One more,

I had no effects from the Nal the first two times I took it and then I got mildly drunk from the drug the next few times. Then for awhile I felt almost nothing if I took it before drinking and only the last few weeks has it given me a sort of queasy feeling and a light headed, dizzy effect. I have also notice that it makes me feel hot and a bit sweaty for a few minutes soon after taking it. I am contemplating lunch with wine tomorrow without the Nal just to be sure what the effects of the alcohol are without the Nal. I realize a risk there but think that I am sober enough to control it. I have also noticed that I almost have to take a nap soon after my lunch and drinking are finished. I definitely have not felt like doing anything very physical the last few times that I have been on Nal.

At any rate I will continue to update my log on my reactions to the drug itself.

So today I remembered that somewhere in the past I read that a person taking Nal always had a little something to eat before taking a tablet. I also did this when I first took Nal but must have forgotten this practice the last few times and that probably contributed to my reaction after taking a dose, sweaty, irritable, and then a little sleepy, so today I set my timer and had a glass of milk and a small piece of cake about 5 minutes before taking Nal and I did not have the most current reaction. In fact today I may have experienced no real adverse effect from the tablet itself at all. I waited an hour and we had steak and shrimp for lunch with a Merlot and for dessert a port wine and cheese cake and I am sitting here now feeling pretty good. Not craving a drink but would have one if it was already poured. Ha.

OK, that is my revelation for today, eat something, anything, before taking Nal and it might counter the side effects , that is if you experience any effects yourself.

So, my plan to eat a little something when I took Nal worked somewhat but I still felt some effects of the drug later in the day and generally did not feel good. Maybe if I took the pill when I planned to be outside and walking someplace and getting some exercise it would help but taking it at home before a meal is not. I feel bad enough from the pill or the combination of Nal and alcohol that I don't know if it is worth it. When I was on my trip I could take Nal and walk down to the bar where I drank and did not really feel any side effects but since being back home I get a slightly nauseous feeling and a light headedness and a goofy feeling that I just do not like and cannot see subjecting myself too just to have a glass of wine, I mean my whole afternoon is shot even into the evening.

So today I made a bold move, I did not take Nal but had a glass of wine with lunch and a glass of port with dessert and right now I feel fine, no desire to get another drink or do anything stupid. But I also do not feel the nagging nauseous after effects either. But I have to take it easy if I am going to drink without the Nal, that can lead to trouble.

I remember when I was sober for more than 8 years once before, it took me awhile to get addicted again and I sincerely believe that it was only because of my environment, which is not even remotely like my life today. So my next experiment might be to take Nal without drinking for maybe a week and see if I can suffer through the bad effects of the drug and become accustomed to it. Maybe after some days it will get better but for now I did not want to feel ill again this weekend.

More later after I try the Nal without booze to see if I can get my body to adapt to it.

Just my opinion after 9 weeks, but I currently feel that I will embrace any side effect or crappy feeling from the Nal, as long as it can make me drink less. I my change my opinion later, however, right now, I'm just happy my numbers continue to go down.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks,
Christopher

Thanks Christopher,

Today I had a pill with my lunch and a half hour later I can feel the pill is making me a little dizzy and lethargic. Sad think is I only took 1/4 of a pill so my system must be pretty sensitive to the Nal. Funny because I have had to take a number of different types of meds for BP and arthritis and nothing has ever affected me like this Nal. Viagra does give me a bit of a flush and dizziness also. Anyway I would not feel comfortable right now driving, I am not the least impaired but just do not feel alert and normal. But I will try all week to take Nal without drinking just to see if I can get accustomed to it.

The good thing about starting this experiment totally sober is that I have no craving to drink so whether I do or not seems to be of no consequence. I just like wine with a good, big meal which is usually for us our weekend lunches. During the week eating is nothing special but weekends are a treat.

More later.

So since my last post I have just stopped taking the Nal but I continue to drink as I did with the Nal which is very moderate and mostly only on weekends. So far my feeling is that due to my abstinence for those years I am not back into my old drinking/craving ways. If this continues then it means that it is possible that once you have dried out completely and have allowed your body to heal then a person may stand a chance of drinking normally if, IF, you set a goal and a limit and under no circumstance try to abuse yourself. Now I know that I cannot generalize about this, maybe what I am doing is not for others but I have abused myself so much that I made a promise to myself not to return to my old ways and will keep that promise no matter what. But I will only drink here at home and on weekends or special occasions and will not go out to bars and make new "bar friends", you know what I mean, the people that you only really know when you are at your at your drinking spot. I do not intend to have a "drinking spot". So that is about all for now, maybe sometime soon I will take Nal again but as my previous posts indicated it was making me feel awful, so awful in fact that it ruined the rest of the day after I took the pill. So long for now.

Thanks for the update.

Which Nal are you taking from which pharmacy? I read somewhere on here that the Nal from River, some complained it was "less effective" due to the "coating". Maybe? Perhaps there is a different type of Nal out there with a different kind of release mechanism. I have also read about the "Low Dose Nal" that is taken for other illnesses. This may have coating on it that a normal nal doesn't, especially when it is cut into fractional pieces.

The thought of me going without Nal ever again is something I don't really want to talk about.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Thanks for the update.

Which Nal are you taking from which pharmacy? I read somewhere on here that the Nal from River, some complained it was "less effective" due to the "coating". Maybe? Perhaps there is a different type of Nal out there with a different kind of release mechanism. I have also read about the "Low Dose Nal" that is taken for other illnesses. This may have coating on it that a normal nal doesn't, especially when it is cut into fractional pieces.

The thought of me going without Nal ever again is something I don't really want to talk about.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Christopher,

I am taking the Naltrexone from AllDayPharmacy. I have had some or no reaction to Nal in my first and initial doses. But as my posts have been pointing out, for the last couple of months that I took Nal, from two different batches, I suffered nausea that ruined my day. So when I first decided that my healed body and determination might be enough for me to experiment with the small alcohol intake that I permit myself and it worked out OK then it leads me to some conclusions. I can probably drink modestly without returning to my drunken past. But I do not doubt that if I allow myself to drink uncontrollably then it will be a disaster. As I said, my body and mind are healed after such a long period of abstinence and it is almost like it was back when I was a kid and could take it or leave it. Another thought is that the few months that I took Nal successfully might have closed up those receptors that I had before and I am able to continue with my modest program of weekend drinking with meals without negative consequences.

More later.

Further to your question, the name of the Nal that I am taking is Naltima 50mg.