jmsb

I think that antabuse has too many bad effects even when not accompanied by drinking.

Dee74

It's not for everyone jmsb thats for sure - but then no med is

Have you had bad experiences with it?

D

DuhDave

I "heard" if you eat over ripe fruit it may trigger a reaction similar to alcohol ingestion.

Fermentation action?

DD

Meraviglioso

I tried it for about a month but I also couldn't handle the side effects. It made me incredibly tired to the point that I was sleeping all the time. I even came to the realization that I had been able to better manage my life as a drunk, I simply could not function on the medication. I tried taking it at night, halving the dose, using vitamins and supplements for energy. Nothing worked.

But you know what, this time I am going medication free and I feel amazing. I am not "forced" into this decision because of a medical reaction should I drink. i am exercising my free will to give myself the gift of a better life.

I say the above simply as something for you to consider. Everyone is different and I see absolutely no problem taking advantage of modern medicine to help with this problem. If antabuse or other medications work for you I say go for it. But if the side effects are bothering you speak to your doctor. There are other medications available that you could ask about- namely naltrexone and Campral- and there are also natural supplements available that have been known to help with cravings and consumption such as kudzu root. Any of the above should of course be discussed with your doctor.

Best of luck to you.

emme99

My therapist and psychiatrist want me to try antabuse. I did some online research and it says you can possibly have reactions to things like vinegar, as in Italian salad dressing? I also eat a lot of fruit, at a minimum two servings per day. I am afraid I will have too many reactions with it. I will talk to my psychiatrist about it at my appointment next week. Antabuse has never been something I wanted to try but I am feeling kind of desperate at this point. I took Naltrexone for a while and it helped with cravings but, I don't know what happened, it doesn't seem to be working as well any more. I wish it did because it was great at the beginning.

JamesfrmEngland

My friend had a stroke on Antabuse because he drank while on it and the blood pressure burst his brain blood vessels. I wanted to try it but glad I didn't.

BlissWithin

I take topiramate. Its supposed to reduce alcohol and cocaine cravings. I have drank on it and I can say that it works like a milder version of antabuse, you dont get a toxic reaction, but the hangover is like three times worse, even if you drink small amounts.

Truth is that I think this kind of medicine is only useful if a person is desperate and cant string the first few days/weeks sober on their own. In the long run it all comes down to free will.

ChancesAh

I used it for a about 4 weeks. For about 2 months after I'd use it in the day or 2 leading up to planned events where i felt at risk - like visiting the alcoholic brother.
The possible effects of drinking with it on your system were a great deterrent for me.
It does give you fatigue - i even feel asleep mid morning at work.
It's another tool or option. Generally speaking it's side effects are better than alcohol's

Verdantia

I've never tried Antabuse, but I'm currently taking naltrexone and it's helping a lot. It greatly reduces the desire to drink for me. It had side-effects like a mild hangover for a couple of weeks, then no problem. I did get drunk on it-it's possible but it's different and unpleasant. I've had 3 months of sobriety since then.