zanabanana

Hey, sorry for my late response....

NoGoingBack, my doctor didn't advise I take antabuse because it could do serious harm to you. I know everyone is different when taking meds, but I trust my doctor and just from what I've read and heard other people who have taken it say... it does work and it is the oldest pill out there to help stop your addiction but it's also not the safest. I'm a very small woman, and I can hold my liquor but if my doctor advised if I took antabuse, and still drank and I would get violently ill she thought it just might kill me.

I was recently in a seven day rehab, detoxing on phenobarbital. A disgusting red, liquid that makes you sleepy, and another called tramadol, which is narcotic like-pain killer. I was only given this narcotic because I was taking heavy duty pain killers. I had just broken my shoulder a week before I went to rehab, and they thought I'd be detoxing from that too. Even though I don't have a pill problem, better to be safe than sorry.

They also gave me Trazadone to help me sleep, and a prescription for it when I left.

I really do believe that Naltrexone is working for me. I've been on it for almost two weeks now. Yes, I have drank while being on it. However, since it's almost two weeks the cravings are becoming less and less. I don't drink myself into oblivion as I usually would all day, every day and the mere thought of taking a drink is practically revolting. I know this isn't a magic pill but I can definitely tell the cravings are becoming less powerful than before. What I need to work on is my anxiety of the routine of going out every day around the same time to buy my alcohol of choice. Naltrexone I feel kind of takes away a lot of my cravings. Not just for alcohol. Strange.

Sorry for this long message. I hadn't been on here for a bit.

H2SO4

Did you notice any different effect from drinking? I've read that you get drunk, but it's just not any fun since those pleasure receptor sites in the brain are blocked. Did your Dr. say it was OK for you to drink on it? Did she say take it every day?

I've been on it and sober a month and have zero cravings. I won't lie though, I am curious about what a beer or 2 would feel like on it. Mostly from a scientific standpoint. That sounds like BS I know, but like I said, I've had zero cravings. I suppose I'm just wondering if some people end up using it as a safety net when they know they'll be drinking. Like if you know you will be out with friends or whatever and take it beforehand. Chances are that it will stop you from turning 3 beers into 20.

I'm with you on the practically revolted thought of drinking though. Any anxiety is similar to yours. It's mostly brought on by the routine of things like passing the gas station where I would buy beer, or a certain day and time of the week. I just keep thinking how nice it will be to wake up and get things done the next day, having had actual dreams the night before.

Studies have shown that it doesn't do much for smoking addiction. I'm not so sure. I am down to about 2 or 3 cigarettes every 24 hours now without even trying. A lot of that has to do with my not drinking though. I left work the other morning and realized that the only reason I lit up was because it was muscle memory. I started to get grossed out halfway through the smoke.

zanabanana

My doctor knows I went to rehab, but I haven't told her yet the medication they put me on. She knows my history of drinking, and since I worked with addiction doctors in rehab, they probably know what's best for you. Anyway, I go see her later this month and will update her.

I can say this... I know the pill won't work right away and the craving won't stop overnight. I pretty much convinced myself of that. I didn't want to live in a dream world. Addiction is tough to beat. However, with that being said, I can tell a difference after having three or four beers (my norm for every day) since I've been taking the pill. My craving for it is pretty much shot. It's just the routine is what I need to break of going to the liquor store. I also think the pill makes me sicker the next day even if I do only have two or three beers the night before. I rarely feel numb, or to the point I feel I need to call 911 or drive myself to the ER. So, yes I can definitely feel a difference since taking it. The anxiety sucks but at least the craving is fading.

I'm not sure if it works with cigarette cravings. I don't smoke, so I don't have knowledge of that. I hope what I said was helpful. I'm glad to know you've managed to not drink for over a month due to this pill. That's awesome!!

H2SO4

Well good! It seems to be having a positive effect for you. You're basically describing the Sinclair Method, which boasts a 75% success rate apparently. Keep it up, eventually you may not want to drink at all. Or you may just need to depend on the drug forever.

zanabanana

I'd rather not have to depend on the drug. I hope I can beat this addiction. It hasn't been easy. I have no craving for it, but it's still that dumb routine of going to the liquor store. That's what will be the hardest to break.

H2SO4

Yeah...then thinking "Oh my god what am I going to do tonight!!?"

Well, duh. Do some reading or something else constructive. Or go to sleep by 930pm because you're tired and should get proper sleep. I used to be soooo tired but would stay up til 2am drinking anyway. How's that for a dumb routine.

zanabanana

It is quite a dumb routine. My equally dumb routine is drinking by 2pm, only have breakfast to eat, because once I start drinking I don't like to eat. So, I will start my day drinking early until I black out about 5 or 6pm. The way my mind works I don't like to start drinking late at night because I don't want to still feel drunk the next day. With this new medication, it takes the craving away but not the anxiety of still wanting to leave and get your favorite drink. That's the most annoying part.

I try to stay active, and constructive with hobbies, reading, walking, and whatever else I can do. Not go straight to my car and go straight to the liquor store.

SoberAlky

Hi Zanabanana, I am also prescribed naltrexone as part of my cocktail of meds. I was skeptical of how it worked at first, after reading about The Sinclair Method (you can google it - I'm short on time and don't have time to explain it), but I was afraid that because it is an opioid antagonist that it would numb me to normal endorphin-releasing pleasures like exercise, a good meal, or an orgasm. My psychiatrist told me that's not really how the drug works, but rather it short-circuits the desire for the dopamine rush that for us, is provided by alcohol. I don't take it every day, but when I am truly jonesing, I take one and find it quiets that AV in 30-45 minutes.

