Hi all,

My Nal finally arrived from India and I took my first dose (25mg) in the morning (I drink in the mornings often recently and definitely want to stop...)

It certainly reduced my desire to drink (I had one, but didn't bother about a second) but it left me feeling strange and nauseous and my appetite for anything (alcohol, food, sex...) was pretty much obliterated.

That evening, before I started to drink again with my GF, I took another 25mg (thinking the '1 hour before was an inviolable rule) and *BOOM* I was quite ill indeed... :S (nausea to the point of vomiting, abdominal cramping, sleep affected - to the point of not sleeping at all, etc...) The worst of the side effects did not even begin to abate for 24 hours and I was ill for over 2 days and still feeling some effect (and a reduced desire to drink) almost 3 days later.

It took me almost a week to be brave enough to try again and this time took only 25mg in the morning (hoping that it would wear off enough to let me sleep that night), but again, all appetites were destroyed, bad nausea (with some vomiting, but not as much) and a general feeling of unwellness (including no appetite for food or sex) for about 48 hours.

I'm trying again now with only 12.5mg (I want to do this, but just can't operate with the level of the side effects...)

I'm not normally 'over sensitive' to medications (in fact I usually require larger doses for them to be effective for me), so I'm wondering if anyone else's experiences match mine and if anyone has tried such a low dose and found it to be effective...

Sorry for the long post (my GF - rightly - says I talk too much )

Hi Sak & welcome, I'm no expert, but I have been reading a lot of posts over the past couple of days. My own experience is that when I first took Nal, from India, I experienced some ill side effects, yet not to the degree of yours. Mine subsided considerably when I titrated down to 12.5. But then I was afraid to go beyond that and wasn't sure it was doing any good. Fast forward six months and I don't seem to get the SE's with 25mg of the Naltrexone that I am getting from a real-live-psychiatrist.

What I have gathered from others is that if you eat before taking the Nal and drink plenty of water, it helps.

Best of Luck! I hope it works for you. keek

sakura1998 have you tried eating befor you take your medication and have you tried mylanta extra strenght or tums before or after you take your nal that should help with the upset stomach?

Hi Sakura and welcome!

Many of us are more sensitive to Nal than others, I certainly am. However, your reactions sound extreme, it might be a coincidence and maybe you caught a tummy bug at the same time. But to be on the safe side, try again with just 12.5 mg after you eat something. The side effects usually subside after a couple of weeks.

What brand of Nal are you using?

Good luck.

curi

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies

The brand I'm using is called 'Nodict' (pretty expensive as Nal's not prescribed here in Japan and the American/Canadian suppliers I found won't ship to Japan - $4.48 a pill, but it worked out about $3.70 after the freebies for a fairly big order )

I'm taking 12.5 to try to acclimatise my body to Nal (I can feel it, but there aren't any significant side effects at that dose and it also doesn't block my desire to drink the way 50mg and 25mg did - no honeymoon ) But... I figure that, if I can get used to it, I can increase the dose again after a week or so...

Cheers! (with Nal of course )

Mark.

4.48 a pill, wow. i pay 5 dollars for a months supply. i sould sell it to you guys and make a profit. just kiden. just because you did not experince the honemoon doesnt mean anything. did you try taking mylanta for treating Nausea and acid indigestion before you take naltrexone? how long have you been doing tsm?

I'm a total beginner to TSM... I had 'other habits' as a younger man and drinking only really got out of control for me a few years ago (having said that, I drink a hell of a lot now and have recently reached the stage where I get sick if I don't drink in the morning... I couldn't count the 'units per day')

I took 25mg today - it didn't block my desire to drink (I found out this morning my Big Sis died yesterday afternoon and am on a bender now... ), but it seems that a low dose for a few days acclimatised me at the cost of the honeymoon period... (oh well... I don't want to continue drinking like this, so I don't mind the loss of the honeymoon so much)

Wish I could get NAL for the same price as you guys :S

sakura1998 so sorry to here about you sister. that must be hard on you and your family. sakura1998 not everone experinces the honeymoon and that doesnt mean anything if you didnt experince that .just folow this forum and pop your pill a hour before you drink, and you will be fine.

I am finally here,if you want to know why people lurk this board, the login/create anaccount procedure took me 4 days!
back to topic,
I have been drinking too much wine for twenty years and am drug sensitive. Topa made me very crazy.
I started on the 18 with 25 mg from india, no desire to drink. had two glasses.threw one glass away. same the next night, third night on 25 mg I was extremely nauseated.
last night I cut the 25 in half, took 1/2 two hours before drinking, the the last 12 mg 45 min before drinking. no nausea.
I drank 4 small glasses of wine last night, just sipping while cooking.
I am thrilled, I may stay on 25 mg for another week of so.
I never got past 50 mg of topa without the insane desire to lose my temper and scream, so not like me.

Hi - new to this forum. Started Nal 5 days ago. Had to reduce from 50 to 25 to 12.5 to 6.25 mg of Nal and STILL feel awful the next day. Didn't drink anything today not because I didn't want to but because I was scared of the prolonged Nalover. Followed all the tips and tricks to no avail. I know it's early on so I remain hopeful. Anyone else THIS sensitive to Naltrexone? Any hints? Please help!!!