Anyone try an Anabuse implant? (back again after my first relapse)
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 93
Anyone try an Anabuse implant? (back again after my first relapse)
Hello ya'll!
Last I was here was in 2008, I think. I was forced to go to rehab in February of 2009 and was only able to stay for 2 weeks, (all that my insurance allowed.....sad, eh?) Anyhow...I think I stayed sober for a month. I don't drink like I did before, (I was up to 8 beers a day on weekdays and who the heck knows how many on weekends!) I have slowly moved myself up to 5 or 6 beers on my days off (Monday and Wednesday), 2 beers on my working days after work, (because I was trying to hide it from my husband)and nothing on weekends. I had an entire week off....so one could say I have been on a week long "bender" 5 or 6 beers every day since last Friday. To say the least, my stomach is screaming, (I have a LONG history of GI issues....) and I am afraid I am going to start seizing....(I have been without a seizure since January.) I mysteriously started having grand mal seizures in March after I went to rehab in January. I am TOLD they are not DT's or related to alcohol.....but I still secretly wonder.....
Anyhow.....I am NOT an AA girl AT ALL.....one result from the seizures is that I am NOW 100% convinced in NO HIGHER POWER....just me and I have to get my poo together and stop this madness before I end up accidentally killing myself like my brother did in 2008 (he was only 38).
So....I asked my MD father to ask an addiction specialist friend about baclifen and naltrexone.......this specialist said my best chance was to get an Anabuse implant that lasts 90 days.....I once drank after taking Flagyl after a diverticulitis hospitalization (they forgot to tell me that Flagyl and Anabuse are the same chemical) and so I KNOW what happens when you drink on it and I NEVER want to experience that feeling ever again.....
Has anyone else tried this method to stay sober long enough to try and sort through their issues and discover new habits to replace the boozing? I am DESPERATE as I was diagnosed with high liver levels last year before rehab, (they went down after rehab) and I think my liver is bad again because i have constant pain in that region...I also think I have hurt my brain and THIS damage may be permanent....
PLEASE......I am not interested any any AA preaching, selling or anything of that nature. While I respect everybody else's views and know AA has helped others, it just isn't for me.....
I thank all ya'll in advance and pray I can do this before I die like my brother did, (though HE died in his sleep and not yellow, swollen and sicker than a dog in a hospital bed...)
d(-_-)b
Last I was here was in 2008, I think. I was forced to go to rehab in February of 2009 and was only able to stay for 2 weeks, (all that my insurance allowed.....sad, eh?) Anyhow...I think I stayed sober for a month. I don't drink like I did before, (I was up to 8 beers a day on weekdays and who the heck knows how many on weekends!) I have slowly moved myself up to 5 or 6 beers on my days off (Monday and Wednesday), 2 beers on my working days after work, (because I was trying to hide it from my husband)and nothing on weekends. I had an entire week off....so one could say I have been on a week long "bender" 5 or 6 beers every day since last Friday. To say the least, my stomach is screaming, (I have a LONG history of GI issues....) and I am afraid I am going to start seizing....(I have been without a seizure since January.) I mysteriously started having grand mal seizures in March after I went to rehab in January. I am TOLD they are not DT's or related to alcohol.....but I still secretly wonder.....
Anyhow.....I am NOT an AA girl AT ALL.....one result from the seizures is that I am NOW 100% convinced in NO HIGHER POWER....just me and I have to get my poo together and stop this madness before I end up accidentally killing myself like my brother did in 2008 (he was only 38).
So....I asked my MD father to ask an addiction specialist friend about baclifen and naltrexone.......this specialist said my best chance was to get an Anabuse implant that lasts 90 days.....I once drank after taking Flagyl after a diverticulitis hospitalization (they forgot to tell me that Flagyl and Anabuse are the same chemical) and so I KNOW what happens when you drink on it and I NEVER want to experience that feeling ever again.....
Has anyone else tried this method to stay sober long enough to try and sort through their issues and discover new habits to replace the boozing? I am DESPERATE as I was diagnosed with high liver levels last year before rehab, (they went down after rehab) and I think my liver is bad again because i have constant pain in that region...I also think I have hurt my brain and THIS damage may be permanent....
PLEASE......I am not interested any any AA preaching, selling or anything of that nature. While I respect everybody else's views and know AA has helped others, it just isn't for me.....
I thank all ya'll in advance and pray I can do this before I die like my brother did, (though HE died in his sleep and not yellow, swollen and sicker than a dog in a hospital bed...)
d(-_-)b
Heathen
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: La La Land, USA
Posts: 2,567
I didn't even know such a thing existed! I had to find ways to keep myself sober though, for long term success.. The drinking had very little to do with what was wrong, for me... and was certainly more than a mere 'habit'..
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 93
for got to mention
This same addiction specialists friend of my father stated to my father that baclofen didn't work......( I am a little put off by this friend of his' suggestion of Anabuse alone without mentioning what I was going to have to do to stop the cravings and change my habitual desire for beers after work or on my days off.....)
However, I am almost finished with that French cardiologists book and really believe that baclofen may help. I WORK in medicine, so I see it alot...but it still amazes me how closed minded the medical profession can be......
