Need to talk to other people treating their addiction with Baclofen

[Stevo]

No dundrinkin I haven't done the test yet,I have decided that as I am not really worried or fussed about alcohol it would be a little ridiculous of me to go out and buy beer just to do the test.I am just going to wait for an event to come up and see what happens.

I felt that I was becoming a little obsessive about the test and decided to not fuss about it too much.When it does happen I will be letting you guys know for sure.

[Lostinspace]

Hi MeJustMe. Welcome to the forum. Just wanted to chime in and say that you might not know if you're getting the real thing based on side effects alone. I'm on a very high dose of bac and have never once experienced noticeable side effects of any kind. We're all very different in that regard. You'll most likely know you're on the real thing if you notice that it starts to help with cravings. Good luck to you and keep us posted on how you're doing!

[Spiritfree]

Thanks Kronkcarr for elaborating,what you are describing is exactly what I am hoping to do.
The idea that I am not a slave to alcohol but infact its master and have a choice to enjoy a drink or not have a drink without it being an issue is exactly what I would like.
No more fear of alcohol is a whole new level of freedom that I once thought was unattainable.
Really am very excited about this.

Hi Steve -I just now read this post. Thank you for being open and honest in your thoughts.

Steve, I am glad that others are on this site that offer their experience and wisdom to help others. If you have/are been heavily addicted to alcohol, chances are, you will always have a challenge to drink less than you initially plan to drink. Today's medications do not erase the reasons why you drank in the first place.

And Steve, if you are not a heavy drinker to begin with, perhaps just one who over drinks and says/does things they regret the next day, then you may very well be in line for a medication like Baclofen to remove your total need/desire to drink. Otherwise Steve, try to prepare yourself to be alcohol free -its really a fun life once the af habit kicks in..

[Stevo]

Hi Spiritfree,
I think essentially I drank because I find life to be a living nightmare haha.I was not really built to deal with life very well but being on Baclofen has actually lessened my anxiety about being part of the world and has enabled me to be able to deal with this thing called life a little better.I have been AF bar 2 beers for 2 years in 2 days and other than the Baclofen and its wonderful effect on me being AF has been a whole new abstinent type of nightmare.
I am of the opinion that Baclofen has not just reduced my cravings but has changed the way that I will approach and think about alcohol.If it is possible to have a few drinks and then stop then that is what I would like to do.Being AF here in Australia and I am assuming like most other parts of the world makes for being a social leper and 2 years of that is all I am prepared to endure.
If I decide to have a night of getting drunk and that is possible as I quite like the effect of alcohol then so be it.I will still be on the Baclofen and I believe that it will not necessarily become a never ending downward spiral just because I have chosen to do this.
I have never really wanted complete abstinence but due to my exposure to AA I always thought that it was the only way.I have said this before but according to AA the great obsession of every alcoholic is to one day drink safely as they see other men do.I want this too.
My history with alcohol is a very long one for someone my age and I am more than qualified to be called an alcoholic,but I think that the idea that an alcoholic who could not control his drinking will always be is maybe not so true anymore.
Dr.Ameisen in his book was just that and he did do the controlled drinking experiment with results as I recall that truly limited his intake( it has been a while since I have read the book).I believe that due to Baclofen he then decided that drinking repulsed him and spent the rest of his life abstinent.This could be the outcome for me too but unless I give drinking a try I will never know.If I am able to have a few with no issues then great,if I decide that it repulses me then great,if I am able to kick my heels up occasionally and get good and drunk without my life going to hell then great and the whole time I will be still taking the Baclofen as this truly helps me feel a little more at ease with life.
All this being said I still do not feel the need to race out and buy beer just to do the experiment,I just seem to have lost the drive for alcohol that I once used to have.Which in itself is a beautiful miracle because I was the guy who would have given half the chance drank himself into the gates of insanity or death.
Thanks for your post and concern Spiritfree I do truly appreciate it but I will never know what the outcomes for me are unless I step out of the mindset that the only life I have left is one of complete and utter abstinence.

[MeJustMe]

I went back today for my trial appointment, but with everything going on, I totally forgot about asking about posting here. I have since thought that if I do not go into specifics about the trial, it can't do any harm. After all, I don't know what Bac dose I'm on (if at all- there is also the possibility I am on the placebo) and I won't discuss the mechanics of what I do in the trial, although it isn't really in any way controversial.

I noticed on day 3 last week (taking 1 pill a day) a funny smell in the house (and later, in the car, in the garden) that was a cross between burning plastic and a scented candle. This was the first hint I was actually on the real deal. When on Antibuse, I smell ammonia. THen a day or two later, I got really itchy skin. That too is an Antibuse side-effect.

The most amazing thing was on day 3, in the afternoon I didn't really feel much like a drink. It was like the feeling I have when satiated with food; I could have more, but have had enough and don't really feel the need for more. So that night I had two beers. Even then , with the second I really thought, 'What for?". Wow, I have never done that.

