Need to make contact with others using baclofen

[Stevo]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Quick update,

I'm on 345, still can't drink any more than 5 beers and tipping most of the 5th down the sink. My orders from overseas have both arrived, with the order from Goldpharma arring quicker than the Inhouse which has never happened before. It used to take a month minimum for Goldpharma to arrive and it was here in just over 2 weeks.

Time to start heading up again.

I saw my doctor the other day and he was supportive saying he didn't mind I was on 375 and the pharmacist can talk to him if he has any issues, I told him I had ordered from overseas to minimise any dramas; he was nonchalant. He understood why I did it and told me he didn't mind either way. He did liken baclofen to methadone indicating to me he was nowhere near as informed as he would like to have me believe, I knew this from my initial visit to him. I quickly explained why baclofen is nothing like methadone again, whether he listened or not doesn't really matter he was happy to hear how well it was working.

Something I've noticed over the last month or so which is interesting is I am not only drinking less I have also cut down my smoking and sugar consumption, I have always had 2 sugars in my morning coffees but now I find it too much and only have about a quarter of a teaspoon. Whether these things are linked to the baclofen or something psychological I don't know, but as the GABAb receptor is linked to toxic pleasures (quick layman's description) I do wonder if baclofen is also causing an indifference to these other things as well.

Until next time,

Steve.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Hey. So I saw your updates on the other threads, but nothing specifically about how things are going with you. Housing? Cat? It seems like indifference is approaching, but you're still titrating up? And how in the world are you juggling all of that with work?

And sorry for being such a Debbie-Downer yesterday.

[Stevo]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Quick update,

365 this week, still tipping most of the 5th beer down the sink. I should just not open it but at the time I feel like I could go another one, it winds up going warm and I've only had a few mouthfuls at the most. Not a lot has changed in the drinking department, it is good to be heading back up towards where I was before the pharmacist started making me worried he was going to cause issues again. I have been going to the same chemist for years and when he started stressing again I know he talked about it with his staff which I find inappropriate, the younger ones especially were looking at me differently to what had been the norm for so long. I suspect they were told straight out or overheard a conversation with the 2 main pharmacists, it's been weird going in there ever since.

[MENTION=12976]Ne/Neva Eva[/MENTION] I am in another AirBNB, it is much closer to work and Toshi is with me. He seems far more comfortable here, the other one was a working farm and there was a lot of noise (tractors and general farm sorts of things) and spent most of the week hiding in a cupboard. Toshi is the sort of cat who sees a cupboard door, or any door really whether it opens out or slides as a worthy challenge which he's up to. He is so persistent that there are not many doors he can't eventually open, he's like a reverse Houdini trying to get in instead of out. Anyway this place is half the price of the other one and i'm saving money on petrol. I am here until Monday next week which would be Sunday your time.

The good news is I have secured a place as of yesterday, it's smack bang in an area which was worst affected by the floods but fingers crossed it doesn't happen again any time soon. It's only a 6 month lease but it will give me 6 months to plan my next move instead of a week at a time in AirBNB expensive accommodation. It's a private rental which came my way through the local cat refuge, I'm friends with the owner and the house owner was telling her she had bought a house out of the flood zone and needed to rent her other one out, preferably to someone with an animal. I got a call and went to look at it straight away, it went well but I had to wait to see if everything was going to fall into place with her home loan as it wasn't finalised yet. The owner, my new landlord messaged me yesterday morning to say everything was going ahead and she'd already been in touch with my referees; the place was mine if I'd like it. We spoke last night and I am signing the lease after work today and moving in next week. The state and federal governments have decided they will offer buy backs to people who were affected by the floods, her house is one who will be bought by the government allowing people buy another property in a safer area higher up and out of potential disaster areas. There's more to say but I have to get ready for work, it is good news nonetheless and now I hope/pray or whatever we don't have another event like we did earlier this year.

