Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Fire breathing is terrible, your cheeks go raw. Really, Murph? - that is quite an odd coincidence!

Tracy, that's probably the right attitude - specific doses have their own SE's - if you are feeling crap at a particular dose, best get off it asap. Hope it works.

[Murphyx]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Spooky coincidence! I came across my old juggling clubs yesterday and thought I'd dig out the fire clubs. I haven't used them for years. Probably just as well, it's not a great idea to play with fire when you're constantly pissed.

bleep;1070755 wrote: Fire breathing is terrible, your cheeks go raw.

It certainly makes your bum cheeks go raw if you swallow the paraffin.

Oh yeah, tip number 2, if you have a beard (like me) make sure you aim up and not down when blowing out, otherwise you're likely to singe your face.

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Murphy, I thought you might be serious because I couldn't imagine someone accidentally swallowing paraffin. The stuff sure doesn't smell tasty!

I didn't go up to 100 mg because I went to sleep instead - for six solid hours with no apnea whatsoever. Same pattern this morning. Woke up and took the 20 mg, started to feel kind of ill and very tired about an hour later. Took another 20 a couple hours after that, and felt better. Still pretty unproductive though. I am looking forward to picking up the new prescription because I've heard not so great things about the brand I'm on (Upshire-Smith).

I ordered adafrinil and monafrinil (discovered it after I'd already ordered the former) for the wiped-out feeling. Neither will come for a couple weeks, but I'll post about the effectiveness of it. And I won't take them together. And I know there are risks with either. And I know monafrinil has been banned in sports competitions as a "performance enhancing" drug. I'm going to try it anyway because my performance could use a little enhancing. I'm not going to be stupid about it, at least no more stupid that I usually am - besides, the stuff is supposed to make you smarter!

[Booktree]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hi Tracy,

Glad to hear you had some good sleep and no apnea! Hope that continues.

I found the brand-name modafinil (Provigil) to be very effective at keeping me alert and better able to concentrate (that was long before I got on the bac, though). I recently tried Olmifon (adrafinil) and had zero results. It felt like taking a sugar pill. Anyway, that could just be me, as I have a history of taking high levels of stimulants, so maybe I am just immune at this point. Anyway, keep us posted on how that works for you.

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Thanks for the information, Booktree.

My credit card denied the charge for adrafinil. I am guessing that is because the company I ordered it from is in South Africa. Haven't heard on the modafinil but suspect that one will go through since it was from River Pharm in Canada.

Yesterday kinda sucked. I didn't get up to 100 again for the same reason - by 7:00 p.m., I felt pretty woozy and sick (something that came and went during the day), and I HAD to go to bed. I didn't realize that I hadn't taken it until I got up this morning and looked at my pill box. Only had four beers over a seven-hour period. Michelob Lite, and that "sex in a boat" stuff is pretty low AL volume anyway. My husband asked if only had four because the craving is shrinking or because I felt ill. I don't know, but it wasn't enough to get even a very mild buzz. If that's helping making me feel ill, it sure isn't worth it.

I think if I could figure out something substantial to sip on and keep in my stomach and take right before each dose, it would be helpful. I'm looking up green smoothies that you can make in a regular blender and just keep in the fridge.

[beatle]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hi Tracy, it seems like you are on a good and even-headed schedule now.

I don't think you have to worry so much about the little blips along the way, forgetting a dose, putting off a dose because you feel lousy. As long as you keep it within the overall plan.

The most important thing, I think, is that if you spread out your doses, when you miss one or are too late for one, it is not so hard to make it up. And, of course, the SEs will be less extreme because you have a steady level in the blood, and no peaks and troughs. You may even notice, as I do, that your body sort of "knows" when it is ready for more bac with the constant method. Not hard to figure out why if you think about it.

As for the mental acuity challenges, have you tried Phosphatidyl Serine.?

[Murphyx]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Tracy, how long have you been on that dose for? Have you had the sickly/woozy feeling since you first started that dose? You could try pushing the dose up and seeing what happens. It might mean the SE goes away and another one takes its place, perhaps a nicer one.

Anyway, I've just noticed the carrots picture. Are you really going for uber-long carrots? If so, what are you growing them in? I knew an old boy who grew prize parsnips on his allotment. He used to grow them in very tall chimney pots, using sifted soil to remove all the stones. Pain in the arse, but he loved those parsnips.

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

One thing to consider - I know of someone on baclofen who got quite sick, and automatically assigned blame at baclofen's door. Turns out he had quite a nasty virus, so be careful not to automatically blame baclofen for everything and be open to other possibilities.

That said, it probably is the baclofen, just be aware!

