zanabanana

Hello. Not sure if this is the right place to put this topic here but... I recently came back from a six day rehab for alcohol and they gave me the anti-craving Naltrexone when I left. I actually had no idea they had anti-craving pill for alcohol. I was super ready to jump on that when I first heard about it. They offered me Antabuse but I wasn't going there because my family doctor highly did NOT recommend it.

Has anyone heard of this anti-craving pill before? I'm starting on half a pill a day (as recommended) and then after the fourth day I will take an entire pill until I run out. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever tried an anti-craving pill for alcohol.

Bartacomus

Naloxone and Naltrexone, are added to the drug compound i was taking called Suboxone. It has several uses, and is somewhat contested about its action. Naltrexone is indeed given to drinkers as well. It is a Opiate antagonist, meaning it has the opposite action of pain-killers. Since our own endophines are closely mimed by the exorphine pain killers.. These drugs will prevent the action of endogenous as well as xenobiotic chemistry.

i would like to stay in touch, and learn from your experience, and also help.. if i can manage to do so.

Dee74

I moved your thread here as it's to do with alcohol zana.

you'll find a lot of threads on naltrexone if you do a search

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...archid=6066603

D

sobercousin

I found some benefit with Kudzu Root. It's not the sole solution but rather one piece of the puzzle.

skg

Have not use that, but had been prescribed Campral (Acamprosate)
Campral is a drug used for treating alcohol and benzodiazepine dependence. Acamprosate is thought to stabilize the chemical balance in the brain that would otherwise be disrupted by alcohol withdrawal or benzodiazepine withdrawal.

I was prescribed Campral, Librium, Antabuse, and LexaPro. They interfered with my drinking and made me horribly sick--near death several times--so I tapered off the meds and went back to drinking.

THIS is the mind of an alcoholic. I now spend a dollar a day at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings... It's been my experience that this is the softer, easier way.

Find a physician that understand alcoholism--many do not--and be honest with that physician. They'll learn from you as much as you let them...

Marcus

This article is a little older, but I came across it a while back when reading about Vivitrol (Extended Release Naltrexone). It touches on both its use for Alcohol and Opiates. Have a look.

Vivitrol: A Shot in the Dark | The Fix - Page 0

zanabanana

Thank you for all who replied back!!

I am taking into consideration each and everything you said.

lacey424

Naltrexone did nothing for my cravings. From what I have researched the purpose of naltrexone is to block the pleasure you get from drinking...You are actually supposed to drink on it to trick your brain into not associating drinking with pleasure anymore.
I am sure this method is rarely recommended to alcoholics bc it requires drinking . Plus you could always just not take the pill before drinking... Ask your doctor about campral. It is specifically for cravings

lacey424

You can read about it here https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...ber-naltrexone

H2SO4

That is incorrect. Neither the drug manufacturer nor my Doctor have reccomended what you are suggesting. That is simply one method of doing it that has been studied in a clinical trial.

I've been taking 50mg a day for the last two and a half weeks. It's saved my life if you ask me. Its primary purpose is to reduce pleasure from drinking. It has a secondary effect that reduces cravings.

Campral is not specifically for cravings and works in an entirely different way. All it does is get the brain back to normal after years of abuse, in layman's terms.

You might want to read the actual data sheets on these drugs before putting out this kind of false information.

H2SO4

PM me if you have any questions. I had my 2 week follow up visit with my Doctor, and we both agree that I am on the right path. She wrote a rx for 3 refills for the next 3 months. I mentioned the Sinclair Method or whatever it's called, and she was adamantly against it.

I am curious if this drug has any effect against marijuana. Anyone know?

lacey424

In which study was naltrexone shown to reduce Cravings? Everything ive read shows its the same as placebo. if it reduces pleasure from drinking you won't experience that until you drink. People I know who take it or the shot Vivitrol still want to drink but dont bc they know it won't give them the same buzz they're used to, so it takes away motivation for drinking.

H2SO4

From Drugs.com and the FDI PI (Principal Investigator) study. I will have to search around for the exact study, but I'm sure it's available. I know for me, it has eliminated cravings. I am recognizing a lot of triggers, but I am finding myself slightly nauseated even thinking about drinking.

In one of these studies, 104 alcohol-dependent patients were randomized to receive either Naltrexone hydrochloride 50 mg once daily or placebo. In this study, Naltrexone proved superior to placebo in measures of drinking including abstention rates (51% vs. 23%), number of drinking days, and relapse (31% vs. 60%). In a second study with 82 alcoholdependent patients, the group of patients receiving Naltrexone were shown to have lower relapse rates (21% vs. 41%), less alcohol craving, and fewer drinking days compared with patients who received placebo, but these results depended on the specific analysis used.

The study also stresses that the drug must be used with a comprehensive recovery program. Obviously we here all know that you can't just depend on a magic pill. I have about 6 different recovery books on my bed right now. One of them was referencing a specific study with a lot more details, but I can't remember which one. It was either Rational Recovery or 12 things to do once you've quit drinking. Not sure if that last one is the exact title, but it's close.

And yes, those results depend on the specific analysis used, but I think we can all be in agreement that this drug should be explored as an option for everyone. Like AA, it's not for everyone and if it works for you, go for it. So far, I feel it has helped save my life. My "Failure is not an option" line of thinking is the primary drive here though.

