I came across this method randomly as the first book I picked up in the Barnes & Noble "self help" section. I couldn't believe my good fortune, as it was exactly what I was looking for...a way to pull back on my drinking, but not something along the lines of AA, where I attended a few meetings and had a really hard time relating (and didn't connect at all to the blue book). I guess I've always been a "high functioning" alcoholic, where I seem to have really progressed professionally and personally in many ways despite the fact that my drinking has slowly increased over the years to the point where I recognize it is a problem.

At any rate, I'm about 1 1/2 months in now, and was feeling pretty discouraged that I don't feel as though I've realized any impact. In fact, I don't seem to even come across that "dulling" effect I hear about. The only effect I've really come across is some slight nausea, and not even right after taking the pill, just a bit in general.

I went in fully expecting to be fully "cured" within 3 months, and I suppose that's not realistic at all. it sounds as though it's more of a long term process with most people here, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who hasn't recognized an immediate impact (though it sure would be nice). I'm not sure if I'm one of those who will need more than 50mg, or when to make that judgement call, but I think I'm going to ride it out until my next Dr. visit on 3/11 where I'll bring up the thought of upping the dose with my Dr if I don't feel like I'm making progress by then.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience to date. I certainly welcome any thoughts or recommendations.

Have you tried abstaining at times or in situations in which you normally drink? If so, have your cravings gone down? I find it helpful to keep track of cravings, because that's ultimately what you're trying to get rid of. Test it out to see if, in fact, you actually have made progress even though you're drinking the same amount. You might actually be "stronger" than you were and able to reduce your intake without as much effort as it would have taken in the past. The pill can't stop you from drinking at normal amounts, but it can give you the ability to drink less with greater ease. I suppose Naltrexone works in two ways (a) subjectively, where a user actually feels the difference and has a markedly different experience of alcohol, and (b) on the subconscious level, where the user doesn't feel the difference when drinking, but is actually being cured of the addiction in the subconscious (or in the "reptilean brain" as some like to say). You'll never know until you try.

The point of 50mg is that this is the dose that will tend to block all the opioid receptors in almost all people. If all your receptors are blocked, you could take 500mg and there wouldn't be a difference. Just a thought.

Hi Sleepyfloyd and Welcome!

We all react differently to Naltrexone and without more information about your drinking style and numbers it's hard to say what's happening. Are you keeping track of how many units you drink per session/week? This is really helpful as it's an objective record of our drinking. Sometimes we think there's no improvement when there is, sometimes it's the other way around. Try keeping a daily journal of your number of units.

There are very few people on this site who regained control in 3 months. But then most of us are self-medicating and are not getting the same medical and psychological/behavioural coaching that Dr. Sinclair's patients are.

Also, it depends on how long and how hard you've been drinking. Someone who has been abusing alcohol for 30 years will take longer to regain control than someone who is younger or who has been drinking for a shorter time.

Sometimes other medications can reduce or even nullify the effects of Naltrexone, so you might need to look at that too.

Some people have experimented successfully with 75mg, that could be something to discuss with your doctor. And if you are an all-day drinker or if your drinking sessions are long, it might be worth thinking about taking a second pill (or half a pill) a few hours into the session.

6 weeks is a relatively short amount of time so don't lose heart, it's still early days. Keep talking your Nal 1 hour before you drink and record your units.

Good luck!

Curi