Freedom Journey with Baclofen

[freedom4me]

Started Baclofen yesterday 2/21/14:

Took 5mg at 8am, 3pm, and 8pm. Felt some strange sensations in the afternoon of mild pinching in hands and feet, but it passed by 5:30pm and had no more problem. Had strange, vivid dreams when I took a nap in the afternoon, but no issues with vivid dreams over night. No AL cravings whatsoever during afternoon and evening, it was just a fleeting thought that was easily dismissed. Did not drink AL at all yesterday, for the first time in over a month. Experience NONE of the usual anxiety, obsessive/tormenting thoughts, or nervousness at all through out the day. Woke up this morning feeling GREAT and looking forward to another day. None of the usual guilty/condemning thoughts this morning.

This is exciting, but I'm trying not to get too excited so as not to think it is the euphoria of excitement and something new that is causing the abstinence from drinking.

Day 1 is done, into day 2 now.

[spiritwolf333]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

freedom4me;1629973 wrote: Started Baclofen yesterday 2/21/14:

Took 5mg at 8am, 3pm, and 8pm. Felt some strange sensations in the afternoon of mild pinching in hands and feet, but it passed by 5:30pm and had no more problem. Had strange, vivid dreams when I took a nap in the afternoon, but no issues with vivid dreams over night. No AL cravings whatsoever during afternoon and evening, it was just a fleeting thought that was easily dismissed. Did not drink AL at all yesterday, for the first time in over a month. Experience NONE of the usual anxiety, obsessive/tormenting thoughts, or nervousness at all through out the day.

Woke up this morning feeling GREAT and looking forward to another day. None of the usual guilty/condemning thoughts this morning.


Day 1 is done, into day 2 now.

Hi Freedom -this is great news you are reporting. Sounds like you may end up with a low dose titration point.

And those vivid (and sometimes lucid) dreams; I miss those on a regular basis now. I think some of those actually helped me in my initial days to freedom. I am glad that I still have them several times a week.

Your story continues to remind us all that alcoholism has varying stages of danger and there is no one size fits all solution.

[spiritwolf333]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

And Freedom, you may already know this, but there typically is not much activity in the forum on the weekends.

[freedom4me]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

Thank you Spirit Wolf! Happy Saturday! The vivid dreams did not come unexpectedly but still it was funny to me since I do not usually remember dreams and the dream itself was funny cuz I dreamed by cat was talking to me all in vivid color---LOL!

Regarding not much activity o the forum, I'm just trying to stay busy today and not get bored. Boredom does not do me any good. So, I've been reading other parts of the forum and doing housework. It really is a beautiful day today in the southern US! Great weather lately.

Have a great day. I will update on progress tomorrow.

[spiritwolf333]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

freedom4me;1630012 wrote: Thank you Spirit Wolf! Happy Saturday! The vivid dreams did not come unexpectedly but still it was funny to me since I do not usually remember dreams and the dream itself was funny cuz I dreamed by cat was talking to me all in vivid color---LOL!

Regarding not much activity o the forum, I'm just trying to stay busy today and not get bored. Boredom does not do me any good. So, I've been reading other parts of the forum and doing housework. It really is a beautiful day today in the southern US! Great weather lately.

Have a great day. I will update on progress tomorrow.

Very good to hear Freedom. We should start a "dream" thread on mwo. Seems like many baclofen members have these same type dreams.

Hope you enjoy this beautiful weekend. Turning very cold next week from what I read. 70 today -28 degrees next week. Got to love the weather in the South.

[Mandiekinz]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

Hi Freedom! Welcome to the world of baclofen! Buckle up and say good bye to your old messy self.

As for your vivid dreams, I'd get those every time I stopped drinking. So that might be your body actually finding REAL sleep for once! So they will be intense! I recall one of mine after a very rough bender, I was having a dream within a dream within a dream...and had woken up to an earth quake that didn't actually happen...but felt like it physically!

I still get vivid and intense dreams, but nothing that wild anymore. I've always been an intense dreamer, just not during my drinking times.

We don't realize how much we neglect our needs of such simple things (like bonafide rest) while we've been drinking. We think we sleep, but we actually don't allow our brain to follow through with all of the sleep cycles it needs. We dream in our REM cycles, REM cycles do not exist to us drunkards, or we don't access as many as we should after a night of drinking.

It's impossible to not get excited about the lack of cravings and obsessive thoughts. Be it a placebo effect or not...from your first day on, you're brain (from the work of the baclofen) is starting to rewire itself by unraveling the alcoholic cage it has locked you in and you can then begin to grow mentally and emotionally.

