Antabuse Thread

[Cinders]

Marbella, Chelle, and Sami,

Here is wishing all of you wonderful things as you start with the Antabuse.

It has been a huge blessing in my life, even when I have been literally mentally screaming for a drink, because I CAN'T drink.

The internal struggle goes away quicker, the AF days pile up and our partners know we are abstinent. There are so many good reasons to take it. Especially if you are like me and cave so easily when alcohol is available.

I had a great travel week last week with only a few incidents of really wishing. Because of the Antabuse, the wishing was just that, and I am still sober. In the past, without AB, I would have gotten drunk. No question.

Good luck to all of you!!
Love,
Cindi

[SpiritGirl]

Good luck to all the people starting the AB this week. You are on your way to having the BEST week you have had in a long time. You may have cravings and feel consumed with the thoughts of drinking - but these definately PASS! When it was really overwhelming for me I would drink a cold AF beer - ODouls Amber and Warsteiner are both very tasty non-alcoholic beers.

Again, please remember, all the initial "longings" for AL and the awkward moments in front of old drinking friends will get better. As a matter of fact, my friends seem to care a lot less than I thought they would that I was not drinking. And after a couple of hours at a drinking event most people weren't in a frame of mind to notice!! It's a great feeling waking up feeling fresh and healthy with no regrets!

Let us know how you are feeling!

[sami]

Thanks Cindi and SpiritGirl! I needed the encouragement right now....I am so antsy and irritable and depressed. Ugh! Just need to remember that what I'm going through now is normal and life is better ahead. Thank you so very much for the kind words of encouragement!

[Nurseindistress]

Ok, I can't seem to stop on my own. I have days now where I can go without, but keep slipping. I am considering the Antibuse, but I'm so scared that I won't be able to handle it. When I feel trapped I can have an anxiety attack--and I am afraid that if I took Antibuse, and then started craving alcohol, I would flip out. I can see where it is very helpful as a tool, but, then what? People who are on it seem to need to be on it for a long time. Then sometimes the minute they go off they slip--what good is that? Please explain how that works--how it is helpful in the long term. What are your experiences. I know I should go back and read all of this thread. I have been reading on and off. I realize it helps a lot of people, but what I want to know is: (1) how do you get through the initial "panic", and (2) how do you know when you can stop and do it on your own? What makes you able to do that? Thanks!

[Cinders]

Nurse,

1. If having an anxiety attack scares you (you don't have them after a heavy night of drinking?? I sure did.) Go to your psyche or a doctor and talk about a med to help with that.

2. Yes, when I quit taking AB after about 3 weeks I started drinking again. However, my shrink warned me that I need to be on it a year or longer and work on the other issues that are part of the our problems.

I am back on it, happy to be back on it, and will stay on it long term.

Love,
Cindi

[Carmac]

Nurse

I am not a long termer on Antabuse but after 24 days AF, have to say it has been awesome. I do have to take it with meals though for find i sometimes gives me a bit of nausea. Not bad but there. As for the cravings, it seems to lesson over the days for you know you will get sick if you do it. I am also on Revia, 50 mg which is for the cravings and I find it very helpful as well. Yes, I think about it but it is not overwhelming at all.

Its certainly worh trying it seems for you since nothing else is working.

Erin

[marbella]

Nurse

I think I posted here that the normal time stint doctors recommend here is 90 days. After that I guess new habits should have set in, and the cravings will have gone. (I found when I was AF for 2 years it took about that time- after the first month everything was much much easier) unfortunately I did not look at the mental issues of it- no one told me and after 2 years caved in to pressure from 'friends').

However I have a friend who's Dr has prescribed it at her request for 3 years now. Doctor says it isn't necessary but my friend feels safer.

I only get anxiety attacks after drinking heavily, so if you can taper of the booze or have a med to help, hopefully tou too will find as soon as you stop drinking the anxiety also stops.

[Journey]

I am on day 3 and feel great. Iam so excited and I know this is going to work for me. I have been a cronic relapser and so sick of it. I have been to rehab twicie in one year, went to AA and have a sponcer I also tried campal, I have even ended up in the hospital with a blood alcohol level 3 times the legal limit and thought that was my rock bottom but it wasnt. I went to a phyc doc and asked for the antabuse and he also put me on Lexapro. My husband gives me my pill in the morning, it helps him and doesnt have to worry while he is at work and Iam home with our two kids that are under the age 3. I also have had the gastric bypass surgery back in 2003. I guess they call that cross addiction!! opps, I mean day 3 on antabuse... spelling error

[Journey]

Chelle12, Yes you can take prozac with antabuse. My doc started me on the prozac with the antabuse but I had some made side affects from the Prozac so he switched me back to Lexapro that my OB doc gave me after having my second baby.

[sami]

Here's what I've learned about Antabuse: it doesn't work if it just sits on my counter and I don't take it. :( I had hoped that just having it would be enough to keep me from drinking, but alas, it wasn't. So I just (gulp!) took my first pill-----only half of one b/c I'm really scared of it.
I am so grateful that I have such a wonderful doctor. I was seeing her earlier this week b/c of very high blood pressure and headaches (hmmm.....wonder what caused that!) and she prescribed some blood pressure medication. I decided to bite the bullet and ask her if I could safely take it w/ Antebuse. I told her that I had a prescription, even though I hadn't yet taken any. She told me that she hardly ever prescribed it b/c it could make people so sick. I said, "Only if I drink." She asked if I would consider something like AA rather than Antabuse, and I told her that I wouldn't go....it's a shame thing for me. So she left to make sure I could take the meds together, returned and told me that I could, and that was that. Thank God for such doctors!
Another one I had once when I asked for a prescription for topomax made me feel like the scum of the earth.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone on this thread that has shared stories and been so supportive!