Does Baclofen‏ work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

[bleep]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

Hi Rich,

Below are some 3rd party documents relating to baclofen. Addictions to crack are only touched upon in the first article, but it is by Time Magazine, and so has some credibility.

Treating Alcohol Addiction: Can a Pill Replace Abstinence? - TIME

In the one below, ignore the first page, which is some strange lesson plan. The next bit is the text that accompanies the video that Murphy linked to, above.

http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpag...20cravings.pdf

There are more, I am still trying to find them, I'll post here when I do.

[RevoltingRich]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

thanks guys ;-)

[Guest]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

RevoltingRich;1128359 wrote: ...A little rant about 'DRUGS'...

ok, this may sound pedantic to you lot, but I'm not addicted to 'drugs' in the general sense of the word but to Heroin and Crack, two very specific drugs that are highly addictive. I find it pointless that some people class all drugs together apart from booze. I dont like weed, speed, ketamine, GHB, methamphetamine, etc.

Very rarely you will find someone that is addicted to all the drugs in the world ever.

Also naltrexone isnt used to treat 'drug addiction' it is a opiate blocker that prevents a specific type of drug (opiates- heroin, morphine, methadone, codiene etc) from working. IT wont help with 'drugs' in the general sense of the word. Apparently it does fuck all for the cravings. I have had friends on it and they used to crave like mad. Whats the point of that?

booze is a drug in the general sense of the word. different drugs seem to work on different parts of the brain and body. certain peoples comments reg drugs in general dont seem to be well informed or relevent. I ask for specifics reg Crack and Heroin addiction and cravings as this is what I am experiencing.

And if perhaps, the particular drug(I'm Including booze here) isnt actually the issue but rather a separate part of the brain/body that gets attached/addicted to the drug in question, I decided to try and express the feelings I battle daily, in the hope that maybe someone would say ' yes , I had that exact sensation but for ....'


Anyway enough of that OLD bollocks, on with the proper discussion:

Contrastly

I greatly appreciated the response from NE, it seemed intelligent, heartfelt and forthcoming with some of the information I wanted. thank you.

and thank you to everyone else too, I am very stressed at the moment, bizaree as it may sound coming out of prison can be scary, especially with the cravings thrown in too! They have been getting worse the last few days...

Its good to know that it was originally discovered on a cocaine addict. That is by far the drug I get the worst cravings for. Heroin isnt so bad, I dont really crave it much after the first few months of being clean, except if Im in pain, I just cant do crack cocaine without it as I get sycotic and paranoid if I dont have a strong downer with it. I sometimes do bizaree and reckless things (hence prison).

Timespans
Is baclofen a drug that once you start taking you have to keep taking? do you ever come off it after a couple of years and are able to start a new life as a non-addict? Do you get withdrawals?

Has anyone here read 'Rational Recovery' by Jack Trimpey?

Sorry I offended you with my post. I do actually know how naltrexone works I over simplified, generalised and ended up with a badly typed post. By drugs I meant Heroine and Cocaine, and I'll remember to be specific in future. I know it's an opiod blocker - I've read up on Naltrexone quite a bit since I'm using it myself albeit for alcohol. I did refer to the fact you are wanting to avoid using, by which I meant that I understand you are looking for something to combat cravings - which naltrexone probably won't.

[RevoltingRich]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

thanks again for feedback and for putting up with my pedanticness.
Got some more questions for you all!

1.Is there anyway of getting it prescribed?

2. or of finding out a treatment/dosage scale?

3. Any joy with getting it on the NHS?

4. Why hasnt this Baclofen hit the UK headlines and being prescribed internationally for drug addiction?

5. How much does it cost to obtain privately?

6. Average cost per month?

7. Who produces this drug? Where would be a good place to obtain it cheaply and safely?

8. Does it react badly with other medication?

9. What exactly do the withdrawals entail? Can they be completely dealt with by reducing your dosage rather than just stopping or does this still produce some discomfort?

10. What are the most common side effects? And what are the worst ones? Is there ways of working around them? Do they fade as you get used to the drug?


