baclofen switch

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Still trying to get this to post

Hi Ne and Hippyman

THANKS so much for your replies and PM's

Per Ne's question in a PM, I was sober before.

I was in the hospital in '09 for alcohol and related damage. When I got home in Sept. '09, I began abstinance and I was abstinant for over 2 years.

I was "white knuckling" it and my life was a LIVING HELL.

I was familiar with numerous BENZOID's first hand(During my hospital stay and recovery and my GP)


I had also attended many AA meetings (Too many to count).

It was during this time I started my research.

I discovered baclofen and Dr. Ameisen

I gave in and started drinking again as I was going nuts.

I'll Try sending this part and see if it works.

Looks like it did---I'll continue.

I convinced my GP to prescribe 80 mgs of baclofen(That's as high as she would go) and I would get the rest on-line(Which I did through RiverPharmacy in Canada)

I never escalated more than 20 mgs per step up and stayed at each level at least 3 days and sometimes much longer.

That brings me to now.

I increased my dose 20 mgs on Wed. 2-13-13(Today {FRI} will be day #3).

this brings me to 350 mgs baclofen /day

I'm still contemplating going to a bar/restaraunt (That's how Dr. Ameisen realized his "indifference" from his book "The End Of My Addiction" Pages 168-170).

But I'm not sure that would prove anything even if I wanted to or did have a beer.

I do not want to keep escalating needlessly NOR do I want to de-escalate too soon.
It is getting expensive and money is very tight, but I don't want to waste all that I have done and put myself through.

Ne, I have not checked the '09 threads yet, but it looks cumbersome as i can only select 1 month at a time.

Is there an easier way? Or could you let me know which months to look at?

THANK YOU AGAIN for yor replies and PM's and CARING.

Sincerely

Kev

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Still trying to get this posted!!!

Hi Ne and Hippyman

THANKS so much for your replies and PM's

Per Ne's question in a PM, I was sober before.

I was in the hospital in '09 for alcohol and related damage. When I got home in Sept. '09, I began abstinance and I was abstinant for over 2 years.

I was "white knuckling" it and my life was a LIVING HELL.

I was familiar with numerous BENZOID's first hand(During my hospital stay and recovery and my GP)


I had also attended many AA meetings (Too many to count).

It was during this time I started my research.

I discovered baclofen and Dr. Ameisen

I gave in and started drinking again as I was going nuts.

I'll Try sending this part and see if it works.

Looks like it did---I'll continue.

I convinced my GP to prescribe 80 mgs of baclofen(That's as high as she would go) and I would get the rest on-line(Which I did through RiverPharmacy in Canada)

I never escalated more than 20 mgs per step up and stayed at each level at least 3 days and sometimes much longer.

That brings me to now.

I increased my dose 20 mgs on Wed. 2-13-13(Today {FRI} will be day #3).

this brings me to 350 mgs baclofen /day

I'm still contemplating going to a bar/restaraunt (That's how Dr. Ameisen realized his "indifference" from his book "The End Of My Addiction" Pages 168-170).

But I'm not sure that would prove anything even if I wanted to or did have a beer.

I do not want to keep escalating needlessly NOR do I want to de-escalate too soon.
It is getting expensive and money is very tight, but I don't want to waste all that I have done and put myself through.

Ne, I have not checked the '09 threads yet, but it looks cumbersome as i can only select 1 month at a time.

Is there an easier way? Or could you let me know which months to look at?

THANK YOU AGAIN for yor replies and PM's and CARING.

Sincerely

Kev

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Hi Ne and Hippyman

THANKS so much for your replies and PM's

Per Ne's question in a PM, I was sober before.

I was in the hospital in '09 for alcohol and related damage. When I got home in Sept. '09, I began abstinance and I was abstinant for over 2 years.

I was "white knuckling" it and my life was a LIVING HELL.

I was familiar with numerous BENZOID's first hand(During my hospital stay and recovery and my GP)


I had also attended many AA meetings (Too many to count).

It was during this time I started my research.

I discovered baclofen and Dr. Ameisen

I gave in and started drinking again as I was going nuts.

I'll Try sending this part and see if it works.

Looks like it did---I'll continue.

I convinced my GP to prescribe 80 mgs of baclofen(That's as high as she would go) and I would get the rest on-line(Which I did through RiverPharmacy in Canada)

I never escalated more than 20 mgs per step up and stayed at each level at least 3 days and sometimes much longer.

That brings me to now.

I increased my dose 20 mgs on Wed. 2-13-13(Today {FRI} will be day #3).

this brings me to 350 mgs baclofen /day

I'm still contemplating going to a bar/restaraunt (That's how Dr. Ameisen realized his "indifference" from his book "The End Of My Addiction" Pages 168-170).

But I'm not sure that would prove anything even if I wanted to or did have a beer.

