I started TSM and Naltrexone (Nal) one year and four days ago. It has been a text book success story. I am a 62 yr old male; had my first beer at age 14, and realized I had a drinking problem about 40 years ago. I now take one 50 mg Nal at least one hour before I want to have a beer or glass of wine, which averages 3 to 4 times a month. I have stopped all hard liquor, and have no desire, since starting TSM. To put it into perspective, I went from approximately 300 drinks a month to 3 or 4 in just 75 days in 2014. And today, after taking my Nal, I only have one beer or one glass of wine on any given day with no white-knuckle affects.

When I decided to try Nal, I had to present the idea to my doctor, actually a PA, who knew nothing about Nal. He read the AMA Journal article on Naltrexone for Alcohol Use Disorder and agreed to prescribe Nal to me providing I did two blood tests, one prior to taking Nal, and another 30 days after taking it. A year later, my actual doctor has never even acknowledged or asked about how Nal is going. She is oblivious and thinks the only way to sobriety is abstinence and 12 step programs. Yes, we have discussed it in previous years.

Now for the question: Last night, my wife who is also a moderate alcohol user (3 to 5 glasses of wine per evening) decided to give one of my 50 mg Naltrexone a try. She took it one hour before her first sip of wine. After she took two sips of wine, she became very dizzy and nauseous. This stayed with her all evening, and even tonight she is not feeling 100%. She is rarely ill, and last night, she was very ill. Please don't lecture us on taking somebody else's Rx medications. Yes, we do know better, however since the doctors do not seem to know any more about Nal than we do, we saw no reason to consult her physician. My wife only takes one Rx for Thyroid. She also has developed a rash on some of her fingers, which does not hurt, but it just started today. Not sure if this is a coincidence or not. She would like to give Nal another try, maybe cut one pill in half, but is obviously leery. Does anybody have any thoughts or similar experience? Thank you in advance.

All is well, no worries. Your wife is simply suffering from common initial side effects of taking 50mg of Naltrexone. Most of us start at 25mg for a few days (cut a pill in half) and work our way up 50. Some even start with a 1/4 pill.

Speaking of which, usually (once you are cured) a 1/4 pill is all that is needed as a "maintenance" dosage if you want to drink a little. You might want to try that yourself. I find that a 50mg shot after I haven't been drinking or taking Nal for a while is a little unpleasant.

Hi,
I had the same experience with Nal as your wife did. I wrote about this on this forum, too. The first two nights I took 25 mg and was sort of OK, when I started with 50 mg, I had a nightmarish week. Nausea, headache, generally feeling unwell, unable to work etc. Since then, I am taking 12,5 mg and have great results. Drink only one or maximum two small glasses of wine per night and not even every night. I suggest that she tries taking only one 1/4th of the pill, too.

Thank you both for your timely responses and reassurance. And thank you for not stating the obvious. Your comments are appreciated.