Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

[D_reaming]

Hi all, I?m new here ? first post ? but I have been lurking on and off for years. Earlier this year I got on the bac bandwagon after reading all the success stories, but after experiencing SEs like anxiety and insomnia I decided I had to taper off after reaching 130 mgs. I was still drinking and I know if I could have tried to abstain the SEs might have been more manageable. I was in a dark place and no good to anyone especially my 3 little ones - who I?m determined to become AF for.

So then after a break I went back and re-read the book and decided to try topa combined with the supplement program which I didn?t do with the bac. I?ve also ordered the CDs which are yet to arrive but something just clicked with me yesterday and I decided to start the supps and topa and had my first AF day in a bloody long time. I?ve added L-Glutamine 5000mgs first thing in the morning and 5000mgs 30 mins before lunch and I got through the afternoon/night pretty well.

It?s only day 2 but I feel positive and thought by starting a thread it might also keep the motivation going. I?d love to hear from anyone who may have had success with topa after trying bac? It seems all the threads in the beginning of the mwo meds section were mostly about topa and now it?s baclofen, but the SEs sound like they?ll be easier with topa?

[Cinders]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

D_reaming,

:welcome:

I took Topa early in on here at MWO and had to quit due to being allergic to it.

But, I can tell you that my SEs from Topa were Topa Dopa, very hard to find words, having to write everything down and mild hair loss. I took it about a month before I developed an all over skin "rash" that was more like alligator skin all over. My doctor told me it was a very dangerous allergic reaction to Topa and I had to discontinue.

I hope others who have used Topa successfully will chime in for you. I am an old timer here and I have seen others who have succeeded with it.

On the other hand, was the anxiety and insomnia really bad on Baclofen?

Were you under doctor's supervision?

I know others here don't like it when I say this but I feel very, very strongly that these meds should be taken under a doctor's supervision. This can be very frustrating because so few doctors are willing to deal with alcoholism in this way, at this time, but it is worth finding one who is.

I am lucky in that I have a doctor who was willing to try both. She is aware of the treatment of alcoholism using Baclofen and we started down that path. Unfortunately, my body could not tolerate Baclofen and we had to give up that plan for me.

In my case, neither Topa nor Baclofen are an option.

I hope you find success with Topa but I also hope you find a doctor willing to monitor your progress with it.

Cindi

[Tink13]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

Well done d-reaming, you've taken the bull by the horns. Sorry cant help with the meds side of things, just been doing the l-glutamate,topomax etc, and have managed nearly a month so far.

Lots of small things help, like trying to change your routine which are linked to trigger drinking.

This site is a great support and you have your main motivation, your children.

Keep posting, there are many great people on the site to help support you.

The best luck to you, you can do it!!!!!

Tink

[spacebebe01]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

Hi D and well done on your first day without a drink I hope things carry on going well for you. I used to take topa after not being able to tolerate the se's from bac, it was my youngest son who got really upset at the fact that I couldnt even sit with him without falling asleep that I decided that bac just wasnt for me, it sounds like the same for you, you want to get sober for your children but need a way that you can still be there for them while doing it. I did have pretty good results with topa but unfortunatey stopped it due to bad se's which where actually being caused by another medication I was on and I found out after that I could have carried on with it anyway.

Im sure thast doing the whole programme is a really good way to go about this, it helps you feel so much better in yourself and gives you a goal helping you feel more possitive about things.

There are a few women who hasve not long started taking topa in the thread called "New here and starting topa with a question" I use that thread mostly and Im sure you will be weelcomed on there if you want to join in.

Good luck x

[anchorite]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

Hey D_reaming, I am happy to find a fellow lurker, as I recently went back on Topa for a second time, and I have been looking for other people who are in the early stages of Topa use to hear their experiences.

I am currently in my 5th week of Topamax. I first went on Topa this time back in 2011 and had a terrible experience. By day 5 I had extreme depression. Within 3 days my mind was completely fuddled (is that a word?). I had just started a court reporting program and my hands would not respond to to my brain's commands. Everything was reversing. It was a very traumatic experience and I was so disappointed. I did have a positive experience with kudzu and the other supplements, as well as the CDs, and that held me for a while.

