baclofen - second thoughts ....

[cherrabah]

I'm becoming more hesitant and concerned about starting baclofen and could do with some informed guidance here. My first 'starter pack' is already on its way, but even the reality of that is worrying me, although of course, I don't have to take it.

What bothers me from some of your comments is a) the amount a few of you take and b) the permanence of this self-medicating. I know on the other hand, one or two stay on low doses, and talk of titrating to a modest maintenance package - but I'm still bothered. In truth I'm scared about taking ANY drug (except alcohol it seems!) and I'm really not sure how safe baclofen is now. Anyway, for a start - the massive doses of 300 - 400mgs is out the question because I simply can't afford that. And that amount really DOES frighten me. here are also words liked 'stoned-ness' 'eyesight changes' and 'muddled mushy heads' alongside euphoria. I actually just want to be me. Undrugged, clean and wholesome.

And you talk of the 'switch' at whatever point, some mention a change at 5mg, another at 340mg ... but is this a gradual easing off until the lights gone out, or a sudden BANG. Whoosh one day. The witching hour now demands a cup of tea??? If I could dabble with a very very low amount that helps a bit, a vague partial release of craving, maybe that would do - but does it work like that? Or do I not find any benefits, just SEs, until it kicks in and over and off? So does 5/10/30 mg daily offer an easing of urge - I don't mind trying really really hard myself as well.

Then there are comments about staying on baclofen forever. No way. I'm not doing that. What if I can't afford it sometime? Or have to go into hospital for 3 weeks or any number of things that could prevent my taking it? I'd prefer not to start if it's a lifelong commitment. I think I read somewhere that stopping baclofen creates severe withdrawal - oh dear. Is this just swapping one addiction for another?

I hope this doesn't sound too negative or show me as a timid wimp, which I am, but I'm really having second thoughts. If you see baclofen on ebay you'll know I've chickened out!

Love Cher

[Murphyx]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hi Cher

I could answer all your points one by one, but I don't think there's really any point. If you're not ready to go down this road and see it through to the end, then you really shouldn't start.

Read up on baclofen and if in the future you decide it's time then we'll be here.

Murph

[Seethepony]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hi Cher, you've got a some cock-eyed logic going on there, caused, I am sure, by anxiety. Where to start, indeed...

The main howler is this one: "there are comments about staying on baclofen forever. No way. I'm not doing that."

Seriously? You're happy being an alcoholic? Hm, well, Christopher Hitchens claims he is too, so I can't argue with that. But it is emphatically not swapping one addiction for another. For a start, baclofen is not addictive. There is no buzz involved, people forget to take it, and the dose that works now will work in 20 years time. (Alcohol is all about buzz. You cannot forget to take it. And you need more now than you did when you were 16 years old to get plastered...)

The side effects of baclofen vary from person to person. The side effects of alcohol as well, to an extent. Again Mr Hitchens functions at a reasonably high level despite getting rat-arsed every afternoon. Me, I can't stand waking up every morning with a hangover. I can't stand the fear of the doorbell ringing at 3 in the afternoon when I'm already on my third beer. I can't stand having panic attacks in the supermarket or doing my best to avoid picking up my kid from kindergarten because I feel like such a mess.

Then there's the destruction of my career and my physical health, not to mention various relationships that have gone down the latrine thanks to the alcohol.

Baclofen has saved my life, literally. I am sure alcohol will kill me within 5 years if I let it. I'm not yet 40.

So -- to me it seems utterly bonkers to chose alcoholism when there is a cure right in front of your nose.

If that cure is for some reason too complicated, too expensive, too nasty for it to be worth your while, you can stop taking it. You won't have lost a thing.

The stupidest thing I ever did was to waste an entire year, after i'd heard of baclofen, wondering whether I should or shouldn't. Fears, excuses - what if it doesn't work? What if the side effects -- blah blah. It's your life. Don't waste it, dimly hoping your alcoholism will sort itself out by itself. It won't. You have to get up off your arse, and do something about it.

