TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

[Camelia]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Hi Paddy

nice to hear from you - your encouragement has been awsome so far! As has everybody else of course. In fact I have been so over loaded I called out to 'the Universe' for some emotional support last week and just met a guy this weekend who has been abstinent for one year. He has just gone to Ireland for two weeks but we are meeting when he comes back. This has made me decide to take the opportunity go abstinent for the moment to give it a chance. I have felt it is only a little 'push' further and this is the help I need to do it. A period of detox will be super anyways - and i feel as if I am already doing that in any case and am already feeling fabulous. My binge drinking and minor binge eating has now been replaced by binge shoe purchasing !!!! All you gals out there will know how addictive AND expensive THAT number is - almost as pricey as CHARLIE !!

Love to you all and have a good week!

[WilliamTheFree]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Camelia;144210 wrote: Hi Paddy

My binge drinking and minor binge eating has now been replaced by binge shoe purchasing !!!! All you gals out there will know how addictive AND expensive THAT number is - almost as pricey as CHARLIE !!

Love to you all and have a good week!

Ah...women and shoes.....I have six daughters....between my wife and daughters I could open up a shoe store!! Of course they have NOTHING on Amedla Marcos........

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Ah yes, Irmelda Marcos, she's very much alive ... Aparently, she released her own collection of shoes or jewelry last year ... at the age of eighty!

As for shoes, it's true, my looking at my girlfriend I think I'm dating a centiped or whatever you call these animals (in fact in my mothertongue you call them millepieds, grin, that's a bit closer to reality ...)

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Cravings creeping in again, though longterm TOPA, anybody same experience?

Paddy's resurrecting the old thread again ... I've been on 200 mgs of TOPA daily over the past couple of months, but have noticed that my cravings have been creeping back again ... Bad news, ... it's like not that I'm back into my old drinking habits again, but I feel that it could happen again.

SO, I'm currently at the crossroads yet again, thinking about what I should/could be doing to counteract this threat ... I've been fairly busy recently, which of course contributes to my defenses lying low. It's easy to come home and relax, and drink a couple of glasses of wine. I'm not back to the times of knocking off a bottle, but it did happen a few times already, though not regularly.

Today, I have titrated up the TOPA to 225 mgs, but I'd love to hear of somebody moderating and having the same experience as I?

Frankly, I'm back considering SERIOUSLY on whether to go TOTAL AF!

[rottrod]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Paddy,
I'm seeing more and more members who have been trying to moderate realize that they cannot. These are fairly long term folks. I'm a short timer and I know that I cannot. I can't even make it past 6 days yet but I know that I will never be able to moderate. I'm up to 150 on the Topa now.
I just want this out of my life and want to turn my back on it forever. And you know what, I'm one of the fortunate ones. Yeah, my life could have taken some different turns had I not drank for 20 plus years and yes I've royally screwed up at times but fortunately I did not end up the train wreck that some people I know did. By body needs major healing but I'm working on that. It's just more difficult approaching 50.
The only advice I can give you is to do what you need to do to take care of your body, you only get one. Continuously building it up and then detoxing it can't be good for it and emotionally it takes a toll as well. That's my 2 cents.

Melissa

[Breez]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I agree with Melissa. I, too, have noticed quite a few people who have tried mods only to slowly fall back into their old ways and decide to go AF. Even some who do mods successfully have to set such rules and guidelines that for me is too much energy. Much easier to go AF & never have regrets or worries.

Sorry I couldn't help Paddy. Here's another 2 cents.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

No, you guys are SO RIGHT. I, too, am just totally worn out by the emotional toll of the whole game. I've been keeping track of my alcohol intake on a daily basis, feeling bad when I went overboard, the times I did. Getting my act together again for a couple of weeks, thinking I could moderate successfully, but then slipping again.

I, too, have come to the conclusion that AF would just take away that burden from me with no regrets and worries. Well, NOT QUITE no regrets for the first couple of days and weeks. My big regret would be the crisp white Chardonnay .... But that bastard would have to go ... For better or worse. Well for better, definitely ... There's better way to wind down after a day of work. It's just a habit, after all ...

