How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

[I-want-to-be-sober]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Greg;1082090 wrote: I've read Dr Ameisen's book, yet I did not read about any serious side effects from prolonged high-dose baclofen. Originally I thought there can't have been many side effects from bac, but then I started reading other peoples' stories that showed otherwise. Maybe Dr A was just one of the lucky few to be able to tolerate this medication in large doses, and maybe male patients have less problems than females, but it's still peculiar.

Does anyone know how or why this is the case? Has Dr Levin ever mentioned anything about it? Did Dr Ameisen really have almost no problems in tolerating baclofen or did he just not write about them?

Well, we can't tell for sure if he really had just somnolence, but I think it's quite possible. Titrating up slowly is one factor of course, but it's not the whole deal. I went to 600mg! pretty fast and had no real problems. Nevertheless I did extensive check-ups: Regularly measuring blood pressure & heart rate, breathing rate, blood work, ecg... everthing fine.

But my body / brain was used to high doses of GABAergic drugs which I became for my anxiety disorder in the past. To be anxiety free I had to take doses of drugs that would have knocked other people out.

[gratitude]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

sober,
at what dose did you have relief from anxiety?

[Cinders]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Of course when I read about other people's experiences with the SE's my knee-jerk reaction is just like any typical man. I think: "stop your fucking whining, consider the alternative, shove that shit down your throat and man up!" There is a place for these kinds of thoughts in my brain because I am a man and I accept that and literally can't help it. However, I like to think that I temper that before I let it turn into words. I like being a man and thinking like one but wholeheartedly acknowledge that I can be stupid and wrong sometimes (in fact I like it when I am, see my sig below ).

I've been around long enough and read enough to realize that either I was just lucky, or I am constitutionally or physiologically different from these other people (you can read this as "just lucky" again).

I've been watching it forever. I've noticed for a very, very long time now that women can't seem to handle it like men can. I've been wanting to talk about it forever but never did for fear of being chastised.

I have no idea why. Let me rephrase that: I haven't come to any definitive conclusion as to why.

I think it's a good topic and I think all ideas are fair game (whether they sound sexist or not).
Taken from above quote"

I like being a man and thinking like one but wholeheartedly acknowledge that I can be stupid and wrong sometimes (in fact I like it when I am, see my sig below ).

Great thoughts, LoOp. I agree wholeheartedly with your verbiage.

I do not want to take anything away from men. My husband can out work me anyday on our property and does every weekend. The fact that it took him 15 years to get "back on track" for paychecks doesn't mean anything to either of us, actually.

He has never made me feel inferior for being a woman, ever. Actually, some of his best program managers have been women.

And, I know what you and Ig are saying. "come on women, what is up?"

I don't laugh at that. I really don't because I am a woman, I am pragmatic. I do not look for SEs, I dropped off of Bac 150 mgs/day without any. I know, I know, my doctor b@tched at me, too.

But the Baclofen was interfering with my work for a client and that is my bread and butter that feeds a whole lot more than me. I worked 1700+ hours from Jan 2011 to Jun 2011 for that client.

I was trying hard to get sober and the Baclofen AND the alcohol were interfering.

I could control the alcohol to a certain extent, very minimal extent, I could not control my reaction to the Baclofen.

I chose to jump off the Baclofen wagon at that point.

However, I do want to maintain what is going on right now with this thread and another. I do think women suffer worse SEs on Baclofen than men. I think we suffer worse SEs on alcohol than men.

Does that make me inferior to men?

I think not.

It makes me a woman.

End of story.

Cindi

[I-want-to-be-sober]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

gratitude;1082472 wrote: sober,
at what dose did you have relief from anxiety?

Unluckily baclofen never helped me with my anxiety problems, but now being sober makes it easier.

[RedThread12]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

And then there's me. A 54 (well, 53 when I started bac) year-old woman who had almost no side-effects, and none that were worrisome or uncomfortable. Go figure.

[ignominious]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

OK I admit that the girls, girls bit was mildly provocative but really I'm impressed with the hysteria its aroused. Stop. I'll start again. Yes I was being blatantly sexist and I'm going to consider color coding my posts in future. Green for jest and red for serious or something. Glad it made you smile Cindi and that you don't want to kick me in the gonads.