Keep posting, read the forums, dig for the information. You may come across side-effects and random sensations...read, read, read...they're all here. You're not alone and post about them and your progress!

A happy weekend to you, my dear!

[freedom4me]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

Thank you Mandikinz and Spirit Wolf. Since noon today I have been "thinkin about drinkin." So, I took an additional 5mg of Bac. It is now 1:50pm and I am trying to re-route me "stinkin thinkin." I've been feeling the straw in my mouth and the actual taste of the beer. Ugh!!! I thought maybe yesterdays success was from the enthusiasm and excitement of doing something new. This too shall pass. Gonna go wash my SUV while weather is nice, that will take a hour out of the day.

[neophyte]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

hi Freedom, its good you are getting success so early, you won't have to go high up in dose and experience lots of side effects and an empty bank account buying baclofen :P that said, dont fret if you end up craving again until you hit your switch, in my experience it takes roughly 5 days for a level of anti craving to come in to play with any dose increase, but you could be different.

good luck!

[spiritwolf333]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

freedom4me;1630040 wrote: Thank you Mandikinz and Spirit Wolf. Since noon today I have been "thinkin about drinkin." So, I took an additional 5mg of Bac. It is now 1:50pm and I am trying to re-route me "stinkin thinkin." I've been feeling the straw in my mouth and the actual taste of the beer. Ugh!!! I thought maybe yesterdays success was from the enthusiasm and excitement of doing something new. This too shall pass. Gonna go wash my SUV while weather is nice, that will take a hour out of the day.

Hi Freedom -just checking in and saw your post. If getting sober was easy, I would get drunk every night -lol.

Baclofen does not take away the drink thought -or at this has been my experience. Baclofen will help calm the accompanying anxiety from post drinking activities and will help you to drink less if you so choose to drink. And even then, it takes a period of time for Baclofen to have this effect.

Day 3 and 4 are typically the most difficult days to stop drinking for most alcoholics (although many days are difficult in the beginning) Additionally, over a short amount of time, baclofen will help diminish the obsessive alcohol thinking pattern that I think you are referring to. Patience -it is well worth the effort.

[emc]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

freedom4me;1629973 wrote: Started Baclofen yesterday 2/21/14:
Took 5mg at 8am, 3pm, and 8pm.
Hi freedom4me,
really good that you start!
Did you finally found a doctor?

freedom4me;1630040 wrote: Since noon today I have been "thinkin about drinkin." So, I took an additional 5mg of Bac.

About this i would like to tell you a very important thing...
Baclofen works but it need to be taken with patience and regularity.
You set a posology and you follow it.

A "standard" protocol widely accepted is to titrate up 5mg or 10mg every 3/5 days, depending on how you feel and how are the eventual SE. You can go little faster or little slower but always regular and no impulsive actions.
I always suggest the slow titrating because, imo, it gives the time to see what's happening, how you are changing... and makes less "dramatic" the separation with the alcohol...
The dosage can be even adjusted in relation to the hours of craving, for better results.

So... is not a race ;-) maybe more a slow walk on a steep mountain.
Have good day!

[freedom4me]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

Thank you EMC for your wisdom. I will be more patient with myself. I'm one of those "do it now" people, but I realize I did not get to this position over night and it will take time to get out of this position. Baclofen is a tool, one of many, but a very important one.

I have not found a doc. Still looking for one...

Day 2 of Baclofen was 2/22/14: Took 5 mg at 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. Felt no significant SE except some slight muscular discomfort after the 12pm dose, slight sleepiness after the 3pm dose. I fought cravings and obsessive thoughts about drinking from 12pm on all day. I was restless, my head was trying to tell me now that I'm taking Bac, its ok to drink some since the Bac will do its job, just not immediately (and that may be true, but my true self did not want to drink, my drinking self did). I finally could stand no more and drank beer at 8pm. The first 2 beers I drank at record pace ( both within 30mins), the 2nd 2 beers I drank more slowly. I ignored the feelings of disappointment in myself, and watched a movie. The AL made me feel a different kind of buzz than usual, I assume that is from the Bac. I felt less coordinated, mentally stupid, and inability to talk completely clearly. Normally four beers do not phase me in coordination, speech, and solid thought processes (it takes 7 or 8 for that). However, I became very sleepy and went to bed. I slept extremely hard, did not wake up at all, had an unusual dream, work up this morning at 10:30am...this is unusual for me since I had no idea it was that late and meant to make sure I was up earlier. Upon waking up, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I did not have a hangover in the usual sense, but I just felt very tired. Once up, I was a bit uncoordinated and my thought processes were slow, but it cleared somewhat after being up and drinking some coffee.