But I have come to the point in my school program where I really need to bear down to complete it. I had gone on Welbutrin about 10 months ago, and for the past year had worked on my nutrition and hormone balancing. My researched turned up that Topa and Welbutrin were a good match, so I thought I'd give it another try.

This time around, the SEs are completely different. No depression, no Topa-dopa, only a little bit of it the first couple of weeks. My court reporting has not been affected at all. A little hand tingling (and feet - how weird!). Unfortunately, my vision is totally whacked and I am now that woman with the cheater glasses hanging around her neck.

I really do think that the work I've done in the last year with my female stuff has helped minimize my SEs. I don't know your gender, so forgive me if I make this suggestion to you and you are a male. So I will just list what I was already doing, and what I added once I went AF. For the record, I am basically AF. I have only drank the few times over the fast 5 weeks that family has visited, and that is just fine with me. I just needed to break that daily bottle of wine habit!

Pre AF routine:

AM
Biotin
7-Keto DHEA
Evening Primrose Oil
Flax Oil & flax meal (in morning shake)
multi-vitamin
Vitamin B


Mid Day: Vit B/EP Oil Dinner: Vit B/Multi/EPO

MWO Program:

AM: Glutamine, Kudzu, DMAE and something called AL-Neutralizer. It is supposed to "provide targeted support for the metabolic clearance of aldehydes." I have since stopped the Kudzu. This is a pricey process.

Good luck and keep posting your progress.

[D_reaming]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

Thanks for your replies everyone. I somehow lost access to my password so have been locked out of MWO for weeks until I worked out how to reset it finally today (needed to click the ?remember me? box). Anyhow I only managed 3 AF days before I cracked but have managed to reduce my daily intake a little so I?m feeling better on a daily basis which is a start. I?m up to week 4 on topa starting at 100mg today. Still taking the supps and trying to find time to listen to the hypno CDs but just can?t every day. The SEs have been very minimal so far. A little tingling in the fingers and carbonated drinks taste bad but that?s it. Much easier than the SEs I was experiencing with bac.

So I am sort of doing the program and it?s sort of having an effect on my cravings and that?s the key - I?m not 100% committed. I?m not ready to give up the ritual and reward that al gives me at the end of the day. It?s my something to look forward to, it?s something that dulls the daily routines that come with kids. Feeding them, feeding us, bathing them, bedtime stories?I love them dearly but it gets mundane and a little boring and drinking takes the edge off. I?ve got to work out what?s going to cut it instead. I know all the logical reasons why I shouldn?t drink but around comes the afternoon routine again and unfortunately there?s no one else to do it and there?s nowhere to go and hide. Ahh that?s the life of mother?s everywhere so I know I?m not alone.

anchorite, glad to hear you are having a better time with topa second go around and congrats on being AF. It?s so brave of you after the horrid effects it sounds like you had the first time. I also skipped the Kudzu due to cost. There?s so much to be said for nutrition and being in balance. Did you see a naturopath or go through a GP?

Spacebebe, thanks for the info on the topa thread. I will head over and have a read now I am back online.

Tink13, congrats on so much AF time. Changing up the routine would be good. I wish I could magic up a chef and a nanny for a month or so and I would be in mummy heaven :H.

Cinders, good advice on being monitored by a doctor however at this stage I?m going it alone. I can only imagine what you must have thought when you came out in that rash and if I see anything like that I?ll be straight off to the doctors. Luckily all good so far.

Thanks again for your replies and I?ll keep you posted. Maybe it?s time to do some more reading on what everyone else does to replace the reward aspects of drinking?

[YouKayBee]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

If SEs with Baclofen were bad and you were still drinking would there be any harm in taking Naltrexone before you drink just in case you respond to the Sinclair Method?

L-Glut is very good and I also think good diet can really help too - highish protein, moderate complex carbs, moderate fats and avoiding sugars(which can include fruit and fruit juices).

[Funny Girl]

Couldn't hack bac - trying topa and supps

Anchorite, had a similar experience in 2010. Stayed AF for sometime & then my life went into the toilet. need to stop drinking again & was going to try the topa again.. Maybe this time I'll be successful again . . . .very disheartening. I tried without & lasted awhile, but now am back in trouble. I guess I'll start again tomorrow now that I've read your post. I have been lurking as well . . .slightly embarrassing . . . .