Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

Thanks for your reply,

I really appreciate it. I cut back from 100mgs to 75mgs as the coughing etc was keeping me awake nearly all night. The cough is a bit better and I am considering another slight increase now.
Yesterday after 2 days AF I was climbing the walls for a drink. I don't drive and begged my husband to go and get me a bottle of wine. I had a beer in the meantime, guzzled the wine. Then blackout, apparently I went next door, they drink out on the balcony all afternoon and evening. I do vaguely recall walking round there.
Landed up with them practically carrying me back 2 hours later, legless. I am mortified, God knows what I was saying? I have asked them but they are being tight lipped about it. They say I desperately need help. Several times over the last few weeks I have just conked out when drinking with baclofen.
Can I ask you, how high did you need to go before you lost interest and could then reduce?
Last night was full moon and it often triggers me to a binge.
Also did the side effects wear off as you increased?

I am beginning to think I will have to abstain or I will kill myself in the very near future. Last night I went to sit on the toilet and instead sat in the glass shower. This has happened twice.

I am totally desperate now, I strongly dislike AA but am even considering going back there. I have my second appointment with my clinical psych in 2 hours and am in panic mode again.

I love your attitude to your sobriety.
Thanks so much for caring.

Elizabeth

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

PS I am in Perth

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

Hello there,
I have just reread your message again. I did have quite a definite drop in my anxiety between 75-100mgs.
I am going to post a couple of updates below. Perhaps you can give me a bit of encouragement.
Thank you.Elizabeth.

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

This and the following post have been copied and pasted from another forum HAMS WHICH HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.

#19
04-06-2019, 01:16 AM
I think I am making progress. Thank you for asking.Managed 5 days AF last week, due to guilt, mortification and increasing baclofen to 100 mgs per day.
Then busted last night after just 3 days. As soon as I start that is it. 3 bottles of wine later.......
My daughter in England has said we can stay when we are over in 5 weeks time, bless her. We will be visiting and staying with others, I so want this to work.
My daughter here is pushing me away, self preservation. I get it as the same happened to me and my Mother. Very hard to just sit, wait, hope, not make false promises.
I have mixed feelings about increasing my baclofen. Every time I do, I get this God awful cough which leads to incontinence. Although since my increase last Sunday is beginning to wear off.
The great thing is the dramatic reduction in my anxiety and possibly managing to go more than alternate days AF. But that could be pure fear?
My clinical psychiologist who I met for the second time last week. Concluded, after my online questionnaire of 173 questions! Some which were seriously bizarre. Was my main problem is anxiety due to childhood and then later difficulties.
He did say I must not dwell on the past. He noted the baclofen was helping my anxiety. He did say very few of his patients over the years have managed controlled drinking. However he also stated he would not ask me to stop.
He asked me a very strange question which was "If I ask you to do something will you agree" Mmm that set a few alarm bells ringing but I said yes. He then asked me to visualise a white bear, which I did. Then he said dont think about it. It was quite difficult. The night before my appointment he asked me to not drink. The cravings were insane and I gave in, he says that is because I am thinking about it too much. I must tell myself I am no longer a drinker. If I slip it is not the end of the world. interesting?
I have been trying to put this into practice.
I have it in my head now, that unless I quit, for sure I will be dead in a couple of years as I have had so many dangerous falls etc and my 9 lives are running out.
Thank you all for your wonderful support and I hope your road gets a bit smoother.

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

#20
Today, 08:37 PM
Dilemma over dose. I increased to 125 mgs after waiting 8 days. Seem to have gone back to drinking/bingeing alternate days. On the positive side anxiety attacks have now practically gone. However the cough and incontinence have got worse and apart from feeling really spun out and dozy again, I am unable to really function much at all. I did email Dr Amanda Stafford at Perth Royal Hospital about my concerns regarding trying to get up to 150 mgs and hoping that the side effects will dampen down and hopefully I may reach the magic "trigger". She has a great interest in baclofen for addictions and has written many observations which you can google.
She once again very kindly replied and said that in her opinion if I can fight through the side effects it is worth still increasing the dose. She is very kind and helpful, she has her email address on her page and considering I am not even a patient of hers, I really appreciated her reply.
But yesterday I was so wobbly and confused and am frightened to increase to 125 mgs on Monday which will be a week since the last increase.I have read so much about baclofen for AUD and naturally a lot of it is conflicting advice as everyone is different.
Is there anyone who has been through this experience who could perhaps share their own journey please.
I would be really grateful as I truly believe this is my last option to try and I so need this to work.
Hoping life is being kind to you all through this difficult but worthwhile journey.

[Baclofenman]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

Hi Elizabeth - unfortunately I don't get as much time for forums aa I used to and as I have been away from home for the last week or so I have been without my laptop and I do detest typing on my phone as the mobile site here is rubbish and I have big hands so typing is a nightmare

I will keep an eye on your progress and reply fully when u get home next weekend.