Gotta get as much of the lowdown on this before I invest time and money and also concerned about some of the risk of self prescribing.
Kind regards
Rich

[Lo0p]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

I have an answer for you regarding opiates. But I'm just reading this and it's 1:30 am for me here. I'll be back in the morning Rich.

[Seethepony]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

I can only answer 7:

Baclofen is nothing new; it's been around since the 30s. This means any pharmaceutical company can manufacture it without infringing anyone's patent. This makes it cheap, and it means there are dozens of companies making it. It also means that no one is interested in promoting it as a cure for alcoholism or anything else, as those companies have their own patented cures, which don't necessarily work, but which earn them a great deal of money. They also have dozens of cures in the works, and millions invested in new and whacky and possibly totally useless cures, so they have no interest in you and I buying baclofen. That's why the medical world is doing its best to pretend baclfoen doesn't exist... or if it does exist, it's only good for multiple sclerosis patients, and not alcoholics.

Anyway, I would definitely suggest you give it a spin. Beware though that most doctors (all the ones I talked to) have almost never heard of baclofen for addiction treatment, making it an uphill struggle to get a shred of their approval let alone a prescription. It's an idiotic situation that drives everyone nuts, but there's not much at the moment we can do about it. Anyway, I wish you all the luck in the world in your battles...

[Guest]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

RevoltingRich;1128491 wrote: thanks again for feedback and for putting up with my pedanticness.
Got some more questions for you all!

1.Is there anyway of getting it prescribed?

2. or of finding out a treatment/dosage scale?

3. Any joy with getting it on the NHS?

4. Why hasnt this Baclofen hit the UK headlines and being prescribed internationally for drug addiction?

5. How much does it cost to obtain privately?

6. Average cost per month?

7. Who produces this drug?

Rich

You mostly cannot get it prescribed via the NHS, this is because it hasn't been approved for use for addiction in the UK. Basically there haven't been many trials, and little is known - there isn't even a dosing protocol. It can be prescribed off label, but most GPs are not prepared to do so since it means if anything goes wrong, they could be liable(and once again there aren't any guidelines regards dosing for addiction).

There is a private Doctor in Edinburgh who does prescribe, although from what he told me he doesn't go over the UK prescribing limit of 100mg per day. It is possible to arrange private consultations with him. Failing that you can obtain reasonably easily it via online pharmacies such as Goldpharma and 4RX. Costs depend upon dose, probably between ?70 and ?200 a month.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

RevoltingRich;1128491 wrote: thanks again for feedback and for putting up with my pedanticness.You're welcome. We do it because almost all of us have had these exact questions and more. We'll share the answers as best we can, and let you know when there aren't any answers to be had.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 1.Is there anyway of getting it prescribed? Yes. There are a couple of ways depending on where you are. It's almost never easy. Your best bet is to order it from one of the online companies.
The next suggestion is a very important one:
If you decide to take baclofen for the purpose of finding indifference, You should order enough of it. We'll help you with that too, when the time comes. The reason is simple math. You can't predict when you'll get a shipment from overseas. In general, it's been very reliable. But it can take time. You want to avoid getting into the process for a couple of weeks and then realize that you have to titrate down to wait for your next shipment to arrive. This happens repeatedly. But I digress...

Rich;1128491 wrote: 2. or of finding out a treatment/dosage scale? Yes. We have those. From a couple of different places. They are very explicit. We often play with them, because they are very cautious. You can look into that if and when you decide to take bac. It'll directly affect the suggestions I brought up in #1.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 3. Any joy with getting it on the NHS?Nope. Not a chance.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 4. Why hasnt this Baclofen hit the UK headlines and being prescribed internationally for drug addiction?

SO many reasons. There has been a lot of conjecture and hypotheses about this very topic. You can find everything from global conspiracies related to the stranglehold on the medical industry to the fact that it's a generic drug which no one can make real money from to the fact that it does not have a champion. I, personally, believe all of these, and more, are true to some extent.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 5. How much does it cost to obtain privately?

