starting campral soon...some questions

[dirty birdy]

Hey Everyone I plan on starting Campral in the next couple days or so and i have a question! My doc wants to start me on just one 333mg pill a day in order to avoid side effects and move up from there. However i'm wondering if a dosage this low would even benefit me? Should i maybe start with 333 2x a day instead? How common are campral side effects anyways? From what i hear they are very low. Anyways:thanks: any advice suggestions would be wonderful!

[JackieClaire]

starting campral soon...some questions

:welcome: dirty birdy,

I used to take campral (acamprosate) just over 6 years ago and got about 5/6months sobriety on it until I chose to drink again.

As I'm not a doctor, sorry can't advise on your dosage, but although this is an old thread there's plenty of advise in it. Just click on the link below.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...tes-38480.html

There's also some masses of different information on cravings and how to manage them in the tool box link.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html


J x
:l

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

Thanks for the fast response Jackie. I'll be sure to check out those links on my break. Btw Did you happen to have any side effects on campral? And when you started did you start on the fulldose and taper up slow>? Appreciate the help

[JackieClaire]

starting campral soon...some questions

Crikey, now you're asking. It seems so long ago.

Now don't quote me, but I think I started at 2 tablets x 3 times daily and felt pretty nauseous most of the time. I went back to the doctor and he cut them down to 1, 3 x daily. I was fine from then on.

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

Sorry! If i had a time machine i could have asked you earlier but i don't so i cant.

Anyways 1 tablet 3x a day def makes sense. What confuses me is why my doctor would prescribe the medication just once in the morning. That would mean if i took it in the morning i wouldn't have enough of the medication in my bloodstream for afternoon evening cravings. At least that's what I'm assuming anyways. I left a msg on my doctors machine asking this but he still hasn't phoned me back yet. Also Did you notice the medication taking effect right away or did it take a couple days/weeks to really feel the cravings subside?

[Greg]

starting campral soon...some questions

I'll just add my bit of experience with Campral here. I took it about 10 years ago and managed to stay sober for 2 months on that occasion. It seemed to reduce my cravings and increase my overall sense of mental stability and contentment, and if I missed a day or two, I would notice definite increases in emotional instability and a desire to drink to relieve that instability.

I was prescribed 6 of the 333 mg pills each day (two taken three times a day), and this is a commonly recommended dose. I remember reading that it takes a number of days, possibly around a week, to reach full levels in the system. I would assume its anti-craving effect, if it is going to happen at all for someone, would also reach a peak at that time. Unfortunately one study showed minimal or even zero average benefits with the drug, but I'm pretty sure it did help me rather than just being a placebo effect. I cannot blame the drug for my return to drinking, as I had been silly enough to miss taking doses for no obvious reason, and was not taking it at all when I relapsed. It didn't cause me any serious side effects that I can remember.

I have seen the dose recommended as only being three 333 mg pills per day for people below a certain body weight, but I have never heard of only one pill being useful over the long term. Maybe your doctor is starting you low to minimise side effects, but I would definitely question staying on such a low dose continuously, as it would be unlikely to be of any benefit. The doses I have mentioned above are written in reputable medical sources too, so are not just my opinion.

[12steppin'gal]

starting campral soon...some questions

28 days of Sobriety

While I appreciate MWO, I was not able to quit or control my drinking on my own. I tried several times but nothing seemed to stop the yearning for alcohol. I thought I was a lost cause, a loser. I decided to talk to my Dr. about it. He prescribed Campral. I immediately noticed my cravings were not as strong but after 4 days of not drinking I began drinking again. I drank a few days per week instead of 7 but I was feeling hopeless about ever being sober for any length of time. I decided to try out-patient chemical dependency treatment. That was 25 days ago. I have learned so much about the disease of alcoholism and how the brain responds to it for those of us who are alcoholic. I felt hope for the first time in years. The 12 steps, Campral and CD treatment working together along with a willingness to trust others is what worked for me. Never give up, keep trying and realize that you are worth the effort. I still crave drinking but now I have the tools to handle them and stay sober.

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

I think I'll stick with campral for now. I really don't like aa, there all narcissistic faggots, well at least most of them are. That being said hopefully by next week the cambral will start kicking in and i'll be able to go to meetings again. I don't get anything out of them but it's good to get out when your sober. Plus the coffee is really good! Glad to hear of your recovery, tools of the trade are important.

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

Thanks greg. I'm gonna start with 333 x2 daily tomorrow and see if i have any side effects. Yea my doctor started me on such a low dose to see if i get side effects but starting with one 333 a day seems pointless so im gonna do the 2. Morning and night. Not that it's my business but did you try using cambral again after you resumed drinking? Glad to here you didn't have any side effects though. Btw did drinking on it make you sick at all?

[Greg]

starting campral soon...some questions

dirty birdy;1189477 wrote: Thanks greg. I'm gonna start with 333 x2 daily tomorrow and see if i have any side effects. Yea my doctor started me on such a low dose to see if i get side effects but starting with one 333 a day seems pointless so im gonna do the 2. Morning and night. Not that it's my business but did you try using cambral again after you resumed drinking? Glad to here you didn't have any side effects though. Btw did drinking on it make you sick at all?

No, I didn't go back to using Campral once I relapsed. I should have given it another try, but felt so hopeless about drinking again that I didn't even try to help myself again for quite a while. I've read that Campral should be maintained if someone drinks again, but that if they go back to daily full scale drinking, it won't work very well until they are able to try it again when sober.

I have never drank with Campral, as I had stopped taking it before I drank again, but I don't think I have ever read of anyone getting sick due to this.

Just another thing about dose, the manufacturer's leaflet states that the dose for someone whose weight is 60 kg or more is two tablets three times daily with meals, whereas for a person under 60 kg it's two pills in the morning then only one at lunch and one at dinner time. 60 kg=132 pounds by the way.

[12steppin'gal]

starting campral soon...some questions

I drank while on Campral. I needed less to get drunk and my hangovers were horrible, I was a bitchy drunk but not sure if that was the Campral. I think the nasty hangovers helped me to make the call to get treatment. I also felt "woozy" (for lack of a better term) my first week on it. Gas is also an issue. Stay away from carbonated beverages and foods that cause gas. I take 2 pills three times per day. I will be on it for 1 year. I have been sober for 4 weeks now and Campral played a big part in it. Good luck and don't give up.

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

Yeah I read that as well, about fullscale drinking on campral reducing the effect. I want to abstain for awhile though so hopefully this won't be a problem for me. Have you ever thought about trying campral again or have you discovered other methods on staying off the sauce? Also interesting that Naltrexone made your depression worse...I'm not the only one then. I'm a big dude so i'll def need the fulldose then. I'm gonna start on 2x daily and see how that goes for a week then move up from there. I guess morning and with dinner or morning and before bed? Or maybe morning and lunch? So many options!

[dirty birdy]

starting campral soon...some questions

Yeah i had the same problem with bad hangovers while i took Naltrexone 12 steppin gal. I'll keep an eye out for the gas tho. I think if that's the worst side effect I'm in good shape.