Have Any of You Ordered Naltrexone from River Pharmacy?

[Choochie]

Would appreciate some advice. I ordered Naltrexone (Nodict) from River. It will take 2-3 weeks to get it. Have any of you ordered this specific drug from them and if so, was it ok? Did it work? Sorry if someone has already answered this question. I haven't been on the site in a while.

Thank you,
Choochie

[Samandkatharine]

Hi Choochi,

I just received my Baclofen order from River. It only took 2 weeks from wherever the order was shipped from to No. California.

Sam

[Choochie]

Thanks Sam. I ordered Antabuse from them before and got it pretty quickly (then decided I was too afraid of taking it...so I don't know if the drug was effective or not.) Just hoping River is trustworthy in the quality of product. It's unnerving to order blind. But I guess that's the risk when not using a doctor.

Anyway, thanks for responding. I'll watch for your posts and see how it goes for you with the bac.

[Rusty]

Hey Choochie! Great to see you back!! I really liked your posts and I missed you!

Yup, I ordered NAL from River and was very happy with it...and it worked...helped keep me sober. :-0)
Baclofen is how I stopped drinking though...my maximum dose was at 90 mg. Now, I take 20 mgs every other day or so. Very much helps with my anxiety and the "short fuse" I inherited from my father! LOL

Best of luck to you and PM me anytime if you have questions.

[Choochie]

Rusty, this is a relief to hear about River. I will give it a try and consider the bac route if things don't work out. I really think I have anxiety/sleep issues more than alcohol issues. I've tried Xanax but that comes with its own set of problems. So it sounds like you're totally af, then? If you come back to this post, could you talk about why you didn't want to continue being able to drink and stay on the Nal? If not, I will just pm you. That's so much for responding. I remember you too and am happy to hear that you're having success!

[Rusty]

Choochie-The NAL really did work but I travel sooooooooooo much and it really upset my stomach unless I had food in my stomach and it was really inconvenient. You have to be drinking for it to work, and there were many days when I didn't care to drink...so taking the NAL and drinking didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Yes, I have been AF for quite a while now and have not taken NAL in almost 4 years. I had put on a lot of AL weight and continuing drinking (even in reduced amounts) sabotaged all my weight loss efforts.

Here's the key....meds like NAL and Baclofen really DO help but you have to WANT to be AF, too, and CHANGING your thinking and your habits are essential. Since I travel so much and I work LONG hours, I always worked out in the morning...well, for the last 20 years or so, because after work usually didn't work. But then after work, the witching hour would strike...and while many times during the week I wouldn't drink, my brain was still focused on that 'reward" at the end of the day, so I changed my workout to early evening. When I get done working out, I don't care about eating or drinking. :-) Change your routine, and it will get easier...I promise. :-)

[Choochie]

Rusty thank you so much for his information. So happy for you-- that you're in such a good place!

[Samandkatharine]

Choochi, I have anxiety and sleep issues as well. Low doses of Baclofen really help both. Higher doses can mess with sleep so you have to weigh the pros and cons. At 30mg the anxiety went away, and I slept through the night.

Sam

[YouKayBee]

Just for clarity, you don't have to drink every day for TSM to work the only requirement is to take Nal each and every time you do drink

Once I gained some sort of control I put in more and more AF time each week, and by the six month point was only drinking perhaps once or twice a week. Many TSMers have found that doing AF time actually helps them progress. Others who carry on drinking in a habitual manner tend not to see much improvement. I also had days even at the start where I took the Nal and didn't drink because by the time the hour was up I didn't want to. Whilst this isn't recommended it didn't seem to harm my progress.

I interpret the advice to drink as you would as 'drink as you feel' and that has served me very well.

Now I am almost 2 years AF I don't take Nal at all - because if you don't drink you don't need to use it. I guess that is the beauty of the method!

For further clarification I was a binge drinker however this binge drinker had at several times over a ten year period lapsed into drinking 5 days out of 7, at binge drinking levels(30 units per day), for 6 week stints. Days I didn't drink I was probably being sick! Also when I started TSM what happened was that because my binges were reduced, and suddenly 'safe' I then drank every evening. Six weeks into this pattern I decided I wanted to break this and that is when I put in enforced AF time - I did stuff like removing all alcohol from the house, going to bed early and avoiding social drinking situations. I also used mantras which I had used during previous AF attempts. This did break the pattern and really helped with craving reduction in the long term.

Sorry to have taken over the thread, I just wanted to make sure I put what I wanted to say into context.

[Choochie]

Sam, I'm open to the idea of adding some bac down the road if that's what it takes. I want to try the Nal by itself first, and then go from there. Once I get started I'll find your posts and ask for some pointers if I go the bac route. It's good to know about different options. I've read quite a few posts where people were helped with sleep with the bac at low doses.

YKB, THANK YOU for your detailed post. You are so kind to discuss your experience. Take over the thread any time. You're an inspiration and I always learn something valuable from your posts. Much appreciated.

Thank you everyone -- will post about my progress once meds get here.

[Pie]

Hi Choochie, And best of luck to you on your journey. I have ordered, very happily, from River, but not the drug you asked about, so I didn't reply initially. Looking forward to your progress reports.

[Choochie]

Sam if you come back to this thread....do you have any thoughts about whether or not a low dose of bac is better/worse/different than taking a small amount of Xanax after waking up at 2 or 3 a.m.? Benzos are bad, I know. -- habit forming and often leave me with a lousy residual effect -- think they depress me too.

Pie, thanks.....if you visit again, can you tell me what you ordered and the regimen you're trying? If not I'll find more of your posts when I have some time.

Thanks everyone

[*Thomas]

If a small dose of Baclofen is doing the job for you I'd go with that. Non habit forming. For me the hypnotic effects of benzos never lasted and I agree, Xanax can fuck with your head. Its great as a prn anxiety killer but I wouldn't want to rely on it to get me off to sleep.

[YouKayBee]

Benzos are also thought to interfere with the success of TSM, which Choochie is aware of, so another reason to try stop taking them.

[Samandkatharine]

Choochi, I've only taken Diazapam, which is valium in generic form. I believe baclofen can be used to go back to sleep if you are experiencing anxiety, but either drug can make one feel woozy when awakening. I'm on day 5 of starting baclofen and today I'm scatterbrained and forgetful after sleeping 8 hours. I took my morning dose at 6 when I woke up to use the restroom and then went back to sleep till 8:30. Baclofen does not cause depression. For me it acts as an antidepressant in low doses.

Xanax is a shorter acting benzo and I agree that they can cause dependence and depression if used regularly. There is a website for Benzo addiction called benzo buddies. After reading the horror stories there I quickly stopped taking them!!

Sam

By low doses I mean 30mg max. I was on 80mg when I lost the desire to drink daily. At that dose I was experiencing insomnia. Some can go way higher and feel nothing. I'm sensitive to any mind altering med..Go figure:hmms: