Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

[Trixiebelle]

Hi all,

I have read plenty of threads about Australians who have been taking differnet meds, but few of them seem to be on the forum anymore - I have sent pm's and emails and I get no replies.

So..... I would like to get in touch with fellow Aussies and see what meds you are taking, what is working and if you are ordering them online or seeing a GP.

I have been on MWO on and off for about 5 years and am still no further advanced. This time I have ordered Kudzu (which so far takes a bit of the edge off the craving, but isn't killing it) and I am waiting on L-Glut, though I am now keen to go the extra step and take Topirimate or something similar.

I would like to hear how Topirimate is accepted in Aus nowadays. From 2007 threads, it wasn't being prescribed for alcohol problems.

Love to hear from you all.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi, Trixie.
Greg, Reggie and several others are still around, are in Australia and take medications. You'll also find some more on the Down Under thread in the General Discussion part of the forum. I think Fennel is still around, and I think she's Australian. I can't remember who else, but there are quite a few. Sorry you haven't gotten any responses. I know that can be really frustrating.

If you want more info about kudzu and L-glut, the best place is generally in the Holistic section. There is a TON of info there about those two and others.

Good luck, and hang in there!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Also, there's this thread:

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ess-64164.html

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi Ne & Reggie,

Thanks for you replies, I appreciate them. Thanks for the link to Greg's post Ne.

I just finished reading your "novel" Reggie, lol - what an experience.

I tried Baclofen a few years back, I bought it online and the side effects were too much for me. I may have titrated up too fast. I was so tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Not being under supervision I got scared and stopped taking it.

I'm not a hardcore drinker, I'm more like Roberta Jewel - which is still bad enough. I have gotten to the stage now (and I've been there for about a decade) where I can't really trust myself to not write myself off regularly. I'm just more aware and embarrassed that at 47, I think I should start to grow up now, lol.

I have been a daily drinker since I met my husband (23 years ago) he doesn't acknowledge his addiction, couldn't care less. He doesn't make a dick of himself when he's drunk - I do.

Anyway, I'm taking Kudzu, which is taking the edge off, but the cravings remain. I am waiting, very impatiently, for the L-Glut (which should have been here a week ago). I am hoping to have some success with that.

Failing all of that, I'm thinking of trying Topa or something, I want to be able to moderate, and I'd love to be able to take it or leave it - I can't imagine how that would feel at the moment. Only a dream. Now I can stop myself if I really have to, but I'd rather keep going.

I live in the NT. I guess I could find some little Indian quack that could prescribe me something, I have been too embarrassed to admit to anyone, apart from myself & here on MWO that I have a drinking problem.

Dr's up here are not the best.

Did you just take Baclofen or did you take the other stuff that is recommended too and are you still taking it?

Once again, thanks for the replies

[DizzyBee]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi there

I'm from South Africa and although I don't order my Topa from them I have ordered quite a few stuff from Goldpharma and find them to be reasonable and trustworthy.

We don't specifically have Aussies but have people from all over taking it on the https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...#post1322213if you ever decide to go that route. I found it a really great support network when I started out in terms of asking questions about SE's and most people on there also take L-glut, some All-one and some Kudzu too.

The Topa works REALLY well for me, well for others, and some others have to combine it with some supps to get the best out of it.

All the best!

:l

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi DizzyBee,

Thanks for the info, are you taking your Topa on your own, or under the guidance of a Dr?

I just wonder because I'm not a "wake up & start drinking" kind of drinker, whether they will scoff at me and tell me to use my willpower - only wish we all could hey, otherwise we wouldn't be here.

Also, does this mean we have to take this medication for life?

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Well I really did it well last night, I'm so disgusted with myself.

But....it may be what I needed to make my decision to finally take medication.

I'm putting in my order Today! Baclofen or Topamax???? Not sure.

Then, once I've got results from it, I am taking it to a Dr and telling them what I've been doing and ask them to prescribe it for me and monitor me.

I'm also finally going to tell my husband about my secret life here on MWO and telling him what I'm doing too, maybe he might join me.

Time to change. :upset:

I can't tell you all how disappointed I am with myself right now.

[DizzyBee]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

I'm also having a bad day mood-wise but please be kind to yourself.
Sent you a PM.
:l

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Thanks Dizzy,

I am pretty hard on myself, and beating myself up.

But on the positive side, at least I now know what I have to do.

Thanks:l

[Greg]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi Trixiebelle, my apologies for not writing sooner, but I was away for a couple of days and only had a hopeless mobile Internet connection available...so slow that the net was virtually unusable.

I have tried numerous medications over the years, and have been drinking for 23 years now (but with some breaks). When I do drink, it is nightly and heavy, 15-20 standard drinks not being at all unusual for me. I am sick of it too, and annoyed with myself for going back to it after I had a 19 month break.

