Abugslife

My doctor was telling me about a drug called Antibuse. It is supposed to make you violently ill if you consume any kind of alcohol. Could even wind you up in the hospital. Sounds pretty extreme, but then if it worked, it might be worth it.

labyrinth

I take Antiabuse, Word of warning it does work. Dont even think about drinking on it!!!!!!

steve

TorontoGuy28

I am thinking about getting some .... Here is a good link :

http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-a02.html

Chy

Make sure you read the warnings. You have to be very careful using anything such as mouthwash, some colognes, cold medications, with any alcohol in them.

Abugslife

Thank you for your replys. Does it make you not want to drink or are you terrified of what will happen if you do?

Chy

If you mean, does it take away the cravings, no. I suppose psychologicaly though it keeps you in check from becoming very ill.

Rudiger

Hello.

I took the stuff for a while many years ago. I think it is a great device if you can use it when your reslove is strong in the morning. Take one when you are at your strongest so later in the day when that obsession grips you there really is no choice left. I think many people who take disulfiram usually have a assistant or outside party that administers the substance on a schedule.

I recall it left a very metallic tatse in my mouth and made the whole experience a little worse. On the whole I think it really only made me want to drink more. I thought about drinking more and could hardly wait until the damn stuff wore off so I could get twice as bombed. I think if you really want to quit, disulfiram is only a temporary early tool for recovery. Just my opinion.

Here's a link with some more info.

http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-a02.html

Now I do remember a drug called Revia that I treid many years ago that seemd to take away the cravings. Today I think it has been taken off the market because of the damage it does to the liver. I dunno. Any body out there have some experiences with Naltrexone? I hear this is a very helpfull tool for the chronic relapser.?.?.?

I tried all this stuff years ago and finally had a change in my mind that is hard to explain. This time I have not used the assistance of medications. So far so good. But I hear from time to time about new science that is available to those who may be in need. There's a new one out now called Acamprosate. Anybody out there heard of this?

Rudiger

Dan

Here's a link about acamprosate.
http://www.doctordeluca.com/Document...ateSummary.htm

Sadly not available on our side of the pond it seems.

Abugslife

Thanks for your input.

MootPoint

I took it for a little while and was terrified about what would happen if I drank. So...... for that, it worked to curb my desire to drink.

Read those links!

ncnurse

I am in need of some help and information on Antibuse. My husband is a long time drinker since Viet Nam. He has been going to the VA in Durham, NC for years. I don't like the VA, because for years, all they have done is turn my huisband into a drug dependent person. He gets Uppers, Downers and Inbetweeners from the VA, which I don't agree with, but HEY ! ! He is a Veteran, and as his wife of 34 years, I don't have a leg to stand on as far as finding out any information and extending my concern for the amount of medication he is taking. Well, my main question concerns Antibuse. My husband was prescribed Antibuse and he takes it on occassion, when he feels like it, or when I havd complained enough that he is tired of hearing it and then will POP a couple just to shut me up. Well anyway, on the occassion that he does take the Antibuse, he pushes his luck and will take sips of beer or other alcohol just to see what will happen. Well, let me tell you.... NOTHING HAPPENS TO HIM.... he does not get sick or even feels nausieated. I know that he is supposed to get violently ill if he even tastes alcohol, but with him... nothing happens. He just pushes his luck. I don't understand it. Can someone please advise me if a person can be immune to the effects of Antibuse? I am stumped as to why he does not have a reaction when taking the drug and drinking. I am new to this site, and I am looking for some help so that I can help him better. I am a nurse, and my husband and I have been married for 34 years. I have been thru ups and downs with him for many, many years. I love him with all my heart, and I am sticking with him because he is basically a great person... until that all mighty drink gets in the way. My husband has Hepatitis C, from a blood transfusion that the VA had given him in 1980, and very conveniently they lost all the paper work regarding this blood transfusion, so we can't prove that the VA had done it to him. He has many other health conditions, including High Blood Pressure, Stomach and Digestive Problems, and of course the drinking. The VA is absolutely no help at all. A few weeks ago, we traveled all the way to Durham from our house which is about 4 hours away, trying to get him into a Rehab program. It was the day before a long holiday weekend... and of course when we got up there, we could not find any help as to get a counselor to check him and see if he could get him into a Rehab program. I am at my wits end with the VA, and have lost all confidence in them. I think they are doing him more harm than good, but he thinks they are terrific. I know this is a very long letter, but as I said, I am new to this site... Maybe someone out there, can shed some light for me as far as the Antibuse goes. Thank you so much for any help that any of you nice people can give me. Sincerely..... Barbara Erdman in North Carolina [email protected]

Rudiger

Hello Barbara,

What a wonderfully loving wife you are. I hope you are taking good care of yourself these days during all this. I am not getting the impression that your husband is all that concerned with his drinking if he still imbibes while using disulfiram. He may just be resigned to his alcoholism. Even if Antibuse worked for him it probably wouldn't change his heart. That doesn't make him a bad person really, just an alcoholic.

I have heard a few stories, and met one guy, that led me to believe that Antibuse can be beaten by the persistant alcoholic who drinks through the discomfort. How horrible the pain must be though! I guess like anything, the body becomes tolarant or immune to it. I thought it would take some effort though. I have never heard of anybody who just was simply uneffected by it. I don't know but it seems unlikely.

On a different note though, I hope you are getting some support for yourself. I have been to a few Alanon meetings myself. Even though they seem like a super serious bunch of people to me, they have some great ideas on how to live a better life. Co dependant no more! Get a load of me here Barbara. Ever heard an alchie talk about the benefits of Alanon? Funny stuff.


Be well,

Rudiger

ncnurse

Thank you so much for the reply to my letter. My husband is a great person.... really he is. I do think he is resigned to just seeing how much he can get away with. If he wasn't great, I wouldn't be married to him for almost 34 years.... but then again... I think I to have a problem, because I live with it. I grew up with an Alcoholic Mother.... and she died from drinking, from Chirrosis Of The Liver..... she was only 41 years old. I think that is why I don't drink today... I have seen to much growing up.... and then have lived my whole married life around it. We raised four great kids.... and honestly I don't know how they made it thru all we went thru. I think we all became stronger, because our family is very, very close.
I tried Alanon....... I am sorry to say, I could not get anything out of it. Maybe I didn't give myself a chance...... All I see is these people sitting around telling me how to live with an Alcoholic... and I am tryiing to tell them.... "I don't want to learn how to live with it.... I want it to stop"......The more I said that... the more they told me how I had to change MY way of thinking.... I just don't understand it. I really wanted to find out about the Antibuse. The VA is no help to my husband at all. They are cause of most of the problems that my husband has. It seems like I hit a brick wall wherever I turn. Oh well.... Thanks for the input. I sure do appreciate it. You all sound like a great bunch of people, that I hope to get to know better.
Thanks again... Barbara in North Carolina.... :wink1: