA]

Newbies Nest! for bac

First and very foremost: Tex! So happy to see you, and to hear you're doing so well. I know the one day at a time thing is annoying, but at least now it's one day with your wife and kids at a time. Seriously, sounds like progress and I wish you nothing but the best of everything.

Cat, :welcome: I love using that emoti for some reason... Anyway, yeah the sexual SEs can be a pain in the nuts sometimes, and sometimes not. It's a downer, and I completely understand your concern about it. It's not permanent. It's also kind of weird how it ends up working out. When I was up higher (200ish) it was pretty bad, but any time I drop below like 150 things are great.

Body weight doesn't seem to have much to do with bac effects or SEs, just FYI.

Another thing to consider is what you're doing that isn't working for you. I won't be vague: sexual addiction is one of the things bac kind of works on, and that means porn. It just won't really do it for you the same way, and random hookups might not, either. I know, it made me sad as hell.

Anyway, are you trying for the switch? If that's the case just put everything on hold right now and then tweak the dose later to deal with SEs...

[TexasAg]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Stuck, great to see you and good to be back!

Cat, I agree with Stuck. Bac works on the sexual addiction part also. For some reason bombay badonkadonks doesn't have as much appeal anymore.

Hang in there brother, just KTTDP!

Cheers!

Day 98 on Bac – 120mg
Binge Free - 70 days

[catalunya]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Thanks, Tex and Stuck! And thank you for the warm welcome!! I'm glad to hear that it's not a permanent side effect, although from what I've gathered it is dose-dependent. I might have to go up from 60mg/day, although I'm not sure.

Anyhow, it really is a pain in the nuts!! And frustrating at that. I really can't reduce from 60mg/day, although if it were to control cravings as well as anxiety at a lower dose, of course I would.

As for sexual addiction, I haven't had anything of the sort (but lol at bombay badonkadonks!), although I had a healthy sex life, or rather, healthy sexual functioning prior to bac, as I am currently and was single prior to bac and now - and everything worked down there! I'm really romantically/sexually monogamous, although the side effect is super disconcerting in that people are mentioning reduction of dosage and I can't do so due to both cravings and anxiety control - in fact, I might have to up another 20mg to 80mg/day. I'm praying that I won't be chemically castrated!

And I only posited that the side effects might have something to do with weight due to the mg/kg ratio, but of course I have no idea - I'm new to bac as well as sexual dysfunction and have searched pubmed only to find a number of peer-reviewed empirical studies and/or academic case reports linking bac to sexual dysfunction, primarily anorgasmia and loss of libido, although bac has also been implicated as a cause of erectile dysfunction. I've lost all morning wood, although erectile ability has not, thus far, been affected.

Thanks to the both of you for responding - very greatly appreciate!!!

[RedThread12]

Newbies Nest! for bac

How long have you been at 60 mg, catalunya (really like your name, so won't shorten it!)? Often, whatever side effects appear resolve themselves after several days . . . or weeks . . . at a certain dose. Or they disappear not by going down, but by titrating up. My baclofen journey has been almost side effect free, so I can't speak specifically to yours. But I know that my own drinking was so debilitating when I started taking bac that, even if I had been in your position, it would have been relatively easy to put "sober" in one hand and "temporary change in sexual function" in the other, and KNOW which was most important. Of course, I don't know how that weighs out for you, but if you read around you'll see that most folks made their way successfully through that particular issue. Although I do remember some fairly hysterical threads and posts along the way, from people experiencing everything from "sag-nob," I think it was called, to sex on the kitchen counter, or anywhere, multiple times a day, when both partners were taking lots of bac!

And Tex: Awesomeness!!! I am utterly delighted for you. THIS is what it feels like to be liberated from drinking against your will! Ain't it grand?!?!

Hi'ya Stuckin-la: so glad you're hanging in with the bac, and here, on MWO. And hope you get some sleep. Tonight would be a good night for that!!!

