Baclofen wears off

[COSGringo]

Baclofen wears off

RedThread12;1478810 wrote: :H:H:H

It was a knee slapper, huh.

Gotta keep it light around here.

There are more trolls then a Tolkien novel these days.

Well, sadly I must go sleep with the guppies as I have to medicate with my oxy thanks to a disc that is barking. 'Nite.

[Otter]

Baclofen wears off

The title of this thread is misleading. What it should be is "Baclofen doesn't work if you stop taking it, and decide to start drinking". No one has said that baclofen is anything other than a "functional cure", like an inhaler is for asthma which you "may" have to keep using all your life.

I don't like these alarmist headlines which aren't accurate. I must have a low anxiety threshold...

[StuckinLA]

Baclofen wears off

Otter;1479427 wrote: I must have a low anxiety threshold...
That's what the bac is for, right? I don't think the thread is that misleading--but either way, the very first post clears up the confusion. And if someone were to walk in now, well they'd see how much fun we're all having and want to join the party. (I hope.)

COSGringo;1478956 wrote: There are more trolls then a Tolkien novel these days

:H:H:H

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

Well, not me Stuck. I wouldn't join the party, not in my traditional sense anyway; I have leveled off on 160, and it appears I don't want to drink, which completely blows my theory of the time effect of baclofen. It's too early to declare success obviously, it's only been a couple of days, but I know the feeling, and this is it. Time will tell.

SE's at this level are reduced sleep, from 3 to 5 hours a night, which I love, but not the corresponding somnolence at 3 in the afternoon. I make sure I don't have meetings that I have to sit in, and move around during this time, and it's ok. There's a buzzing feeling in my head, which is neither pleasant nor unpleasant. I feel like I am bloated and retaining water, and am gaining weight daily as a result, but this is probably and hopefully temporary. And my old time favourite, an near inability to orgasm. Sigh.

[help4me]

Baclofen wears off

Hello to you all. I have been on BAC for about 2 1/2 years now. I've "switched" twice and am currently maintaining at quite a high dose (300) for almost 3+ months now. I can most definately take wine or leave it, and have maintained at a high dose just for "reassurance" purposes. I am ready to come down and was happy to read your thread Bleep. I guess my goal will not be to completely wean, but to get to a lower dose that is comfortable.

At 300 for 3+ months, I find myself waking up in the morning with dry mouth and feeling slightly "hung over". Losing motivation and sluggish. I've also started to notice a very slight "drooping" on the left side of my face (!!) which has scared me. I would love to be in touch with anyone else that has been on BAC for as long as me at these higher levels.

I'm hoping that by titrating down, these SE's will disappear without bringing the urge to drink back into the picture. Thanks for your insight, Bleep. I know I will not go off completely after reading your story.

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

Hi help,

When I was taking baclofen consistently, I was between at least 240, and above 500, for over a year. I didn't notice any strange effects.

I think it's probably not worth coming off entirely, but certainly worth experimenting to see what the lowest you can go is.

I think there are a couple of pitfalls inherent in this though - As you go down, and lets assume you are doing it slowly, you will pass the point at which baclofen does its job properly. However, I think it takes a while for the shit to surface, so to speak, and so you may be at a level well below what you need to be 'right', when you notice things are wrong. I think just be prepared, and on the lookout for this, and you'll be ok though. I know for me there was a definite feeling in my head that baclofen had worn off, and booze was suddenly great, which wasn't hard to identify.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen wears off

Hi Help. Nice to hear you're doing well.

I don't know that bleep would notice strange effects.

I've stayed below 200 for a long time, so I can't really offer input into where you are. I definitely am in the place (as I titrate down very slowly) of wondering whether or not I'm having thoughts of drinking or drinking thoughts. (Or whatever. bleep said it first, and perhaps he can elucidate...) Then I realize I have absolutely NO clue what it's like to be unswitched (unhinged!) in that way. I crave chocolate, but I don't plan my day around it. I crave cigarettes, but I can suck on a lozenge and get over that too. I figure if I stay on a lowered dose for a couple of weeks at least I'll know if a craving occurs. Is that accurate, bleep? Booze often sounds good, in that a glass of wine with dinner would be a nice thing. But I almost never do it because it would waste the bottle, or I have an early morning and even a glass of wine makes me feel less spunky the next morning. Or I just don't feel like it, even though it sounds good. Which is not to say it's not a decision. I could drink every night. Does that even make sense?

I don't have the faith that others do that I could come back from the brink again. I don't ever want to feel that way again. Ever. But I don't want to take more bac than I need, either.

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

The beauty of baclofen is that it gives you the freedom to test the waters like this. I don't think it's a big deal to go too low, with the aim of trying to reduce your dose, and suddenly discover that not only have you decided to open the wine for that one glass, but that suddenly the bottle is empty. Just go back up. I think people should periodically try and reduce their dose anyway, and see what happens. I'm sure the less taken, the better, but obviously there is a level you don't want to go below, as baclofen is obviously filling a hole somewhere, and you want the hole completely filled. Who knows if that hole remains the same depth over time?

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

as to having faith about coming back from the brink, I will quote your oft repeated statement back at you.

It's medicine; of course you can come back again.

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

Alas, 160 is not a sufficient dose, and this morning's hangover can attest to that. Onward and upward.

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

God, living like this is terrible, I don't know how I did it for so long. I spent yesterday with a hangover that I would rate as one of my very finest, and today I keep eyeing the bottle of wine in the fridge. I'm fed up with this slow titration, and living this crap.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen wears off

Oh, bleep. I'm so sorry. I am very thankful you're posting about this. It doesn't seem so scary to think about drinking against my will since I have no real recollection of what that looks like. I should know better. But the mind of an alcoholic is singular in it's obsession, and it is unfathomable what that looks like.

I wish I could say, "Just Don't Drink" with any real meaning behind it, actually believe it's possible. But even though I can't and don't, I will suggest it. I do know of people who find some version of contented sobriety by taking that step first, not last. In some ways it seems the least difficult path. I just don't know if it was ever going to be possible for me, so I can't really suggest it to others without it being the height of hypocrisy. That said, losing even one more day to the beast in the brain makes me wither. So much so that I don't know if I'll continue with my own experiment. Strength and power to you from afar, my friend. I wish that there were other ways I could help.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen wears off

Please notice: Your post=3 sentences. Mine? Not so much.

[ignominious]

Baclofen wears off

Just popping in to wish you all the best.
Baclofen enhanced hangovers didn't feel this bad 2 years ago did they. They must have changed the formula on us!!

[bleep]

Baclofen wears off

Thanks guys. It was more as a reminder to myself for when and if I ever reread this thread, to stay on baclofen for the rest of time. Baclofen hangovers suck, but the beauty of being on a sufficient dose is that they don't happen anymore, and that is what I am now striving for. I hear what you say Ne, but baclofen has the curious effect of reducing my already meager willpower to zero. Knowing what it will effortlessly do for me in a short while makes it impossible to apply any discipline in the short term. Perhaps that is a cop-out though.