I've been on Naltrexone since Sept. followed Sinclair Method and as yet not realized any differences. Should I increase dose from 50 to 75 mg.?

Beebop,
We probably need more information before you get good advice. Namely, (a) are you following the Nal+1 Hour + Drinking = Cure "Golden Rule" every time you drink? (b) What is your drinking pattern? Bingeing? Daily? Secret? How much do you typically drink in a day and week? (c) Besides taking the "magic" pill, what else are you doing to curb your drinking?

Increasing your dose from 50mg to 75mg won't make a difference for most people, as 50mg covers all your opioid receptors (that's all this drug does -- nothing else).

Yes, the first question is always this: Do you always wait one hour between taking naltrexone and drinking alcohol?

If no, start doing that.

If yes, I'd ask how you feel when drinking. Does drinking on naltrexone feel significantly different than drinking without it? I'd also ask how long your drinking sessions last.

Hi bebop , I started in September also , and noticed nothing different , lately I have increased the dose to 75 mg and it has made a big difference , especially for beer I think wine will take a little longer but it tastes bad on 75 so I would imagine its just a matter of time also. Increasing the dose to 75 mg has worked well for some people . All the best J.

Thanks for responding. I need to take a look at timing. I believe I've been going 30-45 min. but will now make sure it's an hour. Feeling a bit discouraged after seeing a therapist today. Therapist wants me to look into AA or do AA along with Nal. @Barry I'm mostly evening binge drinker and I'm not doing anything else to curb my drinking.

@Mellisa1928
Feel a little different on Nal. A little groggy and sleepy. Not sleeping through the night though. Mostly wine and scotch drinker. Some times only want a couple of glasses then just water. Recently just wine. Haven't had any days where I've abstained.

@jokerman
What was the big difference when you upped the dose?

Yes. An hour. Most people need an hour for the naltrexone to cover all their receptors.

What's the reason that you haven't been waiting the full hour?



Yeah, that is discouraging.

Some people do combine AA and TSM. I think JMS does, if I recall correctly. If "the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking," then in theory they shouldn't hassle you for doing this.

In practice, they probably will, unless you find an unusually open-minded group. Also, many of us find that AA's Big Book thumping just leaves a bad taste in our mouths. I don't know what to say to that, except that you don't have to do something just because a therapist suggests it.

If you are feeling a little different, you're getting some effect. You'll probably see progress if you start following the method properly and maybe up the dose a bit -- I suspect that a fair number of people need more than the standard 50mg. But first just try observing the one-hour rule. That may be all you need.

Thanks Melissa. As a woman, I'm not comfortable going to AA, i.e., "13th step". And, yea know that what I ultimately do is my choice, not therapist. Just a little bummed that AA is always the "go to" method.
Just looked at your blogspot (nice) and I printed the flow chart to have nearby. I think it'll be helpful.