My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

[TX Git Slinger]

I've been on and off this forum for an array of reasons. I was about to re-embark on the baclofen protocol after I got my first DUI but balked at it because I knew I would be facing some jail time due to living in Arizona which has draconian penalties.

I didn't want to get locked up and go through withdrawals on high dose baclofen. Obviously I'd be self-medicating without a script at such a high dose of 350 or so mg so there would be no way of legally procuring any baclofen while in custody.

I just learned that, once I agree to a plea deal, I will be facing two days behind bars. I'm looking for insight as to whether or not I can withstand a high dose withdrawal for 48 hours. I figured I could take a fairly high dose just before I check into the jail and that might stave me off until I get out two days later.

Additionally, I learned from a friend who did some time in the jail where I am destined that you can request Librium under the guise of being in danger of serious alcohol withdrawal (even if I had to fib about it; I plan to be off booze by then). Will the librium stave off any type of withdrawal problems I might have and make my two days in the slammer easier without my baclofen dose?

For the record, I have been at a 50 mg per day dose for a while now just to give me a "head start" when I finally start to titrate up to the "switch," which for me was the mid 300's the last time.

That said, I plan to start a rigorous titration schedule between now and when my likely jail time will be, which is mid January. I hope to have hit the "switch" by then.

Any insight or advice is eagerly awaited. Thank you all.

[Rusty]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

Hey TX..sorry to hear about the DUI. I can't advise you on high dose baclofen because I have been on a 30 mg. dose for several years. If you log onto The End Of My Addiction | Forum Discussing Alcohol Medication, you will see some MWO faces over there and you might get a faster response. My best to you.

[terryk]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

I'm looking for insight as to whether or not I can withstand a high dose withdrawal for 48 hours. I figured I could take a fairly high dose just before I check into the jail and that might stave me off until I get out two days later.

Sorry for the short answer, I'm on my way out the door... Most likely not, baclofen withdrawal presents 24-48hrs after cessation (but sometimes as early as 12). Any complications in you getting released could develop into a dire medication emergency if you actually get up to a very high level of baclofen.

Additionally, I learned from a friend who did some time in the jail where I am destined that you can request Librium under the guise of being in danger of serious alcohol withdrawal (even if I had to fib about it; I plan to be off booze by then). Will the librium stave off any type of withdrawal problems I might have and make my two days in the slammer easier without my baclofen dose?

Benzos will not stop baclofen withdrawal. It's documented in medical literature. I'll have to look it up later.

Info on baclofen withdrawal:

[terryk]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight


-tk

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

Curiously, do you feel that 30 mg curbs cravings? When I was on the protocol for the first time it was being overseen by Dr Fred Levin (who has since disappeared). When we were consulting I told him that my cravings had ended at 35 mg (I misspoke; I meant to sy 350 mg) to which he replied "that's impossible." He was also insistent that I stay at that does and not titrate down to "maintenance dose." I asked "well what about Dr Ameisen" because in all the literature it states that he went down to 80 mg (if I recall correctly) and did fine on that does. Dr Levin replied "Dr Ameisen learned the hard way to not do that."

[_serenity_]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

TX, is there a need for you to go up that high by January? If I were you, I would stay at a low dose until January and then titrate up after jail. I cannot even imagine how bad it could get if you went from 350 to zero. It may be nothing, but more likely you would go into some sort of seizure hell-land.

I would trust Dr. Levin's advice. It's been my opinion that he's pretty right-on re: switch dose. I also believe that if he said that Dr. Ameisen "learned the hard way" at 80 mgs, he wasn't lying. I have seen very few people succeed at a maintence dose of 80 mgs in my many years on these forums.

Here's what I have seen to be an effective strategy: titrate up very gradually (10 mgs every 3-4 days max), then stay at or near your switch dose for a LONG time (1 year +). Titrate down verrry slowly.

[Mom21961]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

.
Here's what I have seen to be an effective strategy: titrate up very gradually (10 mgs every 3-4 days max), then stay at or near your switch dose for a LONG time (1 year +). Titrate down verrry slowly.

