Scared of Nalrexone

[happy2014]

Scared of Nalrexone

Does it take a while to kick in?

I've been on Nal for three days now and it hasn't reduced my desire or capacity to drink. Still a bottle of wine and some change every night. I'm going to start counseling and see if maybe the combination works. SEs aren't too bad at least, but overall risks aren't worth it if it doesn't work for me. Is it a cumulative thing? Am I just being inpatient?:new:

[woody13]

Scared of Nalrexone

happy2014;1696146 wrote: I've been on Nal for three days now and it hasn't reduced my desire or capacity to drink. Still a bottle of wine and some change every night. I'm going to start counseling and see if maybe the combination works. SEs aren't too bad at least, but overall risks aren't worth it if it doesn't work for me. Is it a cumulative thing? Am I just being inpatient?:new:

Hi Happy,

Two things, 1) you said you are an "every night" drinker with your wine. Did you have any clean time at all before you started Nal? As far as I knew a Dr SHOULDN'T even subscribe it unless you are off of everything for 7 to 10 days. In fact if they didn't test you, again, just from what I have learned, um, that is a big no-no if they gave you Nal. Just wanted to make sure you weren't drinking or anything for 7 to 10 days before you started.

2) They started me on the pills, which they should to everyone, and it took me about 7 or 8 days of it to get in my system when I started noticing it. I did start a blog in this section and hope to keep adding to it as time goes on with my honest and real experiences.

[happy2014]

Scared of Nalrexone

I've never stopped, no. I'm starting to think as progressive as my doc is maybe she doesn't know what she is prescribing. I should see a specialist. My gp prescribed it. That might be why it doesn't feel like it's working?

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

You don't need abstenance to be prescribed Nal to be taken as per the Sinclair method, in fact once of the bonuses is that detox isn't required to start the treatment. All the person does is take it 1 hour before drinking.

Happy 3 days is too short a period - Nal/TSM takes around 6 months to work. Many people notice a reduction at the start but not everyone, and often that then goes back up again. My units dropped by half overnight, but prior to this I was drinking a hell of a lot in each session - 30 units which then reduced to 15 but 15 is still a large amount to most people.

Second point I'd like to make is that having nights where you drink without having taken Nal 1 hour before, will severely hinder the process and may reverse any good you do on the nights when you have taken it. For TSM and nal to work properly it must be taken every time you drink. The way it works is breaking the addictive link, and if someone does TSM sure they start to break the link, but both research and anecdotal evidence show that as soon as a person or in the case of the research, alcoholic rats started drinking without naltrexone they rapidly became readdicted.

TSM can work beautifully but you must take the tablet each and every time you drink, for around 3-6 months(at least).
I would recommend researching TSM fully, run a google search and look for the Sinclair Forum. There's also a very good book by Dr Eskapa called the Cure for Alcoholism which is east to read and covers the basics. The only problem with his book however is that he claims it works(or the clinical research showed) in 3 months, outside away from clinical research the accepted thought is 6-12 months.

I certainly was cured by 6 months, and my life improved gradually from the day I started TSM.

A common saying in TSM is nal + alcohol + patience = success.

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

happy2014;1696146 wrote: I've been on Nal for three days now and it hasn't reduced my desire or capacity to drink. Still a bottle of wine and some change every night. I'm going to start counseling and see if maybe the combination works. SEs aren't too bad at least, but overall risks aren't worth it if it doesn't work for me. Is it a cumulative thing? Am I just being inpatient?:new:

It is cumulative in that you have to keep on taking it each and every time you drink for 3-6 or even 12 months for total success. If you are seeing some changes then means there is a chance it will work for you - if you are consistent. I am sure it took many months and years to build your addiction, and Nal also requires time(but usually a much shorter time) to reverse it.

[woody13]

Scared of Nalrexone

Don't get me wrong, I am all for every type of research for alcohol (no doubt! lol) and I fully understand everything works differently for everyone. I am also familiar with TSM and very interested in it.

I'm trying to word this without trying to sound like I'm bashing TSM, trust me, I really am a big supporter of everything and anything. I also know there are studies. I am not a big fan of the U.S. government and the ways they run a lot of things, lol.

So with all this preface I gave, I don't know. There has always been something about TSM I just "don't trust" maybe? Don't trust is pretty harsh and I really don't mean that, I just can't think of the words. Here, this should help with what I am trying to say. If you are in a rehab facility in the U.S. with "professional addiction doctors and staff" and are given naltrexone, what do you think the odds are they are going to tell you to take via TSM?