[libmit]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hi Cher,
You can always stop taking it if it doesn't work out for you. It might work, maybe not. You'll probably know fairly quickly. It's true it affects people very differently. I agree - you should read more, but basically, try it, see how it works for you, then make more decisions. You don't have to decide right now how much or how long you'll take it. People asked me what I'd do if I got to such and such dose and I still hadn't hit "the switch". I told them I'd worry about that if it happened - it didn't. Same with the side effects. You don't have to decide in advance. Either keep trying to take it, or titrate back down. The alternative is to keep drinking. I tried topamax and naltrexone before baclofen. Neither of them worked for me, so I stopped and moved on. Running out of baclofen at a high dose isn't good - so you need to plan against that, as well as being suddenly hospitalized without an ability to keep on the bac - you just have to do the best you can do --- seems a smaller risk than continuing to drink - basically self medicating to death.
Libby

[RudyB]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

my comrades make good points here. i've been on bac for only a few weeks. am going up pretty slowly (currently at 30 mg/day). se's are minimal to none. the worst so far was nausea once as i took them on an empty stomach. i'm really ready for a life not ruled by al. that's all i need to know to keep taking those blessed pills...

[tiptronic_ct]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Cher,

I was terrified when I started baclofen - I didn't know what lay ahead. But I was more terrified of continuing to drink myself into an early grave. There is nothing like a chronically painful liver to get one motivated - I couldn't even lie on my right side, it was so tender.

Your baclofen journey will be what you make of it. More importantly, what happens once you're sober is entirely up to you. I don't foresee myself taking baclofen for the rest of my life, for instance. If it turns out I can't do without it without relapsing, I'll have to re-assess. That is, to a large extent, why I decided on abstinence. I'll take baclofen for at least two years, during which time I'm allowing my body and mind to recover. Thereafter, I want to taper down and see how it goes.

Having said all that, have you given any thought as to what the alternatives are? What else have you tried? What worked to such an extent that you can build on it? Have you looked at other meds or approaches?

Baclofen or no baclofen, what is your plan?

Good luck!!!

[Lo0p]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

I was hospitalized in an emergency surgery with complications that took 10 days. They asked me what medications I took. I said I took 175mgs of baclofen per day. They prescribed and dispensed to me 175mgs of baclofen per day.

[cherrabah]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Phut! Silly me, I have got my knickers in a stupid twist, haven't I??! Er, do I have an anxiety issue?! Thanks for your replies and in advance too for any more that come my way. I feel more grounded and centred listening to your common sense. Of COURSE I can stop anytime if I don't like it; it's not as if I'm commiting to a prison sentence. But thanks, too, for understanding my apprehension, espe tiptronc; moreover I'm anxious about losing the devil I know, the habits I'm familiar with and the change in marital dynamics it could cause. But hey - why worry before it's all happened? Duh.

I've tried AA, WFS, campral, therapy, counselling, kudzu, vitamins and books galore. I've tried not worrying and carrying on - which at the time of the witching hour is the easiest, but 3am remorse, insomnia and deep down knowing what you're doing just still eat away at the soul; not to mention physical exhaustion and low energy.

Nope. Not ebay just yet. Please keep talking ... it's that resistance (addiction) that's calling me again. You know, I'm almost interested myself in following my own posts when I start these goddam pills. Love Cher.

[cherrabah]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

When I say 'Of course I can stop anytime' I mean baclofen. Not dry white wine. I've tried that so many times and it doesn't seem to work .... but still I can't see why. Cher

[bleep]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hey Cher,

It's not often you'll hear me say this, but I don't reckon baclofen is the answer for you, yet. Most people are chomping at the bit for their baclofen to arrive, desperate for a way out of hell. You don't seem to be at that level, so I'm not sure baclofen will be the panacea you are hoping for.

