PLEASE, CONTACT THEM AND ASK THEM IF THEY WILL SIGN A LETTER STATING THAT THEY PRESCRIBE BACLOFEN FOR ALCOHOLISM, AND HAVE OBSERVED IT'S BENEFIT FOR THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLICS.
I just got off the phone with the D.O. to whom I took Dr. Ameisen's book, along with everything that had been published at the time, and began writing scripts for 80 mg/day in late 2009. She has since sent several patients to me, to assist them with titration, and prescribed for a few other people who asked her specifically to do so.
My point in calling was to find out if there are legal ramifications or risks to physicians prescribing "off-label," and get her opinion about encouraging everyone who does have, or has had, a prescription from a health care professional to ask THEM to join this letter campaign. Her response was, "This NEEDS to happen."
As we know, those professionals are busy, busy. (Not that we aren't!) I am going to write a letter "as if" it were from her, simply describing what we have done, and her observation that baclofen has been by far the most effective pharmaceutical intervention for alcoholism. And I will take that letter to her office, she will sign it, and I will send it in a separate envelop, along with my own letter, to Evan.
With great compassion for Dr. Levin, and now great respect for his decision to take a stand for what is moral and right in the face of whatever force of individuals or entities are at work, here, adding as much support from health professionals can only elevate the profile of Dr. L.'s circumstances, and may be, at the least at part of a "tipping point" for legitimizing and making HDB available for dying alcoholics.
I just got off the phone with the D.O. to whom I took Dr. Ameisen's book, along with everything that had been published at the time, and began writing scripts for 80 mg/day in late 2009. She has since sent several patients to me, to assist them with titration, and prescribed for a few other people who asked her specifically to do so.
My point in calling was to find out if there are legal ramifications or risks to physicians prescribing "off-label," and get her opinion about encouraging everyone who does have, or has had, a prescription from a health care professional to ask THEM to join this letter campaign. Her response was, "This NEEDS to happen."
As we know, those professionals are busy, busy. (Not that we aren't!) I am going to write a letter "as if" it were from her, simply describing what we have done, and her observation that baclofen has been by far the most effective pharmaceutical intervention for alcoholism. And I will take that letter to her office, she will sign it, and I will send it in a separate envelop, along with my own letter, to Evan.
With great compassion for Dr. Levin, and now great respect for his decision to take a stand for what is moral and right in the face of whatever force of individuals or entities are at work, here, adding as much support from health professionals can only elevate the profile of Dr. L.'s circumstances, and may be, at the least at part of a "tipping point" for legitimizing and making HDB available for dying alcoholics.
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