JamesfrmEngland

Hi it's me again. Not posted in a while. I have not had much success with dealing with my alcohol and am in a hospital detox centre. I have never taken these medicines before but I am willing to try anything, I have just taken my first 3 Antabuse tablets, 2 campral, and 1 naltrexone. In England they are probably a bit more liberal about medicines than America I do not know. I am a bit anxious about the Antabuse because I have never taken it before and it is making me panic slightly. I know I will not drink because it is in my system it is a deterrence for me. My friends said I cannot eat certain fruits on it in case it reacts? I will continue to take these if they work I just need reassurance that they are fine to take.

ScottFromWI

They are commonly prescribed meds James, but we cannot give medical advice here - you should know that especially as a med school student. Please speak with your doctors if you need reassurance about what has been prescribed.

I'm glad you are seeking professional help - that's a great first step.

ZenButterfly

I'm on naltrexone daily and antabuse as needed. If the medication was prescribed to you by a doctor it should be fine, much safer than getting drunk, I would imagine. I haven't heard anything about antabuse and fruit. You do have to be careful not to consume any small amount of alcohol including mouthwash.

good luck!

Caramel

Best wishes to you, JamesfrmEngland

Dee74

Hi James

I'm sorry to see you're in detox in one sense but in another I hope it can be the start of something new for you, y'know?

I have no experiences with any of those medications but others may.

As regards the antabuse I'd ask your Dr about it - failing that you should have gotten a leaflet with the medication that will answer most of the usual questions?

D

August252015

I have experience with all of those meds. Bottom line - you need to be clear and honest with your dr about what you are trying to accomplish.

Taking Antabuse "as needed" was NEVER something my Dr would recommend to anyone- it is (for her, and for me when I took it) a daily reminder that we are committed to sobriety because we make the act of ingesting something that can make us very ill or dead if we drink while on it. I took it successfully for the first 90 days of my sobriety. It became a "like clockwork" to do on my day's list.

Campral is an anti-craving med; naltrexone is too. I took naltrexone for two months a few years ago and cannot report any "impact" or positive results because I didn't want to stop drinking- so if my desire/cravings were dampened any, it wasn't measurable, for sure. When I actually quit drinking, I started taking campral (Acamprosate) 3x daily, and we plan to continue to have me on it for the forseeable future. I have not had a single physical craving since I quit cold turkey (I am 449 days sober today) and at the amount I was consuming, I have to give the drug credit for that part.

Bottom line, drugs are great tools for some of us - IF we are committed to being sober no matter what. No pill cures alcoholism and medicine can only help us if taken correctly, and it can greatly harm us if we screw around with it.

Hope you have a good doctor- you have a chance to be sober and I hope you take it.

Meraviglioso

I second what August said, there is no magic pill, you have to be committed to sobriety for these to work, but they do help IF you are committed. I take antabuse and Campral. I do notice a reduction in craving from the campral. The level to which you will be affected by antabuse changes from person to person. I have had no issues with any type of fruit, but some may. Some people cannot use skin cream with alcohol in them, others can. Best of luck to you, glad to see you taking proactive steps to get and stay sober.

ZenButterfly

It seems like the Naltrexone took away most of my desire to drink, that's why I only need the Antabuse on an as-needed basis. That has been working for me. I guess everyone is different but my doctor is a board certified addiction specialist. She said I could take it every day if I needed it, I don't feel like I do.

DenaKalie89

I'm trying to regain custody of my son. I asked to be put on Antabuse and have someone watch me take it to prove I'm serious about getting my drinking under control. I took it all week, but did not today, as I was going to have a few beers after work tomorrow. I was under the impression you could drink on the days you don't take it. Why does everyone keep saying you can die from it? Is this hurting my liver even when I'm not drinking? And since I've been taken it, I've felt nausea at night, but I haven't drank. What kind of foods will do this?

least

From what I know about antabuse, it stays in your system for a while after you stop taking it, so it would not be 'safe' to drink just because you didn't take one that day.

Didn't your doctor tell you this when s/he prescribed it? Yes, antabuse will make you violently sick and can even kill you if you drink on it. Taking antabuse is supposed to help you stop drinking, not enable you to drink 'once in a while'.

Dee74

Hi and welcome DenaKalie89

It is very true that antabuse can make you ill if you drink, and that it stays in your system a while after the last dose. You'd have to see your Dr or maybe a pharmacist for specifics.

Wishing you the best with regaining custody but doesnt 'a few beers after work tomorrow' work against that?

D

JamesfrmEngland

Been taking them a week or so now, haven't had any cravings for ale but I wouldn't because I'm in a psych hospital. I am extremely tired though and could sleep around 20 hours a day since being put on these meds and stay sleeping in my bedroom instead of interacting with other patients. I suspect its the naltrexone as that's the last I started and that's when the tiredness started so when I get out I think I'll stop hat and keep it in my pocket for use via the Sinclair method just in case I slip up instead of daily taking as they give me here. But I have no intention to drink currently and will continue taking the Antabuse and acamprosate daily.

August252015

Responding to these questions, IME and from my dr's advice (and reading the info with my Rx!)....

It does take a little bit (ie a few days, in general) for the antabuse to get out of your system. This is why the side effects- from face flushing and leg cramps to seizures, heart impact and even death- are to be advised about responsibly by a dr. This is also why my dr wouldn't advise anyone to take it except daily (as I mentioned above- and someone else made a good point, applicable to those committed to NOT DRINKING, as far as the taking "as needed") - plus the fact that alcoholics are genuises at playing games with everything including medicine, as you indicate you are by planning to drink!


Side note: before I actually quit drinking, I pretended I was willing to take antabuse correctly and I drank while on it, skipped doses, and totally disregarded what my dr told me. I am lucky that the consequences I suffered where massive heart rate escalation a few times, major leg seizures (I didn't go to the ER but should have) and such.

Antabuse should also be monitored because it DOES have some (negative) impact on the liver. As my dr explained, this risk to someone's already-damaged liver should be weighed against the benefits of taking it. This is also why a lot of drs like mine don't like people to take it "forever." Again, it is meant as part of a path of recovery not a cure for alcoholism. You have to change your life- and choices!- not just get some meds when you feel like it, IMO and IME.

No foods bothered me so I cannot comment on this.

I feel very strongly that someone who plans to use the medicine "optionally" and try to drink around it is not a good candidate for the medicine.

ThatWasTheOldMe

Antabuse reacts only with ethanol. It blocks the breakdown of one of the byproducts of ethanol metabolism in the liver (acetaldehyde), rendering you majorly ill if you drink with it in your system.

You can't eat fruit if it's rotting

We can't give medical advice here, so I'll leave it at that. If you're concerned about what you can and cannot ingest with Antabuse, definitely ask your doctor.
As August said, don't try to drink around Antabuse. Commit to it daily for the first few months of sobriety and work a program.