Hi All,

I am seeking a doctor sympathetic TSM in the Charlotte, NC area. I have been on Vivitrol injection since April of this year. From what I've read this is not the way to truly solve my drinking problem. I have been seeking a doctor to switch me off of the Vivitrol to the pill version of Naltrexone with little luck. Also, will TSM work while I'm on Vivitrol? I'll be honest I have drank around 7 times since April while on Vivitrol and I cant tell a difference. However, the fact is that I was a daily drinker (12-20 drinks per day). Any help/advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, K

K,

I think there is someone that just posted on here that is using TSM and the injection it was movergal. I think if you would reach out to her she may be able to help you use this injection to your advantage. You could post under her weekly progress or her last post (viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3797&start=10). If she doesn't respond maybe someone else can chime in.

She said she wasn't good in taking the nal. so she wanted to go with the injection.

I think the only difference is you will not be able to have an AF (alcohol free) day. BUT, most doctors will be willing to switch you once your drinking is under control.

Was this your choice to do the injection, or was it court mandated? For that will make a big difference. If it isn't, you can order it on line through All day Chemist.

If you just want to switch, you can tell them you want to use the nal. for abstinence and to keep your desire down. Any GP or NP can write the script.

Good luck and keep us informed,

Jaba

This was posted in 2009 I am not sure if this dr. is still there or not but it cannot hurt to look into it

Sorry another post said this is not her email, and is not using TSM there
: DrLori@LifeSaversRecoveryCenter.com.

The Vivitrol shot is not TSM. A Vivitrol (slow release Naltrexone) shot blocks endorphins 24/7 for 30 days. Taking 50mg Naltrexone orally allows you to target the endorphins released from drinking. Further, the endorphin release is available for healthy rewards such as exercising, sex, etc when not drinking. This is how extinction occurs. You should read the text, The Cure for Alcoholism in order to better understand the method.

In short TSM requires taking naltrexone one hour before drinking, every time, for the rest of your life. In theory in 6-8 months your alcohol dependency will be eliminated ( in 80% of people) providing you remain rigidly compliant. Lastly, you must drink to achieve this, but it will be a new relationship with alcohol absent of the rush/buzz you've come to know. You can not be on Vivitrol.

Bardo,

I think K is having a hard time with getting the nal. and if she already has that pellet in her she can still use TSM (I believe).

I couldn't have an AF day for about 2 months first starting out, those cravings were just to bad, so I was on nal. non stop for those 2 months.

I think getting started in the process is the first thing; however, it is true that TSM should be used with the nal. and not the Vivitrol injection.

With that being said, Movergirl is doing TSM with the injection, and is having success, but I did not ask about her AF days.

Jaba

You can't do TSM while on Vivitrol/the injection.

Interesting fact, I was not aware that it was not even possible to attempt...thanks for clarifying that for me

Hey All,

I appreciate the reply's. I'm getting some that are saying that this will work with Vivitrol and some saying that it will not. So, what we do know for sure, is that I need to get the Nal pill. Is it only available via prescription? If not where can I order it? If yes does anyone know a Dr. in the Charlotte, NC area. I have been drinking while on Vivitrol but nowhere near the levels I was before Detox/Rehab and the use of the injection (since June of this year).

Thanks, K

Those that are saying this works with Vivitrol are misinformed. It will not. You need the medication to wear off for the push/pull of extinction to work. Again, I think you need to read the text not only to better understand your disease, but to fully understand the treatment.

As for the medication you will need a prescription from a doctor. Personally, I think you should tell the physician you are trying to control cravings and don't want the shot any longer. Otherwise, you'll have to explain TSM which I found to be daunting in that it goes against normal methodology. Virtually no doc is familiar with it and ethically they can't tell an alcoholic to drink particularly one who is abstinent like yourself(or so they likely believe) Hence my aforementioned suggestion.

An aside for clarification- The directions on a Naltrexone box of tablets direct the user to take daily with abstinence. That is not TSM, but how docs prescribe it for liability reasons. My GP did this even after reading the chapter for physicians in the book.

You can order Naltrexone from either All Day Chemist or River Pharmacy out of India without a prescription. It will cost approx $80/mo. and take 20 days to arrive.

I live in Virginia and get my Naltrexone through India via online pharmacy. I forgot the name now but it's listed in one of the threads on this forum. If you are given a Vivitrol injection then your doctor is ignorant about TSM which unfortunately is the state of affairs here in the US and probably most of the world. It's not necessarily their fault but none the less they are doing it wrong.

My suggestion to you is to get Dr. Eskapa's book and read it. With that knowledge you can inform your doctor (yes sometimes you have to do their work for them) about how it works and you can even point them in the right direction to where all the nerdy science stuff that they are used to reading all through medical school and beyond. IF they still won't prescribe it then you either need to doctor shop or just get it online like many of us do.

Studies show that taking Naltrexone every day (like the Vivitrol injection) as part of a prescribed regimen actually decreases the success rate of TSM. This probably happens not necessarily because the Naltrexone is not working but because it's administered wrong and patients and doctors don't understand the mechanism of TSM and basically head in the wrong direction till they finally give up.

TSM is very very very simple do do and to understand how it works. Very simple. In a nut shell, you take your Naltrexone one hour before you plan on taking your first drink. When you drink the endorphin's that are produced by the alcohol are blocked by the receptors in the brain. This sets up a de-learning environment where once you were so used to getting this reward and now you are not so that your brain begins to de-associate alcohol with pleasure and as such the synapses in the brian physically become weakened till the point where they essentially die off and your desire for alcohol goes extinct.

I believe that there is also another added benefit to taking your Naltrexone one hour prior to drinking in accordance to TSM in that it also empowers you. In a way you are learning how to gain control over something that has owned you for most of your life. It's part of the process that you take part in rather then one in which you just wait and hope and have faith in.

Learn how it works. Knowledge is power and with that understanding you will be better prepared for how it works and be able to recognize the improvements and setbacks and understand why they are happening.

5 months ago I was like you. I was averaging 12 a night going up to 20 on occasions. Now it's rare that I have anymore then 3 and I have not been drunk in 5 months. You can do it!