LV426

Anyone have any experience with this prescription drug? I am giving it a shot and am curious if anyone has found it helpful or can offer any advice about its use in recovery from alcoholism. Any shared experiences would be helpful!
LV

DayTrader

A former sponsee of mine did a lot of reading on that drug and felt taking it would be better than the spiritual action program in AA. He quit working the steps, calling me and going to meetings about 5 months ago.

This thread reminded me of him so I just shot him a text message to see how he's doing (I reached out a month or so ago but didn't hear back). He's still drinking, as of today and is on two other meds. According to him, "I'm still drinking but I don't care anymore..... I'll probably die this way."

I'd suggest you determine what it is you're trying to treat: 1. an excessive drinking problem -or- 2. alcoholISM the way AA defines it. A drinking problem is treated by not drinking. For alcoholism (in AA's vernacular), not drinking is just the prep work. For someone who identifies as an alkie in AA, drinking and alcohol are/were NOT the problem - untreated alcoholism was the problem - a physical, mental, and spiritual problem that is not treated by "not drinking."

jennikate

Start off by saying this is only my personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice.
I take Naltrexone and have for approx 6 months. At first, I took it in combination with Campral and felt that worked extremely well to eliminate cravings. Unfortunately, I had to stop taking Campral due to side effects. I still take the Naltrexone. Honestly, I'm not sure anymore if it helps or not. I do not crave alcohol ever.
With that being said, I also am working the steps of AA with my sponsor, go to meetings, have committments, see a therapist weekly. I feel that I had a spiritual awakening in AA that removed the obsession to drink. My dr would like me to stay on the meds through the first year and whatever is working, I'm not changing.
So, in other words, I feel it helped me get over the mental obsession long enough to really focus on working the steps. So, yes, I'd take it again.

Lunita100

Naltrexone works very well. On the days that I take it, I have no trouble staying away from alcohol, and I know that if I did drink, I wouldn't feel the effects. The problem for me is that I plan drinking days and don't take the pill that morning. There is an injectable form called Vivitrol that lasts for a month. I tried that but discovered that it really only lasts about three weeks. With the oral med I now have, I have been mostly off but still drinking a day or two of every week. I did not drink today and my plan is to take the pill the very first thing I do when I wake up. I came back to these boards to get support to keep it up.

whiskeyman

i took it. and i did feel the effects when i drank.
i think i just wasnt ready when i started taking it but when istarted applying myself in the steps and got a bit of sobriety stopped the NALTREXONE and i didnt have the cravings anyway.
i dont think it worked for me, i think the steps did.