I agree wholeheartedly. I also think that if you choose to go AF, you can go lower. IMO, that couple of drinks can escalate over time and cause a relapse if you titrate down too much. Even before I started to titrate down I relapsed during a stressful time in my life and had to go up another 50mgs to find indifference again.

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

My reason for wanting/needing to hit "switch" by January is because it is mandated by the state that I not consume or possess alcohol for 18 months. I don't want to be titrating up on HDB after having gone cold turkey. I'm now concerned about having a medical emergency during my 48 hours in the slammer if I'm on a high dose. So this puts me in a major dilemma! I wish I could find a doctor somewhere who will prescribe me baclofen for just those two days. If you have a legit prescription, my lawyer says you can pre-arrange to have it ready. Otherwise I don't know what to do. I'm kind of freaking out. I'm wondering if I get up to (say) 100 mg and stay there until my jail time, I will be able to do a healthy dose before I go in and avoid any withdrawals. Then, when I get out, I'll be that far along and can resume titrating up to what I'm presuming to be the mid-300's I pray that it will be effectual this time. Having to white-knuckle not imbibing alcohol for a year and a half is a nightmare.

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

So you were able to go back up and hit the proverbial switch? That's encouraging.

[Mom21961]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

[MENTION=15258]TX Git Slinger[/MENTION] I think your best bet is to wait. Some people think you reach indifference faster if you’re AF. You wouldn’t need to white knuckle it for 18 months, just until you get some Baclofen in you. Is you’re not drinking, I think you will get the anti craving effects more quickly.

[TX Git Slinger]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

Thanks for the reply. Would coming down off the 87.5 mg I'm currently and comfortably on diminish my chances at attaining indifference after my jail stint? I'm just wondering about all the back and forth. Additionally, and I know there are a myriad of opinions about all of this, I have also read that it is not wise to not drink at all while titrating up.

[Mom21961]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

I don’t know about the first question, but in all the years I’ve been involved with Baclofen, I’ve never heard that you HAD to drink. Just that it’s optional.

[_serenity_]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

I've never heard that either. From all accounts, drinking makes the side effects far worse.

[Otter]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

My experience watching someone detox off baclofen in you situation is that the withdrawal symptoms hit about two days after you stop and you can halt them by getting back on baclofen. Can you surrender to custody late in the day. I know of cases where people surrender on a Friday night for a four day sentence and they are released the next morning. In some places you only do half the sentence anyway, and in some places they won't release you on a Sunday so they let you go the day before. So, for instance, if you get a six day sentence and go in on Friday night, that's one day, then Saturday is two, and they let you go because they won't release on a Sunday. So, you do overnight. The thing with a nominal sentence of two days is it's a marker so they don't really care how long you are inside. It's just to frighten you so ask your lawyer about any way of reducing the time you are actually inside.

In any event, when they say two days, that generally means you are released on the second day, not that you stay in for a full hours. It's sort of a day or a part of a day, unless they say a full 48 hours, but almost everywhere this is reduced by half so I would have thought you would only do one day. Maybe I'm wrong.

I had one guy who got a 14 day sentence and I got an order that it be served on weekends. That made seven days with remission He turned up on Thursday night and was released on Saturday morning because of the Sunday rule, so that was four of his seven days, and then they told him not to bother coming back the next weekend because they didn't want to go through the hassle of processing him just to release him a couple of days later.

[kronkcarr]

Re: My Jail time Baclofen Plan/Looking for feedback and insight

Curiously, do you feel that 30 mg curbs cravings? When I was on the protocol for the first time it was being overseen by Dr Fred Levin (who has since disappeared). When we were consulting I told him that my cravings had ended at 35 mg (I misspoke; I meant to sy 350 mg) to which he replied "that's impossible." He was also insistent that I stay at that does and not titrate down to "maintenance dose." I asked "well what about Dr Ameisen" because in all the literature it states that he went down to 80 mg (if I recall correctly) and did fine on that does. Dr Levin replied "Dr Ameisen learned the hard way to not do that."

I was treated by Dr L and he told me it was impossible that I switched at 80 mgs. He wanted me to keep titrating up. I didn't. I also backed down to 30 mgs.