Naltraxone rookie

[Disturbing2011]

So I've just swallowed my very first dose basically. Feel fine. It's been like an hour.

I am new to this site. I've been lurking about 2 weeks I guess. So be nice to me. I know what's up. Trying to figure out what medication might work for me. Today I went fully prepared to start on Topamax. (I think I secretly want to lose 10 lbs. without having to make the effort...) But alas... My psych (whom I have not seen in 4 years now... as I went off the mood stabilizers (Lamictal) a while ago) didn't think Topa was for me. She doesn't like what it does to the cognitive. So I just heard her out - she heard me out and we're trying Naltrexone. (She actually thinks I should return to Lamictal and sobriety but understands that AA is not for everyone. I've been in and out of AA for 13 years...)

Anyway, long story short, I'm an old school binge drinker. I can control drink most of the time, don't do the every day stuff and inevitably end up binge drinking my face off when I feel like it's safe to do so (like at home or close friend's) sometimes doing stupid things; most of the time I'm cool... but who the hell knows. Anyway... It's Friday night, I went out last night and had 2 whole beers in the course of 4 hours while watching the baseball games. See - I don't get stupid every time I put a drink of alcohol in my mouth as AA might suggest. Sorry AA but not true. Anyways.... here we are; I will report back on my experience with how Naltraxone does for this particular binger.

Thanks for reading. I keep up with a lot of you. Thanks for posting here and helping people out. It means a lot to us lurkers.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Naltraxone rookie

Hiya, D2011. I haven't found you very disturbing so far, ftr.

I'll be nice! I'm glad you've opted to find a way out with us. Hope it works as well for you as it has for some of the others around here. I'm pretty sure you've probably figured out that the bac-ers are an awfully talkative bunch, but there are some folks on Nal out there. (Katiesmiles comes to mind. Though I think she's using the sinclair method and continuing to drink. Doesn't sound like that's where your head's at...) Also, there's a study around here somewhere showing that Nal is actually effective!

Anyway, :welcome:

[Greg]

Naltraxone rookie

Good luck with naltrexone. I only took if for a short time about 2 years ago, but it did seem to reduce my tendency to drink ridiculous amounts once I had a beer or two, so hopefully it will help you control your binging. There is a separate forum too, for people taking naltrexone as part of "the Sinclair Method" (they take naltrexone about an hour before they are going to drink):

Sinclair Method Forum

Even if you aren't taking it that way, there is probably a lot of useful information there for you. The people here are also very helpful and encouraging, as I'm sure you already know.

[Greg]

Naltraxone rookie

P.S. If you don't mind me asking, did the Lamictal reduce depression noticeably, if you were experiencing depression? I ask because I'm still trying to find an answer to my own depression, which existed before I started drinking and which has not responded to any conventional antidepressants.

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

Hey y'all - yes the Bac'ers are chatty... : ) but cool. I really appreciate your replies as it just means the world that someone out there gives a crap at all. Thank you. I will look more into this Sinclair thing. I'm sure it's worth checking out. My head is just in not drinking dangerously. Beyond that - I'm sick of being so hyper-concerned about it all the time. But I gotta be as I'll do something idiotic like drive a car wasted.

Greg - I gotta tell you that Lamictal has some cognitive issues like Topamax is famous for (makes you kinda silly... nothing too serious) and go slow on dosing up but it was a tremendous help for me. I was bi-polar and experiencing that low low stuff and scaring the bajeebers out of myself with suicidal tendencies. Lamictal turned all that around for me. I did very well with it. It became an insurance issue. Very expensive. But if you've got the right medical coverage and all that, it is one worth trying. I wish you well. I've since turned to high doses of fish oil and B-complex which keep me out of the dumps and pretty even all and all. My psych says no, that's why you went back drinking but, I'm not depressed. I think I was a little bored with being stone cold sober 24/7 though. So I drank. Sue me right, lol. Anyway - do your research but Lamictal helped me alot!

[Greg]

Naltraxone rookie

Thanks for sharing your Lamictal experience Disturbing, this is one of the very few drugs I have not yet tried for depression. In my area, doctors just keep prescribing one antidepressant after the next, and it is not unusual to be trialled on several SSRI's in a row despite failure to respond to the first or second one tried. Once they have gone through all the SSRI and SNRI drugs, they will try one tricyclic after the next. I am hoping to be able to get a trial of either Lamictal or a MAOI antidepressant next time I see my doctor.

