Campral stopped working?

[nomoreplease]

My Pdoc put me on Campral as i was having really hard time getting off wine. I would drink a bottle and half every night every day, every 3 months or so ill stop but only to start again after a month or so.

Started Campral 7 days ago and immediately felt the difference, after only one does i was able to pass the wine shop without even thinking about it, 3 days into it boss at work took me for drinks but i couldent even had half the beer. I just felt "Full". Today, on 7th day, i cant stop thinking about alcohol. After trying to distract me for 40-45 minutes i just got myself a bottle of wine. I just had one sip, i know its wrong, and i must not do it.... But i just know where its going.

Can Campral stop working? Should i increase the doze? How do i stop myself at this first sip? Any ideas? Help please!

[Live_Love_Learn]

Campral stopped working?

Hi NMP, I'm on Campral and I get cravings occassionally but I put that down to my human nature and years of progaramming myself that I had to have a drink! The urges wont go away overnight and occassionally they get bad but I get on here and read about everyone elses day until the urge passes. Campral has definietly taken the edge off cravings for me but it works differently for everyone I guess.

Good luck!! Keep posting and and keep reading!!

[TheSunFlower]

Campral stopped working?

I can't speak to the medication. But reminds me of a stand up that Robin Williams did. If an alcoholic finds a pill to stop drinking....eventually they will say...."wonder what happens if I take two?"

From what I have read and seen....the meds "help" and can be instrumental in helping someone stop.....but are not a magic bullet. If there was one....everyone of us would be flocking to get it.

[nomoreplease]

Campral stopped working?

Thanks guys, and yes I did increase my dose and it seems to be helping me. Meditation helps a lot as well. It's almost like I have to disengage from my thoughts of having alcohol, ofcourse it's going to be ongoing battle and I should not expect that it ll be easy.

I see people saying that campral helped and I'm back to my old self. That's where the problem is, in last week n a half I drank only once and I can feel going back to my old self, I.e. boring, lonely, miserable self... Which reminds me why I started drinking in first place, but I get it this time, I need to find something other than alcohol to fill my free time. I ve been labeled depressed as well in answer to my question that why can't I find anything interesting to do? May be I haven't looked hard enough... But having said everything alcohol is not and will never been answer.

I think I'll just need to take one day at a time and just accept the cravings and just let them be, knowing that I will be fine the next morning! And hopelly slowly it ll start getting easier... Lets hope for the best for all of us!

[kambob]

Campral stopped working?

Cravings are indeed challenging, that's for bloody sure! As the others have said, medications can help enormously, but at the end of the day they're only a tool that you use ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS that you need help you along the way. Were there a magic pill, there'd be no issue with problem drinking ever! :H

Getting and staying sober is not something any of us can take for granted. It's a journey that will last for the rest of your life. Shit, how many times do you hear or read of people who have years of sobriety under their belts who still have days when there is nothing they'd like more than to hit the bottle?

For those of us in the very early days, I reckon one way to handle the cravings is to use 'conscious distraction'. As soon as I feel those old familiar urges coming on, I allow them swish around my head for ONE FULL MINUTE, then I do something, anything, to occupy my head instead.

It can be as boring as putting a load of washing on, doing the dishes, making a telephone call or writing an email, even just going for a quick walk or drive. When my head is concentrating on 'other' stuff, there's no room for the craving to take over. And it's just amazing (to me anyway) how quickly the urge actually passes. Even more amazing is how much domestic stuff I get done nowadays!! ROFL

And just keep plugging. Soon you'll have a few extra days, and you'll look back and realise that you've had maybe a whole hour or two in that time when you didn't give alcohol a thought at all. You know how they say that alcoholism is a progressive disease.....well, alcohol-free is progressive too. For every hour or day or week that you keep the bastard out of your life, it does make you stronger and it does get easier. But it never really goes away. Ever.

[STEADFAST]

Campral stopped working?

Hi NoMorePlease,

Hold on tight! In the early days you will think of alcohol - a lot.

But i can tell you that although you need to be vigilant, as you rack up the days the challenge does get easier. I'm on Campral too, and today is Day 69 alcohol free for me.

I'm steadily finding things/activities that interest me, and i wake up each morning feeling clear in the head and proud of myself. I worried about being 'boring' too, but have only had positive feedback from friends.

I wonder how much Campral you take? I'm on 6 tablests a day, which i believe is the standard dose.

Take care, stay strong,
regards,
Steady

[Audrey14]

Campral stopped working?

Hi everybody!

I was on Campral for 15 days and can admit that cravings were less. I drunk on Day 15 of very stupid reason - i get cold and just wanted to warm up and my thoughts about AL as remedy came back. Years ago (when i didn' t have problems with AL) it could probably work for 1 night and finished. Not now:upset:

Another problem with Campral for me was very upset stomach. I thought that after a few days this side effect will disappear but unfortunately not all 2 weeks.

[Alky]

Campral stopped working?

I finally had to stop taking campral because it was not covered by insurance and it was just getting too expensive for something that I didn't feel was all that effective. Gave me wicked diarrhea too. Also, even though it doesn't have any psychotropic effects, people around me would tell me that I was grouchier and more irritable while I was on it, given that I've managed periods of sobriety both on and off campral.