So I waited over a month to get Naltrexone. I really want this to work. I took 50mg (probably should have taken 25mg). I took it just before I got off work. My feeling right off was irritability/ slightly angry (which is completely odd). Angry at people at store. Angry at people driving. Just...odd cause I'm never angry.

So I got home and started drinking light beers. Only got through 3 beers in about 1 1/2 hours. It did the job I guess that I didn't get that relaxed buzz going. Even my cigarettes didn't have an effect. I didn't want to drink anymore so I stopped.

THEN I felt like complete hell! Like I was going through an EXTREME hangover with anxiety included all at the same time. I tried laying down and just tossed and turned for the last hour and a half. Oh I feel like complete **** right now. I feel like I just woke up after having drank 15 beers all night hangover. I hope I can just sleep tonight but I cant sleep right now.

Anybody have any thoughts? Like I said I really want this to work. I was expecting to have a few drinks then lose interest but DAMN I wasn't expecting this!

This is a slow-acting treatment. It doesn't work right away. And you should not immediately start with the full 50 mg. Yeah, tonight is going to be rough for you, maybe tomorrow morning, too. 50 mg of naltrexone taken all at once when you have zero tolerance is intense, I did exactly the same thing on my first day, and it sucked, although it wasn't as rough for me as it sounds like it has been for you. My guess, and I'm not a doctor, but my guess is that you will be just fine and you just need to ride this one out tonight.

Tomorrow, take your pills and split one of them up into quarters with a razor blade, 12.5 mg pieces. Take one quarter-pill an hour before your first drink. Once an hour has passed, forget about the naltrexone and just drink as you normally would.

If the side effects bother you, stick with 12.5 mg for a few days until you build up tolerance. Then, bump up to a 25 mg dose. Your eventual target should be 50 mg per day.

You will probably experience what's called the "honeymoon" period in your first week or two where after a few days on naltrexone, you will have several days where you drink way less than usual, but that usually doesn't last, so don't get disappointed if you go back to heavy drinking again. You are still in the very earliest part of this treatment.

The Sinclair method is supposed to work in this way: over time, and by that I mean months, you will experience a gradual decrease in the desire to drink and a gradual decrease in the amount you drink on average each week. It might take a month, or six months, or 18 months. And it does not work for 100% of people who try it, though studies suggest that it does work for the majority. Do not expect to be cured right away. Just stick with it and try to have patience.

Good luck with tonight. There's not much that can be done about the situation you're in for the next 24 hours except to ride it out, knowing that you will be fine when it is over.

Also, just to be cautious, if you are still feeling completely wrecked and hung over tomorrow morning, while only having had 3-4 drinks tonight, you may actually be experiencing some serious problems with your liver, and you should definitely see a doctor or go to the ER to be evaluated without hesitation. If your eyes start to look yellow in the mirror, go to the ER.

Naltrexone is somewhat toxic to the liver (as is alcohol), though I have never personally heard of a case where it actually triggered serious liver problems for someone who just took their first dose of naltrexone. But there is always a (very unlikely) chance that you were already 99.9% of the way to liver failure and the naltrexone was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

Thank you for the reply. Yes I'm going to be riding this one out tonight. I was always sensitive to taking pills, was never a pill person so I should have known better. I'll take your advice and spit them into 4's. Thanks.... Damn this one hurt.

Yeah, this not going to work for me. I really wanted it to. I read the book, waited for shipment for over a month, read all of your guys stories.

Last night I took a 12.5mg. I drank 3 beers and stopped. Then that terrible feeling hit again. It was absolutely horrible. Nervousness, anxiety and a feeling of just a massive hangover. I thought I was going to lose it. After finally falling asleep I woke an hour before work and my god what a nightmare feeling. Miserable morning (mind you I'm 42 and have been though some extreme hangovers before).

Tonight I'm obviously not drinking (see it worked..... I'm joking). I'm still shaking off the last of the side effects. I might try 12.5 in another month from now. But after this experience probably not. So what the hell? I'm I just one of those people that cant do this? I can handle nausea, but this was something on a whole different level. I had sooo much hope for this too, dammit.

An alternative medication some people have had success with is called baclofen. This does not technically fall under the umbrella of TSM, but it is a different approach that tries to achieve a similar goal: being cured of alcoholism. I tried it for a while but I couldn't handle the side effects, whereas the side effects from naltrexone aren't much of a problem for me, so I am doing TSM instead. Some people react badly to naltrexone, some react badly to baclofen, some to both, some to neither. If you're interested in checking that out, I would recommend browsing this forum and spending some time reading up:

My Way Out Forums

There is also a book called "Heal Thyself" by a man named Ameisen which is sort of like the baclofen-based equivalent for Eskapa's book.

Again, the baclofen approach personally did not work for me...but there are a lot of people who swear that it really did great things for them.

Additionally, there are other medications available such as topimarate and acamprosate that have been successfully used to combat cravings for alcohol in people who are trying to quit. These are also more widely accepted in the mainstream medical community. Look into it, do some research. Naltrexone/TSM is not the ONLY medicine-based approach to "curing" alcoholism that exists today.

Best of luck, I hope you find something that works for you.

I remember getting hot flashes the first time I took Naltrexone. After a while, I didn't have any side effects at all, except tiredness the day after taking Nal and drinking a lot. Just saying that the side effects might not last.

I had some horrible problems when I first started taking the Naltrexone but after about a month I was able to take the full 50mg. The first thing I had was extremely awful hangover headaches. I felt the same as you, I certainly didn't want to drink but didn't want that to be the cure. I also had nausea really bad where I had to have a bottle of anti-nausea medication with me (mostly in the mornings). Are you sure you are very well hydrated with water and taking the Nal after eating a good meal? I know us drinkers like to drink on an empty stomach for that buzz but I found that the water and a good meal really helped. Eventually all the side affects went away and I am doing really well. I still drink daily but I can stop when I want to instead of drinking until I pass out. I haven't had much luck with AF days but I was a daily drinker for over 45 years so I am happy with where I am now after starting only 4 mo. ago.

Best of luck and I hope you can maybe try again and get thru the hard part.

LindaM

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