ijustwantaname

First off, I respectfully request that nobody suggest any form of natural/herbal remedies or alternative medicine to me, please, as I strongly do not believe in those things personally.

Has anyone tried pharmacological treatment options for alcohol abstinence? I very briefly attempted to take Antabuse but despite taking it at night it left me unbearably sedated during the day and I had to cease it after a few days as I can't function at my job like that and also just hate feeling sedated in general.

Wondering if there are any prescription treatments that people have found success with?

Coldfusion

My wife was prescribed Campral. It controlled her drinking while she was taking it, but later she stopped the pills and started drinking.

JeffreyAK

Interesting, I've never heard of sedation as a side-effect of antabuse. Normally it has no effects expect possibly headaches, provided you don't have any contact with alcohol. You might ask your doctor about recommendations, or have him refer you to an addiction medicine specialist.

Soberwolf

Could always ask your Dr for options

ScottFromWI

There are certainly pharmacological treatments for those dealing with withdrawals or seeking sobriety. As others have mentioned, the best place to start is with your doctor.

It's also worth noting that these drugs are designed to be used in conjunction with an active recovery plan. None of them by themselves are a cure for alcoholism. AKA - there is no "magic" pill.

SoberinSyracuse

I used Campral without success. It was explained to me that I needed to be sober in order for it to reach the required level in my system, and I wasn't able at that time to stay sober on my own for five days.

I also tried Naltrexone which is kind of an opiate blocker (sorry, probably wrong terminology). The protocol I used was one where you take the Naltrexone, drink, and receive no pleasure from drinking. And hence, over the course of several weeks, you are expected to lose interest in alcohol. It didn't work for me.

Could you try a lower dose of antabuse?

Andante

And I'm going to respectfully suggest that you may want to stretch the boundaries of what you're willing to believe in, as there is no medication, pharmacological or otherwise, that will make you stay sober unless you really, really want sobriety.

Don't believe me? Take a look through the nearly 5 million posts on this site, and I bet you won't find a single one that says, "Yep, I took (drug x) and it cured me permanently of my alcoholism."

Aversion medications such as Antabuse or craving reduction medications such as Campral or Naltrexone aren't cures. At best, they are but one facet of a solid, multi-faceted recovery plan that has at its core the willingness to do anything to stay sober.

I tried Campral but it didn't work for me because I wasn't really ready to quit drinking yet.

Obladi

My Intensive Outpatient Program prescribes 1/2 dose of Antabuse for 30 days for anyone who has a drinking issue. I felt that it made me sleepy for the first few days, but that was all.

I'm not sure if that was the "magic" ingredient to my success, but I can say that something about the combination of IOP + Antabuse + SR + the assurance of random urine tests broke the cycle of daily drinking for me. Two months down the road, I don't feel that I need the Antabuse anymore but would start it again in a heartbeat if I thought I was headed back to that living hell.

I've read good things about Naltrexone, but apparently it doesn't "take" for everyone. I was interested in trying that, but I'm fine with the current solution.