Anyhow, had to throw that part of the equation in....I WANT to try the baclofen (i thought maybe the Sinclair method...but my liver may not like that much right now...OUCH!)
ciao for now
However, I am almost finished with that French cardiologists book and really believe that baclofen may help. I WORK in medicine, so I see it alot...but it still amazes me how closed minded the medical profession can be......
Anyhow, had to throw that part of the equation in....I WANT to try the baclofen (i thought maybe the Sinclair method...but my liver may not like that much right now...OUCH!)
ciao for now
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 93
Originally Posted by smacked 
I didn't even know such a thing existed! I had to find ways to keep myself sober though, for long term success.. The drinking had very little to do with what was wrong, for me... and was certainly more than a mere 'habit'..
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
ANYHOW...thanks for "listening" to me........
totfit
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Ft Collins, CO
Posts: 1,273
I found Antabuse to be an excellent tool for me at one point in my life when nothing else would work. As for the mental obsession which you refer to as cravings, I found those were alleviated also, because the "choice" was gone. For the anxieties that "feel" like "cravings", exercise, nutritional supplements and a good diet of complex carbs, low fat, and adequate protein help me with the feelings of cravings. I also take sAMe and 5HTP which help alleviate anxiety and are attributed to helping boost your mood.
Normally what most people attribute as cravings for alcohol or drugs are just general anxiety issues and WE "think" of it as being a craving for the alcohol or drug of choice. The only time a true craving is created is when the level of the alcohol or drug is dropping or initially absent and the withdrawal response occurs. Then there is a true craving for the substance involved.
If you want to stay sober, then the implant might be a good idea. I took it orally. I was motivated to stay sober and made sure I took it. There was actually relief when I started taking it knowing that the choice to drink was gone. I too have issues with the God thing. I never got any help from praying and I worked for a long time at it. The light went on when I figured out that it was up to me to do and not praying for help. Now meditation is another thing all together. Mindfullness and staying in the moment are very helpful. This time is all we have, so lets not screw it up by getting screwed up.
Normally what most people attribute as cravings for alcohol or drugs are just general anxiety issues and WE "think" of it as being a craving for the alcohol or drug of choice. The only time a true craving is created is when the level of the alcohol or drug is dropping or initially absent and the withdrawal response occurs. Then there is a true craving for the substance involved.
If you want to stay sober, then the implant might be a good idea. I took it orally. I was motivated to stay sober and made sure I took it. There was actually relief when I started taking it knowing that the choice to drink was gone. I too have issues with the God thing. I never got any help from praying and I worked for a long time at it. The light went on when I figured out that it was up to me to do and not praying for help. Now meditation is another thing all together. Mindfullness and staying in the moment are very helpful. This time is all we have, so lets not screw it up by getting screwed up.
Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,649
Why an implant? What is wrong with taking it orally? I have used antabuse quite a bit with a full range of effects from "sort of good" to completely ineffective in taking away my desire to drink.
I generally waited until the effects wore off and then I would start drinking again.
AA is not the only program around, there are lots of other choices that are not based on spirituality. Have you looked into any of them? Smart recovery, the Minnesota method, etc?
I generally waited until the effects wore off and then I would start drinking again.
AA is not the only program around, there are lots of other choices that are not based on spirituality. Have you looked into any of them? Smart recovery, the Minnesota method, etc?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 93
So ya'll are telling me that my father's friend recommended a "treatment" that isn't even friggin available in the the friggin US???? Oh that just makes me feel loved my I'm- not-going-to-do-research-and-recommend-a-drug-my- daughter-cannot-take...father? Niiiiice....as if I didn't feel bad enough having 5 beers today on an inflamed stomach....(sigh)
NOW what....I guess the oral? Go broke trying to order baclofen or naltrexone from an online pharm even though I have insurance? but all they want you to do her in Chicago, it seems, is go to AA meetings and whine with everyone else to a god that doesn't exist? (sorry ya'll...I am a bit upset here.....)
NOW what....I guess the oral? Go broke trying to order baclofen or naltrexone from an online pharm even though I have insurance? but all they want you to do her in Chicago, it seems, is go to AA meetings and whine with everyone else to a god that doesn't exist? (sorry ya'll...I am a bit upset here.....)
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 93
I hope he helps too!
I found a SMART Recovery meeting in my area and will give them a try.....unfortunately...it's only once a week......
Man......no Anabuse in this country......
no universal health-care......no real leadership...pharmaceutical companies rule the health business and I seem to be hitting my head constantly against a wall......argh...argh.....
I am sure my GP will just tell me to go to rehab, (again!) and recommend a psychiatrist that will drug me up with psych meds like Seroquel or Zoloft or something equally bad....and then tell me to go to AA.......(ok...enough negativity me.....)
I found a SMART Recovery meeting in my area and will give them a try.....unfortunately...it's only once a week......
Man......no Anabuse in this country......
no universal health-care......no real leadership...pharmaceutical companies rule the health business and I seem to be hitting my head constantly against a wall......argh...argh.....
I am sure my GP will just tell me to go to rehab, (again!) and recommend a psychiatrist that will drug me up with psych meds like Seroquel or Zoloft or something equally bad....and then tell me to go to AA.......(ok...enough negativity me.....)
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