New here, giving Bac a shot

[ryrye]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Thanks for the feedback, after tonight, I think I will be sticking with 75 mg for a bit longer. I think I was having some moderate withdrawl symptoms from alcohol, but also could have been SE from the Baclofen. Had 100ml of vodka and half bottle of wine tonight, and that is like nothing compared to my normal. I actually feel just ... normal with that much.

[Sticky]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Welcome Ryan

I'm in my 5th week on bac and have just started taking 70mg a day, so we are at a similar stage. I think that the doc I'm seeing will continue to up the dosage 20mg a fortnight. I'm feeling quite sleepy today and a couple of days ago after 50mg that day and a bottle of wine I felt really tired the next day. A couple of times when I've stopped at half a bottle the SEs have been more manageable. Am trying to have 4 days AF each week now.

All the best
Sticky

[jaddyday]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Hi Ryan and welcome,

There are quite a lot of similarities in our stories. I'm 29 and have been been addicted to alcohol since my mid-teens, although I didn't realise it at the time. I'm also partial to a few lines of cocaine (well more than a few lines if I'm honest)! I've been seeking recovery for the last five years - rehab, AA, theropy et cetera. I even managed two years or abstinence after rehab but the cravings got so bad even after all that time that I started to drink again.

I'm just starting week seven on Baclofen and am now taking 210mg/day. My cravings and anxiety are greatly reduced and I am confident that I'll hit my 'switch' in the not too distant future. Baclofen induced somnolence and congestion are rather annoying side effects but I'll take them over incessant craving any day!

Good luck and keep us informed about your progress.

Justin

[ryrye]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Feeling Good

Thanks Jaddy! So I just got back from a backpacking trip in the Tahoe National Forest and it was a great thing for me. I now have 4 days alcohol free as a result and I am feeling really good right now. I feel the meds working on me and it is helping a good deal with the cravings. I've been keeping track of my alcohol + Baclofen intake for a little over a week now and thought I would share it. My usual intake pre-baclofen was around 200ml - 280ml every day. For comparason, a pint of 80proof liquor is 150ml and a fifth is 300ml (of pure alcohol). You can see I had a binge on the 27th ... prior to that, I had been consciously cutting back on my intake, but I slipped that day. Also notice that I jumped to 100mg ... I had a sick desire to experience some of the stronger side effects, just to see what it was like, but I had very minor side effects.

06/27/12 - 270ml AL 75mg BAC
06/28/12 - 80ml AL 75mg BAC
06/29/12 - 140ml AL 75mg BAC
06/30/12 - 90ml AL 75mg BAC
07/01/12 - 150ml AL 75mg BAC
07/02/12 - 0ml AL 100mg BAC
07/03/12 - 0ml AL 100mg BAC
07/04/12 - 0ml AL 100mg BAC
07/05/12 - 0ml AL 100mg BAC

[ryrye]

New here, giving Bac a shot

I am so thrilled right now to have found Baclofen! I have gotten through another day AF now ... and I had basically NO CRAVINGS WHATSOEVER!! Thank you to everybody on this forum, if not for all of you, I may have given up long before this point and written it off completely. A month ago, I was at my lowest, feeling completely defeated that I would never be able to kick this terrible habit and that I would die an alcoholic ... I have hope for the first time in a few years. :l

I am so excited to finally live life to the fullest, instead of drowning my days in a fog of alcohol! Sorry for the mush ... but I am just feeling on top of the world right now! :H

[StuckinLA]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Rye--

That's fantastic, man, congrats!

[spacebebe01]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Thats great to hear Rye, Well done

[Beakor]

New here, giving Bac a shot

HELP with Baclofen Side Effects

Hello, I am new to this site. I am trying to help my wife beat her addiction after reading Dr. Ameisen's book. Secured large supply of baclofen on recent trip to Asia where it is sold over the counter. I laid out program identical to Dr. A and we are now on Day 23 at 110mg increasing by 10mg every two days. Our target is 205mg or a dosage of 3.6mg/kg. Thereafter will reduce to 90mg which is 1.6mg/kg at the maintain level.

All went well for first 10 days then she began sneaking drinks but of course denying that she was abusing. However we have stayed on track with the medication. (I have been in control of the medication and have watched her take each dose). But today she is showing great agitation, moaning and crying while laying on the couch. I do not see this behavior as a side affect for Baclofen so I am concerned. I am wondering if she is vomiting the pills up after I have watched her take them and is now having a major withdrawal?

Also in the blogs I see reference to SE. What does SE stand for?

Thanks

[StuckinLA]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Hey Beakor, welcome!

SE stands for Side Effect. Sounds like your situation is pretty tough, and I don't really have any advice at the moment (sorry!). But I'm sure some other folks will be around and more helpful soon.

And maybe check out this thread? https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...upt-66700.html

Seems like Joe may be going through similar issues...

[Beakor]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Thanks StuckinLA for the quick reply. I have been reading the blogs here for the past week and finally decided to take the leap.

[COSGringo]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Hey Beak,
Sounds like you are moving her kind of quick but that's just my opinion.
You can get panic attacks at some dose levels. I hate to keep mentioning this but you may want to have some xanax or valium handy.
Some may say I am pushing things but I can tell you I felt very bad at some doses. That's about the level I had my fist bad SE encounter. I was very ill.

