Baclofen -Help needed-Please

[john doe]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

spiritwolf333;1510045 wrote: Also, I have thought how cool it might be to have a thread-only or blog that would only relate to each bac takers titration rates, time taken, SEs, mental improvements-or downgrades, personal changes -good or bad, and etc..

There's been a few of these over the years wolf but for the life of me I never understood why they were never pinned. Its really good info to have.

Switch dose
Maintenance dose
Time took getting there
SEs on the way?

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Hi JD good info -what is pinned? Is a formal thread term. How would we get one started that may be of a more permanent nature-any ideas?

[john doe]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Pinned means a thread stuck at the top of the board wolf. I think a mod needs to do it. You don't see many on here unless they're mysteriously taking down posts

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Thanks for the info JD

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Update-Thoughts-Question

I'm sitting here today, Memorial day, with a few rambling thoughts and questions. It is still unimaginable that only two months ago that I would have been shot-out from Firewater intake ?at about 1:00 pm. I would have needed to ?rest?(lol) for a couple of hours before I could proceed again.

Anyway, my baclofen intake is 220 mg per day (taken 4 times per day) and I sometimes add 10-15 mg during extreme stress periods. Side effects ?overall- are all starting to lessen. However, the ones most concerning now relate to: Somnolence, B-movements, and Not Finishing (libido is better than ever though). Many other SEs (mostly minor) are probably related to adjusting to new way of life and thinking ?without alcohol.

In my attempt to be honest with myself, I have to continue to question some of my motives for even having such thoughts. I get tired of the sometime thoughts of alcohol interrupting what is usually a fairly contented day.

For example, I sit here today, somewhat content, and at the same time dancing with thought that alcohol could somehow make my day better. I then remember how much better Baclofen has made my life these past 60 days and I think back to some of your posts to me concerning thoughts vs. cravings and how one day these won?t even occur.

And then, I go back to being honest with myself. I realize that I am in some way resentful that my neighbors can have their parties today along with their alcohol and how most all of them will go him ?not shit faced. I think about my three sons out enjoying their day, probably on the lake or hiking, maybe even drinking ?in a responsible way. My two-cell brain train then brings back memories to the days when I was their age ?how much fun the days were ?out on the lake, drinking, enjoying the sun, and looking forward to a good meal. And then on to thought of those days out on the golf course with a few friends, drinking a few, and enjoying a game that I use to love but now despise. I guess I could look at just about any activity that I use to do and somehow bring in the mostly false illusions of just how wonderful alcohol was during the activity.

It is in these moments of weakened sobriety that I start asking or thinking: If I do drink, am I really only going to want one or two? Will I catch a buzz and be content, or will I even know that I have been drinking? If I drink, will that kick off the daily round of ?when can I drink next??

But now, after writing this, I have to ask myself this: Why in the hell would you be asking the questions about drinking again? Have I lost touch with the reality of just 60 days ago ?when I felt completely dead inside and isolated from the world? And what about all my new found passions and pursuits ?of which I had none pre-baclofen? Just damn this Firewater circus. I am glad to be sober today ?right now- and I want to stop feeling sorry for myself.

Having written this, taken my mid-day BAC, eaten lunch, and calmed down, I am once again ok with today, just as it is ?I don?t want to drink alcohol to change my perception of the reality.

I would greatly appreciate hearing how any of you deal with your moments of decision ?to drink or not, or, if you are totally abstinent, how do you change your thinking ?if you still even have the drink thoughts? Your thoughts will certainly end up helping many others down the road.
Thank You All.

[kambob]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Hi spiritwolf...I've been reading yours (and other's) threads on Baclofen since I started here, and want to thank you for all the info I have garnered.

My story is: regular heavy drinker (like, 8 + wines per day, every day for too many years). Fear of having to be admitted to a medical detox facility just kept me drinking: I couldn't afford to take time off work basically. Got into an outpatient withdrawal program.

