Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

[ignominious]

Since I last hit the proverbial on 12/7/12 I must have tapered down too quickly again because drinking became the nightly obsession again.

I hate Baclofen. It lobotomises me. I'm not playing with a full deck. I make stupid mistakes. Where 'caution is the better part of valor' I say, "fuck it, lets go for it". I trust people that are known shysters. Its like I'm a child being thrown into a grown up's world. In short I don't get along very well.

The alternative is drinking or maybe other meds that I haven't tried.

Anyway,to cut a long story short and because I have a short attention span: I've titrated back up from about 40mg trying to minimise the SEs. So really, really slowly. Not sure exactly how slowly, I had no schedule, only I increased 10mg when the initial SEs had worn off and I was sure that I had still not reached my switch. I think I've been at it for about 4 months now and at 100mg I have not had a drink for 2 days. So maybe I'm there. Again!

Its a work in process people. Power to my fellow sufferers.

[tiptronic_ct]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

I'm sorry to see you back under these circumstances, Iggy.

How's the family, by the way?

I have no wise words of advice, I'm afraid. I just hope it clicks this time round.

[bleep]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Ig, my ray of sunshine, I'm also sorry to see you back. I am sure you will work it out somehow.

[RedThread12]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Hey, Ig! Just adding my "welcome back," and wondering if the SE's are as intense this time? Has the really slow titration helped, at all? Sorry it's been funky for you, but thanks so much for keeping us posted. The experience that keeps accumulating and adding knowledge to the pot is every-so-helpful.

[Hippyman]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Have your tried Antabuse?

ignominious;1481775 wrote: Since I last hit the proverbial on 12/7/12 I must have tapered down too quickly again because drinking became the nightly obsession again.

I hate Baclofen. It lobotomises me. I'm not playing with a full deck. I make stupid mistakes. Where 'caution is the better part of valor' I say, "fuck it, lets go for it". I trust people that are known shysters. Its like I'm a child being thrown into a grown up's world. In short I don't get along very well.

The alternative is drinking or maybe other meds that I haven't tried.

Anyway,to cut a long story short and because I have a short attention span: I've titrated back up from about 40mg trying to minimise the SEs. So really, really slowly. Not sure exactly how slowly, I had no schedule, only I increased 10mg when the initial SEs had worn off and I was sure that I had still not reached my switch. I think I've been at it for about 4 months now and at 100mg I have not had a drink for 2 days. So maybe I'm there. Again!

Its a work in process people. Power to my fellow sufferers.

[Otter]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Welcome back. I found the same. I had no fear on Baclofen so probably did things I shouldn't have. The wife is on 30 mg morning and the same at night plus 45 mg of mirtazapine a day and that was what made it work for her. I stopped taking Bac myself as I got to such a high does I felt I could do anything.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that as a result of this massive experiment for my wife and I, we are now in Cyprus, the north where the bank are not affected. We came over a couple of days ago to set things up. I figure, if I am eff'd I might as well be eff'd in the sun and try to start again.

[ignominious]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Hi all. Thanks for the welcome back.

Had a great day at work yesterday which unfortunately hit one of my triggers so had to give myself a pat on the back with a drink! Not 'trouble making' amounts that pretty much has stopped since I started Bac a couple of years back. But I was still slurring my words and pretty well baked!

Otter. I read something some time ago about your plight but didn't get the whole picture. Sounds like things haven't worked out the way you thought? sorry if that's the case. Maybe you can point me to a relevant thread so I can catch up or send me a pm. I remember some of your 'glory days' when Bac was going to change the world. We have not been alone in this SE. Think Dr A. may well be in the same boat as well as many others. Hope all else is good with you and frankly who wouldn't trade rainy Scotland for a clement climate. Silver linings and all that.

Hello Hippyman. Never tried any other meds. Don't think antabuse would work, I would find a way not to take it and don't want to live with the cravings anyway. Considering adding Nal but still giving Bac another chance - it has done wonders - just not all that I could have hoped for - yet.

Like Bleep I tried to come off Bac completely. I was sailing. No care about alc. Could take it or leave it. Just think that I took it too often and reeducated myself why I like it. This time, a tad more diligence and hopefully some help with my fucked up emotions!

Yo Bleep. Sincerely wish that I can become as positive as you some day! Then I'll be fixed. Hows the dosage going. Lot of SEs this time, eh?

Which brings me to Hippylady.. umm..... Redthread. How are you sweetheart? Did you turn the lights out last night for "Earth Hour"? My kids were told about it at school. Like that school more.
The SEs are much, much more intense this time. If I don't get an hours sleep around noon, I'm moronic for the rest of the day. Often have 'skin buzzing'. Usually after a week or so of going up they have reduced enough to contemplate increasing again. I don't want to be flying on Bac again. Too many responsibilities with no safety net to fall back on - no public health service or social security to speak of in Burma. Beautiful, beautiful place but not so easy for foreigners to live in. Its like you have a bullseye painted on your head for every conman in the city. Perfect for a paranoid, over thinking, lifelong stranger like myself!

Nice to see you Tip. What's the secret? Are you still on 80mg?

[RedThread12]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

:h Ig! I didn't know anything about "earth hour" - although I am convinced, by my personal experience, that the Mayans new something about something with their caldendars :H! Really! But I'm closer to your part of the world now, in the motherland of those of my ilk - India.

I'm maintaining (and have, since spring of '10) at 120 mg/day. I went higher, just to see what happened. Not much. I actually quit drinking alcoholically from the first day, took a few months off completely, here and there . . . don't have any plans or rules. It's illegal to eat meat or drink alcohol where I am, so that's that for these 6 weeks.