Work has been hard through all of this, but I have a good line manager who is being flexible. I have had to take a fair bit of time off to organise everything over the last few weeks, the organisation is getting uppity about it though and they're wanting me to be doing full days. They can wait, for an organisation which specialises in working with very sick people with MH issues, they are not congruent when it comes to the mental health of their team members. There are certain things which need to be done to continue securing funding through ministry of health and me taking all this time off is not helping tick some of those boxes. It's a big charade, they care more about securing the funding than they do anyone we work with and their own team. As of next week I will be back in full swing and they can wait a bit longer.

I think that covers everything, I'm a little less stressed and life continues to march in a forward direction.

Cheers,

Steve.

[_serenity_]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

So glad to hear that things are going better, [MENTION=22203]Stevo[/MENTION]!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

I’m so relieved to hear that you and Toshi are together and have a brighter future in the near future.

I don’t want to scare off the newbies, or new guy, as the case may be, but when I got over 300, I was a little wonky, how are you feeling?

I live in a hurricane zone. I think I mentioned it before? Water is unbelievable. But as u predicatBle as it is, I feel like it’s like lightning. It hits the same places over and over again but not consecutively. I was about to get deep about the geology, which is worth noting, but suffice to say, I hope you’ll both be comfortable for the foreseeable future.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

And, so, Stevo, have you moved? How are things?

I was amazed when I worked with the (mostly) homeless community how ruthless people who work with, for and around them are. And they are to each other. Like one addict's behavior is worse than another's. Very frustrating. Blaming and shaming. Such a horrible cycle. And so much of it in the people who deal with mental health issues. As if we don't all have our own drama.

Anyway, check in when you can. I've been thinking about you.

[Stevo]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Quick update, it's been too long.

I started writing last night and was sidetracked by the world immediately around me.

Since I last wrote something significant I have moved into a new place, it is ground zero for the floods but it's a 6 month lease. I signed the lease on the monday night thinking I finally had a bit of a reprieve. Friday I was fired from my job...this was a couple of weeks ago now. I am damn good at what I do, 20 years experience speaks for itself. I landed a contract role as a sole trader with one of the participant's who was on my caseload. Money is covered. The obstacles which have revealed themselves over the last couple of weeks are both numerous and trivial.

I will not see my children for Christmas although I have bedrooms for them now, brutal but it is what it is. medically something has transpired and it's weird. Due to this I am being advised to titrate down on the bac again, which is not sitting comfortably with me at all.

So much to say, but I don't have the motivation to do it.

I don't want to be a downer, this is part of the reason i haven't said anything...much love to the 'word association' games. It's all I have been able to give to the forum lately and I have wanted to update and contribute. I am on 335 and still can't drink any more than 5 beers with most of the 5th being tipped down the sink, I am grateful for this.

Tomorrow is a new day and it will bring new wonders, I hope all out there are well.

Cheers,

Steve.

P.S. Not checking for typos.

[_serenity_]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Thinking of you, Stevo. I am glad you have a place to live and a source of income. Keep us posted. :hug::heartbeat:

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

I completely relate in the, "too much to say, can't even start" feeling, if that's where you are.

I'm alarmed for you that you have to titrate off bac, hopefully not quickly. That wreaked havoc with my system. (To be completely honest, and I don't recommend this for anyone, I don't remember a dramatic difference when I stopped taking over 300mg, except good things. But stopping altogether? A pretty bad idea. And if I was a reliable resource about taking meds, I would suggest that somewhere in the 140-240 range would have been a good idea for me back then.)

Really sorry you lost your job, and even worse, weren't able to see your kids. Are you close and will you see them soon? I'm glad you have a reliable place to live and some income.

Cheers to a new year, and a new beginning.

PS. I'm over being a grammarian and unlike 15 years ago, I jcgaf. ha

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Need to make contact with others using baclofen

Hey. So any chance you want to pick up where you left off? xo