Baclofen in the UK?

[chelsea98]

Baclofen in the UK?

Still on 80/90mg Baclofen per day. The side-effects are starting to fade, especially the tiredness.
they come and go as you move up, you'll also have new ones, old ones will pop out to say hello again and it could well be the same coming down the other side of the hill.

Went out for dinner at the weekend and enjoyed myself despite being the only one not drinking. I was anxious about not being "funny" i.e. drunk
i know EXACTLY what you mean. you feel that you're just not funny without booze and that that was the only reason people liked you, that you were funny, and you must have booze to be funny!! rest assured, that isn't the case. you find you put yourself under pressure to preform so to speak, but it will come to you. you're still funny im positive you are, you just need to get a bit more comfortable in your new skin.

The upside is the feeling that I'm getting free of the sauce and my face is looking less bloated and red. Shaving in the morning has always been a depressing stock-take in the mirror of how bad things have become but I notice that my eyes seem clearer - the whites are actually white. Those old back-pains are disappearing too and, looking-down in the shower, I can see almost all of my feet.

one of the first things i said "hello again old friend!!" to was my jawline. not seen since circa 2001. the beer baby i was carrying seems to have been delivered and my stomach is shrinking at a rate of knots. i've recently had a bike accident which means physio so i've taken the opportunity to start excercising and i'd advise you to do the same. you'll feel a lot better for it and baclofen will actually help with that too!!

I know that my 80mg a day is small-fry compared to the 240mg doses some of you are taking but I don't know if at that level I could function at work (perhaps a slow titration makes this possible.) However, I'm getting some positive results and will see the good doctor again in a few weeks.

you'll be just fine at the higher doses as long as you move slowly up. i went up to 240mg per day (others much higher of course). i have a house with three kids, a wife, 3 cats, i run my own business and i ride a motorbike to work (which isnt easy after a crash) so the message is, you'll be fine!! i suffer somnolence during the day but i have a very sedentry job, if you're active during the day you should be fine with it. if you've cut out boozr all together already then you would have noticed that the side effects are also reduced a lot, if not, then when you do you'll notice it.

good luck and keep going!!

[Colin]

Baclofen in the UK?

chelsea98;1619075 wrote:
i've spoken to a few doctors recently about baclofen.......

These two will help support the HDB treatment when talking to doctors:-

Suppression of Alcohol Dependence Using Baclofen: A 2-Year Observational Study of 100 Patients
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/59463672/Prescribing-Guide-for-Baclofen-in-the-Treatment-of-Alcoholism-Don.pdf

[Wildjaq]

Baclofen in the UK?

Thank-you Palladium, Skullbaby & Chelsea

I have a supportive family but I can feel quite alone sometimes.

Your posts help a lot - "overbearing, slightly embarrassing drunken oaf" was spot-on (I'm still laughing at that) and "painful lucidity" also rings true. Great words.

It's 8 years since "The End of My Addiction" was published and the lack of take-up of Baclofen as not only a treatment for alcohol craving but also the accompanying anxiety is puzzling. I can understand the few doctors in the UK prescribing it feeling cautious about dosage levels above 100mg as there has been no will (or budget) in the UK to research and approve the drug as a safe treatment

However, In my own experience I think a few friends would still be around today if they could have tried Baclofen.

On a final, happier note I've got a couple of episodes of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew" to get me though tonight

Good evening and stay well

[Wildjaq]

Baclofen in the UK?

So, the depression was getting too much so I'm on 50mg Sertraline now as well as the bac.

Not sure if I like being on two drugs but I took the decision because while the baclofen is working I'm just too depressed to make good use of the benefits of not drinking.

I'm loading my baclofen towards the evening now which works quite well although last night I was found fast asleep in front of the computer

The SE's are fading fast now and again, not a sniff of drink this week - not even thinking about it.

I feel a bit guilty about the old friends I don't see at the pub now - they would understand what I'm doing but as they say in AA "you can only go to the barbers so many times before you get a haircut..."

