Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

[terryk]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Lo0p;1429338 wrote: It doesn't mention time to withdrawal in terryk's paper.

"Time of withdrawal symptoms" *is* the time in hours from cessation of baclofen (or rapid titration in a few days for case 5) to when withdrawal symptoms appeared. Duration of baclofen therapy ranged from 6 months to 4 years for the cases mentioned.

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

It's been over 96 hours now since I took my last "normal" dose of baclofen.
Yesterday, the headache was less, so I managed to do completely without baclofen.
Also the leg muscles feel less tired.

I guess the baclofen is slowly leaving my system.

I feel different also, not numbed like I always felt while on baclofen. Baclofen used to filter out the peeks in my mood. As well the positive, as the negative.

I noticed I'm sometimes a little more agressive than while on baclofen and yesterday I even sang along with the car CD-player. I stopped doing that when on baclofen.

I still have no cravings nor intentions to drink beer. I hope my brain chemistry is stabilized enough so I can manage it by myself without baclofen.

Anyway, somehow I felt that it is time to (try to) stop baclofen. Just like when you know that you reached the switch.

I went to sleep yesterday evening at 11 PM and woke up at 4:30 AM. When I woke up I felt a little cold.

This morning I had a slight headache, which lessened after a few cops of coffee.

[YouKayBee]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

I got withdrawls at about 4 days after stopping baclofen, I went from 180 to about 100 the first day, then 80,60,40 had to take a 10mg on the 40 day when I felt a bit 'fluttery' but found it sorted me out very quickly, then down 40 next, 20 and kept at 20 for a while before going to zero.

So would say the odd 10mg you keep popping at the sign of anything awry, which then gets you back on track pretty quickly fits in with my experience.

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

This morning no headache so far.

The legs still a little tired. I slept well.

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

The headaches are completely gone, but the tiredness in the leg muscles, specifically near the outer part of the knees, remains.

I guess the chance of huge baclofen withdrawal effects are over.

So far, I can keep myself from drinking beer.
My thoughts about beer are even stricter than with baclofen: while on baclofen, once every month I drank 8 beers or so (which didn't taste very good, mostly) and I knew that after that, the baclofen would prevent me from drinking for another month or so.

Now that I'm without the protection of baclofen, I have to do it on pure willpower and the (partially) restored brain chemistry the baclofen took care of.
I'm really, really scared that if I would take a beer, I will get that "incurable" disease called alcoholism back.

So I don't even dare to take a sip of champagne on new years eve.

Well, I will keep you all informed. At least I know, that if the disease might come back, there IS a medicine that works.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Thanks, X.

I've got all those same concerns about going off of bac completely. Add to it that I worry about my mood. I'm not sure if I was moody because I was a drunk, or if I'm moody in general. (And maybe I spent so many years, especially the formative ones, drinking, that my brain chemistry is a little off? *sigh*)

I pay special attention to the ones that go down/off because that's my goal. It'll be two years for me in Feb 2014 and I'm going to start a very slow taper down at that point. So thanks for the update and the promise to keep them coming.

Hope you're having a nice holiday season and that the house stuff has settled down from a total pain in the foot to just a whole lot of work!

[teezah]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Ne/Neva Eva;1431019 wrote:

I pay special attention to the ones that go down/off because that's my goal. It'll be two years for me in Feb 2014 and I'm going to start a very slow taper down at that point. So thanks for the update and the promise to keep them coming.

Ne/Neva Eva,

I'm titrating down now - am terrified! I have a spreadsheet inspired by lo0p of my schedule and am so terrified, that it will take me until March to come off. That's the plan, anyway. If I feel I can reduce it quicker, then I will. 1 was on 125mg over 5 doses. So far I've come down 6mg on two of my doses and have experienced increased achyness, tinnitus and anxiety. Which is pretty cr@p but at least I know it's the baclofen - not me! I'll contribute to your stories when you start them.

Teezah

[teezah]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Xadrian, have you not experienced any anxiety coming off? My thoughts start whirring even after being late with a dose! Am I coming off too slow? Just prolonging the withdrawal effects? Would LOVE to know what you think?

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

teezah;1431036 wrote: Xadrian, have you not experienced any anxiety coming off? My thoughts start whirring even after being late with a dose! Am I coming off too slow? Just prolonging the withdrawal effects? Would LOVE to know what you think?

After reaching the switch (90 mg in my case), every month I titrated down 10 mg.
Three or four days after going down, my mood changed for the worse.
After that, the mood stabilized again.
I went down to 45 mg, which returned the thoughts of drinking beer, so I went back to 50, which did wel and appeared to be my maintenance dose.

