Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Will do. What brings you to town (so to speak!) or did I miss it? Either way hullo! Hope you're well!

[Mirawizad]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

My Story

My story: I drank VERY heavy for over 10 years, no longer being just a heavy drinker. I drank the equivelant of 2 1/2 to 3 of the biggest Vodka's every week, not sure if they are "gallons" or what. I almost NEVER went a day without drinking. The most I ever went was 30 days. So after trying Naltrexone, Campral, Kudzu, 7 weeks to sobriety, etc. etc. I went on Baclofen but my doctor wouldn't let me go above 100. With the extra I would get online I would take 4 in the morning and 8 later in the day, 2x day dosing. at 120 mg day. This worked for a long while (meaning I would only drink 1-2 times a week and in much lower amounts) until I started drinking again heavy, due to a divorce.

Thankfully, I came back to this site and found the Dr. L. I am now dosing up and have been off alcohol since the day before new years eve and again feeling the positive effects of Baclofen again I hadn't felt for a long time. Still all in all, I've felt better ON baclofen even at the lower dose as low as 60 mg a day, than I ever felt even pre-drinking. That is my story, right now I intent to hit my switch and then go back down to the lowest dose for long term maintence. And of course avoid alcohol, it seems to drain the baclofen out of my system faster than a hole in a tire. lol

[LadyLush]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Mira,

I can not drink on Baclofen either. I was doing so well and started drinking again at a low point last spring/summer too. I feel better on Baclofen as well and am with you on just about everything in your 2nd paragraph.

Good luck to you and let's remember how good we feel now when that bottle trys to stare us down!:teeter:


LL:l

[Cassander]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

A holiday (in the USA) bump for newbies and lurkers. This thread is our Encyclopedia of Baclofen. There is much good information about baclofen in or linked to this thread.

[satz123]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Thanks Reggie. I was hoping maybe someone in Ireland knows a sympatic doc who I could visit. Just too embarrassed to go own doc and can't get Bac delivered to IRL

[satz123]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Will u recommend a site to buy On line. I can get delivered to my sister in Scotland.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

bump

[RedThread12]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Bump for Big Trouble.

[Zenstyle]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Bump

[Colin]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

This link is to the much improved French doctors' advice on baclofen -
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59463672/Prescribing-Guide-for-Baclofen-in-the-Treatment-of-Alcoholism-Don.pdf

[Hippyman]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Colin;1437452 wrote: This link is to the much improved French doctors' advice on baclofen -
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59463672/Prescribing-Guide-for-Baclofen-in-the-Treatment-of-Alcoholism-Don.pdf

Excellent!

[Mal O' Drama]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Bump for Cleo63

[Otter]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

Here is a new site I set up to collect information, chat, etc, devoted to Baclofen for alcoholism: Welcome to the Baclofen USA Forum | Baclofen USA Forum

[DonQuixote]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread

On 03 December 2012, a very interesting article has been published in ?Frontiers in Psychiatry?: ?Suppression of alcohol dependence using baclofen: a 2-year observational study of 100 patients?

Results: While all patients were rated ?at high risk? at baseline, approximately half of them were rated ?at low risk? at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. The sum of patients who were at ?low risk? and at ?moderate risk? (improved patients) was 84% at 3 months, 70% at 6 months, 63% at 1 year, and 62% at 2 years. The constancy of improvement over the 2-years was remarkable. The average maximal dose of baclofen taken was 147 mg/day. Ninety-two percentage of patients reported that they experienced the craving-suppressing effect of baclofen. Significant relationships were found between the amount in grams of alcohol taken before treatment and the maximal dose of baclofen required, and between the existence of a mental disorder and a lesser effect of baclofen.

DonQuixote

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread




Am I reading this correctly?

That at two years 50 out of 87 people were at "low risk for chronic harm" and that 10 of those people had discontinued treatment.

Another 12 people were had mid-level risk? And 10 of those people had also discontinued treatment.

The remaining people, at high risk for chronic harm from their drinking, weren't taking the medication.

That's pretty astounding, I think. 72 out of 87 people received some benefit after 2 entire years, and 20 of those weren't even taking the medication.

I haven't picked through it for all the things that make the study a not-so-good-one, or difficult for a scientist with some degree of skepticism (meaning: Not me!) to take seriously. But those numbers alone are enough to make anyone skeptical. Except that they're probably true. It probably actually works that well for lots of people.

Two questions: Has anyone else picked over it looking for faults? Is Frontiers peer-reviewed?

I'd also like to know exactly what the WHO defines as low, medium and high "risk for chronic harm". I don't have time to look myself right now, but if anyone else has the time, I think it's probably in this document:
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2000/who_msd_msb_00.4.pdf