campral

[littlegirl]

I just started campral yesterday. Not sure what to expect. Many years of fighting this battle with months of sobriety only to drink again. So tired of this has anyone had success with campral?
:new:

[lostsole]

campral

Good luck with Campral. Not to be a downer, I never had any luck. Quite a few have agreed with this.

I am sure with the right attitude you can make it happen thought.

[Alcoholic]

campral

Agree w lostsole...

[paulywogg]

campral

hi little,ive had a scrip for campral sitiing in my med cabinet since march! scared to take it cuz of side effects,ive read elsewhere that it does work,if your already not drinking,keep me posted,im considering taking it

[lostsole]

campral

For what it's worth, I don't recall a single SE when I took Campral. I just don't recall a lot of benefits.

Naltrexone was a bit better. Baclofen was the best with lots of side effects.

You could also look at taking a GABA supplement which Campral sort of is. Also, some people have luck with a load of glutamine. That might help with sugar and carb cravings.

I need to try the glutamine again myself as I am doing the dance with sugar again.

[lostsole]

campral

Oh, and if you are detoxing you need to be taking other things. Were you a heavy drinker? Is your doctor working with you on that? Librium? Lots of vitamins!

Campral is supposed to help with the SE's you get with detoxing to some degree.

Ahh, and I just read it is supposed to help with your GABA glutamate balance. Goes back to my suggestion of taking a GABA and glutamine supplement.

[Greg]

campral

I took Campral with L-glutamine back in 2001 and had 2 months off alcohol, the first time I had ever gone that long. If I had not stupidly stopped taking Campral because I couldn't "feel it" I may have kept going with sobriety. I had no serious side effects, in fact hardly any side effects at all. Campral did noticeably help to stabilize my moods and agitation, and so it may have really been helping a lot when I was thinking it wasn't doing anything.

[paulywogg]

campral

hi lost and greg,maybe i will give campral a shot,im doing kudzu and just started l glute,it works to a point but i feel so foggy all the time,i read campral is supposed to balance messed up transmitters or something ill see

[Alcoholic]

campral

I'm learning so much... Thanks Gregg! I keep hearing people saying it doesn't work but FDA obviously found it to be helpful. Maybe they, like you, didn't realize it but looking back, it actually did help. I'm glad it can stabilize mood too. That's definitely a plus.

[lostsole]

campral

Can't hurt. I am using mine again just because I have a mess of it. Might as well. Up'd by bac a touch as I felt like I was starting to slide a touch.

[Greg]

campral

I probably should further explain what Campral did with my moods. If I were bipolar or otherwise seriously agitated or manic not due to alcohol, Campral probably wouldn't have done much mood-wise or stability-wise. However, what it did was stabilize the agitated and extremely unstable state of mind that I get when trying to white-knuckle my way through early sobriety. This is a combination of extreme cravings for alcohol and a cranky, irritable, depressive sort of mental state, and that is what Campral stabilized.

The theory (as I have read it) is that the drug is supposed to help return GABA and glutamate activity in the brain back towards normality in someone whose brain chemistry has been altered by chronic alcohol abuse. When you are sober after such prolonged alcohol use, your GABA is supposed to be functioning less well than normal while glutamate is at a heightened level of activity compared to normal. Both of these altered activity levels leave the brain in a sort of "hyperexcited" state, making you feel very uncomfortable, and that's what Campral is supposed to help get back towards normal.

[playland]

campral

Sounds interesting, thanks for the information.

play

[lostsole]

campral

Thanks Greg.

[Snapdragon]

campral

Hi Littlegirl - I have been taking Campral for 5 weeks now and like Greg have found it has made a huge difference to my mood. Whenever I tried to go AF before I would be so irritable and cranky and literally unable to concentrate on anything other than alcohol - but the Campral has made me feel surprisingly calm and well-adjusted (not as in sedated - but just 'normal')

I should really have given up drinking completely at the beginning to reap the full benefits, but continued to drink moderately (until 1st Nov). However, after a couple of weeks I found that I didn't crave a drink every day as before and can happily go a couple of days without climbing the walls (as I would have before). I've noticed that I sleep better - even without AL and don't sweat so much at night either (another horrible side affect of drinking too much).

I also thought for a while that Campral wasn't doing anything for me and stopped taking it for three days - and noticed an immediate change in my mood - became cranky and irritable again, so went straight back on it. I have been told that you really need to take it for a year before coming off it completely.

Good luck - would love to hear how you get on with it.

Snap x

[_EndOfTheLine_]

campral

Hi Little Girl,

I found Campral the best of all the drugs...reduced my "urge" to drink and as others have said made me less grumpy about abstaining. I had 6 months of abstinence on the drug where I otherwise wouldn't. I stopped taking it because I thought I was cured or whatever and was drinking again within a week. One thing, if you relapse on it keep taking it through the relapse- It doesn't mean its not working for you.

Its def not as dramatic as other drugs, but if you combine it with whatver you did to stay sober for months then there's no reason why it won't be a comfortable success.

EoTL


Thing is also, it's well supported with quality evidence, so people's opinion on the effect of the drug isn't so important- You have every reason to be hopeful, so please keep taking it and keep posting.