On to day 3... Hope it is better that day 2. Today is Sunday and in our southern state in the Bible Belt of the USA you cannot buy beer except in certain far away locations due to the Sunday laws. I do not have any beer left. I can do this... ODAT

[freedom4me]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

As an added note to my above post regarding Day 2 and its troubles: I tend to get over-excited about anything new in my life, from buying a different car, to starting a new project and sometimes I can go overboard with excitement. So, I am not disappointed about what happened yesterday. I felt that I was too excited yesterday morning and I felt I may have a difficult day due to the excitement. But, I also feel that what happened brought me down several notches, I can see my path more clearly since the "over" excitement is out of the way. I am humbled and more in tuned to the work I need to do to overcome this terrible addiction to AL.

[Mandiekinz]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

It's not the end of the world that you drank. That is your own disappointment in yourself expecting far too much with the baclofen. It's only day 2! You've got some time ahead of you to learn and relearn. Don't be so hard on yourself.

I remember I started baclofen with a hard stance of abstinence. I was soooo disappointed in myself after I hit 90mg and went out for a 2 beers and 3 shots! 2 beers and 3 shots is child's play in my history of drinking, I would have normally looked at someone like they were crazy if they only wanted a couple shots and brews. But ultimately, there's no absolute shame in it. It only makes the recovery process more difficult as you internally argue with yourself and put yourself down over a slip up or two or 12. It HAPPENS, and you aren't expected to be completely abstinent from the moment you start the medication.

There will be slip ups...if you're expecting yourself to not have the occasional brew on your path to indifference, you may be setting yourself up for failure. We're not judging here. Why are you judging yourself?

Recovery is a fickle process...in the beginning days of baclofen, it actually FEELS like a muscle relaxer. So on your first day, you were probably distracted with the effects of the baclofen to really want to go drink. You'll then level out on your dose, feel back to normal, right in time to bump your dosage up and start again. As you continue to slowly move up, your brain will rewire, and you'll start to find that the annoying thoughts of drinking will begin to subside. It won't happen over night, it may not happen for over a month. The anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and mental torment will float away...

Side effects will start to engage once you get a little higher in dosages, aside from sleepiness and maybe a little tingling from the muscle relaxing properties. So enjoy the cat naps and easy ride for now!

And oh yes, I remember those wretched Sundays down there...Especially after a bender Saturday...I would sooooo look forward to Monday morning.

Cheers and keep posting.

[spiritwolf333]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

freedom4me;1630439 wrote:
I finally could stand no more and drank beer at 8pm. The first 2 beers I drank at record pace ( both within 30mins), the 2nd 2 beers I drank more slowly. I ignored the feelings of disappointment in myself, and watched a movie. The AL made me feel a different kind of buzz than usual, I assume that is from the Bac. I felt less coordinated, mentally stupid, and inability to talk completely clearly. Normally four beers do not phase me in coordination, speech, and solid thought processes (it takes 7 or 8 for that). However, I became very sleepy and went to bed. I slept extremely hard, did not wake up at all, had an unusual dream, work up this morning at 10:30am...this is unusual for me since I had no idea it was that late and meant to make sure I was up earlier. Upon waking up, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I did not have a hangover in the usual sense, but I just felt very tired. Once up, I was a bit uncoordinated and my thought processes were slow, but it cleared somewhat after being up and drinking some coffee. ODAT

Hi Freedom---
Thanks for posting -your honesty will end up helping you sober up and stay sober, or so I have heard.

Just a few points from my experience:

(1) The previous euphoria-buzz, followed by calming effect was/had never been the same after taking baclofen (I waited 90 days to experiment). Baclofen somehow modifies the dopamine system.

(2) Sleeping-dreaming will all be affected by both
(a) Baclofen
(b) Alcohol reduction/elimination

(3) Waking Up: After 11 months baclofen and mostly alcohol free, I find that it takes me at one hour to become fully functioning in the am. Perhaps this is "normal" or at least for me. For so long and with alcohol my enslaver, I would wake easily and be on high alert -or so I thought.

The alcohol free lifestyle is so very different than when drinking that it is not even appropriate to try and compare. This really is why they say once you stop everything changes -you are essentially creating a "new" life.

Slips-etc. are not a problem as long as you keep your real goal in mind. These are all part of the sobering up trail. Take it easy...easy...easy.... AND don't take yourself so seriously. Now that your real goal of abstinence is firmly planted in your mind, you will always continue trying to quit -to some degree.

[Yourfriend6116]

Freedom Journey with Baclofen

Freedom-thanks for sharing! Don't get yourself down about drinking. Like the others have said..it's a process, not a race, and it takes time. You are doing great. Keep sharing!