Not much in the grand scheme of things. Someone else can provide you with where to find the information regarding what the costs are. If you were using, it would be a no-brainer! Coke ain't free! But the fact that you aren't using means that you'll have to fit it into a tight budget. I assume your budget is tight because not many people come out of the system with their finances intact, unless you happen to be a Wall Street Billionaire. I haven't met many of them on MWO.
RevoltingRich;1128491 wrote: 6. Average cost per month?

See # 5. Weigh it against the what-ifs. That's what I did. It worked out, for me.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 7. Who produces this drug? Where would be a good place to obtain it cheaply and safely?

It's generic. Meaning everybody who wants to make it can make it. Which also makes it pretty cheap.
Lots of places. Lots and lots of places, Rich.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 8. Does it react badly with other medication?

Short answer is a resounding yes. But perhaps not in the way that you think. We can help you navigate this, but you'll have to take ownership for your own decisions regarding this. Researching stuff is your new best friend, my friend.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 9. What exactly do the withdrawals entail? Can they be completely dealt with by reducing your dosage rather than just stopping or does this still produce some discomfort?Hayzeus. You are exhaustive in your thoughts, aren't you? I'm glad. Means you're making intelligent, informed decisions. Any life changing opportunity should be approached this way. Then again, some of the best things I have experienced happened because I just said, "Fuck it. Let's do it!" Not all of these were drunk induced. :H
To your questions: I dunno. It's generally not recommended to go through withdrawals. Plan accordingly.
Discomfort can be expected. Maybe. There have been several accounts of people dropping dramatically and safely without great repercussion. Except that they start consuming inordinate amounts of booze again and then they're just fucked all over.
There are also accounts (more, perhaps) of people who had terrible SEs (side effects) when they reduced too quickly.
You can taper off gradually with little affect... Except that really big one. The beast gets out of the cage.

Rich;1128491 wrote: 10. What are the most common side effects? And what are the worst ones? Is there ways of working around them? Do they fade as you get used to the drug?There is a laundry list of SEs. So many that some of them are clearly not related to baclofen. There is also a pretty good chance that you'll have sleep disruptions, ie. insomnia and fatigue. Not related to one another, strangely. And some others. If you're not a dumb ass you can avoid the really dreadful ones. If you are, you will live through all of them. They just can be pretty unpleasant in the moment. I know this because I was a dumb ass.


Rich;1128491 wrote: Gotta get as much of the lowdown on this before I invest time and money and also concerned about some of the risk of self prescribing.

Yep. We've all been there. Except the ones who say What the Fuck all the time. And the dumb asses. That said, I like you so I'm going to give it to you straight: You will feel both better, and more worried, if you do some reading around here. This can prove rather time consuming, but hey, any life-altering investment takes time. You should know the good, bad and the downright ugly. Try to suss out whether you're reading someone who is a dumb ass. Whether the advice and suggestions are coming from someone who has an agenda other than sharing information... If bac didn't work for them, figure out, for yourself, why that is. If you have specific questions, reach out. We will answer. It's ALL here. It's hard to find, so we can help direct you. But you gotta do you. I/We can't make the decisions for you.

Finally, Rich, this is medicine. It's not magic. It's not easy, always. It's not effortless, mostly. It feels to me like a miracle, but antibiotics are also miraculous, you know? In some ways antibiotics ARE magical, right? :H You can't even feel the little ass-kicking-buggers running around getting rid of the bad guys. Bac does it's ass-kicking of the baddies in much less subtle ways.

:goodjob:
And kind regards bac at you!
Ne

[Murphyx]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

Rich

I agree with everything above.

Regarding buying it online. People use different companies, but I've only used 4rx and so I can only speak for them. The tablets are kosher and I've never had a problem with delivery. They are delivered in a plain brown envelope and nothing is written on the outside to suggest what it might contain.

I've done some back of a fag packet calculations (actually I used excel, but you know what I mean). With my suggested titration schedule of staying on each dose for 5 days before increase, starting on 10mg/day and increasing by 10mg each time until you reach 30mg/day and then increasing by 20mg each time, in 60 days you will be on 210mg/day. You will probably have to go higher than that, but I've chosen 60 days to give you an idea of the costs. You will need 6150mg of baclofen and as 4rx sell 25mg pills, you will need 246 of them at a cost of $151. The shipping costs would be $24 regular or $53 expedited priority. Regular shipping takes about a month to arrive and expedited within a week. Total cost, including shipping, for your first 2 months supply, converted at today's exchange rate would be ?113 for regular delivery or ?125 if you chose expedited.