Thanks for your input

[Ripley]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Hi Padster and others

I have had the same problem. Up to 200mg now after moderating successfully at 150mg topa for months. I am having a lot of personal issues with a divorce so I suppose my stress levels are a contributing factor. my drinking is nowhere near what it was before I joined MWO, but I do feel myself sliding. I was getting to drinking half - three quarters a bottle of wine every other night, which I feel is too much for me, before I upped to 200mg. Now I am back to a couple of glasses 3 times a week. It is a worry that one becomes accustomed to the topa and then slides again - I don't know whether this is true as I have unusually high stress levels. Maybe if my life was "normal" I would be a better test case for this. anwyay...

good luck all, and esp Paddy whose progress I have followed closely from the start.

Rip x

[Kitty]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Hello all,

Hi Ripley, sorry to see you moody thingy says you are sad. You must be awfully stressed right now and but you are doing very well moderating.

I've been following this thread for a while and I'm waiting for my Topa to be delivered.

I have wrapped myself in knots trying to decide how to take it and when and why, oh dear the list goes on and on!!!!

Guess I will just see when it arrives.


Kitty

[Breez]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I tried to mod on Topa 2 yrs ago. Did not work. The binges were furher apart but they were still there. In 7 months I went back to my old ways. Quit it. Then the next few months I mentally prepared myself, developed a positive mindset and went back on Topa with AF intentions. Am now 6 months AF and the longest I have ever gone besides pregnancies. It was the best choice I made & have found other things to use as coping mechanisms & treats for me rather than alcohol. I don't have the burdens. There are the tough days but having conquered them AF is better feeling than any voddy drink anyday.

Good luck Paddy in whatever decision you make & I miss your "hello Vietnam" posts in Monthly Abs.

[Saint Jude]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I've been successfully mods on 100 mg topa for 1 & 1/2 yrs (with the exception of about 3 months I tried going w/out it... not good!)
I can count on 1 hand the binges I've had & that includes the 3 months I was off of topa.
Seems to be working quite well for me.
I stopped on my way home from work last night & danced & had 1 & a 1/2 beers. Poured 1/2 of one out before I came home. Just didn't feelike finishing it.

[rottrod]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Congratulations Judie, I think you are doing wonderfully as well as just being a fun person and having a great outlook on life. That probably adds so much to your success. You are such a wonderful part of this site.

Melissa

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Alcohol OFF switch hit again!

I upped my Topa intake from 200 mgs to 225 mgs per day as of Thursday.

On Friday, I was drinking, without feeling the urge. In fact, I felt a disgust to do so. Yesterday and today AF.

So the 25 mgs made the difference. Over lunch, I had quick urge to drink a beer, but that flew by.

I'm planning to use this time's Topa increase to go on total AF. It's not going to be easy, but I know that if I try to moderate, I will get to a stage where the Topa effect is eventually going to wear off again, and where I will find myself in a situation where I will have to titrate up again ... Or at least that's what I expect to happen. So why not use this momentum of not craving as a new start to go AF trying what hasn't worked over the past few months? Or what has worked for a while, and what didn't work under stress (MODERATION).

What gets me most with moderation, and I probably bore all of you by now as I must have told you over and over again, is the emotional stress of having to think of how many glasses I have had yesterday, will have today, etc, etc ... I'm carefully taking note of my alcohol intake, day by day ... If I'm AF, this whole thing will just disappear from my schedule and I can fill my time with positive things.

One of the members of this board said something else which I thought was very striking: What's the use of detoxing your body over and over again, and then start drinking again? And that's so true.

I still believe that AF is a heave toll to pay. And I hate to punish myself with it. But for some of us THERE JUST IS NO OTHER WAY!!! And we just have to get this into our pig heads! As many excuses as we might seek ... Oh, I'm going to AF during the week, and mods over the weekend ... Frankly, for myself, never going to work. Why? Someone's always going to make sure to invite me to a function during the week where alcohol is offered and I will accept. So, that thing of going AF during the week and mods on weekend is bullsh*t for me, quite frankly ...

Anyway, sorry, I'm getting carried away (verbal, or, typo diarrhea must be a side effect of the + 25 mgs Topa, ha ha)

[Beaches]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Nope Paddy you don't bore us. I have been following your story as well as some others too. Glad you are back on track!

I do have a question for you all out there. I have been taking 100mg for about 3 weeks and need to increase however I only have the 100mg pills. Can I just up to 200 or can I break them in half for 150? Has anyone done this? Thanks

[Breez]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Beaches-I'm a strong believer against splitting pills for various reasons. I even pm'd with RJ about it (& started a thread here). But there will be people who will say otherwise.

You are supposed to go up & down slowly however.