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

Hey Greg keep in mind it is used more for bi-polar rather than depression although some people confuse the two. I never responded to anti-depressants and was told it's because you're bi-polar not clinically depressed. I guess there is such a difference in the conditions that call for different medicine. I wish I knew or understood more about that.

As an update on Naltrexone...: I'm not thrilled with the SE's. I've only taken 2 doses and yesterday I felt hungover all day even though I'd drank 1 margarita with dinner on Friday. I've had NO DESIRE for alcohol yesterday or today. I think I will take only 1/2 the dose and before bed as opposed to waking hours. My psych. didn't like the "only take it when you drink idea" as some methods suggest. I barely ate anything at all yesterday as I just felt nauseous all day and just wanted to sleep. Not the best way to spend a Saturday. I cried some too. Just cried - no reason. So I was whiney, and hungry but couldn't eat, nauseous and lethargic. Today I have not taken my dose and I've still felt a little lethargic but have eaten pretty good and did take a walk earlier. Luckily I didn't have a lot to do this weekend anyway. And, glad I wasn't taking this and trying to work. Tonight I'll take 1/2 the dose (of 50mg) before bed and pray to God it doesn't mess me up in the morning or at work. I'm hoping it will settle down because it's doing it's job in the alcohol department and maybe I should have 1/2'd the doses starting out. That may have been over-adventurous. Anyway feel alright right now. I don't think I'm going to binge drink today like I did last Sunday. So... progress.

[Heavy Fuel]

Naltraxone rookie

You may have a "honeymoon" period in the beginning (first couple of weeks.) After that your numbers will probably go up.

The first couple of days, you should have halved your pill (25mg) to check for side effects. Also, my experience is to eat something before you take the pill. Cuts down on the nausea and jitteriness.

My experience is if I take the dosage too early, it doesn't fully protect me during my drinking times.

I follow TSM. I do not deviate or experiment right now.

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

Thanks Fuel - you aren't kidding I should have halved the pill. I took 25 mgs last night before bedtime and was totally good to go this a.m. but still feel it's effects hours and hours later but not to the point of being ill or exhausted so that's nice. I think 50mg is A LOT now. But I know I'll need the whole thing eventually. I can see how it would work using TSM. It's a powerful little drug. I will try my psych's way for now and just keep 'em coming but I may revert to the SM if I feel like it's silly to be taking the thing all the time. Plus I need to read up on TSM first anyway.
So my update is that it is way better 1/2'd (in the beginning) and before bedtime. I have 0 cravings for alcohol so far. When I actually drink on it - like more than a margarita... I'll report back on how we do. I seriously do not see myself drinking much of nothing on this stuff. But it is early in the game and I want to give it a fair shake one way or another. I mean I'm literally hoping for the miracle from being a potential alcoholic to a social drinker. That may be a stretch... Good Luck to Us Fuel!!

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

oh boy...

We're back to 'disturbing'. I'm still on the Naltrexone but have only been taking 25mgs (after taking 50 mgs the first 2 days and being sicker than a dog). I halved the dose and it doesn't make me sick or depressed at all anymore. In fact I have lots of little moments of real happiness and my thinking seems more acute. Not certain there's a correlation but perhaps. Thursday night went out to a concert and had 6 very controlled beers. I was driving and 6 beers over 3.5 hours is WAY too much but then again for someone who used to drink 2 times that I suppose it's sort of better. I quit an hour before the show was over and switched to water. Something I've never done but have seen other people do. So I was pretty happy about that I guess. I didn't feel weird or drunk or out of control at all, but I know very well I should not have drank that much before driving. So - insert all your scolding here: ______

Friday night I drank 2 small glasses of wine and returned to water and was at home alone. Went to bed early. Then, on Saturday night... I pretty much went balls out with the whole Halloween drunk night out. I was not driving and so sometimes I think when it is safe to do so - I essentially go completely nuts. Such a child I am sometimes. But nothing tragic happened. Just missed out some quality sleep which I value a great deal.