[catalunya]

Newbies Nest! for bac

hi redthread!

i've been at this dose for one month, but have been on bac for four months total, so i'm a bit worried :/ and i've heard of increasing the dosage to paradoxically rid one of side effects and while titrating up, albeit it was a quick titration, each dose increase provided for a boost in sexual functioning followed by a massive blow that fell below baseline which is where i am today.

i'm not sure, though, that it is temporary insofar as should the dose remain static or even be increased, that it will resolve itself as AL was my anxiety-smashing drug of choice and baclofen has taken its place. everyone knows of these sorts of side effects associated with the ssris and i've been on several of the drugs out of that class of meds and i can tell you that the sexual dysfunction while on ssris does not resolve. that, and ssris don't touch my anxiety. useless drugs, really, for severe anxiety sufferers.

and, yeah, sobriety is most important, but i can't live as an anxious mess either, as that's what got me into this mess in the first place, nor can i live as a chemical castrate.

i, too, remember the threads about sag-knobs as well as insatiable sexual appetites and abilities (i've been a long-time lurker but decided to make an account).

and thank you re: my username. it's simply the name of the region where i'm from in spain.

[RedThread12]

Newbies Nest! for bac

I thought as much, catalunya. I just returned from my first visit to Spain . . . Barcelona, in fact. I'd never thought of a city as "sexy" before, but now I do!! A Leonard Cohen concert and a Gaudi tour would put anyone in the mood, in my opinion!

I'm really glad your posting with us, now; and that you've been paying attention for so long. You're right, it was "knob," not "nob." :H But I'm more delighted that baclofen is working well for you as an anxiolytic; and, I'm assuming, to keep you from drinking against your will. Those things are pretty miracluous! I'm 4 years into this, and my maintenance dose is 120 mg/day. I'm almost 5'8" and weigh 140 lbs. I haven't stopped to figure out what mg/kg ratio that is. I did some experimenting with significantly higher doses, but it was only that - experimenting - because I got immediate relief from the compulsion to drink the first day I took 30 mg. From my point of view, your dose is pretty low. Which makes it even more miraculous that your doing well on most fronts, except the sexual thing.

I've read a lot from a lot of people, and even "mentored" several people through the baclofen protocol. What I've observed it that the bac-path is quite similar to any other "recovery" program, in that things can change - a lot - in a day or two; and sometimes in an hour or two. The entire scenario is already astoundingly challenging; quitting alcohol, changing daily habits, taking a pharmaceutical medication off-label, mostly with just our own strategy. Amazing that we find all of that liberating, and not anxiety-producing, itself!!

In the big picture, 4 months is a very, very short period of time. Think back 4 months and consider all the changes that have occurred, and then realize that that much change, and more, is likely to unfold in the next 4 months. And try to keep remembering that, when your mind wants to project "today" into tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, etc. It never works like that, even if we're projecting things we WANT to have continue!!

I wish I knew exactly what to suggest to you regarding the anorgasmia. I'm about 96.5% sure that it will resolve on its own, if you do nothing. But this is YOUR bac-path. What I CAN do is say "well done," so far, and I really hope you give your body and your psyche enough time to assimilate, ummm, everything. Thanks for reviving LoOp's thread. And Ne's idea that going up a tiny bit could be a good one. Good luck!

[catalunya]

Newbies Nest! for bac

thanks, redthread!

things have progressed amazingly quickly within the past four months and you're right, given the dose i'm on and the amount that said dose has cut my cravings, it is nothing short of a miracle. i might bump up to 80mg (which was suggested here and in lo0p's thread) should my doctor be willing as i haven't hit my switch yet, nor is my anxiety controlled well enough at the moment, although i'm much closer with regard to alcohol craving control than with anxiety relief.

and barcelona is an amazing city, isn't it? i love it here and wish i were raised within the city, although i grew up in a small coastal town a bit north of barca. sounds like you had a ton of fun on your trip!

thanks again!

[TexasAg]

Newbies Nest! for bac

Hi Red, thanks for the kudos! It really has been quite a journey. 4 mos is nothing in comparison to the decades in the clutches of the beast, but it feels I've lived a lifetime in these short months.

Cat, I believe the benefits outway side effects (by a longshot!) as frustrating as they are. So please JKTTDP (just keep taking the darn pills! something I think NE came up with)

Cheers!

[catalunya]

Newbies Nest! for bac

i'm trying, but it's severely curtailing my ability to date normally. so it's difficult to say the least.

[RedThread12]

Newbies Nest! for bac

What is normal dating :new: ?