I live in Australia where most medical treatment is 'free', but medications are not. My doc prescribed both Naltrexone (50mg) and Baclofen (starting dose 12.5mg x 3 per day, rising to 25mg x 3 after 2 wks). I started these on May 1st this year. Last attempt at sobriety was about 14 yrs ago.

From Day 1, the urge to drink was gone and suffered no withdrawal symptoms either. Side effects? Just some mid-afternoon drowsiness, which still continues now, but as I have the advantage of working from home at the moment they're not too problematic.

So currently I'm on 75mg of Bac per day (plus the Naltrexone). I was all prepared to have to titrate up and up, but it's really damned comfortable right where I am. Don't know whether my 'switch' was just at a lower dosage, or whether a combination of the two meds makes them more effective, but whatever it's doing, it works for me.

I'd never heard of Baclofen prior to finding this board. I was all prepared to plonk a shitload of literature in front of the Doc, but he was already a convert. :H

Hope this helps!

kambob

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

kambob;1511579 wrote: Hi spiritwolf...I've been reading yours (and other's) threads on Baclofen since I started here, and want to thank you for all the info I have garnered.

My story is: regular heavy drinker (like, 8 + wines per day, every day for too many years). Fear of having to be admitted to a medical detox facility just kept me drinking: I couldn't afford to take time off work basically. Got into an outpatient withdrawal program.

I live in Australia where most medical treatment is 'free', but medications are not. My doc prescribed both Naltrexone (50mg) and Baclofen (starting dose 12.5mg x 3 per day, rising to 25mg x 3 after 2 wks). I started these on May 1st this year. Last attempt at sobriety was about 14 yrs ago.

From Day 1, the urge to drink was gone and suffered no withdrawal symptoms either. Side effects? Just some mid-afternoon drowsiness, which still continues now, but as I have the advantage of working from home at the moment they're not too problematic.

So currently I'm on 75mg of Bac per day (plus the Naltrexone). I was all prepared to have to titrate up and up, but it's really damned comfortable right where I am. Don't know whether my 'switch' was just at a lower dosage, or whether a combination of the two meds makes them more effective, but whatever it's doing, it works for me.

I'd never heard of Baclofen prior to finding this board. I was all prepared to plonk a shitload of literature in front of the Doc, but he was already a convert. :H

Hope this helps!

kambob

Thanks for the info KamBob. Initially, I just did the Bac and after a few weeks, tried adding the Naltrexone to the mix. But I was doing so with just the BAC, I just decided to leave the Naltrexone behind. This does make me curios though. Could the NalTrex help me lower my BAC intake..interesting thought. Again, thanks for the insight.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Journey Update

I have received such great words of advice and encouragement on this thread and other threads. Soon, I hope to post a simple recap -not only to help me, but to help others who happen to read this thread.

I'm still at the 220mg per day and this seems to be a good holding spot for the time being. (may go back to the 180 range). A new side effect that has emerged is a somewhat distracting neck-back of head pain. I've never experienced this before and if this not go away soon, I will have to go back down.

Have any others experienced this tremendous neck-head pain? Please let me know!!
(If yes, did it go away???)

I love the wild, crazy, vivid and lucid dreams -what a great side effect for me (but hopefully only for the short term. I think that some of the dreams are bringing to the surface areas that I need to address anyway. At least this go around -af- I am not having any alcohol dreams -which I use to have nightly when I tried to quit w/o BAC.

Anyway, sleep effects -resulting from Baclofen, have really turned into a huge asset. For a few weeks, I was only sleeping 2 to 3 hours a night. Now I am able to sleep 7 to 8 hours -almost non-stop. Even when I do wake up, I can easily fall right back to sleep. The only minor irritation that I have now is that it take up to hour after I awake to feel like I am back into civilization. This really is ok. Maybe this is the "normal" people are after waking. Or maybe it will get better with time.

I'm still grateful for these past two months and will always be so.