I have also used naltrexone using a Sinclair Method approach, and it did allow me to nurse two beers over about a 4 hour span with some friends in a pub. The only way I can describe the sensation was it made me weirdly sleepy. But why really go there if moderation is not the goal.

SoberAlky

One good precaution to take though is to have a medic alert bracelet or a note on your insurance card or something to let emergency personnel know you're taking naltrexone if you're ever in an accident so they can reverse it so opoid pain medication will work.

walkbeformakrun

I understand your doc's concern. If you are possibly going to go on a bender, while taking antabuse, no way would I put my liability insurance on the line for you, if I were your doc.

That being said, I'm on it. It is a miracle drug to me. AA is not an option for me either so, lets just say, antabuse is my higher power. lol

Seriously though. I did try to drink on it. It takes a few days to build up in your system so you (I) could keep drinking the first few days. On the second day of taking it, I felt a bit flushed and uncomfortable, after a regular night's worth of drinks. After the third day of taking it, I felt considerably flushed and uncomfortable after just one drink. I wanted no more of that and stopped.

I do know that it takes a while to get out of your system too. I forgot to take it for four days in a row. Then I was hit with a strong set of circumstances that drove me to desire to drink. I thought about it, did the math, figured I could drink and tried with a small amount of alcohol. I got flushed again but not as bad. Still bad enough that I did not continue. I kept testing it with small amounts and found at day six I could drink again with no problems.

I'm sure everyone is different but if you are not stupid enough to drink a lot before seeing how it affects you, you will be fine. The good thing about taking it, from my POV, is that the urges do not matter. Once you have it in your system, such that you know you will get sick of you drink, the urges come and you just disregard them. They come and go quickly. There is no point in dwelling on them since you can not drink. Someone could hand me my favorite drink and I'd push it away. Get sick just thinking about it, once you try to drink while on it.

As long as you remember to take it, at least every few days, you can't drink for a very long time. So as long as at some point every few days, you feel that you want to be sober, you just take the pill. Like magic then, you ARE sober, for at least six more days. It works for me.

H2SO4

I haven't noticed any problems with enjoying activities that bring endorphins either. Candy. Exercise. Sex. Laughing. Still seem normal to me, if not better!

Bh28

I won't touch any of these. I googled antabuse side effects and the first thing that came up was "Impotence'"

No thanks. If I was female then yeah.

LaTraviata

My own experience with Naltrexone was that it didn't work for me. I think the reason is that while my prescribing doctor was very willing to support me in trying the drug, she didn't really understand how to use it. So, I'm not sure we ever reached the correct dose for me.

I just started using Campral to support my early sobriety. But the main pillar of my sobriety is my now-firm belief that it is unsafe for me to drink again, ever. With this belief, I was successfully sober well over a week with minimal cravings and no pharmaceutical help. I just recently added Campral to help ensure that I get some solid sober time under my belt, and add some protection against any sudden overwhelming cravings I might get.

SoberAlky

Don't knock it until you've tried it. You're the one who's serially relapsing by your own admission.

SoberAlky

Hi LT, are you a singer or an opera fan? For many years I played in an opera orchestra and miss it tremendously. I've been on campral myself and you are taking the right approach to it, IMO. It is a drug that helps those who help themselves. I've spoken to people in the past who have taken it expecting magical results and trash the drug when it doesn't deliver. Also, since it doesn't do anything for acute withdrawal, my psychiatrist told me to wait 5-7 days after my last drink before starting it. Best of luck to you!

H2SO4

Well that's pretty reactionary.

People experiencing impotence while taking Naltrexone make up something like 1%. I don't know about Antabuse.

If you're the 1%, then stop taking it. I wouldn't rule out something just because a few people experienced something like that. I haven't had any problems with impotence, the same as most of the people on this drug.

And if it's a "oh no drugs are bad" kind of thing, then well. Poison is in the dose. And we all know about dosing here, hhaha!

H2SO4

Excellent! Too bad about your Dr. That info is readily available...

Campral works in a completely different way and has totally different goals when it comes to the brain. Can you maybe share how things have changed in that regard? I know it's supposed to "repair" the brain and get it back to normal after years of alcohol abuse, but I don't know much beyond that.

ALSO. I finished my first bottle of Naltrexone. I am going for my first refill this afternoon. My plan is to keep with the 50mg for the next three months, then see the Dr. again and reevaluate where I'm at. I suppose I'll keep this thread updated and report how it's going for me. So far so good!

LaTraviata

I was a scholar of 19th Century Italian Opera, and the character Violetta in LaTraviata is not too unlike myself. Especially how alcohol stunted and changed me.

LaTraviata

I hadn't really thought about it (repairing the brain, that is), but now that you mention it, I'm starting to be able to get drowsy in the evening without loading up on booze and Xanax. I don't know how much of this to attribute to Campral, but after 25 years of intense daily drinking, I'm fairly surprised that I don't have stronger cravings for alcohol. Especially since I *do* have uncontrollable cravings for sweets now. So, Campral obviously doesn't kill all cravings. Just alcohol?

For me, anything that helps me rack up some significant sober time is welcome. I believe that my long-term sobriety rests a lot on my ability to develop a full new life without alcohol. Once I have a meaningful life, alcohol will have less attraction to me. I'll probably have to make a conscious effort forever, but it will feel more natural as time passes, new friendships develop, maybe in time a new love comes along, and I acquire a sense of mission and purpose.

H2SO4

I can't remember where I read the "repair the brain" part, but the drug works in a completely different way than Naltrexone.

And that's great for you! I think the easy part of all this was deciding to quit. Changing your whole lifestyle seems to be the hardest part. My sister is about 5 years sober from heroin, and she's mentioned that your friend base will change, new things will come. Good and bad. But hey, that's life.