chaili05

Hi everyone,

I'm sure this has been discussed before but figured I'd bring it up again for advice...

So I'm partaking in an outpatient program right now for alcohol and met with my counselor/case manager yesterday. She is not suggesting that I need this; however, we discussed different medications to assist in the beginning of recovery, ie antabuse as well as 2 different medications to help with cravings.

I was curious as to if anyone here has ever taken any of these medications and what their experiences were? I know that everyones experience will be different but I still thought it'd be nice to hear.

My one concern with antabuse is that you have to stay away from ANYTHING with alcohol... even cooking sauces- I could see myself forgetting and eating that stuff anyways. eeek.

gman13

I tired Campral but it made me super anxious. Im on Antabuse right now. It takes the fight out of my AV. I just know I cant drink no matter how bad the craving. As for foods I think they error on the side of caution. I have had vinegar , mustard, pickles, Tabasco Sauce and have not had a single problem.

chaili05

Thanks gman, that's exactly what I was thinking might help with antabuse. Also, I believe I read that it stays in your system for about 14 days after taking it! That's crazy... and beneficial as then you can't just not take it one day to drink.

heath480

Not had any experience of Antabuse,a friend of mine did and it was a huge success,I remember the list of products she couldn't use,it was long!she was very careful and had no problems.

anchorbird

I took Naltrexone (Revia) for some time and it made me terribly depressed, which in turn made me want to drink more. It is supposed to help with cravings, but I was one of the unlucky ones to get the rare side effect of depression.

chaili05

Hmm... I'm thinking I may try antabuse and not the craving meds... thank you everyone for sharing their experiences!

DoubleDragon

Antabuse is extremely effective and it's not to be played with.. you could literally die if you drink while on it. For me personally, if I were to take one pill in the morning, I wouldn't be able to drink for about three days (and even then, it's risky). It's powerful stuff. Only thing is, you have to keep taking it every morning.. it helps if you take it right away without thinking, before you can assess the situation haha

LadyBlue0527

I am not making light of this situation. If you need antabuse you need it.

However, I just realized that I had my own antabuse and it's called The 24 Hour Club. I'm so thankful for deeker! I'm being totally serious here. If I knew that I was going to be in a situation where I might not be able to talk myself out of it I signed up. Once I did that what was done was done. The choice was removed.

Hail deeker!

The way I saw it is you can talk yourself in to just about anything if you set your mind to it. We certainly do it enough to make excuses for drinking. So, I used a little reverse psychology and believed that if I signed up, that was the end of that. I actually heaved a sigh of relief whenever I did it.


I realize that there are those who need antabuse. Just sharing an experience that worked for me.

ScottFromWI

My personal preference would be to exhaust all non-medical methods prior to taking any medicines to help quit drinking. Many, many people are able to do so without the aid of any drugs at all. Additionally, you'll eventually have to wean yourself off of or quit taking those drugs too and go through yet another withdrawal/change period.

Dee74

I never took any meds but you'll need to be prescribed these meds, by a Dr or someone with some medical background presumably.

Talk with them because not every medication is suitable for everyone.

D

totfit

Antabuse was a great asset for me years ago. It took the "worrying" about whether I would drink away and I could focus on life and doing the things I needed to do to make a strong foundation. I personally never had any issue whatsoever with trace amounts of alcohol in any product and I did not monitor it. I still used the same deodorant, cologne, etc. As far as cooking and eating I did not worry with that either and had no reactions. As far as the other medications I have no experience. I think a healthy diet and exercise does as much to relieve cravings as anything and even today, that is my biggest focus along with doing the next "more right" thing.

Leadfoot

The only one I've taken was antabuse. Court ordered three times. That's really the only way. You crush it up and mix it with water and drink it. Right there in front of the alcohol counselor. Then you have to sit there a half hour so you don't leave the facility and make yourself barf it up around the corner. Drinking on it was sheer hell. Something you swore you'd never do again. But. Like a good alcoholic, there I was drinking on it again. You do it enough times they'll lift the Court order because they know it'll kill you and they don't want any liability. I'm pretty sure antabuse is as antiquated as electric shock when it comes to treating alcoholism.

Try18

I previously took Campral but found it quite ineffective. Previously considered antabuse but my doctor wouldn't prescribe me it as he said i was too thin and it posed a medical risk? I now habeas a different doctor and was considering asking her tomorrow about it. Does anyone know if it dependent on your physical condition?