Former Bac User with Questions

[TX Git Slinger]

Hi, I have been off bac for about 3.5 years now. I hit the switch back in mid 2011 but I can't remember the dosage because it has been so long. I was doing great but then had massive panic and anxiety. At the time I suspected that bac was the culprit, but since then I found out I have late stage Lyme and a host of other issues (including autoimmune, mold poisoning etc). So I got off the bac, titrating down slowly. I also, perhaps inevitably fell back into drinking. I'm considering starting the protocol again once I consult with my Lyme specialist. I just got a DUI and I am desperate to do something to stop.

My main question: does Dr Levin still prescribe over the phone?
If not, where do you get your meds.

Also, how would I access some of my old thread posts from late 2011 thru 2013 to revisit the progress I was making and the dosages I was on? I want to say I hit the switch at 340 mg or thereabouts but can't remember.

I had no idea Amiesen had passed away. That is sad. This may sound verboten, but does anyone think that the high dose bac had anything to do with his death? Did he stay alcohol free until he passed?

Any answers or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Hi, I have been off bac for about 3.5 years now. I hit the switch back in mid 2011 but I can't remember the dosage because it has been so long. I was doing great but then had massive panic and anxiety. At the time I suspected that bac was the culprit, but since then I found out I have late stage Lyme and a host of other issues (including autoimmune, mold poisoning etc). So I got off the bac, titrating down slowly. I also, perhaps inevitably fell back into drinking. I'm considering starting the protocol again once I consult with my Lyme specialist. I just got a DUI and I am desperate to do something to stop.

My main question: does Dr Levin still prescribe over the phone?
If not, where do you get your meds.

Also, how would I access some of my old thread posts from late 2011 thru 2013 to revisit the progress I was making and the dosages I was on? I want to say I hit the switch at 340 mg or thereabouts but can't remember.

I had no idea Amiesen had passed away. That is sad. This may sound verboten, but does anyone think that the high dose bac had anything to do with his death? Did he stay alcohol free until he passed?

Any answers or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I just checked below and some of my questions were answered about my switch and dosage. Looking for a doc to prescribe still.

[Mom21961]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Welcome back although I'm sorry to hear the circumstances. Doctor Levin no longer practices. I don't know of anyone that prescribes over the phone. Depending on where you live, you may find a someone here The End Of My Addiction Doctor Information along with information on Baclofen to take to your doctor.

The fact that you were successful before may go a long way towards convincing a doctor to prescribe. Psychiatrists may be more inclined to help than GPs. Ordering online is an option. Here is a recent thread about it https://www.mywayout.org/community/m...bac-users.html. There's more information here Online Pharmacies - The End of my Addiction

I had the same thought about Dr. Ameisen when he died. However the general opinion is that he died from 30 years of chronic alcoholism which weakens your heart rather than Baclofen which has been around forever and has a long history of use in MS patients. This made sense to me

It can be hit or miss with the doctors. Good luck in finding one quickly!

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Welcome back although I'm sorry to hear the circumstances. Doctor Levin no longer practices. I don't know of anyone that prescribes over the phone. Depending on where you live, you may find a someone here The End Of My Addiction Doctor Information along with information on Baclofen to take to your doctor.

The fact that you were successful before may go a long way towards convincing a doctor to prescribe. Psychiatrists may be more inclined to help than GPs. Ordering online is an option. Here is a recent thread about it https://www.mywayout.org/community/m...bac-users.html. There's more information here Online Pharmacies - The End of my Addiction

I had the same thought about Dr. Ameisen when he died. However the general opinion is that he died from 30 years of chronic alcoholism which weakens your heart rather than Baclofen which has been around forever and has a long history of use in MS patients. This made sense to me

It can be hit or miss with the doctors. Good luck in finding one quickly!

