Side effect query

[ifulovelife2]

Side effect query

Laurie, you're not addicted to E or coke, so partaking twice a year isn't an issue.

RE the smoking: It's the norm for those giving up any addiction to fall back on another. Most smokers who quit any drug tend to end up smoking more. Simply because it's a socially acceptable addiction.

[bleep]

Side effect query

No fear on the pills and coke with baclofen, I've done both on HDB and there is no danger.

I'm not sure if it reduced the quality of the high, or the pills/coke were shit, and haven't done it enough to say, but I thought there was a decrease in effect. Not huge though.

Cigarette smoking went through the roof, and a few other people have noticed the same effect.

Enjoy!

[laurie65]

Side effect query

Hello All you lovely people who answered

It seems my obsession with checking my replies has had a Higher Power intervention.
No notifications!..then my regular laptop decided to blow a gasket..some problem with the fan I think. I't's blowing cold air instead of warm...hope it's fixable!
Anyway on a different laptop now and totally forgot my password. Here I am now.
Of course I was obsessing that no-one had replied to my last message.
Thought I'd been rejected for my outrageous query!
Thank you all for being so kind.
Silly me.
Have taken a bit of a downturn tonight with the drinking.
I increased by 20 mgs over the weekend and I notice more and more that when I go up I have a much stronger desire to drink...the full quota!
I increased because I felt that I'm still not quite there yet, and while my drinking was half of the usual. I actually want to be abstinent.
I know I'm being lazy, but I still foolishly believe this (the switch)will happen with minimal effort on my part, and maximum effort from the little white pill (bac)
I have loved over the last week the feeling of not caring about drinking.
It felt like a miracle. Reminded me of the times when I've been pregnant and completely lost interest in the booze without effort or thought.
Just turned off it.
Like a 'switch'
This simplicity seems to have vanished again. And today, it was snowing and I took a day off work and found myself cracking open a cider at 11 am..I just had to have it.
I didn't even engage with the usual internal argument..
I feel terribly ashamed to admit this.
I don't ever actually get drunk.
Tho my experience of drinking has significantly changed since taking bac.
I hoped I would reach my switch at no more than a 100, now I'm at 150, and it feels further than ever before.
Did anyone else get an increase in drinking/craving when going up on the meds?

[StuckinLA]

Side effect query

Oh yeah. I wanted to drink and drink and drink most of the time. Sometimes to deal with the SEs, sometimes to sleep, sometimes just because I didn't want to let go of booze.

A few people describe it as the "beast" of the disease putting up one last struggle against you and bac. It can get pretty miserable, but if you can deal with it and push through, you're in the clear eventually.

Forgive the short reply. Typing on my phone is super annoying.

For today, bottoms up. Have one for me, please

[Diver]

Side effect query

I am currently at 280 and still titrating up. My consumption has also been increasing of late, although I have also been doing a crazy amount of work travel lately and this has always been a bigtime trigger for me.

This week I am home all week and managed to go AF yesterday and am planning on another today, but it's stil early.

Bottom line I'm not too concerned about my recent uptick, however I am now trying to apply a little willpower.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Side effect query

Hi, Laurie!

I set limits the whole way...30mg, 100mg, 150mg... 30 days, 3 months, etc. At one point I set the not-so-arbitrary limit based on the rat studies. (3.?mg/kg) I had to bypass all of them, unfortunately. Even the damn rats. Still, well worth it!

My drinking went up and down and up and down, too. I don't know that I ever definitively figured a reason for it...Of course, that's just what I did time out of mind, so no reason necessary, really. It's not the easy way, but it is a way.

laurie65;1476257 wrote:
I know I'm being lazy, but I still foolishly believe this (the switch)will happen with minimal effort on my part, and maximum effort from the little white pill (bac)

I wouldn't call it lazy, and it is certainly not foolish. That's the way it works. In fact, the day I stopped drinking was because I just couldn't be bothered to run into the store to pick up more booze on a very rainy, cold, yucky February Friday. It was too much trouble. So there's some laziness for ya'.

jk...

[laurie65]

Side effect query

Things have improved again tonight. I'm feeling more manageable and in (some) control.
I find it disturbing that I seem to have a big 'episode' when I increase my baclofen.
I like the idea that it's the 'beast' fighting the battle. Helps me a lot. But not gotta let that thinking enable me to drink without consequence!
Diver, I too have my big triggers. One is when my boyfriend comes to visit me. I got in the habit of getting at least 6 units of vodka down my neck before he arrived.
The other day the thought of drinking never occurred and we had a lovely evening together.
His arrival is a trigger because I feel the need to 'perform' i.e not be a misery, not have a hangover, and be sexually alert. Not his fault or any demands he makes on me. All in my mind!
Small victories I say.
But the war is not won yet. Far from it! x

[laurie65]

Side effect query

Thanks for your reply Ne

Each word exchanged gives me more strength and hope.