The 40 minutes of labor was my only experience of oxytocin. It was a reflection of the dismal medical treatment that we have here. The drug was used inappropriately for the advantage of the Doctors and nurses. It was excruciating for my wife and traumatic to watch. I didn't make myself clear and will try to do so in future.

My humble apologies also to Murphy for demeaning his tender and compassionate nature. He did stress the 'extra large'

Still think many of the SEs are psychosomatic but without doubt its tougher on girls

[redhead77]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Did you take any benzo's prior to starting this redfeather? I think that is an interesting point IWTBS. I am experiencing sides but not to the point that some other's are. Of course my dose is only at 140 mg, but maybe that's why. I have taken xanax for about 10 years. Not daily, not addictively, but I do take it when needed. Maybe I'm already preconditioned.

[Chi]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

I've dispensed baclofen to men and women for years at the starting dose of 60 mg per day and a duration of months without hearing a single report of any side effect or withdrawal .... by dispense I mean give them the med-- part of my work is in a state prison. Baclofen is a med we use because it has no abuse potential.

Of course they can't drink on it, (unless they make some hooch).

[gratitude]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

sorry to hear that sober. alcohol worked for my anxiety for many years... until it didn't. then it made the anxiety worse. exercising seems my only cure at the moment as I'm not on BAC, yet.
if you ever want to see a whiny little girl see me with a hangover. and I'm male. it's funny, I seem to have the capacity to suffer like no one else I know in long endurance events but give me a hangover and I'm in a fetal position... until I drink it away. grat.

[Murphyx]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Well I knew you weren't serious Ig. Just as well we got that sorted out before the chicks lit their torches and marched on castle Ig. Well, not marched, you can't march in high heels I wouldn't imagine.

Anyhoo, I want to know how the side effects are different. Is it just a matter of the same SEs for both ♀ & ♂ but worse for ♀? Or do we have different ones?

[Cinders]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

I've dispensed baclofen to men and women for years at the starting dose of 60 mg per day and a duration of months without hearing a single report of any side effect or withdrawal .... by dispense I mean give them the med-- part of my work is in a state prison. Baclofen is a med we use because it has no abuse potential.

Of course they can't drink on it, (unless they make some hooch).

Now, Chi, THAT is funny.

At higher doses, who knows?

It may be a gender thing, it may be a genetic thing, it may be a "how addicted are you" thing.

Read that "thang" because I am a southerner.

Ig, Green? gimme a break. It must be red. Just so we can pick up on it, yes?

Oh, I get it. Red for this is real, people!!

Thanks for being here, Ig and Chi.

I enjoy you both.

Cindi

Oh, and I just type. I am a "putty" kind of girl. I love "vi," also.

[gratitude]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

murph,
also, it's hard to hold pitchforks while applying makeup.

[ignominious]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

RedThread12;1082484 wrote: And then there's me. A 54 (well, 53 when I started bac) year-old woman who had almost no side-effects, and none that were worrisome or uncomfortable. Go figure.

Just thought that was worth being posted twice.

Chi, that's very interesting. Possibly because they were not contemplating a lifestyle transformation. Giving up alcohol is a fairly significant milestone for most of us. Also I would suggest that not looking for or expecting SEs would diminish them. A friend of mine gave LSD to his mother one day and the only effect it had was her dropping the teaspoon and forgetting how many sugars she had added. She then had an afternoon nap and was fine 4 hours later. This was the same acid that had us meeting Lucifer or Christ and getting out of body experiences.

And Red77, it honestly wasn't me and if I had known he was going to do that I would have put my foot down.

[redhead77]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Alright Iggy. Truce. :l The gonads will remain unharmed. Unless, your wife gets pissed at your post on beatle's thread. Not sure that we could blame her. :H

[bleep]

How did Dr Ameisen do it without severe side effects?

Wow, turned my head for a second and missed all this drama!

So was a conclusion reached - Is it harder for women? I still maintain the sample size is too small for any significant conclusion to be reached. Take RedThread, for example. 1 of maybe 10 women posting in this thread. Can we conclude that for 10% of women it will be effortless?