5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

[ghostwriter61]

:new:
Really no SEs at all until recently. For the past week I've been waking up with very swollen ankles. Has anyone else experienced this?
Other than that, I am really happy with my Baclofen adventure. I want to thank y'all for your words of encouragement to others (while I lurked). :thanks:

[gratitude]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Ghost,
Welcome. 260 with little se's. Impressive.
How about a little background if you're up for it. :welcome:

[suneelca]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Up to 260 mg after five weeks and mostly no SEs until recently?

I hate you. ;-)

[Bminor]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Still drinking? Reduction in drinking? I'd like to hear more as 260 is fairly high.

[ifulovelife2]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Hi Ghost

There's been quite a lot of talk about peripheral odema over the months, you're not alone. If you search for it, also search 'oedema' because there are strange foreigners round these parts who insist on messing with our correct, American way of spelling things.

260 with little in the way of SEs? Way to go, dude/dudette.

[ghostwriter61]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Thanks for your responses. The swollen/painful ankles has really gotten to me so I've decided to drop to 220 for a few days and see if it helps.
My new job offshore keeps me sober for 2 weeks at a time; it's the week home I worry about.
I've been drinking heavy for over 35 years. Last spring I decided to go to a 28 day residential treatment program followed by multiple AA meetings. I made it about 80 days then really went off the deep end...was worse than ever...(at least 1, sometimes 2 fifths of vodka daily). My girlfriend was on the internet trying to find help for me and came across Dr. OA's story. She bought the book and came across MWO. She ordered the Baclofen and here we are. Nice to have some hope after feeling so hopeless for so long. The real test will be next week when I come home.

[Bruunhilde]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Ghost, I'm so glad your GF was able to help you, she sounds like a keeper.

I have seen titrating bacsters seem to choose to either allow themselves to drink or not to drink, if they can help it, and it seems to take many people quite a bit of time for them on bac, to realize they're drinking by habit not compulsion/need.

So I imagine going home, you will need to really work your mindset hard and try to discover WHY you're drinking if you find yourself doing so, and examine each drinking thought and bottle before you down it, to make sure you understand where the desire is stemming from. At the dose you're at, you might be relying on habit more than desire but it'll be hard to tell, I would think, at first.

I am not speaking from personal experience, just what I've observed, and my commentary is meant to contribute not to treat or preach.

Keep up the good fight and great effort!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Hi, GW!
:welcome:
Glad you've joined us!
Edema (US English ) is not uncommon. You should look into it, probably. I can't remember what I used to know about it, but it's pretty easily dealt with and it might be important to do that if it doesn't resolve on it's own. (I'm not sure why I think that )

As to the drinking when you get home, it's hard to say. I'd imagine there is a lot of anticipation and build up...I always loved/loathed the planning part. I would imagine that it will be a completely different experience than previous drunks, though, if that's the way it rolls. Honestly, the hangover might be a deal breaker! Some of us have decided never to drink again, and some of us have decided to not take bac again based on that feeling alone!
The former option is YAY! The latter is sad. I know that goes without saying, but it often isn't said and should be, imho.

Or, you could find yourself fully prepared to tie one on, with just the right setup for the whole event, whatever that is in your world, and simply not be able to accomplish the job. THAT is a lovely outcome.

Looking forward to the rest of the story!

[Bminor]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

I bet when you do drink on that amount of baclofen (if you do of course, you may not) that it will not feel nearly as rewarding as in the past. At least that's what happened to me any time I did try to drink while on HDB.

[bleep]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

As Bruun points out, take a good hard look at your drinking when/if you decide to drink. Personally, I carried on drinking long after I actually 'needed' to, without even realising the 'need' had gone. It took me a good while to come to the realisation though.

As to the hangover, there's a good chance your body will now process booze differently. C'est la vie, good luck all the same!

Something you really need to be conscious of, if your job takes you to remote sections of the world for periods - take enough baclofen! Don't be caught short. If I travel, I take twice as much as necessary, split across my luggage.

Nice to see someone else have a good ride up on baclofen, all the best for the future.

[ghostwriter61]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Bac(k) to life without SEs

Ankle swelling has gone down...now back up to 240!! Feeling good. Don't know about cravings yet...still 3 days of "Sea-hab" remaining in the Gulf of Mexico.
:new:

[Ne/Neva Eva]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

sea-hab.

Sounds like it's luxurious. Betty Ford on the QEII, I bet.

Are ya' nervous? I would be...

[Ne/Neva Eva]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

hulllllllooooooooooo!

Are you home? Are you drunk-ish? Living la vida loca? Watching Simpsons reruns, swilling iced tea, with your swollen ankles propped up and your gf lovingly rubbing your toes? (I was gonna suggest watching something news-y related, given that you've been offline, so to speak. But damn, if I had the opportunity to avoid the news for weeks at a time, the last thing I'd do is try to catch up!)

[ghostwriter61]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

Hi Eva,
Yes, I'm home until tonight. It has been a good week. Started off with a 3 day binge then a sober weekend (seems backwards- but I prefer to drink alone and she has weekends off). Drunk-ish yesterday and today is back-to-work-sober day. But, the BEST thing that happened this week was...(wait for it)...I summoned the courage to call Dr.L yesterday! He tried to convince me that my gf is trying to kill me with the titration schedule she put me on. He backed me down to 210 daily in 3 doses. I was following Dr. OA's schedule of upping by 20 every third day...way to fast. He stayed on the phone with me for 45 minutes and seems like he really cares. I was sceptical at first but he didn't even ask me for money yet. He is mailing a script to me so I can run it through my insurance. I'm sure it's in my head, but my swollen ankles don't seem to be bothering me as much today. Feeling good!!
:thanks:
How's everything with you?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

5 weeks on bac-up to 260mg- feeling great!

I'm good GW. Yeah, we all thought that about Dr. L at one point or another I think. (Suspicious, skeptical, downright distrusting sums it up for me back in the beginning.)

He's funny about that titration thing. I'm still a fan of whatever works... Most of us (in fact every single person I've known) have rushed it. Either way, I'm pretty sure she's trying to keep you alive, not to kill you. She'll save that for later when you're sober, hanging around and being really annoying. My husband found A LOT more time when he quit drinking. My time was already pretty full. :H (Not really. It's an amazing thing to make time to be together and not have the witching hour get in the way. We still marvel about the fact that we have actual conversations and run errands after dark. ha!)

Safe sea-hab to you! How long this time around?