After a while, I went down to 40, which initially did well, but due to a lot of stress, I drank some beers a few evenings in a row, so I went back to 50.

Although I drank no beers anymore while on 50, the stress remained and I was close to a burnout. So I had to release the frustration and stress and in my opinion the baclofen did not allow me to release it. (I once was on Seroxat because of a burnout and it made it get worse).

That's why I dicided to stop the baclofen and I'm confidenced that I can manage my former alcohol problem without baclofen, now my brain chemistry has been (partly) restored.

I admit going from 50 to 10 mg for 3 days and then stopping completely is a little abrupt.
Although I went well, I wouldn't advice it to anyone. I always have been stubborn and I was of opinion that if I would have experienced huge side effects, I could get away with it taking a pill.

I think read in the French study about people going down 30 mg per week (15 mg every 4th day).
If I would have been on very high doses, I probably initially would have come down 15 mg every week.

In any case, whatever you decide to do, be careful.

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

teezah;1431035 wrote: I was on 125mg over 5 doses. So far I've come down 6mg on two of my doses and have experienced increased achyness, tinnitus and anxiety. Which is pretty cr@p but at least I know it's the baclofen - not me!

In my opinion, you should at least keep every dose near the same dose as the one before or after. Not 25-6-25-6-25 or so, but more like 18-18-18-18-18.
If you can get access to 10 mg pills instead of 25, dividing them will be easier.

You could also divide the doses in 3 times a day, instead of 5 times, lets say 30-30-30, compared to the dose you are on now (or in case of the 25 mg pills 31-31-31 if you cut some of them in 4)
If you stay on that for a week, the week after you could take 25-25-25, a week after that 18-18-18

But only if you feel you can handle that. As soon as you experience insuperable side-effects, you should stay at that dose for a while, until the side-effect wear off, before coming down any further.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the disclaimer: As you already expected, I'm no doctor but only a former alcoholic that found gathered a lot of information about a medicine that proved to be a "wonder pill" and self-administered that medicine to himself and found out it really worked and now tries to help other people cure from their disease and sharing all the information that's around.
I would say, just like Dr. Phil., but without asking money for riding along with the success story of Dr. Ameisen (Did I just gave my opinion about Dr. Phil, although I strictly told myself not to do so? How unbecoming. /sarcasm mode off)

[teezah]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Thanks xadrian,

I was titrating down evenly across the doses, but hadn't considered consolidating doses. Hmm may try that, but not until the new year. Don't need mood swings over the next 10 days!

Are you coming off all meds and supplements?

[teezah]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Hippyman;1431105 wrote: Have you tried liquid Bac?

No Hippyman, I hadn't but read about Lo0p's company & had a poke round the website yesterday. I would have ordered from him if I was just starting out. Do you get no side effects with the liquid? Mine are

Achyness
Tinnitus
Worsened asthma
Anxiety if I'm not regular with my dose

The asthma is the one that's making me come off the bac - it's really getting in the way of the good life :/

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

I wish all of you (and also myself) a sober christmas and an alcohol free new year!

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

Being a week completely baclofenfree now, no cravings for alcohol returned.
Seeing other people drink alcohol at Christmas was no problem for me. Matter of fact, it looked a little odd to me. I was thinking: "Why in the world would anyone voluntarily drink poison?"

So it has been my first alcohol free Christmas in 26 years. Congratulations to me ;-)

Being alcohol free on baclofen already felt so good, but being alcohol free without the baclofen really feels amazing! I am just myself, without any effects of alcohol or medicine!

This is me! Just me!

I'm so grateful for baclofen and for the ones that brought it into clear daylight, even when they were opposed by the pharmaceutic industry.

I would nominate the pioneer, Dr. Ameisen, for the nobel price. Baclofen is really a breakthrough in curing alcoholism.

[Xadrian]

Xadrian's Baclofen Experience

I'm still alcohol free, but since a week or so, everyday at around 3 or 4 PM I get a severe headache. I'm pretty sure it's a withdrawal symptom of the baclofen, because it's the same type of headache that I got when I just started baclofen, only worse.
I hope it will lessen over time, if my brain can make suffucient GABA by itself, without being fooled by the baclofen.

I keep a couple of cold beers in my fridge for therapy. Not for drinking them, but as following: I open the fridge, give them the finger, take some soda and close the fridge. Just like I suggested to Jo.
It gives me a bit of a kick that I'm able to do that, even without the protection of baclofen.