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Beatle, I haven't tried anything for mental acuity, other than coffee and tea. Mostly, I was just looking not to feel so dead. Thanks for all the good info!

Murphy, yesterday was my 8th day at 80 mg, and I've had the sickly/woozy on and off everyday for the whole time I've been at that dose. I went up to that dose rather quickly though. Regarding the carrots, I'm not really hoping for prize-sized. I have a raised garden (12 inches or so) over what used to be a gravel parking area. I just want carrots! But I've never had a parsnip, must look into that.

Today was a much better day. Bleep, I don't think that I was actually ill because both days I felt okay when I woke up and didn't start feeling ill until the first dose - then on and off all day, but less so right after taking a dose, so - I dunno if it was a virus or something. Another thing could have been that I just got past that particular SE staying at the same dose. Another thing could have been that today is the first day that I've been 100% on another brand of baclofen. I had zero nausea today and no tired feeling at all! So, I dunno what to attribute it to. I'll just move up to 100 mg today and be very happy that the other part seems to be past now.

Thanks everyone so much for your input! I'd be lost without all the information and support.

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Another thought: The brand I was on was recalled for some dates of production in October. Don't remember the dates It was recalled because they mistakenly marked 20 mg pills as 10 mg. The brand I'm on now looks way different. The 20 mg pills that I am on now are more than four times as large around and easily twice as thick as the 10 mg I was one before. Doesn't make sense, and hitting that particular batch of bac that was mislabeled would be needle-in-the-haystack stuff. After having a day without the slightest hint of the side effects I was suffering before, I am apt to think that brand might make a difference, but I'm not sure of that.

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

I think if you had accidentally doubled your dose, you'd know about it!

You're right, I reckon, just a SE, hopefully not one to be repeated as you go up. A lot of these SE's are incredibly dose dependent, so it's unlikely that you'll come across the same SE again. Fingers crossed...

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hiya Tracy!
I recall some of those symptoms. (okay, all of them!) I remember feeling under-the-weather to downright I-think-I've-got-the-flu. Especially at the lower doses. In retrospect, I think it was often a reflection of my drinking behavior, but I am VERY clear that it was bac-induced. Those feelings went away permanently and profoundly when I got into the low 100s. Not coincidentally I had several AF days around that time.

I am really enjoying your thread, and LOVE your plan. YOU GO GRRRL!
:rockon:
edit: I have always taken the exact same brand/size from the same pharmacy, because I'm neurotic like that. ha. TEVA 20mgs from Walgreens. I still had SEs. xo

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

I figure that every two days, I lose another hour's sleep. I started waking up at 4:00, then 3:00 and so on. Last night I went to bed a little before 8 and woke up at 1:30. I do okay for the first five hours (that I know of - I'm asleep). It's not insomnia exactly. That's when the asshole apnea starts. I could sleep, I really want to - but it's like a very cleverly designed torment. Every time I am just beginning to fall asleep - the waterboard torture begins. Eventually, I give up on sleep and get up, and after about 1/2 an hour, start feeling relatively normal breathing wise (I never feel altogether good with air flow on bac). But I'm getting very, extremely tired.

It would probably help if I quit smoking, but that terrifies me. I'll do it later. In the meantime, I'll take a long hot bath, do a sinus rinse, grab my sleeping bag and sleep outside. It really helps to be outside. I hope my husband doesn't take it personally. He might appreciate it. Twice during the apnea attack, he asked me if I was alright. He's being supportive, despite my low functioning.

I figure, since my days are getting much longer, I might as bump up another 20. I took my first dose for today around 2 a.m. I could easily squeeze another 20 in at what would normally be my morning dose if my morning wasn't starting in the middle of the damn night!

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

That's what I did - bumped up the dose because of waking hours increasing. At one point, sleep was such a distant memory, I had no trouble taking pills every hour for 24 hours. Strangely, it never made me tired though. Be aware that you can suddenly find yourself taking more than you expect simply because you are awake more than you expect!

The breathing thing - I found it comes and goes as you go up through the doses. It's never pleasant though. Sitting bolt upright in bed from a peaceful sleep, gasping for a breath. Must look quite funny to someone watching. You do sort of get used to it though, so the degree to which you panic reduces quite a bit.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

I think I may have over-done-it (od'd??? maybe) when I started taking them in the middle of the night. I couldn't figure out how to tally it up, especially all bac'd out and sleepless!

Then again, I came close on those couple of occasions to hitting the 'switch' and wish now that I'd pushed on through. Though it was very, very scary at the time. I know better now than to be scared. Hard to remember that in the middle of the night when my mind was full of fireworks and obsessive thoughts, though.

Guard your sleep!
:h