Virtual/online Doctors?

[Forreal]

Hi, I'm new here and wanting to try Baclofen to kick an escalating alcohol dependency. Are there any "dr on Demand" type setups that will prescribe, or do I need to find a local dr? How do I find one?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Hi and welcome to the forum forreal. I like your username.

You'll need to find a local doctor by calling around, or do what many of us do and order online from a pharmacy that doesn't need a prescription.

The availability of doctors in your area depends on where you are. Major metro areas in the US make it easier, but you'll still have to make calls to find out if they prescribe baclofen. Not an easy thing to do, but it works.

If you're in the UK, there are only two doctors that I know of who prescribe high dose baclofen.

I can't tell you much about Australia, except it's hard. An Aussie may have more to say about that.

The world's bigger than that, so why don't we start with where you are. You can be as general or specific as you like. I live in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, and if you're anywhere near me, I have a doctor that prescribes.

[Forreal]

Goodness, I should have thought of including more info - that's what I get for posting pre-coffee in the early morning! I should do an intro, I like what I've read here and plan to stick around.

I'm in Birmingham, Alabama - so a decent sized US city, with a big research hospital. However, the area in general tends to be a bit backwards with thinking in general, which is why I was kinda hoping for a Dr. on Demand or something vs. having to search all over locally. Guess that would have been too easy, huh?

I was hoping for a Rx simply for price - from what I understand it's a fairly cheap, generic drug. But I guess it's good to know people have had success with the online pharmacies, those always scare me.

[Forreal]

I dread calling around, but I guess that's going to be my next step. I've never admitted to anyone that I have a problem, so that is pretty intimidating.

If I didn't have so much $$ to spend right now with Christmas, etc right on us, I would probably just try an online pharmacy and do this on my own. That's appealing, simply for not having to go admit I have a problem in person. I have social anxiety and going to the dr. is hard/stressful for me anyway, much less going to admit something this personal and embarrassing.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I can relate. I think most of us can. Social anxiety is pretty common around here. Here's a thread that you may relate to: https://www.mywayout.org/community/me...n-anxiety.html

Have you read Olivier Ameisen's book, The End of My Addiction? I think the soft cover is called The Last Drink or something.

I put off calling for a really long time. It would have saved me a lot of heart ache if I'd just done it and gotten it over with. I don't regret it now.

Are you in the US? Are you close to a big city? If not, it's going to be harder rather than easier to find a doc. Unless you're in Florida... I'm not sure which cities down there, but it seems that baclofen is pretty prevalent. (There was a study done there some years back on cocaine addiction, so I suppose word got out that it works...)

Good luck and hang in there.

[Forreal]

I'm in Birmingham, Alabama - decent sized city with a big research hospitals. I don't doubt I can find someone to get on board, I just DREAD (yes, with all capitals) calling around.

[Forreal]

I have not read the book yet, it's on my short list of things to do. Finished Carr's Easy Way and well, it didn't work that well. :P I still like the idea of it, the simplicity, but I can't get past the fact that I *DO* get something from drinking - his whole point is that you don't. Anyway, I am seriously needing to do something and quit f'ing up my life while I just let my drinking problem take over and get worse (and it is).

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Yeah, I liked the idea of Carr's book working. But not so much. ha! Same with smoking, though I think I will return to the book (again) when I decide to quit the next time. It's a good tool, along with all the other ones. But my alcoholism was WAY past what Carr was addressing. No way was a simple book going to keep me from popping the next cork.

Anyway. Glad you've found us. Hope you try to find a doc soon. It's helpful.

[Lostinspace]

Hi Forreal. Welcome to the forum. It might help if you seek out psychiatrists specifically, in addition to general doctors. I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but they seem to be more sympathetic to our cause, overall, and more willing to listen about what bac can do. That’s where I get my bac from anyway (well, part of it. I also order online since my doctor won’t go above 160 mg). It might also help if you’re able to get the doctor to read some research on high-dose baclofen therapy. One of the members here, neophyte, has put together a page on reddit that has a bunch of studies you could show to a doctor willing to listen. Here’s his page: https://www.reddit.com/r/BaclofenFor...s_prescribing/

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Spiritfree]

I dread calling around, but I guess that's going to be my next step. I've never admitted to anyone that I have a problem, so that is pretty intimidating.

Hi ForReal -you have hit on very important point that is not discussed much on this forum: People do NOT want to share with there primary medical doctor what is really going relative to alcohol. Who can blame us? We are still looked upon as morally inferior, corrupt, and broken humans. Unfortunately, we believe (as we should in some cases) that medical doctors look at us the same way when we consider telling them that we have an alcohol abuse problem.

Most long term untreated alcoholics live in prisons; (1) prisons in their own minds -separated from society or (2) physical prisons or (3) long term mental institutions. Those so called long term alcoholics that are not in aforementioned prisons or either dead or soon on their way.

My opinion is that most doctors will very well understand and treat you as a person with just another disease. You can almost that too themselves or other members of their family have an addiction problem, and as such, will most likely be willing to prescribe any medication request that you present to them that has factual data supporting the medication based treatment.

The real problem with doctors not prescribing Baclofen for AUD is the fact that most with AUD do seek treatment and they certainly do not bring up their (our) need for Baclofen to help us with our AUD problem.

--sf--