After much back and forth, I decided to add Gabapentin to my Baclofen regime. I did it because I have some fairly severe nerve pain in my legs that only started once I started the Baclofen. It is a side effect, though not at all common. I did quite a bit of research, and sat on the fence for a long while mostly because I hate taking pills and... a side effect of GabaP can be weight gain. :egad:
Now today is only day 4, so I am no expert. But so far, so good. I finally took it because the bottom dropped out on my the other morning and I woke up feeling like someone died. I had been drinking some over the past week, but not a ton. For whatever reason, my mood was in the shitter. I had read that along with helping nerve pain and possibly helping with alcohol cravings, GabaP is a mood stabilizer. I am taking 100mg in am and another 100 at noon, another 100 at night. My mood immediately went back to neutral. I did feel a little drugged, but I don't mind that. It has helped anxiety, a lot! And the real kicker is that it has completely made me lose my drive to drink. Even though I didn't have any cravings on the dose of Bac I was on (80mg a day), I still was drinking. I could abstain, but mostly chose to drink. And it was a choice. With the GabaP that has been completely removed. Poof.
I've read that getting off this stuff is hellish. I am hoping not to have to go up too much, though I've read that one does develop a tolerance and usually has to go up some. I am also going to go down a bit on the Baclofen and try and find a balance of the two. So far the nerve pain has not diminished so I'm going to try and get the Baclofen lower and see it that helps.
That's my report for today. I am going to take the opportunity of no desire to drink to not drink. What a concept! It can be so tempting to drink a few here and there when there is no taste for it. But after 2 and a half years of messing around with alcohol while on baclofen, I feel like I am ready to try something different. But don't hold me to it. I am an alcoholic, afterall!
Now today is only day 4, so I am no expert. But so far, so good. I finally took it because the bottom dropped out on my the other morning and I woke up feeling like someone died. I had been drinking some over the past week, but not a ton. For whatever reason, my mood was in the shitter. I had read that along with helping nerve pain and possibly helping with alcohol cravings, GabaP is a mood stabilizer. I am taking 100mg in am and another 100 at noon, another 100 at night. My mood immediately went back to neutral. I did feel a little drugged, but I don't mind that. It has helped anxiety, a lot! And the real kicker is that it has completely made me lose my drive to drink. Even though I didn't have any cravings on the dose of Bac I was on (80mg a day), I still was drinking. I could abstain, but mostly chose to drink. And it was a choice. With the GabaP that has been completely removed. Poof.
I've read that getting off this stuff is hellish. I am hoping not to have to go up too much, though I've read that one does develop a tolerance and usually has to go up some. I am also going to go down a bit on the Baclofen and try and find a balance of the two. So far the nerve pain has not diminished so I'm going to try and get the Baclofen lower and see it that helps.
That's my report for today. I am going to take the opportunity of no desire to drink to not drink. What a concept! It can be so tempting to drink a few here and there when there is no taste for it. But after 2 and a half years of messing around with alcohol while on baclofen, I feel like I am ready to try something different. But don't hold me to it. I am an alcoholic, afterall!
Keep us posted on how you’re doing.
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