Differences: I haven't blacked out with it. I am somewhat more cautious about certain things. And contrary to what others have reported I actually experience less of a hangover than what I probably would have had before. However, I am very good about taking aspirin before I go to sleep (pass out) because it seems to keep me coherent enough to remember to do so. I don't think I drink quite at the pace I used to even though it was too much and I make my mixed drinks way weaker for whatever reason. I'm looking at everything as you can tell. It's sort of ridiculous. I've increased my doses as of Sunday to 35 mgs so perhaps as the dose is increased it will hold me back from that periodic crazy binge which is the bulk of my concern.

Overall there is significant progress for me and still hope with the Naltrexone. I just want to be as honest as I can with myself and with you all. So I will continue to see what it does and leave a note about it. HAPPY HALLOWEEN :hiya:

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

Friday went out on a 1st date and drank 5 beers over the course of 4 hours... stopped about an hour before driving mostly due to the date wasn't going all that well and I was just tired and ready to go home. So - not sure it's a fair assessment but it seems pretty good for me to stop earlier rather than later and frankly making a conscience decision to actually stop is huge progress.

Saturday.... well.... not great but still some progress believe it or not. Went sailing with a bunch of people I did not know that well, didn't have time to eat lunch just some snacky things which is problem # 1; problem # 2, I started drinking wine about 1:00 pm. My dose of Naltrexone isn't normally taken until the evening. I didn't end up taking it at all. So, I did overdrink. Upside, I had a stopping point. My stopping point used to be passing out. Now, when the large bottle of wine was gone, I was done drinking. People offered me beer and other types of drinks and I said no for a change. I was pretty toasted and just got kind of quiet. That's good and I remember everything - even when I tumped over off of my seat onto the floor of the boat for no reason. Embarrassing but hey, it just happened. I'm glad I'm remembering everything. No more blackouts. I consciously took a nap so that I could drive home. It was going to be an hour drive so, it was good to nap first and let the alcohol level go down some more. I drove home no problem, took my aspirin, and woke up this a.m. feeling really good. It's pretty cool as long as I get enough sleep.

I'm still overdrinking a bit and am at 3/4 of the full dose. I will up that next weekend to the whole 50 mgs. I'm not drinking everyday - have no desire to do so whereas before I would drive myself into credit card hell drinking everyday and feeling like hell the next day only to do it again.

I'm hoping to continue seeing progress. :thumbs:

[LATIN101]

Naltraxone rookie

Dear D, thanks for posting. i am about to start on this med. rookie. ill take the advice on half dose. your info is helpful. keep strong.

[Disturbing2011]

Naltraxone rookie

awesome!

I hope you have the fortune I have had with Naltrexone. Def. a shaky start but it's been great as I have slowly dosed up and it seems to be doing it's job - almost too well sometimes but I'm glad for that as I need that.

This past weekend - I had a few beers with friends and now when I say a "few" I really mean like 3. Not 12. I caught that little beer buzz and knew it was time to switch to water because I had to drive a little later on that night. I drank water for 2 hours before driving. I was in no way intoxicated when it came time to go home. And, I went home around 11:30 instead of like, oh I dunno 3 a.m. or something. I usually way overstay my welcome. Not anymore.

Then Sat. on a date, I had a 1/2 glass of wine (at home), a margarita (with meal), a vodka tonic (at bar), and 4 beers (at bar) over the course of 6 hours. It sounds like a boat load of liquor but by my standards from being a pretty f-in heavy drinker before - this was completely manageable and the fact that I can actually count and keep tabs and remember all of it is a huge deal for me.

Again - whomever this may help, great! I know it seems tedious or weird to be reporting my drinking in this way but I haven't drank anything since Saturday - in no way had a hangover on Sunday and am noticing more and more how drinking is becoming less and less a part of my thought life. I used to think about it all the time...and drink just about everyday. So the Naltrexone is my friend and I am very loyal to taking my dose daily. That's about as much thought as I've given drinking the last few days is remembering to take that.

It's working people. It's not perfect but I think that's more on me than it. I feel like I DO have the power of choice in drink that I did not have before and feel a lot less stressed out about it. Thank goodness!! But, I'll keep being as honest about it as I can regardless.

Okay laters people and have the best day you can!! : ) It's gorgeous in Austin, TX!!!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Naltraxone rookie

Power on, 2011! And keep the updates coming, if you don't mind. Lots of folks out there looking into Nal as an option, and it's always nice to have company and first hand experience!

It was a beautiful day here in Virginia too! woop!
:H
Hope it's a good, craving-less night for you!

[LATIN101]

Naltraxone rookie

still following your progress......stay strong.....