Thanks for the reply. I got out of the baclofen subculture just before Amiesen died (as I said) and they were awaiting this "huge" Dutch study that was supposed to win he and Levin a Nobel Prize or something of that sort. Whatever came of that? Did Levin get popped for prescribing and doing unconventional treatment? I know Lyme doctors have to be VERY careful because they have to treat the disease aggressively and the CDC and IDSA refuse to acknowledge that it exists in chronic form. I doubt I'll find a doctor who will prescribe for me. My Lyme/Mold/Chronic disease specialist is a psych MD who practices integratively (holistic combined with meds when necessary) and she suggested I get off the bac back when I first started seeing her. She THOUGHT it could be contributing to the panic I was experiencing but her opinion didn't sound definitive. She may be amenable to me trying it again and prescribe, which would be good because I get free scripts through Medicaid. I had such a HORRIBLE time when I fell ill (ended up in the hospital and couldn't even remember my address) all of the sudden when I was living in a mold infested apartment. As I said before, I wasn't aware of the mold or Lyme at the time so, naturally, I assumed the bac had turned on me because it was the only thing I was doing differently. I really want to try it again because I'm loathe to go to AA and haven't had good experiences with them in the past. I did sobriety after one month of 12 step rehab back in 2002 (and no meetings after I got out; I hated them) for four years pretty much on my own. I just adopted a healthier lifestyle with yoga, diet, had a supportive partner at the time, etc. Now, with the Lyme and such, it's much harder because booze is one of the only thing that tamps down my anxiety and lifts my mood (temporarily of course). I have valium on hand that I only use sporadically and sparingly because I understand that benzo addiction is the hardest to kick. I'd rather white knuckle not drinking that have to go down that road, from all I've read. Anyway, I may have to self medicate from online pharmacies. At 350mg a day --which was my previous switch--it's going to cost me about 10 bucks which is about what I'm spending a day on booze.

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

PS - I'm just about at the 30 year mark of alcoholism, although I have had breaks, didn't drink in college nearly to the degree I did when I got out, and it doesn't sound like my situation is nearly as dire as Dr Amiesen's. I've blacked out maybe twice in my life and thankfully never ended up in a hospital after a binge or anything like that. But dire is dire. Whether you just lost your job or got into a wreck and killed a busload of nuns because you were boozing! The recent DUI (remarkably my first ever) has me convinced I need to find some sort of emergency brake because my regular brakes aren't working. I do have an appt at a clinic this week that works on addiction with a more or less Smart Recovery approach. They have one on one counseling, meetings without all the "powerless, I'm so sick" routine that is a turnoff to me. So, I'm pretty optimistic about that. The thing I like about the Smart approach is that they accept people in who even ambivalent about quitting, which is the way I was with Baclofen. I knew I needed to but really didn't want to. When I hit the "switch" I had to kind of make a concerted effort for a day or two, but after that it became effortless. It was absolute magic, as I'm sure you're aware!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Hey there! So sorry to hear you're struggling, and about the Lyme's disease and other health issues. But nice to *see* you again.

Dr. Ameisen's heart attack could have been related to lots of things. Who can say? Baclofen, though, doesn't have any heart-related effects, except for high blood pressure in some people, and that usually at higher doses. We've got 70-odd years of baclofen treatment for muscle spasticity to base that on, so not just the few studies related to bac for addiction treatment.

I don't remember what happened with the Dutch study, honestly. And while I know that several people felt or feel strongly enough about the incredible transformation that baclofen offers in both addiction medicine and in personal lives, I don't know that it was ever really a thing that anyone would get a Nobel for it.

There was research done by Dr. de Beaurepaire in France, where high-dose-baclofen has since been given approval for the treatment of alcoholism. Here's the abstract: The use of very high-doses of baclofen for the treatment of alcohol-dependence: a case series. - PubMed - NCBI

And for a complete list (or most of it, anyway) of baclofen related info, check out this link: The Complete List - All of the Baclofen Research at a Glance - The End of my Addiction

There's lots more to be read there, too.

