Antabuse...anyone on it?

[Geekteeth]

I have made an appointment to see my gp next week, I am hoping he will prescribe me Antabuse(are doctors reluctant to prescribe these? Price etc) also is anyone on this medication and what is your experience with it?

[Cinders]

Antabuse...anyone on it?

I am not sure about the UK and Antabuse but it is still prescribed on occasion in the US.

I tried it, ended up drinking on it and decided that route was not for me. Apparently my desire for alcohol supercedes my desire to live.

You might want to ask for some help with anti-craving medication at the same time, since Antabuse does not address that at all.

Good luck!! I know others will jump in that have had much better success with Antabuse.

Cindi

[Marshy]

Antabuse...anyone on it?

Hi Geekteeth,

I had a very positive experience with Antabuse but my doctor wouldn't prescribe it for me (he said he doesn't believe in medicating alcoholism). But I can think of at least two Brits here who were prescribed it by their GP. I think it's the luck of the draw.

I ended up buying it off the internet which I really didn't want to do but I'm glad I took it.

Unlike Cinders, I found it did help with cravings because it completely removed the possibility of me drinking so I stopped thinking about drinking. It worked psychologically. (I know some people drink on it but that was an absolute no-no for me so taking Antabuse removed alcohol from the agenda completely).

Good luck with the doc!

(King of the who?)

[AverageJoe]

Antabuse...anyone on it?

Hey, I asked my GP for Antabuse (UK here) a week or so ago. He said no, unless I went under the supervision of the Drug and Alcohol Team as its too dangerous!

He did however prescribe me Campral instead.

[mariec]

Antabuse...anyone on it?

I also have had antabuse prescribed by my gp but it did'nt work for me i also ended up drinkin on it the cravens were still too bad i could'nt resist but that doe'snt mean to say it wont work for you good luck hope all goes well!

[Greg]

Antabuse...anyone on it?

Marshy;1158668 wrote: Unlike Cinders, I found it did help with cravings because it completely removed the possibility of me drinking so I stopped thinking about drinking. It worked psychologically. (I know some people drink on it but that was an absolute no-no for me so taking Antabuse removed alcohol from the agenda completely).

This was my experience with Antabuse too. It stopped me being able to play games in my head about whether or not I should drink again each night, which was always my drinking time. Once the drug was taken, there was no point debating whether or not to drink, since fear of a bad reaction was stuck in my mind. For me the fear overcame the compulsion.

I agree with Cinders however, in that something else to address cravings could be needed, otherwise you may nearly go around the bend just slogging it out each day without alcohol and with the cravings for it still there unreduced. This is how people end up drinking on top of Antabuse, and why doctors can be reluctant to prescribe it if a person is not having any other treatment for their alcohol problem. I quit taking Antabuse several times in the past because I was unable to handle this situation. I was successful last time because I did have another medication to reduce the psychological distress and cravings. Different medications help different people, but Campral and baclofen are two that come to mind. A few say naltrexone helps cravings too, but many say it only helps if taken before actually drinking (called The Sinclair Method) and obviously that is incompatible with taking Antabuse.

It can be a bit hard to get these days from many doctors (in Australia anyway), but you may not find this a problem if you go to a doctor who specialises in addiction treatment, rather than just a general practicioner.