Are you sleeping enough? I truly think a major contributor to my ease with bac was that I was taking Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) off-label, for sleeping, long before I started taking bac. And I never stopped. So I slept 8 hours every night - still do, if I have that much time available - and never experienced somnolence at all. Weird, huh? But just thought I'd mention it, in case insomnia is contributing to your SE's. Some people do well with the QF, some hate it. I guess it also has side effects, but I've used it for a long time and don't really remember the early days. I take 50 - 100mg/night. Never had to increase, and it always work. I can buy it OTC here in India. No idea what Burma is like?? Anyway - hang in. Remember the glory of freedom. It's comin' your way!!!

[laurie65]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Hello Mr Ignominious;

I'm so sorry to hear you are having a struggle. I have read many of your old posts during my research phase, and am deeply inspired by yours and others stories on here.

So much so that 12 weeks ago I started my own bac journey. I hate to report that much of it has been hell. I quite like some of the se's in the early days. i became very much the social commentator on facebook and seemed to have an opinion on anything from politics to food corruption. I was flying....and drinking and smoking more than ever.

I had a couple of breaks from the obsession to drink, and often found myself unable to finish the bottle, but never once have I been ablke to not open it in the first place. Deffo less obsessed tho. Deffo more obsessed with my baclofen counts.

Anyway, over the last month, I have climbed up to 200 mgs. All the positives have become crippling negatives. I feel like shit every day. Scared I'm going to suffocate in my sleep. Freezing cold all the time. Ok it is Baltic here in Scotland, but I'm the sort that always too hot. Crushing depression. Zero motivation. I just want to sleep and cry most days.

Don't know if I can continue like this at all. I've stuck on 200 and had hoped by this morning that the depression might have lifted a little. Zilch. I dread the time I have to take my dose now. Yet strangely taking the dose does seem to help me get thru the day. It's the mornings that are a killer.

And no-one (except you guys) no-one knows I doing this. I feel so alone. Thank god for MWO.

I'm wonder now two things. Should I take a risk and climb a little higher on the bac, some people suggest this might help. Or should I look to coming down gradually. My other temptation is to try Mirtazapine. Read good reports that this med is very complimentary to bac. Might at least help with the most crushing se. Depression.

I hope things improve for you soon Ig

Best wishes

Laurie

[laurie65]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Hello again Ig

I just realised; I probably hijacked your post with my response.
Very selfish of me.
I don't know how to remove my comment.
But I will use it to start a new thread

Hope all's well with you

Laurie

[ignominious]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Not at all Laurie, it was good for me! Especially the Mr Ig, appeaals to my self grandeur!
Nice to know someone read some of my old threads, tried to keep them as real as possible. There was very little information available those days - still not a lot but a fair bit of commentary to glean from.

Don't think that Bac is causing the depression. Maybe the reduced alcoholic haze is allowing you to focus on your issues more. Not sure if that's good or bad. But I do believe that it would be advantageous to get help if you can during this time. Maybe shrink or psychologist. I haven't had that opportunity here but have been able to come to terms with some of my demons during my sober time.

My personal feelings about increasing the dose would be, go for it, push on through. The switch is an awesome epiphany. I think for some the switch has been initiated by the antabuse like association of drinking and taking HDB! This time I am trying to let the Bac get up to full strength in my brain before increasing. I believe the '4 hours half stuff' life is irrelevant and misleading compared to the half life once across the blood brain barrier.

Mirtazapine - I've also heard good things about - mostly from our friend Otter. Do you have additional sources - I am also contemplating trying it. Hate drugs, 'specially legal ones! Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Yes Red, sleeping enough! I keep reminding myself of my old man when he nods of in front of the TV. Not very invigorating thoughts. My SEs: low energy, low motivation, body seems to be atrophying. Think I'm probably going through the male menopause, if there is one, as well. Started having fun sex again when I was down to about 40mg but didn't last long as it coincided with alcohol being a good idea!

Are you Indian race or are the 'ilk' other troubadours? Also where are you, "The Hindu Vatican"?! Or maybe Nepal - although I don't think meat eaters get arrested there either! Really illegal or just frowned upon?

[bleep]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

ignominious;1482187 wrote: ...
Yo Bleep. Sincerely wish that I can become as positive as you some day! Then I'll be fixed. Hows the dosage going. Lot of SEs this time, eh?

...

It's not too bad Ig. I started off slowly, intending like you to do a relatively SE free trip and just take my time, but I've now had to balance that against drinking like a absolute bloody moron. In typical fashion, my 'balance' is horrible unbalanced, so I have opted for another speedy titration, and hopefully some quick results.

I admire people who are able to take a sensible approach to this, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be an option for me!

[ignominious]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Any approach is sensible if it gets the job done!

For me it wasn't cutting it because I want to take as little as possible in the long run and have been oscillating about the correct maintenance dose for me. This is just another attempt to find the vicinity where I'm not addicted. That changes with time spent sober so don't know really what I'm doing - like the rest of us! Just trying to get another angle on it, I guess.

Hope you hit soon Bleep.

[COSGringo]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

laurie65
Interesting angle on the depression. Could be many things. I will say since I went up to my old level I've been down as ever. Obsessing over my dog's age and war and things I can't control.

I have other health issues so who the heck knows. Not sure I would swear it's baclofen related.

ignominious - I hear you on the right dose. It's tough. I went lower especially since I had some back problems and other meds but then it stopped working as well.

I think it's always a struggle.

Otter- good luck in Cyprus, I can 't believe you are there right now. Mayhem.

[ignominious]

Baclofen 'old timer' still struggling.

Very quite tonight.
Even though I don't really feel like drinking I managed a fair few at a friends bar. Old habits die hard. Still on 100mg, reluctant to move up, partly because I can't mistake my dosage - one card holds 10 pills.
Hey COS, nice to see you.