I found a doctor here in Virginia willing to prescribe, but it took some doing. I saw two docs before her, one of whom was a complete knucklehead and the other was totally entrenched in traditional-treatment-culture and never gonna prescribe anything at all, ever.

I brought her the info available here: Prescribing Guide - Baclofen for Alcoholism - Prescribing Guide for Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcoholism--for Physicians - The End of my Addiction as well as some of the other research. She was pretty amenable, in general, though. It helped that I got to know her over the course of a couple of months before I told her about it. (She's my therapist, as well as a psychiatrist. Kind of unusual, but sounds like you see your pDoc for therapy, too?)

Before I met her, I ordered from River. I think most of the online pharma companies are pretty reliable these days. I stuck with River because I was lazy and it was easy. When I first ordered, I found it comforting that they were located in Canada, but of course, all the meds come from India or Vanuatu, so it doesn't really matter where the online company is registered. Ya' know?

Hang in there, Tx!

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Hey there! So sorry to hear you're struggling, and about the Lyme's disease and other health issues. But nice to *see* you again.

Dr. Ameisen's heart attack could have been related to lots of things. Who can say? Baclofen, though, doesn't have any heart-related effects, except for high blood pressure in some people, and that usually at higher doses. We've got 70-odd years of baclofen treatment for muscle spasticity to base that on, so not just the few studies related to bac for addiction treatment.

I don't remember what happened with the Dutch study, honestly. And while I know that several people felt or feel strongly enough about the incredible transformation that baclofen offers in both addiction medicine and in personal lives, I don't know that it was ever really a thing that anyone would get a Nobel for it.

There was research done by Dr. de Beaurepaire in France, where high-dose-baclofen has since been given approval for the treatment of alcoholism. Here's the abstract: The use of very high-doses of baclofen for the treatment of alcohol-dependence: a case series. - PubMed - NCBI

And for a complete list (or most of it, anyway) of baclofen related info, check out this link: The Complete List - All of the Baclofen Research at a Glance - The End of my Addiction

There's lots more to be read there, too.

I found a doctor here in Virginia willing to prescribe, but it took some doing. I saw two docs before her, one of whom was a complete knucklehead and the other was totally entrenched in traditional-treatment-culture and never gonna prescribe anything at all, ever.

I brought her the info available here: Prescribing Guide - Baclofen for Alcoholism - Prescribing Guide for Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcoholism--for Physicians - The End of my Addiction as well as some of the other research. She was pretty amenable, in general, though. It helped that I got to know her over the course of a couple of months before I told her about it. (She's my therapist, as well as a psychiatrist. Kind of unusual, but sounds like you see your pDoc for therapy, too?)

Before I met her, I ordered from River. I think most of the online pharma companies are pretty reliable these days. I stuck with River because I was lazy and it was easy. When I first ordered, I found it comforting that they were located in Canada, but of course, all the meds come from India or Vanuatu, so it doesn't really matter where the online company is registered. Ya' know?

Hang in there, Tx!

Hi! Last we spoke, I was at my wit's end. I had assumed the drug had turned on me but, in hindsight, it was these other ailments. The mold, in particular! It almost killed me. I just settled legally with the apartment complex that knowingly exposed me (and 8 other plaintiffs) to the biotoxin. So, anyway, I met with my chronic illness specialist here in Tucson where I now reside yesterday. She happens to be a Harvard/Hopkins trained MD/p-doc who shifted her focus to hard-to-treat and hard to diagnose chronic illnesses. She was the only one who could give me answers as to what was wrong. Anyway, I re-visited the baclofen issue with her yesterday and she gave me the green light to try it again. I also presented her with the study from the link above which, incidentally, I had printed out and ready for her for several days. She seemed interested in it. My insurance (medicaid) will likely not cover the drug, she says, so she recommended All Day Chemist, which I have used before. They had a free-shipping special so I ordered a bunch of it and expect it to arrive in the next couple weeks. I will need to reacquaint myself with the titration process. So, I'm excited about getting started on this. This will be a great troubleshoot for me. Although I don't anticipate any problems this go round, if the drug gives me the crippling panic and anxiety I got when I fell ill back in 2012, I will know that it was at least a contributing factor. Fingers crossed, that will not be the case and in about three months I should be free from the clutches of booze once again!

