I had been a regular on the forum and couldn't understand why I wasn't making progress. Sometimes I felt I was, and then my drinking was going back to past levels. I was however, having regular AF days which was positive. I then learned that Xanax and benzo's in general interfere with the extinction process. My doctor prescribed NAL, but also Alprazolam ER .05 2X a day, and short acting .05 up to 3X a day. I'm also on Lexapro 20mg a day. This would be my 3 rd attemp at TSM. Should I taper off the Xanax completely, or should I begin NAL while tapering off the Xanax? Also, Lexapro does have anti anxiety properties. Will an anti depressant impact extinction. UKB are you still out there?
Thanks,
Retread

Retread -

Perhaps check with your doc about a replacement for the Xanax? There are the "Z-class" drugs that don't have the same chemistry as benzos, but I don't know for sure that they wouldn't interfere. In any case, you'll want to talk to your doc about tapering off and how best to achieve that. If you're not taking Nal now, then your idea of waiting till you get off the benzos is probably a good one.

Have you checked the Find a Physician page to see if there's a TSM doc in your area? Might be a good ally here:

http://www.cthreefoundation.org/find-a-physician.html

If you don't find anything there, shoot me a PM, I have a few that haven't made the list yet.

If you check the web, you'll see that antidepressants in general can indeed be prescribed for anxiety (SSRI, SNRI, Tricyclics, Atypicals, etc).

Lexapro is a SSRI. They can have a wildcard effect wrt alcohol cravings (whether TSM is in the picture or not). Google (in Google) SSRI Alcohol Craving. You see anecdotal reports of people claiming that SSRIs increased their craving, decreased their craving, or made no difference at all. Keep in mind that people on the internet can and do say anything they like. Do have a look at the article on RxISK, that site was put up by doctors and even though the article is more anecdotal evidence written by a layperson, the site itself has a bit more credibility in my eyes at least. That being said, look into your own experience and see if your drinking changed around the time you started the Lexapro (or Celexa, if you were using that before). If you see a connection, talk to your doc about it before you change a thing.

NB, I think Bardo uses Trazadone to help with sleep and seems to get along with it fine, but that's Bardo. Just something for the hopper, I'm not a doctor or healthcare professional of any sort, so keep that in mind.

Retread - I took Celexa years ago and have to admit that my drinking did seem to get worse then - although I did not make the connection. When I finally weaned myself off it, I was into the habit of drinking then - hence starting TSM. I was never on TSM and Celexa at the same time. I have heard conflicting advice re the Xanax - but please, whatever you do, taper off the Xanax REALLY slowly! I was taken off the Celexa by my doc way too fast and had awful repercussions ending up in the hospital!

I wish you well with it all - hang in there !

Hugs, Maggie