I feel less alone. Only on here can I admit to having cracked open a cider at 11 in the morning
Only on here can I trust I will be understood and not be judged.

My partner knows nothing of this. I am too ashamed to share it with him.

He just has to sit by bewildered at my strange behaviour as I experience the side effects of the medication.

He likes the massive increase in sex drive ..I do too, just a few weeks ago I was feeling like a dried up old prune 'cause of coming off HRT.

Thought I would never feel like a woman again!

Thank you all for your support and wisdom x

[COSGringo]

Side effect query

Diver, mind me asking are you a big person? I am about 165 5'11 1/2". Not sure I can imagine 280 and going up.
240 I was a train wreck.

[Diver]

Side effect query

I am 5'11 and 192, so a bit heavier than you. From what I have read everybody's experience is a bit different. Bleep mentioned on another thread that due to my rapid titration schedule that I could go past my switch dose and not even realize it. Right now my plan is to slowly go up to 300 and hold that for a while.

[COSGringo]

Side effect query

Good idea. I actually stupidly poured some wine as I am in a bunch of pain (I know really bad idea) and I handed it to my wife shortly thereafter. I had one sip and was like yuck.

Guess I am at the switch again too bad the SE's suck.

[caro]

Side effect query

Hi Laurie,

It is still early days for you with taking Bac, try and cut yourself some slack. I went up and down on my drinking graph too. But now it has flatlined.

I have just had a rubbish day at work and normally (pre bac)I would make my way to the wine shop like an Olympic sprinter for a white wine fix. But even though I am fed up, I still do not want a drink. So I will just have to be a grown up and try something else (healthy) to get myself out of my stew.

I totally relate to drinking before seeing boyfriends. Like you I felt all this self imposed pressure to be fun, witty and sexy. I now realise they would have just settled for me not being pissed.

As regards to the cider at 11am, if somebody is a member of this site they will have almost certainly pulled similar stunts. I know I have. You will have to come up with something a bit more dramatic than that to shock anyone (i should imagine).

And I know I keep banging on about it but do not underestimate coming off the HRT and how it is affecting how you feel.

Sounds like you are doing pretty good to me considering all the stuff going on in your life.

Sending you good wishes

Caro

[laurie65]

Side effect query

Thank you Caro

Two of my best friends are also called Caro!

I'm now cutting myself a bit of slack. Feels so much better. I got my period yesterday and that is the first one in over a year..was totally unprepared..pant liners did not do the job (too much info!) I feel my body is now finally clearing out after some hefty abuse. The HRT at just 46 years old was not such a good idea.

All the time tho (I realise now) this was one of my attempts at getting clean and sober. I blamed my PMS for my drinking for many many years.

Cider at 11 is not so big a deal. But for me it is a mark of failure.
The earlier I start drinking the more I get thru.

Oddly these days tho, instead of counting units obsessively, I'm counting bac doses obsessively!
I think maybe I'm borderline OCD.

Sorry to hear you had a duff day. Delighted to hear you didn't go to the bottle shop!
One day soon enough I will be at that point too.

Best wishes

Laurie xxxx

[caro]

Side effect query

Dear Laurie,

I felt much better today, thanks.

I am very much a work in progress with my long term plans what to do with the booze. I can now have x1 drink now and again and be fine (no craving for more). However, you may have read on other threads that it may be better to stop drinking completely otherwise one's brain chemistry does not really have chance to recover. I would not even pretend to understand how it all works and I may have even got that wrong, so if anybody wants to chip in please do.

I do know that I am very grateful that I came accross bac and MWO and without this breather of stopping drinking I was heading for big trouble.

In theory I would like to eventually come off baclofen. But only because I live in fear that I will have some type of medical emergency/need an operation/medical procedure and I would have to admit I take baclofen. I am self prescribing. I have had (up to now) only a few very minor side effects.

So I may continue with my own little case study and taper down 10mg per week and see how I get on. So if/when the cravings return I will just start bac again and try and get a prescription off my GP.

I hope all is going well with you too. Please keep posting you are getting on.

Best wishes

Caro

[laurie65]

Side effect query

Thank you Caro for your supportive words x

I tend to think that the majority of folk on here are from the US. I never think of looking at the location part of their thingy.
I was looking round my neighbourhood just today and thinking..god, no-one here would ever think of trying baclofen (or even have heard of it or MWO).
I then applied this thinking to the whole county...then the whole UK.
Gees, Baclofen gives you weird thoughts!

I started on a supplement today called Complete Stimulant. I got it from Bulk Powders UK.
It's got Taurine, L-tyrosine and DMAE in it.
Man..I got a huge buzz!
Partly enjoyed it, partly felt really jittery.
I got it 'cause I couldn't stomach the power form of L-T. Made me gag. But I want to pursue the L-T route as it really helps with the se's.
All in the mind? I'm not sure.
When I stopped the L-T I plummeted into a depression.
Anyway, I'm rambling.
Not so good on the drink tonight. 15 units. Nearly as bad as before.
Tomorrow is another day xx