I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

This whole thing disturbs and confuses me. Beginning with the very first post.

~Your friendly bac-taker who owes her sobriety to Dr. Ameisen.

[terryk]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

dazed;1178007 wrote: Really? 530 mg per day and zero side effects? Really? Tell me, Dr. Ameisen, are you ever worried that the studies that you toot are going to expose you as the liar that you are? Does it ever occur to you that the WORST thing that could happen to your "lifetime achievement" is the studies that you toot?

From The little pill that could cure alcoholism | Society | The Observer

“Ameisen has not hidden the fact that baclofen can have side effects, particularly if not managed properly, including sleepiness (or somnolence), dizziness, nausea, violent dreams, headaches and bouts of depression, or that sudden withdrawal is unsafe. He has also stated that: "No medication works effectively for everyone, and baclofen is surely no exception." With no official figures and many taking it without medical supervision, it's impossible to assess baclofen's success rate accurately. There's also no definitive way to measure success: anecdotal evidence suggests that those who don't achieve abstinence stop taking the drug because they find the side effects off-putting, and who's to say they wouldn't eventually have been cured if they had continued? "So far it seems to work in all types except for one," says Ameisen, "and that's people who turn up once and don't come again. But it's not one size fits all; you have to refine it. Not to say that I'm a great doc, but every time I'm on the case I've yet to find a patient where it's not a success. I've been playing with this medication for 10 years."

I have been on high dose baclofen for over a year and a half. I reached my "switch" at 280mg/day, and have been indifferent to alcohol and side effect free for nearly a year now (current dose 220mg/day). My titration was long and difficult. When I tried to push it too hard and too fast, I wound up restrained in the ER and admitted to the hospital for 5 days. I have recounted that story in posts on this forum. I learned the hard way and now have a healthy respect for the drug.

In light of my experience, I too, am a little skeptical of reports of people experiencing *no* side effects on high dose baclofen, but then again, I was pretty skeptical that a pill could cure my alcohol addiction... and I'm living, breathing proof that it does, and that Ameisen didn't lie about that.

Dazed, I read your first post and thought that you might have sincere concerns about baclofen. Your last post makes you seem more like a fear-mongering troll who throws around blind accusations with the sole purpose of scaring people away from baclofen.

The truth will come out and I'm not afraid of it. Baclofen works for me, because baclofen works. Maybe not for everyone (and maybe not even always, and forever for everyone), but it works now and nothing you can say here will change that for me.

-tk

p.s. I think you meant "tout," not "toot."

[dazed]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Please get a grip. I’m not trying to get anybody to do anything other than Ameisen and all I want from him is discourse. One reason is so that I have more material upon which to make a judgment for myself. Also, if he has any new information, or if he has found a way past all the side effects, he should be able to say that in one case he did _____. He has already declared a frighteningly high dose as safe, so there is no good reason not to give some concrete answers regarding side effects. Unless the truth is that he does not have any solutions to the central problem with baclofen.

I debated about whether to use “liar” or “delusional,” and selected the former because I thought the apparently ego-driven doctor might be more likely to respond. I suspect that the other might hit too close to home.

I am sincerely glad that baclofen is working for you.

Question: Given that Ameisen has been doing this for a decade, has had many, many patients who have been cured, along with other claims of 100% cure rates, where are the case studies? They are not as valuable as say a double-blind study but they are not as difficult or drawn out either. You would think that by now there would be instrumental and even collective case studies, especially given the hundreds of people treated. Instead what exists is one single intrinsic and so dubious (the researcher and subject were the same person) case study. Why? TerryK, why aren’t you part of a case study? It sounds like you should be. Of all of the hundreds of patients treated, why is there not at least one case study that is not intrinsic? Wouldn’t you think that Ameisen and other physicians interested in this method would have thought of publishing one? Maybe you could ask your doctor why. Maybe others here could ask their doctors why. It seems to me that would have been an obvious thing to do, and then also clues about what to do about the side effects would more readily available for the soldiers on this "battleground."

Maybe I am missing something.

[AllyB]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

dazed;1177605 wrote: I'm very confused. I am tired because I can't sleep and I can't think very well because I'm taking a whole shitload of baclofen. I am dazed and I am dazed everyday. I do remember before I started any of this that Olivier Ameisen posted here a few months ago. I don't remember much about that or much about anything these days but I do remember that YOU posted here, more than once, just a few months ago. NOT 18 months ago, it was NOT that long ago.

Do you not remember that? The reason that I ask is because I am afraid of what baclofen is doing to my brain. If you do not remember having posted here and do not remember the BIG fuss you kicked up back then, then I'm even more worried. I pretty much want to cry right now.

I get that you have brainfry but perhaps you should have used the forum tools to check up on this before going off on a rant. Dr Ameisen last posted here on the 30th of March 2010. That's just shy of 18 months ago.

Perhaps you are confusing him with Phillip Thomas?

[AllyB]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Dr Ameisen, I'm another one who wishes to thank you for your work in experimenting with this medication and in publicising it. I haven't taken it myself but I discovered your work last year while my husband was drinking himself to what would have been his death. He had suffered acute liver and kidney failure 6 months previously, in large part because of his drinking, yet he resumed heavy alcohol consumption within 2 days of his discharge from hospital. After that he did an inpatient detox, addiction counselling, AA and was on several types of anti-depressants but his drinking just got worse and worse.

We initially got baclofen online and over time he increased his dose up to 525mg. The side effects were very bad for him, especially insomnia - although his work at the time also contributed to this. After that he reduced his dose and we eventually got our GP onboard and he was happy to prescribe a reasonably high dose as long as my husband took monthly blood tests.