BTW, I visited GoldPharma and they seem to have the best prices, but are the less expensive varieties on there as good as the more pricey ones? No point in buying pills that aren't what they purport to be, or not as potent. I went with All Day Chem this time because I have an account with them and they are pretty quick with their shipping. I had read that Gold Pharma can take a long time to ship. Even still I may order from them ahead of time to stock up since their prices are better.

Here is a link to a documentary I'm featured in about toxic mold illness. Clickfunnels 44 Error pretty engaging and informative (not allowing me to post link; I'll pm it to you).. I knew mold was unhealthy but never realized how deadly and unfortunately ubiquitous it is. Millions, it turns out, live and work in water-damaged buildings and don't realize that the mold spores and toxins are what are making them so ill. Mold infestations cannot be "killed" either because the toxins that remain from the spores once they die remain. They get into everything that is porous. I had to throw out virtually everything I owned. It's been a crazy, crazy ride but I'm slowly getting better, especially living in a drier climate.

[Mom21961]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

[MENTION=15258]TX Git Slinger[/MENTION]... I reached indifference using Baclofen dura from Gold Pharma. I believe this is one of the cheaper ones. I'm glad you received the go ahead. Good luck!

Here is the prescribing guide: Prescribing Guide - Baclofen for Alcoholism - Prescribing Guide for Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcoholism--for Physicians - The End of my Addiction

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

[MENTION=15258]TX Git Slinger[/MENTION]... I reached indifference using Baclofen dura from Gold Pharma. I believe this is one of the cheaper ones. I'm glad you received the go ahead. Good luck!

Here is the prescribing guide: Prescribing Guide - Baclofen for Alcoholism - Prescribing Guide for Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcoholism--for Physicians - The End of my Addiction

Thanks. Reason I was wondering, some of it is about half the price. If it is essentially the same thing, that will be the one I'll opt for. But, as you know, this is nothing to take lightly. I need to be sure I'm getting the correct drug. My life may depend upon it. If you get a moment and could re-check what they offer and confirm that you got one of the low-priced varieties, I'd greatly appreciate it! For now, and as I said, I'm getting a shipment from All Day chem who have a stellar reputation.

[Mom21961]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Thanks. Reason I was wondering, some of it is about half the price. If it is essentially the same thing, that will be the one I'll opt for. But, as you know, this is nothing to take lightly. I need to be sure I'm getting the correct drug. My life may depend upon it. If you get a moment and could re-check what they offer and confirm that you got one of the low-priced varieties, I'd greatly appreciate it! For now, and as I said, I'm getting a shipment from All Day chem who have a stellar reputation.

It is essentially the same thing and I double checked the prices. Dura is the cheapest one. $38.10 for 100 25mg tablets. Many people have used this site and I haven't heard of issues. The only brand I've heard of that people didn't like was Zaclofen which they don't carry. River carried it and they had people returning it. There seemed to be mixed reviews on Pacifen at one point as well. I don't see either of those on GP.

Dura worked well for me and I think Jetsman from EOMA used it too.

[Baclofenman]

Re: Former Bac User with Questions

Thanks. Reason I was wondering, some of it is about half the price. If it is essentially the same thing

It is not all about profit

There will be a difference in the excipients (binders and fillers) - In my experience these lead to different side effects

For example;

Zaclofen and Co-Phama generics gave me constipation - Mylan did not

Co-Phama and Mylan generics gave me Bac-Hangovers - Zaclofen did not

Regards



Bacman