Bartacomus

I am very interested in knowing the action of this chemical. ithe opiate community there are are the weak drugs and the heavy drugs.. for instance junies would not gte excited about grandmother codeine, but codeiene is a salt of morphine.. and people got very excited abut such a potent opiate. the body metabolizes precursor molecules into sometimes even more active metabolites.

an example is hydrocodone "vicodin" its metabolized in the body to create hydromorphone or "dilaudid" which is called "synthetic H" on the streets. this is why drug screens can identify which family of opiate an abuser has taken but not exactly which. codeine, morphine, heroin? same family.. wel oxycodone, is metabolized into the strongest most divertered and sought after frug ever called oxymorphone.. AND THE POINT OF THIS STORY.. is that naltrexen is virtually the same chemical structure as this extremely potent narcotic. this could attribute many things.. its potency to reverse opiate intoxication...

it plays on some very important receptors in the body, and for there not to be side effects is dismissive I think.. Ive read it interferes with natural endorphine uptake. so.. I can do some research about what known recptors affect THV binding and site affinity.

Dee74

Just a reminder to everyone that we don't ask for or give medical advice here.

Please stick to your own experience and try not to make recommendations for others.

Here is the SR Rule in full....
Thanks for your understanding

Dee
Moderator
SR

H2SO4

It's been on the market since the mid 90's and from what I've read the side effects are minimal. And well with any drug, the benefit vs risk are always weighed. I think we all know the alternative here. I never want to go back to that again. I drank 1 month old Marsala wine that I had bought to cook with because I was so hung over and starting to withdraw. That was really, really gross. Ugh.

Now I have only been on Naltrexone for 3 weeks or so. Tomorrow will be exactly 1 month sober! I am not sure about the side effects as they relate to brain chemistry. I do not feel like a zombie or unhappy or sedated or any of those things. It's still too early to tell, since my brain is still getting used to being sober. I am going to continue on my Dr.'s advice and keep at it for 3 more months. I am happy to report my own personal findings here and will keep it as simple reports, and not advice.

Keep in mind that this is nowhere near as "dangerous" as some of the MAOI's, benzo's, antidepressants when it comes to altering brain chemistry. I'm not a Doctor, and make SURE you discuss this with yours. Everyone is different. I was lucky in that my Dr. was on the up and up with modern approaches to alcohol dependence. In her opinion I was a prime candidate. You may be an absolute No No when it comes to this drug.

All I know is that I'm feeling pretty good about life right now. If you have any links to additional studies I'm sure they would be welcome in this thread. I'm a fact and clinical study kind of guy and anecdotal evidence is dubious at best. Even coming from me! haha!

NoGoingBack

Curious as to why your doctor advised against Antabuse?
When I made the decision to get sober and finally got the help I needed, the regime was: Detox for 7 days with Librium starting at a high dose then tailing off towards the end, and overlap with Antabuse once I was alcohol - free (day 5).

My GP wouldn't prescribe any anti - craving meds for me so I relied on fear of the effects of drinking with Antabuse (still do, I've done it once and thought I was going to end up in hospital, I've never felt so bad).

For me, the cravings were awful to begin with. It was all I could think about but that's the mind of an addict. It's worrying all the time when and where the next drink is coming from. Once you start to get out of that mindset and learn other behaviours, it starts to get easier.

H2SO4

I had already detoxed by myself with only Trazadone to help sleep. I was free to take Naltrexone. She listened to my habits and worries. I brought up all three drugs that are FDA approved and listened to her opinions on each.

My guess is that in her experience and from clinical studies, Naltrexone has been shown to be more beneficial and effective for people with alcohol dependence. Antabuse is pretty old and the data is definitely in on it's efficacy. If the cravings were awful, why not prescribe Naltrexone? your Dr. maybe concluded that you needed more immediate and extreme medication than mine did. I don't know, that's a question you should ask your Dr. really.

I don't know how much you were drinking and I'm not sure if it matters. I basically told my Dr. that flat out, I am absolutely done with alcohol and that it had ruined my life. I had hit my own personal rock bottom the week prior. She agreed that a medical solution would be the best plan of attack as long as it was part of a multi-pronged approach. In my case, I told her I was going to start therapy, had about 5 alcohol books in the mail and that AA was not an option for me. I did my follow up 2 week visit and asked about the sinclair method and she said "uh uh. no way. You cannot drink" I said that was fine by me as I do not want to drink unless I can drink 12 beers in one go. That is not an option either.

I don't think I've gotten any cravings per se, but definitely just reminders. Passing by the gas station I'd usually pick up beer from. Or, hey it's Sunday usually I'd be a sixpack deep and just getting started. But I had a good day and it's 9pm and I should get some rest so I can be up early with my son so we can do things together in the morning. Any time I'm reminded, or I start reasoning that maybe I just won't take the pill today...I start to think of the terrible hangover I would have the next morning. I like waking up at 630 am with my 3 year old now. I get to spend more time with him rather than half asleep on the couch while he plays or whatever.

My guess about the Dr. thing is that some are not well educated on modern approaches to alcohol dependence. Find one that is. We shouldn't have to depend on solutions that are over 50 years old. Science advances and new treatments and approaches follow those advances. Those approaches should be explored as options with a qualified medical professional.

My 2 cents.

JeffreyAK

A lady I know took it to reduce alcohol cravings after quitting, and raved about it. I've heard similar stories from others, but I've also heard claims that it didn't do much. So it seems the answer is, "it might help and it might not". It seems certain that it's not a magic pill, but I don't believe in magic pills anyways.

cleaninLI

I took this medication a few years ago for my opiate addiction. I was on it for a couple years. It removed cravings and helped me with paws. So mine was a positive experience.

But being the addict I am I decided to get off the medication. Figured I didn't need it anymore. Boy was I wrong! I relapsed.

This time around I went the Sub route. Hopefully, I do not relapse once I'm off of it. But I do think my recovery is stronger now.

Good luck to you! May we all get out from under our cursed addictions....and live beautiful clean and sober lives!