Hi everyone! Thought I best put down a marker so I can monitor my weekly progress.

Started TSM on 19 May 2010

Pre TSM: approx 120 UK units per week. This is about 2 bottles of Wine 14% per night.Sometimes beer if out with mates but it's funny how we always keep going until we at least reach our daily fix.

Week 1: approx 120 units. False dawn or honeymoon effect led to one of the nights drinking about 10units. Advised by TSM trained doc to drink every day for 10 days. Felt like **** but kept going. I would normally have 1 AF day per week.

Welcome to the progress section. Did your Doc explain why he/she wanted you to drink+nal every day for the first 10 days? So your body would accept nal faster?

I wish you success.

Hi Fred! Thanks for your post. I think he wanted to demonstrtate to me that Nal will work and I suppose the longer you continue to drink on nal the quicker you will turn off enjoying alcohol. Only starting to have slight effect but very early days.

I started my 8th week today. In retrospect, it might have been wiser for me to take nal every day for the first 10 days (drinking or not). The side-effects were quite unpleasant (understatement) . Have you had any side-effects worth mentioning or are you one of the "lucky few" who got spared?

I had the most horrendous side effects on Nal - please read my post titled 'help'. I have sinced switched to UK manufactured NAl and initially had some similar side effects but they have now gone (hopefully) since I waited 1 hour after taking Nal before I have a drink. I was told to take nal only when planning to drink. You can check out other posts by me regarding side effects I experienced on My Way Out forum.

Oops, I apologize. I had read that post, but failed to associate your name with it. I guess you weren´t "spared", but hit the hardest. I know that a panic disorder is the worst symptom one can have.
Glad your doing better.

You should only take naltrexone one hour before you drink. No drinking, no naltrexone!

Week 2: 120 UK units

Some signs of TSM working as not quite enjoying alcohol as much as usual..

week 3: 103 UK units AF days: 1

Showing some promise now but still early days... Still problems with suffering from gastritis though!

Weeks 3 - 7: 100 UK units

Weeks 7 - 9: 85 units

Wow!!! I can really feel the naltrexone working now....It really is working!

I am now averaging 85 UK units per week. I cannot drink more than 1 1/2 bottles of wine even if I tried my best as alcohol tastes like battery acid after that. It would be a lower weekly unit rate as I am now drinking 7 days a week as opposed to 6 days per week pre TSM. I guess I am probably drinking 7 days a week to help reinforce the pharmacological extinction. This is what I was dreaming for. I am 9 weeks into treatment and I believe I will be down to acceptable drinking levels within 2 months at this rate.