[bleep]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

I have heard of similar things, and there is a chance it is being caused by poor posture, which may or may not be baclofen related. Are you spending a lot of time in front of a computer, for example, where before you weren't.

Look for something simple like that? I may be completely off the mark though.

[man on mars]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

spiritwolf333;1512585 wrote: I'm still at the 220mg per day and this seems to be a good holding spot for the time being. (may go back to the 180 range). A new side effect that has emerged is a somewhat distracting neck-back of head pain. I've never experienced this before and if this not go away soon, I will have to go back down.

Have any others experienced this tremendous neck-head pain? Please let me know!!
(If yes, did it go away???)I wouldn't describe it as "tremendous," but yeah, I have pain in my neck, upper spine, and the back of my head. It comes and goes. I do believe it is related to my poor posture when I am at my desk at work. Every day, I am frequently reaching back behind my head to massage my trapezius muscles, neck, and the muscles that connect my neck to my skull. I experienced this even when my dose was very low. I'm still titrating up rapidly, though, so I haven't had time to build up tolerance and see if it goes away.
Anyway, sleep effects -resulting from Baclofen, have really turned into a huge asset. For a few weeks, I was only sleeping 2 to 3 hours a night. Now I am able to sleep 7 to 8 hours -almost non-stop. Even when I do wake up, I can easily fall right back to sleep. The only minor irritation that I have now is that it take up to hour after I awake to feel like I am back into civilization. This really is ok. Maybe this is the "normal" people are after waking. Or maybe it will get better with time.

I wake up every 90 minutes or so, and then fall asleep again within 2-3 minutes, all night. I've managed to get at least 8 hours lately when I have enough time between going to bed and having to get up. I also take about an hour after I wake up to fully clear my head and rejoin civilization. When I first wake up, my brain is scrambled and I feel somewhat confused. And my eyes don't focus very well.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

bleep;1512608 wrote: I have heard of similar things, and there is a chance it is being caused by poor posture, which may or may not be baclofen related. Are you spending a lot of time in front of a computer, for example, where before you weren't.

Look for something simple like that? I may be completely off the mark though.

Hey Bleep -finally BAC on-online. Great point. Probably 10 hours a day in front of the computer. As crazy as it sounds, I have not even thought that this may be the culprit. I bet you are spot on. Thanks

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

man on mars;1512614 wrote: I wouldn't describe it as "tremendous," but yeah, I have pain in my neck, upper spine, and the back of my head. It comes and goes. I do believe it is related to my poor posture when I am at my desk at work. Every day, I am frequently reaching back behind my head to massage my trapezius muscles, neck, and the muscles that connect my neck to my skull. I experienced this even when my dose was very low. I'm still titrating up rapidly, though, so I haven't had time to build up tolerance and see if it goes away.
I wake up every 90 minutes or so, and then fall asleep again within 2-3 minutes, all night. I've managed to get at least 8 hours lately when I have enough time between going to bed and having to get up. I also take about an hour after I wake up to fully clear my head and rejoin civilization. When I first wake up, my brain is scrambled and I feel somewhat confused. And my eyes don't focus very well.

Hey Mars -Good feedback. I think you and bleep are spot on about the computer and posture. It's time to change my ways. Including back to exercise. With the baclofen, I have felt so focused and content, I failed to keep the other important areas of living in check-especially exercise and nutrition. Thanks again.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Well, I am back on the road to Savannah. Tomorrow I will meet with my baclofen prescribing medical doctor and I will report my current status with BAC.

I hope that they will all see the miracle that has occurred in my life as a direct result Baclofen.

What I really want them to see and do is to more formally include Baclofen in there detox-recovery program. I think one of the more difficult issues facing the quick fix rehab programs is this; Baclofen is only going to work for those who want it to work-those that want to want to stop drinking. There is a lot of work involved in titration and in soul searching. Too often, from what I have observed, many of the rehab patients are coming in under duress by others. Many of them are young and may have to keep testing the waters and they should. However, Baclofen does not need to get a bad rap because its not the so called cure all. It is a cure for those who believe they have a disease and WANT to be cured.