From there, it hasn't been good. Drinking about two bottles of wine or a six-pack and a bit of beer every evening. That might not sound like much, but with 14-16 standard drinks in me and several cigarettes (another addiction that is coming back aft a long period of abstinence) I am very rusty the next morning. Often I go have a sleep for an hour or two after dropping the kids at school.

So I hope now I have been on three pills a day that the the feeling I had on day 3 will return. Let's hope, and thank-you all for the support you've shown.

[Stevo]

That is a wonderful start MeJustMe.
I hope that you are on the Baclofen too.That feeling of not really wanting anymore after a couple is what I am hoping for and sounds to me what Baclofen is meant to do.I wouldn't know though as I have never drank on it but to an extent can relate as I kind of feel like you have described all the time now.
I will know when I come across a situation where I have an opportunity to drink as I plan to find out.I seriously hope what you have described is what happens for me.
I was just about to head out the door when I saw your post and have a few other things that I would like to say but can't right now.I really just wanted to quickly say thanks for posting again and that it's awesome that you even in the early days have come across a change in your thinking towards drinking.
It is what it is and I wouldn't worry too much about the nights that you drank afterwards.
Cheers Stevo.

[Lostinspace]

That's great to hear about that experience of not wanting more beer, MeJustMe. I really hope you're on the real thing, and it sounds like you might be. I'm not at my switch dose yet, either, and I've noticed that my cravings wax and wane from day to day, so I wouldn't be too concerned about those nights of drinking more that followed. You may very well be on the start of something wonderful. Keep posting and let us know how it goes for you

[Stevo]

I have recently thought quite a bit about quitting smoking,and have had a couple of attempts in the last couple of months.The most recent last night,but by 9 this morning I had gone out and brought a packet(this is the result each time).I am not sure where but I know that I have come across something about Baclofen being trialled to help people to quit smoking.I am finding that as good as Baclofen has been for me in the drug and alcohol area aswell as for my anxiety,I cannot quit smoking.
Does anybody out there know of any cases where being on Baclofen has helped people stop smoking?Am I assuming the wrong thing in thinking that because it helps with my other issues it should also help with this?
Cheers Stevo.

[MeJustMe]

Steve, I hope that Bac does that with nicotine. I started up smoking again abt 2 years ago when drunk, and in the last 3 weeks have started smoking during the day. It is the start of a slippery slope. Meanwhile, I didn't drink last night, although making up for it tonight. Part of me wants to abandon the trial and just titrate up on Bac to hit the damn switch...

[Stevo]

Hi MeJustMe,it is strange,maybe Baclofen doesn't work with nicotine like it does with other things.The cravings that I have for cigarettes are overpowering yet with alcohol and drugs they are non existent.I have searched through the threads looking for something that may explain this to me but have found nothing.
I can see that over 100 people have looked at this thread since I posted about smoking and Baclofen and no responses other than yourself.I have noticed that in a lot of the older threads there was a lot of activity and people willing to offer information,maybe the forum has just slowed down(or I am being screened).LOL!
As much as we differ in that I have been doing the Baclofen thing for quite some time now and believe that I have hit the switch and you have just begun with hopes of becoming indifferent,we are similar in that we are both just learning about Baclofen.I thought I had a fair knowledge until I started reading through the threads on here,now I know that I know very little haha.

I am glad that you had a night off last night and I wouldn't worry too much about making up for it tonight,you are in the early days still.
Please don't drop out of the trial,what you are a part of has the potential to help so many people.You can always choose to titrate up at the end of the trial if you haven't hit your switch by then.
Have you had anything go on that you would consider side effects?
Are you feeling any different at all during the day?
I am curious as if you are on the full dose allowed whilst on the trial I am thinking that you may have noticed some nausea or the likes by now.
I actually had nausea in the beginning at a much lower dose than what you would be on(I think I saw somewhere that your trial allows up to 75mg a day).I started on 30mg a day and was nauseous for the first couple of weeks.Not enough to actually make me vomit but a queezy feeling.
Anywho,whatever you decide to do I hope that you can eventually hit the switch and take the power alcohol has over you back.

Keep posting,I look forward to hearing where you're at,not to mention I like the interaction with another aussie that is on the Baclofen journey aswell.
Cheers Stevo.

[kronkcarr]

Steveo,

MWO has much less traffic then when I came on here 2 years ago. So it's not you! I do smoke and baclofen never seemed to help with that. Once I hit my switch with alcohol I wasn't willing to go up higher to see if it would help with smoking.

I had that low grade nausea too. I ate to fuel instead of eating for pleasure. I had days where I couldn't find anything appealing to eat. One day as I was driving into work I wanted creme brûlée or a V8. There was nowhere to get the creme brûlée so I had a V8. How odd.

