Hi!

First of all, I am brand new to forums. I'm tech inclined but have never really needed to join an online forum until now. Please go easy on me if I'm not totally up to speed with how things go in forums.

So, I’m on my fourth day on Naltrexone. I did really well on my first three days at 25mg. I was supposed to up to 50mg today, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it due to the insomnia. And, I was drinking less…and not cranky...not until today.

I went to work on my computer at Starbucks, after working since 8am at home. By the time 3pm rolled around, I decided to pop a Naltrexone and head to a local (somewhat quiet) happy hour an hour after that. It’s Sunday. If I'm working all day over the weekend, I’ve been known to stop by a local place with wi-fi for a couple glasses of wine and nosh. Today, for some reason, I felt a bit of a rush with the first drink. I also ordered a bunch of bread and devoured that like a mad woman.

As I was working there, I started to get a little cranky and quite judgmental. Ugh, those annoying upper east side sheep. Ugh, those yucky NYC accents! Ugh, polo shirts and sundresses! And then I got frustrated with my own life. That is completely unlike my experience over the past three days. Granted, I only had 2.5 glasses of wine last night - I haven't had that little in months.

What's going on?Am I having a cranky detox moment? I’ve worked there Pre-Naltrexone before and didn’t feel that cranky. Ironically, I felt the feeling I would feel when I wanted a drink but couldn’t have one.

I came home and poured a half glass. I made pasta. I’m feeling much better. It's not so much because of the extra wine, but I was dying to get home and away from "the public". Can anyone relate?

Thanks,
Star

Welcome to TheSinclairMethod Spirit and congratulations on launching your TSM journey!

The side effects you mention aren't unusual. I can't recall exactly, it might have been a week till this faded but I think it was only a few days: When I took Naltrexone, I got cranky right away. Felt like kicking the dog, but fortunately I don't have one. But yeah. Pissy mood for sure. Best way to work past it is to take the pill on top of at least a small meal, then follow up with lots of water throughout the evening. The side effects generally pass in 3-14 days. Some of it could be from a sudden decrease in drinking (I don't know how much your were drinking pre-TSM), but I felt cranky even before my first drink on Naltrexone.

There's a whole range of side effects from starting Naltrexone, some get cranky, some sleepy, some foggy, some anxious and some relaxed. Some get no side effects at all.

Sounds like you're seeing a quick drop in your drinking, just be aware that there is a "Honeymoon" phase and you will likely see a rebound after that. Drinking levels rise and fall throughout TSM, but it seems most pronounced at the beginning. Just keep taking the pill an hour before your first drink and it will settle back down. The upswings are generally due to the addicted part of the brain reaching out harder for it's "old buddy".

Tracking your drinks is a really good idea with TSM, here's a spreadsheet/graph combo you can use:

http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/ ... graph-tool

Poke around a bit while you're there, it's another TSM/MAT board. Lots of stories to read there too.

Thanks! I actually downloaded the log a few days ago, along with the book. I've been reading about the ups and downs on the pill. And yes, I am eating a little something with it. I think the crankiness may have to do with drinking less all of a sudden but also the frustration with watching people (especially annoying ones) drink without it yesterday. I cried when I had my very first glass of wine on it. I am a wine lover...and a super taster. Nothing is going to be the same.

Oddly enough, I was one of those that didn't notice a difference in how beer tasted and felt when drinking on Nal. I just started wanting less and less of it every month.

Thanks for the response.

I am down to 26 units (from 40-45) per week. This is my first full week on 25mg. I'm still experiencing insomnia. It could also be withdrawal? Has anyone else experienced insomnia / slight anxiety due to withdrawal from cutting back so quickly? My goal is 1-2 a day with no alcohol days in between.

I'm going to schedule a follow up for next week. I'm just not sure if I should continue on 25mg or move to 50mg. Scared of not sleeping at all! I'm small - size 2 - and very medication sensitive.

It could well be from the drop in drinking, that's nigh on to 50%, perhaps a combo of the two. Keep that water flowing, that seems to be one of the best ways to minimize the side effects. Insomnia is a problem from cutting back sharply or cold turkey, anxiety can crop up from that too.

You may want to check into an OTC sleep aid or the doc may have something for you to use temporarily. Benzos might cause problems for TSM, so if the doc talks about that, maybe see if he can help you explore other options. My doc also gave me a Rx for low dose Gabapentin, it goes well with TSM and helps drinkers get down into "slow wave" sleep (we normally tend to bounce in and out of REM). It really didn't make me feel sleepy, but I got better rest on it. I was taking 300mg about a half hour before bed. I only took that for about 3-4 months, then my drinking had dropped so much I felt I didn't need it anymore.

Thanks, I will look into Gabapentin. I actually took Tylenol PM last night. I hadn't taken it for ages, but I had a headache all day long and needed to kill it to sleep. Slept so well! Not a great long term solution...but I will consider Benedryl and the like as needed while I'm reducing.

Also, I know this is a safe space to say I only want to reduce or change my relationship with alcohol, not quit. Does cutting down from 6-7 units to 3 a night seem like enough progress in a week? Granted, this is only my second day on 50mg. But, many people seem to have cut down to less during the first week. I did get down to 3 with sheer willpower, and then something really terrible happened and my count went back up again. Will it get better? I really want to cut down to the medical limit of 7 units a week.

A 50% drop isn't uncommon at the start, there's likely to be a rebound and you could use some willpower on clipping the top off of that, just to see how you get along with it. If you really really crave the next drink, you generally should have it, but if it's like a 5 on a scale of 10 craving-wise maybe see if you can let it go.

I agree, I don't go for another unless I really want it. But, it just isn't enough...units a week is too much for a petite woman. Do you think I will see even more of a drop off in the coming weeks? I'll talk to my doctor, but I'd like to hear user experiences too. thx

After the rebound, drinking levels generally drop more slowly than in the first days, but it's typically to a new lower level which becomes the base for the next rebound.

Pop over to http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/, there are plenty of progress threads there to go over and more people to bounce your questions off of.