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    #1

    How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

    My dr. prescribed me antabuse upon my request. ( I have a nightly beer drinking habit that absolutely has to go) I have filled the prescription and it is just sitting in my purse. Has been for 4 days now. Have to admit I am freaking terrified of it. Or am I just stalling to get a few more drinking days in? I drank last night, ending at about 11 pm. How long do I really have to wait after drinking several beers before I take the first tablet? Paperwork from pharmacy says 12 hours. Is that long enough? Don't want to have a bad reaction right out of the chute. I used naltrexone for like, 9 months, with limited success, more on that later.

    CG
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    #2
    How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

    I was always told to wait the best part of a week - but that advice I think is based upon someone who is heavily drinking day in, day out ie would take that long for all the alcohol to be cleared from their system.

    Interested in hearing about your Naltrexone experience though.

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      #3
      How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

      24 hours
      :welcome::welcome::welcome:

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        #4
        How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

        Thanks for the reply. Think I will go for it this evening. I'll post a follow up.

        Cg

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          #5
          How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

          You will be fine if you start this evening. I have started in the morning after drinking about 10 drinks the night before and have not had any ill effects from it.

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            #6
            How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

            Antabuse also helped me a lot during my first few months without alcohol. It helped stop me engaging in endless arguments inside my head about whether I could and should drink again each night after deciding I wanted to quit. Once the drug has been taken, you simply can't drink and enjoy it, since you will get extremely ill before being able to enjoy much of it.

            To work out when you will have metabolised all the alcohol, take note of the time you STARTED drinking, and work out how many standard drinks you are consuming. That equals the number of hours after starting before the alcohol is all out of your system. It can vary however with different factors. If standard drinks aren't listed on the beer you drink, each "unit" is about 0.8 standard drinks, so multiply the total units by 0.8 to find how many hours it will take for them to be gone.

            To play it safe on the first day you could leave Antabuse until the evening if possible, then take it earlier each day afterwards. Taking it early is vital, I found, for warding off evening mind arguments about drinking versus not drinking.

            Also be aware that it will take several days or even a week or more before you could drink again safely after taking it, so you can't just throw in the towel at a moment's notice if you want to drink. I found this was a big part of its success for me actually.

            Best of luck with it.

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              #7
              How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

              I remember having the scared to death feeling the first time I was prescribed Antabuse. It was the fear of not having the option to drink BUT I was the one that requested it before my doctor even brought it up.

              I took it the moment I had the script filled and was back in my car to just get it down my throat and not think about it. I had drank heavily the previous night also, completly wiped out a 12 pack and a few shots of whisky. I had slight rection, itchy skin and flushing but soon passed.

              Antabuse has been a great tool for me to end the constant battle in my head also. I know I can't drink while on it and it's a huge relief to me. That's what I wanted to begin with. Now actualy feeling the emotions and displacement of not having AL is what comes after. It helps me move from one point to another.
              "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."-- Judy Garland

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                #8
                How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

                It's 12 hours.

                If you've allowed this much time to elapse then you will be fine. It does not take a couple of days. However once you take you will need any where up to a week depending on strength of dose and length of time taking it before you can even think about touching alcohol.

                Do not drink on the stuff, the after effects are horrendous. The best case scenario is hours holed up in bed with frequent trip to the bathroom to violently throw up and a headache that makes the worst hangover seem like a walk in the park. The worst case involves trips to hospital and even death.

                This drug is not to be messed with. Trust me I tried, and you will regret the results, of that I can assure you.

                Good luck.
                I refuse to be labelled or ashamed. Through my struggles I am achieving self awareness and clarity.

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                  #9
                  How long to wait after drinking to start Antabuse

                  Thanks Dave.

                  I decided a few days ago that I was going to start taking Antabuse but was not sure when to start or how many days I would have to wait to drink again if I decide to do that so your post is helpful. I drank as much as possible yesterday so was thinking I should wait 2 days to get all the alcohol out of my system.

                  Also, I like your quote.

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