I know there are many ways to discuss this and many thoughts we can all share, the point is at this point the "professionals" and "government" are not high up on using TSM. I think it does and can work, I'm just throwing out my 2 cents that right now I am doing it the exact way the "professionals" are telling me to do it, which of course is to be off everything (even detox meds) for 7 to 10 days before starting and trying your best to not drink at all while on it.

Additionally, the main reason I do not "trust" TSM is because what I mentioned above. All of us are different and react to all methods and medications differently. So say you tell someone to use TSM not knowing it will not work on them............... ouch! You will have someone that is going to be drinking still, most likely heavy, and it is not working! That could lead to disaster.

I am not guaranteed anything with me currently doing it as "professionally suggested", but I know I have had over 60 days of the most incredible days of my life doing it this way. It's working great for me and it started working within 5 or 6 days! TSM may have been better for me, or it may have ruined my life even more, who knows. I guess my point is, definitely give it more time like YouKay mentioned, but if you don't notice anything I would highly suggest trying different methods that may work for your body.

[woody13]

Scared of Nalrexone

My last post made me think of something and hopefully someone knows of any studies on this.

So we all know we are not the same and things work differently for all of us. Since I am using naltrexone in the "traditional method", what happens after I already started that and then try to switch to TSM??? Going the other route, what happens if someone starts with TSM, sees it is not working, maybe goes on drinking for a bit longer and then tries the "traditional" method??? Would receptors be saturated with the drug and it would no longer have an effect like it could have originally had?

Just curious and something I have been thinking about. You know, basically can naltrexone ever become non-effective on a person after a certain point???

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

woody13;1696701 wrote: My last post made me think of something and hopefully someone knows of any studies on this.

So we all know we are not the same and things work differently for all of us. Since I am using naltrexone in the "traditional method", what happens after I already started that and then try to switch to TSM??? Going the other route, what happens if someone starts with TSM, sees it is not working, maybe goes on drinking for a bit longer and then tries the "traditional" method??? Would receptors be saturated with the drug and it would no longer have an effect like it could have originally had?

Just curious and something I have been thinking about. You know, basically can naltrexone ever become non-effective on a person after a certain point???

I have heard that receptors become more sensitive however as far as I know it doesn't wear off - I took it for 2 years and it was still working for me however in lieu of any research into what happens long term I decided to cut my losses, play it safe and go competely AF which I could do because I was 'deaddicted'. This meant I stopped taking Nal. I've had the odd tablet in the last year to try and see if it might help me cut down on the large quantities of chocolate I'd started consuming(chocolate is thought to release endorphins and there is a group developing Nal for use with obesity and over eating), but I've had zero nal for 6 months and no return of cravings.

I get urges to drink and miss it a bit because it was my escape, but it's nothing like the old physical desires.

With TSM you only take Nal when you drink, non-drinking days you don't take it. From that and my experience I understand that once you've extinguished the addiction, so long as you don't drink again there is no need to take nal.

Not a clue what happens when it's used with abstenance.

My opinion is that if someone is going to drink anyway they might as well take nal. It's one pill 1 hour prior, each time you drink and the chance it'll help is worth it.

If someone can stay abstenant another way, with or without nal then I wouldn't advise trying TSM and drinking.

[woody13]

Scared of Nalrexone

Interesting thought on the chocolate! I must give it a try for that too!

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

woody13;1696904 wrote: Interesting thought on the chocolate! I must give it a try for that too!

Didn't work for me but that may have been because I didn't want to eat the quantities I was for 6 months on the trot, I think I was substituting, now working on the 'escapism' bit of me with a therapist to try and work out a better wat!

I believe medications such as nal/TSM or Baclofen work on the phsyical stuff, but not mental reasons for drinking.

I don't think there's much research into post-tsm, another reason I quit!

[happy2014]

Scared of Nalrexone

What's the best place to read about TSM? Also I want to clarify... Is it dangerous for me to be taking Nal without a period of abstinence? I was feeling pretty wonky -blood pressure was through the roof (I also have a thyroid disorder that affects my bp, worsened by drinking). That want necessarily the Nal though.

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

Yes the book by Dr Eskapa plus Google The Sinclair Method should find you some INFO, add 'forum' to that search should find you the forum.

TSM you need to mix alcohol plus nal and I have not seen anything suggesting you should have a period of abstaining. About your medical situation I cannot comment. The

[YouKayBee]

Scared of Nalrexone

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