I've decided to take up an offer tonight which not so long ago I would have impolitely refused.



Yoga!

[skullbabyland]

Baclofen in the UK?

Wild- good to hear that the SE's are fading, and even more happy to hear that your great results with not drinking or entertaining drinking thoughts. As for your other points, yes we often have to change our social life in early sobriety, ie neglecting friends at the pub... because the pub is just not a safe place for most people with our problem. It's just how it has to be for most of us. All your true friends will understand and be happy for you. And some won't, but that's not your problem. Your only allegiance right now is to get yourself on track with recovery, and you're doing that, so well done!

I too take an antidepressant and it helps tremendously with otherwise very difficult depression/anxiety. I will taper down off it someday but not til my sober life is much farther along, strong and solid. Til then, I consider it a tool for me to help stay the course.

Also, how was yoga? Yoga and exercise is a great tool for sobriety. You're doing good!

[Wildjaq]

Baclofen in the UK?

Thanks Palladium & Skull for the insightful comments.

Yes, I've thought a lot about "mourning" the loss of alcohol and how that might be the reason for feeling so sad. Separation anxiety could well be the cause.

I've no feelings/craving for alcohol at the moment but this is coupled with no desire to eat either.

I've suffered from low-moods in the past. I've taken SSRIs and attended CBT sessions. I've always thought that it was my drinking that made me depressed and if i could get a handle on that then my mood would lift.

I haven't made a decision on the higher bac doses - I feel that it's doing the job for now - the downside is the sadness. Would a higher dose deal with that too?

re the Sertraline - I took it before bed last night thinking that if it made me tired then no problem. Tip: Always read the label - I was awake all night!

Yoga was a good start to getting back into some exercise. Probably shouldn't have had a pill beforehand though - whoops.

I'll get a run in at the weekend too.

Another little sobriety present is not sweating through a shirt a day - or sweating at all in fact.

Quick question: I'm still pretty shaky - does this pass? It it worth taking any B vitamins?

Thanks again for your comments and encouragement

[Wildjaq]

Baclofen in the UK?

Thanks Palladium - you really know your stuff!

I was thinking about B vitamins because of the effect Berocca has on a hangover/shakes (and the bright orange colour in the loo) but you've set me straight.

The jitters may be the bac - and my 25 years heavy drinking of course - so protracted withdrawal could be the answer.

I've not decided on the higher dose yet - will see how things progress.

[skullbabyland]

Baclofen in the UK?

I myself take vitamins and I'm convinced they help a lot. I take Vit D, C, and B daily, as well as a stress-guard supplement with theanine and rhodiola, and also I take magnesium. I really notice a difference in all of them, I feel pretty great and really do believe I was super deficient in them before, when I wasn't feeling as good. I believe all that I've read, about us alkies being quite deficient in vitamins/nutrients. In the case of magnesium and Vit D, there's a lot of science showing that most humans are deficient in them and that they're really beneficial to supplement.

That said, if I was in your shoes the first thing I'd do is force a few good healthy meals even if I don't have the appetite. Lots of veggies, fruit, healthy fats like avacado, and healthy protien. I know this can be hard for us drinkers in early sobriety, but the value and impact of good nutrition is really powerful and can help a lot. Momentum is really important and it's important to start building some. Getting sober is really hard for these kinds of reasons- it's more than just not drinking, it's also replacing it with healthy living, which is a learning process. You gotta start somewhere to build momentum, and healthy food is a great place to do so.

[Wildjaq]

Baclofen in the UK?

Yes, healthy living - in body as well as mind.

I've dug out the juicer from its exile at the back of a cupboard and have been glugging down some green potions. They're pretty good and of course the trick is to get them down quickly so as not to lose the "goodness."

Did anyone here get a "dead leg" when starting on Baclofen? My right leg took off in another direction last night and I just wondered if it was the muscle relaxant (I hadn't been sitting on it for hours. honest.)