I also suffer from depression, and have tried virtually every antidepressant on the market. The only one that ever helped me was mianserin (Tolvon/Lumin), and I am asking for another trial of that from a doctor as soon as possible. I didn't try MAOIs, so they are still a possibility.

As for medications to directly help with the drinking, I have tried Antabuse, Campral, naltrexone, low-dose baclofen, Valium, Xanax, and even marijuana. I hesitate to recommend those last three, partly due to the risk of dependence and partly because I have heard that benzodiazepines actually increase alcohol cravings in some people. I have found Valium to be very useful, and have actually found myself reducing the dose rather than wanting to increase it, but I may be an unusual case in that respect.

Campral helped me stay sober for 2 months back in 2001, and it did seem to have some effects, since my cravings and general emotional state became a lot worse when I foolishly stopped taking it. I tried naltrexone for a month or two, but seemed to experience increased depression while taking it. The low-dose baclofen and Antabuse are what I am mainly relying on at the moment. That 19 month period away from alcohol was helped greatly by nightly use of marijuana and Xanax, but I hesitate to recommend those on an addiction recovery forum. I was desperate to get away from alcohol, hence turning to last-resort-type drugs.

In the near future I am hoping to try a combination of baclofen and topiramate, and my addiction specialist has emailed Professor Jon Currie at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne about a treatment program they are running there, which I believe uses baclofen plus either topiramate or gabapentin. That is the program I started a thread about here. I am awaiting confirmation of the program's details, and will post about it on this forum once I do find out. The official status of topiramate in Australia is that it would have to be prescribed "off-label" for alcohol dependence, and while it is legal for a doctor to do this, many are very wary of off-label prescribing.

Yet another idea I am about to try is kava kava, which is still available in Australia in one brand of capsules (Thompsons). Unfortunately I think something like 10-20 capsules will be needed to simulate a typical Pacific Island kava drinking episode. I also tried kudzu and L-glutamine and didn't seem to get a benefit from them, but they do help some people, so I won't speak against them.

As for your husband, you have nothing to lose by telling him about this forum. He may indeed decide to join. As you would already know, you can't make someone stop drinking if they don't want to, but you can at least encourage them to start thinking about their drinking once it has become a real problem.

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi Greg,

Thanks for posting, lots of great info there.

I'll be interested to hear about the treatment program, sounds very interesting.

At present, I'm taking Kudzu, liver detox, super enzymes and just started the L-Glut today. I ordered Topamax yesterday online after a whopping big Friday night, I'm pretty sad to say.

Still it gave me the kick up the bum I needed. So maybe a good thing in hindsight.

I also told my husband about the way Al makes me unhappy and this forum. He didn't tell me I was being silly, and said I should go for it, but I doubt he'll follow me - anyway as you say, we do things for ourselves and this is for me, he can join later if he chooses too - I don't nag.

I hope you find the right combination that will work for you very soon. Sounds like you have a lot of knowledge & experience about a lot of meds - you deserve to find your way out.

Have you heard anything about being blacklisted from health funds if you are dianosed as an Alcoholic in Aus? Apparently it happens in the US?

Trix

[Greg]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

Hi Trix,

I wish you all the best with your attempt to be free from alcohol. Thanks also for your kind wishes...my current desire is to be alcohol free while also being happy and not having to mentally slog it out against the desire to drink again. I was never truly at peace during the 19 month period of sobriety that I mentioned, so am hoping this latest treatment may allow that.

As for the health fund issue, I am not sure if they work the same here as in the US. I am not in a private fund, so don't know about this from practical experience. However if you are looking at one, and if they do ask about any pre-existing conditions, then I imagine alcoholism would be one of the major conditions they would look at. The simple and unfortunate fact is that alcoholics often don't recover using conventional treatments, and often die from this condition rather than from some other illness.

Best wishes,
Greg

[Trixiebelle]

Looking for Aussies that are taking medication

For sure Greg, the daily mental battle is so draining, it really is a living hell. I've always said hell is here on earth, lol. You wake up every day and relive the same battle every day. :argh:

I am in a health fund, but I'm not admitting anything to them - screw them, alcoholism is a proven disease like diabetes is, and should be treated as such without the shame job stigma that comes with it. Don't you hate the condescending looks that you get from people, mostly including family - such a sad situation.

To be happy is our greatest desire I believe and trying to be positive in the world we live in can be a bloody hard thing to do at times, hence the depression which leads to the escapism we find in alcohol. Hardly surprising really. We were born without the switch necessary to turn off our ability to say No to AL - I wish more people could understand this.

Anyway on a more positive note, at least we have this community, I couldn't imagine trying to do all of this on my own.

All the best mate, I appreciate your support
Trix