Last month he titrated down to zero as we have decided to have a baby and even though there has not been studies done on baclofen and sperm DNA fragmentation, so many medications now show to contribute to fragmentation that we have decided to not take a risk. It's definitely somewhat stressful as once he went below 60mg he was clearly more anxious and easily wound up. I suspect he will decide to go back on baclofen if/when I get pregnant.

[terryk]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

(deleted) Right, of course, My Bad.

[AllyB]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

terryk;1178449 wrote: Hi Ally, Dr. Ameisen *did* post here a couple of days ago (check the 1st post of the thread)
-tk

I know that, he posted replies on a few threads on the 13th and also asked how to post his own. Then on the 14th he posted this one after it was explained to him how he could start his own thread. But that's not what Dazed is referring to as he believes Ameisen posted a few months ago and it caused a big fuss. That didn't happen.

[terryk]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

dazed;1178389 wrote: Please get a grip. I?m not trying to get anybody to do anything other than Ameisen and all I want from him is discourse. One reason is so that I have more material upon which to make a judgment for myself. Also, if he has any new information, or if he has found a way past all the side effects, he should be able to say that in one case he did _____. He has already declared a frighteningly high dose as safe, so there is no good reason not to give some concrete answers regarding side effects. Unless the truth is that he does not have any solutions to the central problem with baclofen.

I debated about whether to use ?liar? or ?delusional,? and selected the former because I thought the apparently ego-driven doctor might be more likely to respond. I suspect that the other might hit too close to home.

I am sincerely glad that baclofen is working for you.

Question: Given that Ameisen has been doing this for a decade, has had many, many patients who have been cured, along with other claims of 100% cure rates, where are the case studies? They are not as valuable as say a double-blind study but they are not as difficult or drawn out either. You would think that by now there would be instrumental and even collective case studies, especially given the hundreds of people treated. Instead what exists is one single intrinsic and so dubious (the researcher and subject were the same person) case study. Why? TerryK, why aren?t you part of a case study? It sounds like you should be. Of all of the hundreds of patients treated, why is there not at least one case study that is not intrinsic? Wouldn?t you think that Ameisen and other physicians interested in this method would have thought of publishing one? Maybe you could ask your doctor why. Maybe others here could ask their doctors why. It seems to me that would have been an obvious thing to do, and then also clues about what to do about the side effects would more readily available for the soldiers on this "battleground."

Maybe I am missing something.

Hey Dazed, thanks for replying with a well thought out and articulate response. Honestly, until now it looked to me like *you* were the one who needed to get a grip.

There's been a lot of discussion, debate, and acrimony here about baclofen and side-effects. It's probably the most contentious issue on the meds forum. Doctors, Ameisen included, haven't been able to offer us much to explain, understand, or even acknowledge our side-effects and it's very frustrating, I'll admit.

I have a lot more to say on the issue, but I'm short on time. I'm glad that you're not just firing pot shots and I'd be happy to discuss the issues with you more here or there or not.

Just before starting this thread, Ameisen posted in another thread asking for help on how to post a new thread. I responded, and asked a few questions as well. He responded promptly with thanks and answers to my questions. Have you tried contacting him at oameisen@hotmail.com? I'm not sure how receptive *I'd* be to someone who just called me delusional and a liar, but you could *try* (and actually I *do* know how receptive I'd be).

More later? -tk

p.s. Ameisen's book includes the case study of a "Mr. A" and I have submitted a (self-reporting) case study to one of my prescribing physicians.

[ignominious]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Hi Ally. Great to hear an update. Best wishes to the both of you.

[Blondemerlot]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Where can I contact this Dr. L? I need assistance. I have tried Topamax and Naltrexone and neither of the meds worked.
Can someone please advise?

Thanks,
Blondemerlot

[Dosage0]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Blondemerlot;1185822 wrote: Where can I contact this Dr. L? I need assistance. I have tried Topamax and Naltrexone and neither of the meds worked.
Can someone please advise?

Thanks,
Blondemerlot

send me a PM and I'll be happy to share

[gotta stop]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Blondemerlot;1185822 wrote: Where can I contact this Dr. L? I need assistance. I have tried Topamax and Naltrexone and neither of the meds worked.
Can someone please advise?

Thanks,
Blondemerlot

Welcome! Here it is.
Dr. Fred Levin
312-642-5803

Good luck!

[bobsd]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

Hi Dr. Amiesen,

I am in day 2 of my baclofen regimen for a marijuana dependency issue. I have a thread to document my journey ("Baclofen for Marijuana Dependency"), so feel free to check it out. I see that you mention other drugs in your thread, and I want to let you know that there are addicts of other drugs out there that are trying baclofen. I applaud you for branching out to other substances!

[Sunnyvalenting]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

I read somewhere some time ago that people who succeed on Baclofen should not go off of it. Does someone know where that information is. Also does anyone have a copy of Dr A's protocol? Is it the one posted here or is there another in medical literature that is out there?
Thanks, I have tried the search features on this forum but haven't made much headway.
I haven't been on in awhile. I am glad to see that several of you are doing well.
I will check back in soon with more of my story.
Sunny

[RudyB]

I am Dr. Ameisen. I wish to share some news with you

sunny, the accepted wisdom seems to be that you should stay on or near your switch dose forever. i'm not happy about that, so we'll see, but NOTHING is as bad as being drunk or hungover all the time!

i don't know about dr A's specific protocol, but i'm sure it involves going up VERY slowly. you'll find heaps of relevant help at the 'consolidated baclofen thread'.

good luck sunny, and let us know how it's going.

rudy