Besides this point, I have a feeling that there is a lot of revenues to be earned in the disbursement of Naltrexone and Other similar drugs. These rehabs don't see a whole of profits being generated thru baclofen (at least this applies to the short term detox centers).

Anyway, this drive down tonight is much different than the one I made sixty days ago. The drive then involved me trying to drink as little as possible between mile markers. I remember thinking that if this baclofen thing doesn't work out, I don't know what I am going to do next. Never in a million years did I think that my alcohol cravings would be removed and that my severe anxiety would become more manageable as well. All of this in just sixty days. I will continue to work through the depression cycles and other stuff, but at least this time around, I have a real chance to face my self without having to drink.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

Re-Tred

Just wanted to make an update, a few comments, and a help/info question.

UPDATE: I am at 220mg/4 to 5 times per day (can take 20mg more or less each day). Most physical side effects have lost their effect and a few remain:
(1) Somnolence: Has dramatically decreased during the day. Somnolence at night comes on strong after eating.
(2) Lethargic at times and gaining weight as well (guess I got to change some patterns now if I don't want to look like the dough boy. (They said to be nice to yourself -even pamper yourself during your early days -so, perhaps 2 pints of chocolate ice cream before bed is a bit too nice.)
(3) Dreams are vivid and frequent -and potentially disturbing sleep cycles

COMMENT: This is the thread that truly helped me (beyond measure) to reach the point that I am at today in my sobriety. It contains what I consider vital input (and still does) and I received this input at very important times from MWOuters. As many of you know, this site provides a life line to many who are on the Baclofen journey.

HELP QUESTION: I have experienced some minor bouts of depression in the past. Usually a day or two would pass and I would be back at full steam ahead, or at least that is the way I remember it. As time moved on, I would drink when I was either depressed or anxious (or both). At least briefly, the alcohol kick would lift my mood and things would "appear" much better. And in the end, I was drinking so much that I think I just stayed depressed much of the time and knew alcohol was the cause.

The last four days have been challenging for me and my depression. Prior to these last four days, I had been waking up and feeling much better after about an hour. But now it seems that it just hangs around all day. Its difficult at times to even compare how I feel today with how I felt one week ago. I am waking with some negative thoughts (and resentments), and for now, I am blaming early morning thoughts. I know that some of you have commented on anit-depressants and I have tried a few in the past -and every time, my mind went haywire. So in brief, if you could please comment on:

(1) Have you experienced depression and do you think that baclofen played a role in that? (I would like to think that perhaps baclofen has allowed me to come back to my reality and is not a part in this -other than freeing me from the alcohol)

(2) Any and all suggestions related to how you combat depression. Especially EARLY morning depression. I really use to love waking up early and ready to take on the day. I would be up before all others and generally excited about the day (until I began to experience it-lol)

(3) I guess I feel like I am just in damn lull :upset:that won't lift. And as one of my commenters mentioned "I was always real high or real low while drinking" and perhaps all of this is just a continuance of a mind and body adjusting to not having alcohol in it 24/7. And please -please -please -don't let this be a result of baclofen. But even if it is, I will find away to keep taking the B until something better comes along.

thanks in advance

[Colin]

Baclofen -Help needed-Please

I have been on citalopram for 4/5 years and it made an enormous difference almost immediately. Later I started a small dose (7.5 mg per day) of mirtazepine, initially to wean me off sleeping pills (temazepam) and later because it helped depression even more.

A problem with mirtazepine is that it is hard to stop so beware. I don't really mind because it hasn't lost its effectiveness.

Since starting citalopram I have only been depressed during long drinking spells and especially in the morning.

Throughout my 14 months on baclofen I never suffered from depressive incidents.