TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

[terryk]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Thanks everybody for the kind words. I should also mention that I've very recently had blood work done and my liver and kidney function is all normal (that means my body is handling the baclofen well, and my liver hasn't rotted out after 20 years of abuse).

Crunchy;1183659 wrote: But going up by 20 was too much for you and you wound up in ER?

To be clear, I wound up in the ER because I jumped up from 150mg/day to 230+mg/day for 5 days (I don't know how beneficial it would be to explain exactly my mental and physical state at that point, but I'll mention that it took *at least* 5 security guards to strap me to the stretcher - I felt two hands on each of my arms, my legs, and my head). Increasing by 20mg/week was still too much for me, possibly do-able, but often felt like "a ride that I wanted to get off of" and probably would've made me unable to function at more than 75%.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm not against rapid titration, it just didn't work for me.

-tk

[terryk]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Murphyx;1183359 wrote: Well done old son!

Terry, can you explain this? The Wiki passage you go on to quote doesn't suggest it, at least not to me.

It was purely speculation on my part about the inositol, and I agree that the wiki snippet doesn't suggest it. I really didn't mean to refer to it now, but since I did, I'll try and explain... It caught my eye when I read that it is present in varying levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (low in those with clinical depression), and may play a role similar to SSRIs. I wondered if inositol (or other chemicals, could be competing with or mucking up baclofen's action - baclofen of course is notable for working in the cerebrospinal fluid at gaba-b receptors, also some reports suggest SSRIs may negate baclofen) -I started reading more about baclofen, the mesolimbic pathway, and the (other) chemicals involved, here's a couple of recent articles:

Gi-coupled GABAB Receptors Cross-R... [Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI

"Baclofen-induced inositol phosphate synthesis and transient [Ca (2+)]i increases [...]"
". Baclofen also potentiated bradykinin-induced inositol phosphate synthesis and transient [Ca2+] i increases [...]"

and:

In vivo ethanol experience increases... [Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI

"Furthermore, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3))-induced intracellular Ca(2+) release and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II are selectively involved in the desensitization of D(2), but not GABA(B), receptor signaling."

The first article would lead me to believe that baclofen already increases inositol, the second doesn't mention baclofen, but mentions gaba-b receptors, inositol, and dopamine and their relation to "alcoholism."

I have recently (past 60 days) conducted an "Energy Drink Challenge!"....when I have around a couple of cans, two days in a row, I get sweaty, vision flashes, heart palpatations, and I have trouble sleeping (for a couple of days after). Still not sure if *that* is how I lost my "switch" (it could have been something else, like my sudden stoppage of anti-gout meds), but it *definitely* effects me in a negative way (that never happened before baclofen) and I'm going to steer clear of them in the future.

-tk

[mario]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Search of: baclofen alcohol - List Results - ClinicalTrials.gov

Thanks for this link. terry k.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Woop Woop tk!
Thanks for being such a great resource and thoughtful friend.
Many congratulations!
:l and :H

[redhead77]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Bump.

These are the stories that should be at the top of the threads anyway. Congratulations tk.

[Blondemerlot]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

I am interested in knowing if anyone tried Naltrexone first before starting Baclofen.
Nal did not work for me and I followed it to a t. Topamax gave me horrible side effects.

Would appreciate knowing if I am am good candidate for Baclofen?

[Road to Recovery]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

If you drink - you are an excellent candidate for baclofen!

[ignominious]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

Congrats Terry

Succinctly put Road!

[spiritwolf333]

TerryK celebrates 1 year of sobriety and indifference to alcohol thanks to baclofen

This is the sobriety i am looking for!

In reading just a few threads from the past, I am finding some really great information -(including learning about some of long standing members).

I feel fortunate to have come across this particular thread today. * terryk * has shed some additional light on my baclofen journey. No-nonsense, to-the-point, informative information. I continue to thank all of the mwo writers who remain loyal to the baclofen cause.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Oh, the irony that Spiritwolf333 and Spiritfree are the same person.

[neophyte]

there was no point bumping this thread, TK posts yearly updates and references old posts, what was the idea behind this?

[Mom21961]

For anyone new to the forum, please check out the most recent update below. He also includes the content of all his prior yearly updates with links.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/medication-research-and-support/91815-terryk-celebrates-5-sobriety-indifference-alcohol-thanks-baclofen.html

I appreciate your updates tk. It's very encouraging to read about your continued success. :thanks: