Antabuse Thread

[Cinders]

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread about Antabuse since so many of us are starting on it.

If you find something you do causes an issue, post it here so the rest of us don't necessarily have to go through the same thing.

I read recently here that someone can't eat vinegar on their salad dressing anymore? It gave them a headache.

Things like that.

As I run into issues, good or bad, I will try to remember to post them.

Today is my first day. I am at 250 mg.

Cindi

[Prest4time]

Thanks Cindi~

I'm ready for a long stretch of AF. Mods has been good (for the most part) but I'm ready to kick it up a notch. I planned to start Antabuse on Monday. I have gotten all mentally psyched up, but today I had a scary thought. Which leads me to my first question!

So here goes: I have to go to the dentist next Thursday and will have to have some super fun novacaine shots. I'm scared to death that I will have some sort of reaction that I will be the first in history to die from.

My husband said to wait until after that to start because he knows how sensitive I am to anything and everything prescription. but I was hoping for Monday to start but now it looks like not. Anyone had novacaine dental shots mixed with Antabuse? Wow.... that's a question I never saw coming ten years ago!

[lushy]

I don't know the answer to your question Prest, but what I will say is please anyone who is considering taking this, do your research. I learned tonight that you cannot take it if you have a thyroid disorder (which I have) which is not a commonly known thing. This is a heavy duty drug so please just make sure you know as much about it as you can.

[Prest4time]

Wow...

I better research everything about it then. I am the only one of the women in my family who has bypassed the thyroid problem. My mom and sister both on thyroid meds for life. My thyroid is and has always been good. I really dont want a reason or excuse to not do this, but at the same time I want to be safe. I'm glad you brought that to the attention, which is the very reason for this thread I think. Lets be educated and learn from each other as well as anything else we can personally bring to the table.

And I really like my balsamic vinegar and perfume... yikes!

[Prest4time]

Oh, and one more question for Lushy...

You said this is a heavy duty drug. Does that mean its really hard on your liver, or just hard to metabolize, really bad for you?? I am thinking it cant be worse than alcohol? I have just read the general FDA stuff, but if you have anything health-related that you know of that is not advertised, I would like to know.

I think I will take it regardless of whatever negative stuff there is coming from the mindset that I need a kick in the butt to do AF instead of eternal comfy in mods with sporadic slips that leave me feeling so awful. But I hope to only use it for a season to gain much needed AF time and take that "option" to even have two glasses of wine off the table for now. Waiter, you can take my glass.

[foxymum]

Hi Prest4time.
I started on antabuse today, 3 hours ago to be exact, and keep waiting for something awful to happen (even though my last drink was over 30 hours ago). Nothing so far except a nasty bitter taste in my mouth). Hope the vinegar theory is wrong. I too like my balsamic!! Tried topa but itching and wild mood swings made me stop. Lets hope this will help us, keep on posting!

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Hi! I have been on Antabuse for 18 days today. I too, was very nervous! Someone on this site who is a pharmacist gave me this site to check out the drug Drugs.com | Prescription Drug Information, Side Effects & Interactions. Lots of good info here. There are certain other meds that cannot be combined with Antabuse (disulfirim) so you need to be careful. I take Effexor, Sinulair, and Arimidex...all of which are ok. I for one have had NO side effects, and after being careful to check it out slowly, can use perfume, my face cleanser, and eat vinigar on my salad. I just CANT DRINK. I did an experiment on day 2 to check it out. I had a small amount of wine. Within about 20 minutes my heart sped up, my face flushed an my breathing was a little bit labored (I have asthma so that did not suprise me). Just enough to let me know THIS STUFF WORKS (I was wondering since all else was ok!). I do think it may effect people differently though, so I would use caution. However, it is saving my life. I still miss drinking a bit in the evening, but don't struggle with that decision "do I don't I maybe just a little". I still know if I were off the med. I would drink, but hoping with time I will become stronger. Seems to be getting there. I take the medicine every other day without ANY struggle, as I am in a different mind frame completely in the morning, compared to at drink time.

Hope this is helpful.

Beth

[foxymum]

Lucy- glad Antabuse is working for you. Like yourself I don't have cravings in the morning so taking it isn't a problem. Your experience with 'a little wine' has put me off trying any, so thanks for that!!
So far so good- bring on day 3 AF...Moderation just isn't going to work for me until I get into a different mindset and it's good to HAVE TO go through certain situations without a drink and find that it's actually not too bad!

[tea]

Thanks for this thread, I keep considering asking my GP for Antabuse but really shy away from discussing my alcohol probs with her as as I've said before we work in the same building, along with the alcohol counsellors/CPN's. Can you buy this online? Think I am a bit scared to try it but would like to have it handy for when I really can't drink...


Lxx

[hippie37]

Can I just ask those of you are taking it did you start off by taking a large dose then reducing it gradually to 250mg a day like I did when I was on it?? Basically I took 4 x 250mg tablets the first day then reduced a tablet per day until I was taking just one 250mg tablet per day. Lucy you have bigger balls than me my dear for experimenting with it !!!!!ROFLMAO

Love and Happiness
Hippie
xx