Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

[hopefulinOz]

and I don't feel it's really helping. I am SO tired and I probably do feel less like drinking but not enough to overcome the habit of buying wine every day and getting through the evening. I have not had an AF day in about 4 weeks. Should I maybe take an antabuse to give me a few days and see if that helps??
Claire

[skullbabyland]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Claire, hi- I am one of those who uses Antabuse in conjunction with Baclofen to force AF time. If you're considering this, are you knowledgable on all the risks of Antabuse? Please read up on them as it can really do damage (talking ER visits or worse, in some cases).

Not so scare you away- it can be a great tool, just have to use it safely and very deliberately. That said, Bac and Antabuse have proven to be the winning combination for me when nothing else worked. Dealing with life sober was really challenging but I've now got almost 10 months AF with bac/Ab. It's worth it.

I have a lot of info on my thread about how I've gotten sober using bac and antabuse together, if you want to read more. I know Neophyte and maybe a few others do this too.
https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...-52-77326.html

Let us know how you progress and good luck.

[skullbabyland]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Also, worth noting- I know the tiredness totally sucks, but it really will go away. i now take bac dose daily and don't feel tired at all. It'll get better, really. Keep the faith and keep going, because it's worth it.

[skullbabyland]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Also one last note- forcing AF days, however you can do so (with Antabuse or not, whatever), really does seem to help the bac work better, as many people have posted, and can get you to indifference quicker and with less side effects (such as the tiredness). Everything will begin to work better and more synergystically if you can just force these early sober days and let the bac work.

For me that meant just allowing days/nights on the couch watching junk, and going to bed at like 7 pm (assisted with a benadryl or whatever) just to get through the days.

Good luck

[Lostinspace]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Hi Claire. What are your ultimate plans in regards to baclofen? Do you plan on further increasing the dose? I only ask because you're still on a fairly low dose. I know this was the high dose used in the trial you participated in, but most people find they have to go up quite a bit higher to stop craving alcohol. Having a few days AF can definitely help the bac to better do its job, however you can manage to get those AF days, but you may ultimately have to go up to a higher dose to get the full benefits.

[hopefulinOz]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Thanks everyone. Sorry I haven't checked back in. My GP wants me to stay on 75 for a month and try to get a few AF days before considering titrating up. That said my GP has pretty much no experience with this. I've been emailing a doctor in Sydney at a hospital who is very experienced with high dose bac and at my request she emailed my doctor the info about titrating.
I just feel really pathetic having to take an off label drug for this condition.

[skullbabyland]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

hopefulinOz;1699239 wrote: Thanks everyone. Sorry I haven't checked back in. My GP wants me to stay on 75 for a month and try to get a few AF days before considering titrating up. That said my GP has pretty much no experience with this. I've been emailing a doctor in Sydney at a hospital who is very experienced with high dose bac and at my request she emailed my doctor the info about titrating.
I just feel really pathetic having to take an off label drug for this condition.

Claire- try to take the shame and guilt, or feelings of patheticness, out of the equation. Soon, when you're on the other side of this thing (it really will happen if you keep at it, finding the right dosage and time)- soon, instead of feeling pathetic for "having to" take bac, instead you'll feel sorry for those who, unlike you, have not yet heard of bac for their same condition. Now that I'm using these meds to successfully beat my addiction, my heart aches for those who are not aware of them.

Keep the hope. It's worked for many of us, myself included, and it'll work for you. This is science stuff, not willpower or morality stuff. Allow the medication to do its work and give yourself a break.

EDIT- for what it's worth, I found good success with just the same protocol/schedule that your GP is advocating (holding at a dose for a month and forcing a few AF days). After that you can always increase slowly until you find the right dose. It can feel like a painfully slow process but it works best, IMO, as a "slow and steady wins the race". Also, you're lucky to have the doc in Sydney who's advocating for HDB for you. You've got good things happening.

[hopefulinOz]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Thanks. I just keep thinking what if I ever meet a man (I'm a single parent) and had to tell him this crap??

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

hopefulinOz;1700196 wrote: Thanks. I just keep thinking what if I ever meet a man (I'm a single parent) and had to tell him this crap??

I'm pretty sure that you'll be much more comfortable with yourself, and the decisions you've made, when you aren't drinking alcoholically anymore. Ya' know? I'd think it would be a lot easier to meet a nice guy, and stay with him, at that point.

Also, I've been told repeatedly, and continue to struggle with, thinking about now. Worrying about a nonexistent later is a complete waste of time. Let me know if you figure this one out. :H

Hang in there, Hopeful.

[Lostinspace]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

I completely agree with Ne. You'll be far more comfortable with yourself when you've quit drinking. Then any relationship you have sober will be a hundred times better than one in which you're drinking constantly. There's no need to worry about that now. To be honest, I still sometimes have pangs of shame when I talk to my doctor about the prescription or go to pick it up, but you know what? Doing something to address my life-destroying, excessive drinking is not a shameful thing at all; continuing to live the way I was living and not doing a damn thing to change myself is. You're taking a pill to treat a medical condition, as so many other people do for many other diseases/medical problems. Take pride in the fact that you're actually taking charge of your health and well-being.

[skullbabyland]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

What Ne and Lis say is all true. Great advice. Keep the hope, Hopeful. Tomorrow will work itself out, just work on today.

[bleep]

Have titrated up to 75mg baclofen

Wow, that's a different take on the matter - I was thrilled to find out there was something the matter with me, that there was something missing inside, that I could take a pill and make it better. It literally made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Validation that you aren't just some useless tool who keeps making bad decisions.

It's not your fault, don't feel ashamed.