I do not want to keep escalating needlessly NOR do I want to de-escalate too soon.
It is getting expensive and money is very tight, but I don't want to waste all that I have done and put myself through.

Ne, I have not checked the '09 threads yet, but it looks cumbersome as i can only select 1 month at a time.

Is there an easier way? Or could you let me know which months to look at?

THANK YOU AGAIN for yor replies and PM's and CARING.

Sincerely

Kev

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Hi Ne and Hippyman

THANKS so much for your replies and PM's

Per Ne's question in a PM, I was sober before.

I was in the hospital in '09 for alcohol and related damage. When I got home in Sept. '09, I began abstinance and I was abstinant for over 2 years.

I was "white knuckling" it and my life was a LIVING HELL.

I was familiar with numerous BENZOID's first hand(During my hospital stay and recovery and my GP)


I had also attended many AA meetings (Too many to count).

It was during this time I started my research.

I discovered baclofen and Dr. Ameisen

I gave in and started drinking again as I was going nuts.

I'll Try sending this part and see if it works.

Looks like it did---I'll continue.

I convinced my GP to prescribe 80 mgs of baclofen(That's as high as she would go) and I would get the rest on-line(Which I did through RiverPharmacy in Canada)

I never escalated more than 20 mgs per step up and stayed at each level at least 3 days and sometimes much longer.

That brings me to now.

I increased my dose 20 mgs on Wed. 2-13-13(Today {FRI} will be day #3).

this brings me to 350 mgs baclofen /day

I'm still contemplating going to a bar/restaraunt (That's how Dr. Ameisen realized his "indifference" from his book "The End Of My Addiction" Pages 168-170).

But I'm not sure that would prove anything even if I wanted to or did have a beer.

I do not want to keep escalating needlessly NOR do I want to de-escalate too soon.
It is getting expensive and money is very tight, but I don't want to waste all that I have done and put myself through.

Ne, I have not checked the '09 threads yet, but it looks cumbersome as i can only select 1 month at a time.

Is there an easier way? Or could you let me know which months to look at?

THANK YOU AGAIN for yor replies and PM's and CARING.

Sincerely

Kev

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

I'm sorry about all of the redundant posts.
It looked like they weren't posting so I kept trying and then all of a sudden, there they all were.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO USE A FORUM AND IT SHOWS. i DON'T KNOW HOW TO DELETE THE REDUNDANT POSTS OR EVEN IF i CAN.

Please, just read the post before this one. That's the most complete. THANKS and I'm sorry about that.


Kev

I figured out how to delete the redundant posts. Hopefully that cleaned it up some

THANKS

Kev

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen switch

Hi, Kev.
I'm sorry I haven't been back to check up! I still don't have any time, but will try first thing in my morning.

Don't worry about not knowing how to use the forum. We all started at one point! A couple of things: When you sign in there is a box that says something about staying signed in. Click on the box next to it. Do that every time you come here, and it will be less likely that you'll get booted off unexpectedly. If you're on a shared computer, and you don't want others to see it, you'll have to remember to sign out. Though it's likely that if you change screens it will sign you out, anyway.

There is an Edit button on the bottom right hand of the posts. You can click on that, and Edit your post, or delete it. You won't be able to edit other people's posts, and they can't edit yours. Only you can do that.

Honestly, the numbers that you're talking about make me a little nervous. There are several people that had to get over 300mg to hit the switch. (Myself and my husband included.) But it is A LOT of baclofen. I know how I felt! How do you feel?

That's really what I'm curious about. How do you feel? I agree that it would be a shame to continue to go up if you don't have to. And there's something really important that I want you to know: It's not a black and white thing. You can go down, and go up again if you need to. The switch isn't necessarily black and white, either. Especially for people who aren't drinking.

Two last thoughts: I don't know that you need to "tempt" yourself or try to drink to know if you've found the place. The key is (perhaps) how you feel about booze. So how do you feel about it?
Final thing: Baclofen is as safe a medication as you can get for a bunch of recovering drunks, self-prescribing and taking advice from anonymous strangers on an internet forum. But it's a very very potent medication! Rushing up, or taking too much too quickly, isn't a good idea in my opinion.

If you don't feel like running out and doing some shots or something, perhaps a little time would be beneficial before you go up?

I've got to run, again. I'm really sorry I'm so tapped for time. Hang in there.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen switch

Oops. I forgot about the '09 thing. I don't know what I wrote, but I don't know that I was thinking about anything specific related to '09. Sorry if I miscommunicated somehow! (Wouldn't be the first time! )

I think reading around here, just about anywhere and anything to do with baclofen, is a good start. If there are specific questions, I'll see if I (or someone!) can help you find something to read about it.

:l and

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Reply to Ne

Hi Ne

I got your last post

I was glad to see you were still there looking

How do I feel about booze?

Good question.... I don't want to drink, but I'm not sure if it's because of indifference or willpower.