It took me 6 months to get to my level. Don't rush it. Back down a bit if need be. This is not meant to be some mess where you lock someone in a padded cell and expect one to be cured.

Read up, don't rush this thing. A person can get ill from this. I think you are going to fast but that's just my opinion.

More like 10mg every 5 days would be better.

[Beakor]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Thanks for your advise. Think I will hold at 110mg for a week to stabilize. She drank very heavy today so will let her Vigo through this drunk cycle before resuming the march to 210mg. Thanks again

[COSGringo]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Good idea. She'll regret it later. The SE's are bad at times. Real bad.
Shoot for 300 as your roof. That's what I did. Most likely you won't have to but they you have a sky high limit to have.
I think around 120 I had a horrible bout. E.R. type stuff as the doc did not warn me.

Sorry typing while I speak with folks about the big layoffs tomorrow.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Beakor;1347625 wrote: Hello, I am new to this site. I am trying to help my wife beat her addiction after reading Dr. Ameisen's book. Secured large supply of baclofen on recent trip to Asia where it is sold over the counter. I laid out program identical to Dr. A and we are now on Day 23 at 110mg increasing by 10mg every two days. Our target is 205mg or a dosage of 3.6mg/kg. Thereafter will reduce to 90mg which is 1.6mg/kg at the maintain level.

All went well for first 10 days then she began sneaking drinks but of course denying that she was abusing. However we have stayed on track with the medication. (I have been in control of the medication and have watched her take each dose). But today she is showing great agitation, moaning and crying while laying on the couch. I do not see this behavior as a side affect for Baclofen so I am concerned. I am wondering if she is vomiting the pills up after I have watched her take them and is now having a major withdrawal?

Also in the blogs I see reference to SE. What does SE stand for?

Thanks

Hi, Beakor and welcome to MWO. I'm glad you found us and I'm really glad you decided to post!

We often forget that Dr. Ameisen had taken baclofen, in low doses, for a year before he started titrating up for the final experiment that left him indifferent to alcohol.

There is plenty of evidence in the literature about using baclofen for spasticity, it's originally intended purpose, that it is mostly well tolerated, but some people have a difficult time with it. And generally those people are only taking less than the FDA approved amount of 80mg/day. And they're not drinking.

If your wife is really suffering, or even really uncomfortable, then going down a notch or two (say 10mg or 20mg) might be in order. And then a slow titration upward, as COS mentioned. The goal is the same, and it'll be reached one way or another, if she takes the pills regularly. It will be much less painful, and it is MUCH more likely, if you do it at her pace. It's not an easy process.

I commend you for your willingness and eagerness to help. I also hope she has a support system of people (or even a person) who understand why she would want/need to continue to drink, even though she very much wants NOT to drink. At least as a way of life. Absolute abstinence at all costs is a double-edged sword. I've seen some people struggle and stress and suffer from panic attacks simply because they didn't want to drink no matter what. They tend to quit. And drink. I've also seen the opposite. There are many, many of us (including myself) that drank as much or more than ever when titrating up. We suffered increased SEs, but some of us made it through that, too.

Bottom line is that it isn't easy. Not for you (I'm sure!) and not for her. So hang in there, reach out, and we'll do our best to help, offer suggestions and support in any way we can.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

New here, giving Bac a shot

Beakor;1347625 wrote: Our target is 205mg or a dosage of 3.6mg/kg. Thereafter will reduce to 90mg which is 1.6mg/kg at the maintain level.
I had to go up to 4.3mg/kg. I'm not a big person. I drank about a bottle and a half of wine a night, and more on the weekends. Dr. Ameisen (and others, including the MWO crowd) has since dismissed the correlation between weight and effective dosage. I know of a man (a couple of them) who weighs twice what I do, or thereabouts, and found indifference at less than 100mg/day of baclofen.

Beakor;1347625 wrote: All went well for first 10 days then she began sneaking drinks but of course denying that she was abusing. However we have stayed on track with the medication. (I have been in control of the medication and have watched her take each dose). But today she is showing great agitation, moaning and crying while laying on the couch. I do not see this behavior as a side affect for Baclofen so I am concerned. I am wondering if she is vomiting the pills up after I have watched her take them and is now having a major withdrawal?

Thanks

Pretty sure that sneaking drinks would indicate lack of communication. Any way you guys can get that out in the open without any judgement or bad feelings? If she needs a drink, she needs a drink. It will not harm her, and it does not mean that it won't work.

If you have to watch her does that indicate she doesn't want to take them? Or does she appreciate your input? I know there were times when I wished I had help maintaining the proper dosage and remembering to take them.

It is very likely that she IS swallowing the pills and is also moaning and crying because it can be a really, really miserable process. Brutal. Worth every minute of misery, in my humble opinion, but the worst thing I've ever done bar none.

Dr. Ameisen's experience of not experiencing SEs is an anomaly. He was either lying (which I very much doubt) or he had adjusted to the medication over the year that he took it at low doses. Almost all of us experience some uncomfortable stuff. Add to it that almost all of us experience some pretty uncomfortable stuff just from not drinking and you have a physical, mental, chemical, emotional tsunami of sorts. It doesn't indicate lack of safety, long term harm, or anything like that. It just means it might be too much, too soon.

It doesn't have to be a miserable process. It was for me. It was not for my husband. I haven't had a drink against my will since February '11. My husband realized that it was a year ago this week that he reached indifference to alcohol.