This is the link Buy Generic Lioresal

Bear in mind that you never want to run out. And I'm fucked off with having to send Brits part of my stash because they fucked up with their orders, especially when the ungrateful fucks don't even refund me...but I digress.

Check out the other online companies. They may be cheaper. I stay with 4rx as I say because I trust them and also because I'm loathe to change brands now.

If you decide to go with 4RX pm me and I will give you my reference code to use. You put this in the cart page and you'll get a 10% discount. In the interests of openness and full disclosure, it also means I get a 10% referral fee.

I hope that helps.

[taw]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

"You will feel both better, and more worried, if you do some reading around here. "

VERY TRUE!!! Read read read and ask questions...Everyone has a similar but different experience on bac...I order mine online...I have not hit my switch yet...I am one with the bad SE's, but I have come to accept that the bac must be doing something in my body...If nothing was happening, then I might be worried...although when I was throwing up again this morning I was cursing the damn drug!!

Best of luck to you....let us know what you decide to do...we are here for you!!

[christyacc]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

taw;1128672 wrote: "You will feel both better, and more worried, if you do some reading around here. "

VERY TRUE!!! Read read read and ask questions...Everyone has a similar but different experience on bac...I order mine online...I have not hit my switch yet...I am one with the bad SE's, but I have come to accept that the bac must be doing something in my body...If nothing was happening, then I might be worried...although when I was throwing up again this morning I was cursing the damn drug!!

Best of luck to you....let us know what you decide to do...we are here for you!!

Not to hijack, but taw, how long have you been on and what dose? If it's somewhere on the threads, I haven't got to it yet.....sorry.

[taw]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

Christy,

I have been on since January...up and down due to SE's...I am currenlty at 200mg...my thread is I am a trainwreck...

[Theodore]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

Hi Rich

I am an academic, currently writing about the effects of baclofen on all addictions, (and also conveniently an ex-alcoholic, which is why I'm able to write on here). I haven't yet read much about Baclofen and heroin. But it looks like you've received some good information. As others have stated, Baclofen almost certainly works for cocaine addiction. The drug is useful, it would seem, in combating a wide variety of addictions- and its effectivness is determined less by the person's substance of choice, than by their constitution and the particular mechanisms of their addiction.

I am in direct contact with Dr Chick- the only alcohol specialist in Britain who prescribes Baclofen. I will phone him on Monday to ask about the possiblity of prescribing Baclofen for addiction- I would assume it is not yet legal, but it is obviously possible to obtain Baclofen from the .

And I can say, from the bottom of my heart, that I am sincerely sorry for what you have been through. The treatment of hard drug addicts in this country, and throughout the world is appalling. Given that alcohol withdrawel is the closest thing to hell I can imagine, it makes me very upset to think what you must have suffered. A recent BBC article aknowledged that the global war on drugs has failed and prohibiton is ineffective. Very, very strict legal regulation of hard drugs is the answer, and drug addicts should never ever be imprisoned, unless of course that have commited other crimes during the course of their addiction- even that is, to a certain extent understandable. It has taken scientists and politicians far, far too long to reach that conclusion.

You can find more information about baclofen's effects on my thread- theodore- indifference and from the many other useful threads. Carry on fighting the cravings- I suspect it won't be long before you cure your addiction, for ever.

[Theodore]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

As you said, the particualr mechanisms by which addictive drugs take their effect are different, but their effects and benefits are, in many ways, quite uniform.

[Theodore]

Does Baclofen work on Heroin and Crack addiction - in particular CRAVINGS

In the meantime you may want to try a synergsitic (combined) program of yoga, exercise, diet and acupuncture, if you can afford it. These methods would probably have proved next to useless while you were using, but you may find they bring you at least some relief now your are clean. I met a former heroin addict in an alleyway of Montreal, and he said exactly that- he also seemed very happy and healthy, despite the alleway.