Taking baclofen is not a walk in the park. If you are not prepared to put up with inconveniences, such as "What bothers me from some of your comments is a) the amount a few of you take and b) the permanence of this self-medicating. I know on the other hand, one or two stay on low doses, and talk of titrating to a modest maintenance package - but I'm still bothered. In truth I'm scared about taking ANY drug (except alcohol it seems!) and I'm really not sure how safe baclofen is now. Anyway, for a start - the massive doses of 300 - 400mgs is out the question because I simply can't afford that. And that amount really DOES frighten me. here are also words liked 'stoned-ness' 'eyesight changes' and 'muddled mushy heads' alongside euphoria. I actually just want to be me. Undrugged, clean and wholesome." then I can't see you having the necessary resolve to cope with some of the SE's you are likely to experience.

That may change with time, hopefully you are able to sort this shit out before you reach that point though.

[redhead77]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Cherrabah,

I believe I read on a different thread, you've been an alcoholic for 30+ years. Is that correct? You've tried a hell of a lot of things. I guess you should be aware, bac is not a magic carpet ride to sobriety. Well, maybe the ending is magic, but the journey can be grueling. I said can, because everyone has a different experience. I felt mine was really hard. I wanted to quit every 3 days when I went up. Others, have had it worse than me. Some have to titrate up far longer than I have. I would never take back any of it. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I like what Bleep wrote above. All the things you mentioned may be a reality. Except, the addiction to baclofen. Your body will get physically dependent, but you won't crave it. The things like marital discord, may very likely occur (I believe you said he was an alcoholic). Then you have a chance to help him too. You'll have a marriage not based on drinking. Where you can truly learn and explore each other. Okay, that might be a little over the top, but you never know? It's never too late.

The thing is, you aren't undrugged, clean, and wholesome now. You're an alcoholic, who has spent the better part of her life battling the bottle. Do you have other plans on how to become the undrugged person, who doesn't drink alcohol, that you want to be? Seems like you may have given up on those. So maybe, you could be drugged, clean, and wholesome. Like me. :H:H:H Honestly, the drugged feeling goes away.

I'm not telling you to do it. I'm just not understanding your rationale, for why you wouldn't.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hiya, Cher.

I was scared witless about taking bac. I set lots (LOADS) of limits on what, how and when I would take it. (No more than 30mg. Only the right brand from only a specific pharmacy. For only 3 months.) :H

You'll probably have to evaluate and reevaluate. You'll have to decide if it's the right choice for you.

I'll rah-rah it all day long, because I've achieved my goal and want the same for others, but it's ultimately your choice. Every step of the way. Which is a beautiful thing, that choice. As opposed to the one I couldn't make, no matter how hard I tried. So I kept taking the pills, by choice.

Hang around, lots of reasons to go either way, and only you can decide! We're here either way.
:l
Ne

[cherrabah]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Thanks for all your replies. It seems that some of you feel baclofen might not be the best option for me right now due to my reluctance and concerns over the amount, and I can see that. There is no doubt that I'm addicted to alcohol, but I function okay-ish and occasionally have a day or two AF. However, my anxiety is bad, unfortunately even worse now I've opened this debate on whether or not to try baclofen! Perhaps my thinking is tha I would like to try a low dose to see if it reduces anxiety rather than a magic pill to quit, and then with reduced tension I may be able to make my own choices?

There are also conflcting opinions on SEs, and I figured low dosage would minimise any problems there. I'm going round in circles with zero peace of mind. I'm sure I hate alcohol enough just to tell it where to go. I just want help - not magic. I'll do the work, but I need some help. Love Cher

[RedThread12]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

Hey, Cher: Remember - you can do baclofen like other people do AA - one day at a time. You'll never know unless you start. Try not to get too wound up in what-ifs until you find out what the first dose is like. Maybe you'll be like me and get relief from the compulsion to over-drink on the first day. I know I'm not usual in that way, but it could happen. And if it doesn't, we're all here to help you out. Keep reading ALL the stories. There's some intensive stuff, but if it weren't working to improve quality of life for many of us, we wouldn't be here! Good luck!

[Guest]

baclofen - second thoughts ....

If it helps I was able to quit baclofen, taper off a dose of close to 200mgs after taking baclofen for 3 1/2 months in less than 1 week. Only had 1 slight wobble that might have been a bit of withdrawl, and just one 10mg pill put that right.