I just started yesterday. Took 50mg right away and waited an hour. I think I'm going to have to go to 25mg; the nausea and vomiting is terrible even 23 hours later. So far as the drinking, I had to force myself to drink my usual drinks and ultimately drank a little bit less than normal. It is not a fun feeling to be on Nal. I think I'm going to force myself to have an AF day today just so I don't have to take another one. See you guys again in a week.

I know, I know, I said I'd be back next week. But I've been home all day because I took the day off not knowing how Nal will affect me. Still feeling nauseous and throwing up a bit here and there, however I can't fully rule out my acid reflux acting up as a contributing factor especially since there should be very little Nal in my system now and I didn't throw up last night.

The left over beer from yesterday is still there. A few times, I walked over to it to move it elsewhere and every time, I get a wave of nausea. I've got another 7 hours or so before the end of my day so I can't rule out wanting to finish it later tonight. I am starting to crave it a bit but it's not so overpowering as before. Hell, a day or so ago, downing it would have been the first thing I did when I woke up; that is if there was any alcohol left which is very rare for me.

Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear about a rough start like that, on Day 1. For most people, those side effects quickly subside, and the results of the TSM experience are so very worthwhile. Hang tough, and keep posting...in the meantime, yes, 25 mgs. sounds like a good idea.

If it is the naltrexone, I feel sure it will pass soon. All of the literature suggests that the few side effects there are are pretty short lived. Hang in there. You're saving your life.

Skylar,

I, too, have suffered from nausea and vomiting with nal - thank goodness not every time I take nal, and now nearly never. Here are a few tips I learned from this site which helped me:

1. Take just 25 mgs the first three or four times you take nal, then move up to 50 mgs.
2. Always have something in your stomach when you take nal, ideally a full meal. If not a meal, then at least a hearty snack, particularly one with protein. Someone here recommended chocolate milk. Other ideas include nuts, peanut butter, yogurt, crackers.
3. Drink lots of water - before, during, in between each alcoholic drink (that's a tough one for me, but when I do, it really helps).

Someone else on here had a great list of tips - Nalwayout maybe?

Good luck!

Thanks for all the great advice, guys. It really helped. I'm at the point now where I can take 50mg Nal at anytime, anywhere and not feel the side effects. I think I'm even getting over the Nal hangovers.

I think I miscalculated. I think, in the recent past (1 years or more), my units have been 12, not 15. The weekends though can be anywhere from 16 to 24. On average, I'd guess I consume 100 units a week.

I did do an AF day last Friday, I just couldn't touch the stuff. I'll skip counting Sat and Sun and start fresh with Monday. On Monday, I consumed 9 units (2 Steel Reserves and 1 shot of vodka). Same with Tuesday, Wednesday. Yesterday, I consumed 12 units. So, my drinking is already increasing again. When do I get to the honeymoon?

Having had a good Monday, I was surprised when, during lunch on Tuesday I had a powerful craving for alcohol. I couldn't wait to drink. I also had strong cravings on Wednesday and Thursday but only close to when it was time to punch out of work. I'm not sure if this is my brain craving it or physical cravings.

On Tuesday, I got past my first beer and was sipping my 2nd when I stopped caring about drinking. But, I powered through the beer. Same with Wednesday. On Thursday, I wanted to drink, there was never any thoughts to stop. Am I doing this wrong? Anybody here have thoughts about whether I should stop drinking if I lose interest?

I'm trying not to over think things. This is my first week. So far, 38 units. I keep feeling guilty for starting to want to drink again and that my units are increasing day by day. But when I start recounting them, I realize my drinking has improved a bit.

Hi Skylar, I noticed you are fairly new to this program. I have started it three times and have given up because of the nausea and horrible hangovers and then when I reduced the dosage it didn't seem to work. I have almost talked myself into living life as a drunk, but fortunately this site exists to steer me back in the right direction. I am going to try again and am looking for some pen pals to help me get through the rough times. I can't seem to do this on my own and would like to offer my support to you or anyone else who needs it. Did the nausea finally go away for you or are you "working" through it? I really hope this works for all who suffer. Keek

Hey Skylar:

There are very few rules to this so don't bother feeling guilty -- though that's a common mood for many of us!

You may or may not have a honeymoon period. I didn't. In my reading of the board, it's a good sign to have one but not a reliable indicator of long term success. I do think the fact that you lost interest a few times is a good thing. I'd suggest just pouring out the booze rather than powering through. Seize the indifference!

In my experience, the strength of cravings will come and go. Down the road it's important to start mixing in willpower and other ways to get past cravings, when it's possible. It may be too early for that so follow your instinct and don't over-think it.

Thank you for responding to my question, tiller. I've taken it to heart and have decided that I am going to work on listening to myself to stop this week.

Yes, keke, the nausea has pretty much went away and I barely realize that I am on Nal anymore. Well, except for Sun...

So, I thought I'd close out the weekend to start fresh on Mondays. Drank way too much again this weekend. It's hard for me to keep track of units, my math on this stuff is terrible.

I don't remember much about Friday, not because I blacked out or anything. Just one of those things. I'll say 12 units.

But I'd guess that I had 15 or so units on Sat. It was through a span of many hours, so, after about 6 hours, I took another Nal thinking I'd continue drinking. I took 1 shot of sake and I stopped. In fact, I got really sleepy and went to bed. I think, without the endorphin rush, I can't stay awake on alcohol.

On Sunday, the Nal-over was pretty bad. I went to bed at around 9 and woke up around 9 the next morning. I told myself I would never do that again. I think that might have tripped me up a bit because after 8 hours on Sunday, I was still drinking off of 1 Nal. I might have experienced a bit of an endorphin rush towards the end. I hope that doesn't back track me too much.

So, this week I have to learn to keep watch of time, to not over drink the half-life of Nal and to stop when my body wants to stop. And I have to track my units better.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: I'd peg myself at 82 units this week. Down from 100!

Hi Skylar,

I'm glad to see you read Grace's post on the Cured list...I love that post! Every word was so carefully chosen, and every word speaks to me. My cure has not been so quick and straight forward, but I'm still really happy with where I am. I think you are off to a good start and doing everything "right", as far as I can see. Keep posting - that is bound to be helpful to ALL of us!