Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

[Lo0p]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

KatieSmiles;1190332 wrote:
TSM or no TSM.......
I take a 50 mg pill per day and drink as usual. Last week (week 23) I drank 17 drinks for the whole week!

Yes, my GP was right, Naltrexone over time, IS helping me DRINK LESS.

Keep doing it!! For those it works well for, it works.

You're effectively practicing TSM. One Nal pill covers you for FAR longer than 24 hours as evidenced by the study I referenced here.

The only thing you might be missing out on is the opioidergic upregulation of positive behavior. Which is a fancy way to say that on days you don't drink, you shouldn't take the pill because your endorphin receptors are uncovered. On these days, you should participate in a healthy opioidergic activity like exercise. You're supposed to get an extra boost of reinforcement from these healthy activities because you're brain has produced more endorphin receptors because they've been covered up for so long. But this is all very theoretical and may not actually occur.

[Lo0p]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

dirty birdy;1190433 wrote: Thanks for the responses and arguments and everything else but i don't really think naltrexone is a very good option for me considering the aftereffects of drinking on naltrexone make me too sick to function. So TSM is out(wasn't crazy about the idea of it anyway)

And since the carving reduction aspects of the drug are marginal at best it would be pointless for me to take it in that regard so campral it is!

Baclofen is the biggest hammer we've got. I haven't had a craving for alcohol in years, and I even drink sometimes too.

[suneelca]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

I took NAL for about a year per TSM. During that time I did:

a) Stop drinking hard liquor (now just drink wine)
b) Did move the time of my first drink to 6:30 pm or so from 5 or so (cocktail hour!)

But still never got below a bottle of wine per night, each night. I did follow the Golden Rule, but after a couple of months, stopped doing the drink charting.

I do think TSM might have been oversold a bit in 'The Cure for Alcoholism.' Maybe I'm part of the 20 percent for whom it just won't work (per the book). It may also be that I was looking for the elusive 'no willpower' solution, and maybe there has to be some willpower involved. For instance, I did do two days in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, where alcohol is not easily had, and I did fine.

That said, and perhaps I too readily into what Dr. Ameisen is peddling, but started on Baclofen a bit over two weeks ago, and have now titrated up to about 100 mg or so. God, I hope this works, but for whatever reason, NAL didn't do it for me. Hope your mileage varies.

[KatieSmiles]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

Lo0p;1190517 wrote: Keep doing it!! For those it works well for, it works.

You're effectively practicing TSM. One Nal pill covers you for FAR longer than 24 hours as evidenced by the study I referenced here.

The only thing you might be missing out on is the opioidergic upregulation of positive behavior. Which is a fancy way to say that on days you don't drink, you shouldn't take the pill because your endorphin receptors are uncovered. On these days, you should participate in a healthy opioidergic activity like exercise. You're supposed to get an extra boost of reinforcement from these healthy activities because you're brain has produced more endorphin receptors because they've been covered up for so long. But this is all very theoretical and may not actually occur.

Thanks Lo0p

[dirty birdy]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

to be honest i just wanted a prescription of antabuse but my doc won't prescribe it. Hopefully the campral will do the trick. If not I'm gonna have to find a doc that will prescribe antabuse.

[dirty birdy]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

Baclofen seems like a pain in the drain side effects wise.

[Greg]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

Antabuse plus Campral could be quite helpful, but I don't imagine too many doctors would prescribe both together (despite no specific interaction between them that I'm aware of). Try to find a doctor who specialises in treating addiction, or an open minded GP...but easier said that done, I know.

[dirty birdy]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

My doc now is an addiction specialist but she won't prescribe me the antabuse. Just campral and naltrexone. Never asked about baclofen tho. Greg how should i wait to take the campral after stopping drinking? If i drink tonight would it be safe to take campral tomorrow if i don't drink>??

[momma]

Naltrexone confusion>? Need some insight!

I have been using The Sinclair Method for 7 months now and have had great results. I used to drink 5-6 glasses of wine every night. Now I am down to 22 total drinks in the last 25 days! In the past I would have drank at least 125 to 150 glasses of wine in that time! I also have had 14 AF days in the last 25 days. I feel so much better about myself, my brain is coming back, the self loathing is leaving, and I am indulging in hobbies I used to enjoy. I am not sure if my goal is to completely quit drinking alcohol but I can say alcohol is loosing it's power and my cravings for it!
What ever your path to a better life is...start walking in that direction!