're the bear....to me that is a mind focus excersise . It will seem a long way away but there will be a time when you can think about a drink and then divert your thoughts straight onto a different subject

You will be wise to follow Amanda's advice, after all she IS a doctor

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

Further update.

Unfortunately my clinical psychologist cancelled our appointment due to a death in his family. Next available slot is 6th of May.
I am feeling somewhat frantic about our 6 week trip to uk starting on 12th May.
I am generally drinking every second day, normally 2 bottles of wine, trying desperately to cut down with limited success.

My dilemma is that since I increased from 100mgs to 125 mgs per day of baclofen, this cough and the accompanying incontinence has returned with a vengeance. So I am very reluctant to increase agin, even though I wanted to be on 150 a day before we left. My last increase was 10 days ago, the dizziness etc has now worn off again, but I can hardly stay at relatives homes with this incontinence condition. Sanitary pads are almost useless. Although I am using them.

In my desperation I have been researching constantly and came across several articles and studies which linked the desire to drink too much alcohol to anti depressants.
Sorry this is turning into a very long post. Now I was sober for 6 1/2 years, until 8 years ago. But anxiety attacks were totally debilitating. I had to sell my business etc.I went into a private clinic for 5 weeks, where imo they treated me as a guinea pig, changing drugs on an almost daily basis. Nothing helped and when I left as a zombie on 7 different drugs,I quit the whole lot cold turkey, not to be advised. It was dreadful.
Anyway, then I was left with me and my anxiety, suicidal thoughts and an overthinking head.
After a couple of weeks my GP eventually managed to persuade me to go on prozac. She said they were the oldest drug and were even used on 10 year old kids.
So reluctantly, I agreed. She also prescribed valium on an as needed basis.

It is difficult to remember, but perhaps my depression lifted a little but everything else continued as before. Then I started to really crave alcohol again and decided to drink.
I am now thinking that perhaps the prozac actually caused this craving, which had more or less vanished after such a long period of sobriety.

After studying some of these articles I am concluding that perhaps the prozac did lead me back to my drinking. Even people who have had no AUD have become alcoholics after taking AD's
What is done is done, I very rarely feel depressed nowadays and have decided to very slowly to wean down or even off the prozac.

I am wondering if anyone here knows of or has experienced this connection. If it is correct, it could be a game changer. Baclofen has reduced my anxiety hugely. I have also read that it can help with depression.

I feel a bit self indulgent typing all of the stuff out about ME. But I so hope to get some dialogue going on this subject and hopefully help others.
If you are still with me. Thank you for your patience.

Elizabeth

[Slo]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

I have also heard that ADs can cause an uptick in alcohol use and lead to AUD. I too wonder if my ADs led to my AUD, as previous to starting them I was in control of my alcohol use. But, they have been very helpful for managing depression & anxiety. I guess I’ll never know for sure if the two are interrelated in my case or not.

[Mom21961]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

Elizabeth. Have you tried increasing VERY slowly? I was going up only 5mg at a time on Baclofen during a period where side effects were bad. Try 5mg a week or or longer is necessary until the SEs reduce. I’ve found that the body did adjust.

[Elizabeth 0810]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

I am becoming a bit paranoid. I cut back to 100 mgs per day. The incontinence is slightly better. But I seem to keep binging, I drank 3 bottles of wine 2 nights ago.
We are away on our 6 week trip in a fortnight. I am so worried about drinking/blackouts and incontinence.
The dizziness etc has improved although confusion is bad. I have an excess of saliva which seems to be causing this cough.
I have again been searching for answers. I have reduced my prozac from 100 mgs per day to 50 mgs on alternate days.

Last night I read a very interesting article which suggested that rather than wait for the "switch" which seems unlikely on just 100 mgs that perhaps I should try to just resist drinking so often. Then the baclofen should be more effective.
I don't think that a lot of the time I start drinking because of cravings, more out of the desire to relax and the long standing habit.
I like your suggestion of increasing baclofen exceptionally slowly, but I am now lying awake all night worrying myself stupid. So I think I may stick at this dose while I am away.
I wish we weren't going now, I feel under tremendous pressure.
I even thought about slightly lowering my dose of baclofen.
As you can see I am going round and round in circles here.
Any further suggestions are most welcome.

[Baclofenman]

Re: Baclofenman - My Story of Baclofen Two years in.

I hope your GP is still willing to accept your medical advice. If so please pass on this

https://www.peertechz.com/articles/a...d-patients.pdf

Hi Colin,

Funny, I had forgotten I had said this and I was with her this new year about something unrelated and we were talking about Baclofen. She would tell me she had 3 other patients taking Baclofen on her script but would not tell me how they were getting on - some bullshit about patient confidentiality or something . She did have a little smile on her face mind, so I guess it was not bad news.

Regards,


Bacman