[Lostinspace]

Sorry for the late reply, Stevo. I didn't even come on here last night because I had an absolutely awful night - but that's a story for my thread. Anyway, the general consensus that I've seen on this forum is that bac doesn't help much, if at all, for nicotine cravings. Some of us have managed to quit smoking, but it was with a great deal of effort.

I quit smoking this past Fall and it was a real struggle for me. Not only that but prior to quitting, I had gone through a period of about two months of relative indifference to alcohol. I say "relative" because I was never truly indifferent. I still had mild cravings and, occasionally, very strong cravings. I was drinking about once a week. Long story short, when I quit smoking, my alcohol cravings came back with a vengeance and I quickly returned to daily drinking.

That probably wouldn't be the case at all for you because, as I said, I never truly reached indifference and needed to keep titrating up anyway. Hopefully someone who actually has reached their switch, and also quit smoking, will chime in here with their experience. But suffice it to say, I don't recall ever seeing anyone in this forum mention that bac helped with nicotine cravings as well, unfortunately.

MeJustMe - I second the opinion that you should stick it out with the trial. You're part of something very important that may help other alcoholics down the line. You can always continue your titration when the trial is over. And as people kept telling me when I first started here, success with baclofen is a function of both a high enough dose AND enough time. Hang in there. You will reach your switch eventually.

[Stevo]

Thanks both Kronkcarr and LIS,you guys have confirmed what I suspected.
I am thinking that nicotine reacts with a different receptor and therefore Baclofen would be no help for it.I do recall seeing that it was being trialed somewhere so I will endeavour to find out more about that today.
LIS there is no need to apologise,it is interesting that your drinking escalated when you quit smoking,for me smoking complimented my drinking.I don't think if I was drinking I could quit LOL.It's a Pavlovs dog thing for me.
As I will do the drinking experiment sooner or later I think that quitting smoking is a bit of a dream but if I do manage to do it before the opportunity arises to have a drink it will be interesting to see if I still want to smoke whilst having a beer.
Thanks guys for your input.
Cheers Stevo.

[Hudstar]

She thought e cigs would work and ended up getting hooked twice as hard because she could puff in bed, in the car, in front of people and not have to go outside. Then it was "screw it- I need real nicotine!"

That's unfortunate for her, but I don't think her experience is at all representative of e-cigs generally. That is merely one instance while millions of others are using e-cigs to stop smoking tobacco and stay stopped, while eventually weening off both.

[Spiritfree]

Just a thought. I chew nicotine gum (a shart load)- versus chewing tobacco. Several years ago, I began researching the pros/cons (benefits of taking nicotine). Since then, and to this day, I believe that nicotine (and not in tobacco form) can benefit some of us (maybe many of us?). I began finding many research studies relative to the positive benefits of taking nicotine. This thought might seem ridiculous, but if you are interested in learning more, please do some research.

A few articles regarding the positive benefits of nicotine (without the tobacco):

(1) "THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE" (Nicotine Science and Policy)http://nicotinepolicy.net/all-author...ts-of-nicotine

(2) Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? (Discover Magazine)

http://discovermagazine.com/2014/march/13-nicotine-fix

Partial clip from article:
"And nicotine may have an antioxidant effect, serving to mop up the toxic free radicals produced as a byproduct of metabolism, thus protecting the brain. The neuroprotective effects of nicotine were studied in a randomized clinical trial involving 67 subjects in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, where memory was slightly impaired but decision-making and other cognitive abilities remained intact. They received either a 15-milligram nicotine patch or placebo for six months. The results found “significant nicotine-associated improvements in attention, memory and psychomotor speed,” with excellent safety and tolerability.

Other studies suggest that nicotine may be as effective at enhancing attention as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and the wakefulness-promoting drug modafinil (Provigil). In 2008, Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, compared performance on a series of cognitive tasks in 15 nonsmoking ADHD patients while wearing either a 7-mg nicotine patch or a placebo patch. After just 45 minutes with the nicotine patch, the young adults were significantly better at inhibiting an impulse, delaying a reward and remembering an image they had seen.

Even people without any diagnosed disorder might benefit from nicotine. Psychologist Jennifer Rusted of the University of Sussex in Britain calls the drug “the most reliable cognitive enhancer that we currently have.” In addition to improving visual attention and working memory, nicotine has been shown by Rusted to increase prospective memory: the ability to remember and implement a prior intention."

(3) "Growing List of Positive Effects of Nicotine Seen in Neurodegenerative Disorders"

http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2012/01190/Growing_List_of_Positive_Effects_of_Nicotine_Seen.8.aspx

ARTICLE IN BRIEF
A new randomized, placebo-controlled study found “significant nicotine-associated improvements in attention, memory, and psychomotor speed,” with excellent safety and tolerability in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The story looks at this and other recent data suggesting that transdermal nicotine could be neuroprotective for neurological disorders.