mimi54321

Just wondered if anyone had tried either of these and what your experience was with them? I am getting desparate...
M

Tazman53

mimi what have you tried so far? The reason I ask is that both of those flat out say in the directions that in order for them to help they MUST be combined with some sort of long term recovery program.

There is a lady right here on this board that used Antabuse without going to any long term recovery program and wound up drinking even while on it.

I was on a different anti-craving med called Revia when I got out of detox and I noticed absolutely no effect whether I was taking it or not, yet other folks I know say it worked great for them, of course they were taking it as prescribed and going to AA like me.

Look them up on the net, they all say they will not work without a long term recovery program. It turned out for me after detox all I have needed to stay sober was AA.

nandm

Unfortunately, there is no magic pill to strike us sober. Although the medications you speak of will help you deal with the cravings the underlying problem will still remain unless you work on that. There is much more to the disease of alcoholism than the physical cravings. As Taz stated the drug alone will likely not provide you with any long term sobriety. To get that you need to incorporate a recovery program of some sort to help you learn to live without the alcohol. There are many such programs out there. Personally, A.A. worked for me. The price was right, free, and it provided me with the tools to live my life without alcohol. Take care. I suggest you speak with your doctor as he can provide you with the medical guidance to go along with your attempt to stop drinking.

tkdan

Hey mimi, there is another drug out there called Campral. I've been taking it and as long as I take it as prescribed it works wonders with cravings. Now when I started to lower my dose in half and let my guard down I relapsed. I don't know if I would have relapsed on the full dose but I could tell a difference between full and half dose. At a full dose alcohol did not seem appealing to me, on half a dose I would think about it from time to time. I have been taking it religiously now for sixteen days and I don't have any cravings. With that said no medicine alone will keep you sober. These medications are meant to help you stay sober but they can not on there own do the job. Find a recovery program that is right for you and work it. A medication will not change the alcoholic mindset. If you are willing to take whatever steps are necessary as primary, and use medication as secondary to aid you in sobriety you'll have a better chance of success. Good luck.

kelsh

I only know about Antabuse from my own recovery...I took it for three months...a month before I went to in-patient alcolol tx. and two months after I came back.

I certainly have seen a few people who drank on it and became very ill...can die from this. :chatter

I had my AA Program and a Alcohol Counselor plus a counselor for my depression all working with me...!

I asked to take it and still don't think I did wrong doing this. I had such a bad history of a year of sobriety here and there that I wanted some insurance and it worked for me.

It was not a magic pill...it was a crutch to help me get started with living sober. The AA Program was my true program of recovery and still is. :ghug

kelsh

CarolD

I too used Antabuse in early sobriety.
I did drink whith it.... became so violently ill
I quit the Antabuse.

The catalyst for my reaction was a single split of
champagne ..18 hours after 125 mg of Antabuse.

Be sure and check out the afterlife of Antabuse
I kinda remember it stays in your system 4 or 5 days
after the last pill. Also...you do need to have your
doctor monitor liver enzymes if you take the med.

I do think it can be a good start for sobriety.
I took it each morning along with my birth control pill
for the same reason....Prevention!

It gave my mind time to clear so I could begin my goal
Recovery....

Pinkcuda

I was on Antabuse 3 times in my younger day. Yes it did keep me from drinking except for one time. It was a hell I wouldn't wish on anyone. Some people can tolerate some alcohol while on it but there other things to factor in. It in all reality keeps your liver from processing the toxins in Alcohol so by drinking on it you are poisoning yourself. I think everyone defies warnings and tries drinking on it anyways. One thing I would like to point out is that when I was on it I was in Construction. I was constantly cutting myself or scratching myself. The blood from the scratch would seem to form a plastic like film over it. It was a weird cotterizing process which I can't explain or prove it was even related.
After I was off it was at least 4 days before I could drink without feeling any effects. My God, what a long 4 days that was.
Another thing about Antabuse is that if you want to drink you just stop taking it. Mine was Court Ordered and monitored so I had to take it. If i was relying on myself to take it I can guarantee that "Self Reliance" would have failed me once again. But if you are interested in quitting drinking, Antabuse will see to it that you do. Use it in conjunction with a separate recovery program and you'll do fine.