The more I think about it, I'm curious to see if I went and bought a 12 pak and drank a couple, would I want to keep drinking the rest?

Wouldn't that tell me something?

If I do start craving and drink the rest, then I must not be there. If I don't and only have one once in awhile when I feel like it and don't crave to binge, then maybe I am there and I can start stepping down. Wouldn't that be indifference?

Either way, I think it is worth knowing. I don't think if I have 1 beer and then immediately crave more, that I am there yet.

I would like to know that if I drink a beer or two on certain occasions, and know that I don't have to panic about immediately craving again, that having that knowledge would alleviate any guilt anxiety, and possibly mean that I am truly "indifferent".

What do think?
YOUR FRIEND
Kev

P.S. --- I tried to add a 4 star rating to this post, but couldn't get it to work. I would think
that other people may find this useful..... Surely I can't be the only one who has these thoughts, can I?

:l:thanks:

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen switch

Morning, K!

I read just about everything, so no worries on that front. :H I'm the chick standing in the grocery line reading her phone and not the magazine. It's the time to think about and respond to posts that I can't find. It's one of the gifts of sobriety...I've got too much to do!

In the scenario you're thinking about, there are too many what-ifs for my comfort level. But this isn't about me, and I have no idea about your comfort level. So just for the sake of thinking it all the way through, I'd suggest asking yourself these questions:

What are your SEs like now?

Have you read the information people have posted about the horrific side effects/hangovers associated with baclofen and drinking? Particularly HDB and lots of booze? (HDB=High Dose Baclofen)

Should you decide to drink the 12 pack, do you have a support system in place should you go off the rails? (I ended up in the ER once and had to call an ambulance once because of panic attacks related to HDB and booze. This is not a unique experience. It has happened to many people.)

Do you have a support system?

Will it set you back? Is it worth it?

The chances are pretty good that should you decide to drink you will find it is nothing like what you used to feel like when you drank. There were times when I was titrating up that drank more simply because I wasn't feeling the old feeling and I desperately wanted it.

Not that long ago I might have suggested you go for it. But I've seen a lot around here and in my own real life over the last couple of years, and I know this is a really difficult and long process for most of us.

I (personally) would not continue to titrate up if I didn't know exactly what my goal was.

Does that make sense?

Be safe!
:l

[Colin]

baclofen switch

kflmjs;1463477 wrote:
I do not want to keep escalating needlessly NOR do I want to de-escalate too soon.

That is our dilemma and the only way to know is the acid test. Ameisen did it with a bottle of whisky and I will probably test with a lot of good beer and a small quantity of very good Scotch whisky. I have been AF for 10 months during which time I have gone up to 200 mg and back down to 150 because I have trouble with the somnolence. At no time have I had any cravings.

I will probably delay my test until the beginning of April, when I will have been AF for one year. Suppression of Alcohol Dependence Using Baclofen: A 2-Year Observational Study of 100 Patients strongly suggests that if baclofen keeps the booze under control, not necessarily teetotal, for one year you are heavy odds on to make it to two years. For my test I will go back up to the highest bearable baclofen dose.

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Reply To Colin

Saw your post. I had already read the "Supp. of alc. dep. using bac. 2 yr. study"

I agree with you, If you made it one year, chances are you'll make 2 with no problem so why wait.

I think I'll stay at 350 for awhile and then give it a try

THANKS for your post and info... I appreciate it ...you hang in there and good luck to you
Kev
:thanks:

[Xadrian]

baclofen switch

Colin;1463845 wrote: For my test I will go back up to the highest bearable baclofen dose.

Why would you want to go back up for the test? I think the test will only be a test when it is done at your supposed maintenance dose.

I'm aware you are afraid that the test will be a failure, but for that reason it is a test.

By the way, feel free to not do a test. Why should you? If you are afraid that one day will come that you will drink some alcohol, then that specific moment will be your test.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen switch

Morning, K!

What's news?


Ne

[kflmjs]

baclofen switch

Hi NE

I haven't posted in a while. I went up to 350mgs/day and stayed for 10 days

Decided to go down 30 mgs. Today(Saturday) is mt 1st day at 320. Will see how it goes

Also I discovered some old posts which you had a hand in (Sweet success with baclofen)
You never mentioned that to me. You were responsible for alot of good stuff in there.

Check it out and see if it jogs your memory.

Will post more later

THANKS NE
YOUR FRIEND

Kev

[Ne/Neva Eva]

baclofen switch

Hey Kev!

Yep, that is one of my favorite threads. Not that I've looked at it in ages. And it certainly needs to be updated, doesn't it?

Anyway, glad to hear you're doing well. I tend to think that smaller jumps in amounts of bac work out better...30mg is a lot! What've you done in the past? How're you feeling now?

And most importantly, what'd you decide to do about the booze?
Glad to hear from you!