hi all,

I started Nal last thursday (20/11/14) with 25mg & then 50mg per night since then. I haven't really had any post-pill, pre-drinking SE's - maybe a little jitteriness, but no nausea as some have experienced, although I've been careful not to tke it on an empty stomach.

so has it had an effect? in a word, Yes! I'm definitely not at the "pour the second glass away" stage yet, but I've been consistently drinking 2/3-1/2 of what I would normally. I've definitely reached a point each time where I decided I'd had enough & actively didn't want any more, which is pretty much unheard of before now. I also had a few times during drinking where I though that I could probably have stopped with a bit of willpower - again, a new concept - but which I drank through, maybe from habit, but also maybe because I was "allowed". the concept of having had a few drinks & being able to stop is rather novel, but I guess that's how "normal" people must feel about AL!

I was curious before taking Nal to see what effect it would have on the "buzz" & whether I would feel cheated & hence be tempted to drink without it. to be honest, I don't really feel much difference from drinking without Nal, except for the loss of the "must have more" which kicks in after I've had a few, which I guess is the whole point really

as for post-drinking SE's, I've had some difficulty sleeping, which is no change from normal for me really, unless I'm passed out. also some pretty vivid dreams, but not really any worse than on my AF days

so, I know it's early days, but I'm very encouraged. I know I'm probably in the 'honeymoon' period, but the effects are so startling that I definitely intend to give TSM a committed go for as long as it takes

one thing that I do wonder about is the one-size-fits all dosage - 50mg on Naltrexone & whatever it is on Nalmefene. presumably smaller/lighter people are going to get a larger relative dose - have any 'larger' people (I am quite overweight through drinking) gone to 62.5 or 75mg? as I say, early days for me, not intending to bump the dose, just curiosity really

one last thing ... I found a nice little Android app called AlcoDroid for drinks tracking. you put in each drink as you finish it & it gives you a graph of BAC along with doing the normal units tracking stuff. I'm a bit of a geek at heart & I love this sort of thing - normally I would have drunk to see how high I could get the BAC before passing out, but not any more

all the best

-badger


progress:

started TSM: 20/11/14
pre-TSM: 80+ US units/wk

wk1-8: 73/0, 58/0, 73/0, 80/0, 85/0, 92/0, 84/0, 54/0
wk9-16: 59/1, 70/0, 44/0, 30/4, 56/2, 33/3, 56/1, 64/1
wk17-24: 68/1, 87/0, 48/0, 70/0, 63/0, 68/0, 70/0, 14/5
wk25-32: 25/4, 56/1, 49/2, 39/2, 64/1, 75/0, ?/0, ?/0
wk33-40: 48/0, ?/0, 47/0, 66/0, 70/0, 53/0, 57/0, ?/1
wk41-48: 42/3, 14/5, 29/3, 58/1, 30/4

Hi badger, good start!

What you're reporting sounds almost identical to what I have been experiencing (just starting my 3rd week) and I get the feeling that the golden rule is easily something I can live with.

Sometimes I feel like this way too easy, and ask myself where's the punishment, pain and defeat? One of the guys on here said if this works he's gonna shout it from the rooftops, and I can see where he's coming from.

So glad to see of your success so far! I am quite overweight as well, and although NAL helped somewhat when I first tried it earlier this year, the dosage may not have ever been enough at .50. It was recommended to me to take a little more, but I never did. Keep us posted about whether you stick with the .50 or take a bit more.

It's awesome that you're already noticing the difference. Applause! Stay the course, okay?



It's not about your body size. It's about how many mu-opioid receptors your brain has. There's no way to tell that by looking, so the standard dose is one that will cover most people.

Going lower is taking a chance, so we don't go lower unless the side effects are unbearable. Some do need to go higher, to 75mg or even 100mg in a handful of cases. So it's not so much "one size fits all" as making sure we have enough of the drug to saturate the receptors we can't see or count.

Well done Badger! It will be a pleasure reading your path to indifference. Stay the course.

Just a side note that Naltrexone has been studied and used in combination with Brupropion (the non SSID anti-depressant known as Welbutrin) as a weight loss aid. I was prescribed Welbutrin along with Naltrexone by by doctor initially because, surprise, lots of alcoholics who quit or address their alcohol dependence experience some form of depression. It is also studied to help repair dopamine levels in the brain, the kind alcohol depletes.*

*I'm not a doctor and none of this is proven, but studies have been done and suggestive uses are embraced by some in the medical profession. It has worked for me, but then again, a placebo might have as well.

thanks for the replies

I'm not too worried about my weight tbh - it's all from AL calories, I do eat fairly sensibly most of the time. once my AL consumption comes down, then AL calories will come down too, & the weight will come off. I'll also feel more inclined to exercise if I'm not hungover all the time

I'm going to stick with 50mg Nal for the time being - I've only been taking it for a few days, so it's much too early to be messing about with dosage. I do still think that Nal blood concentration must have an effect on saturating the receptors - bigger person, more blood, lower concentration, the same as with BAC - but I'll leave that for now

-badger

week1 update:

so, my first week on Nal, & it's been ... interesting

on a positive note, I haven't blacked/passed out on any day, which previously I would have done at least a couple of times, & my peak daily consumption is down a fair bit

on the negative side, my total consumption is actually *up* from pre-Nal drinking. I had been expecting the Nal to regulate my drinking rather more than it has done, & had basically 'let the brakes off', had a lot more AL in the house & drunk as much as I wanted. pre-Nal I generally regulated myself during the week - ie bought a set amount to drink & didn't start drinking until much later, so I didn't have the option to go out & buy more. I also haven't had any commitments to be anywhere sober/unhungover this week (I work from home most of the time), so that has given me a freer reign

in spite of the above, I am still moderately encouraged. each time I have drunk, I have come to a self-regulated stop, not wanting to drink any more - with AL still left in the house - rather than keeping going, even if I have drunk rather a lot to get to that point on some occasions

this week I'm going to go back to my pre-Nal regime of regulating myself during the week & trying for a day or two AF as I have some commitments to attend. also, to go out & get some exercise, even if it's just a walk at lunchtime so I see some daylight

-badger

Heh, that's what I thought. It didn't work out that way.

Sounds like you're seeing the early changes. Good. Not everyone sees a quick and permanent drop; in fact, I'd venture to guess that most don't. Most of us get there if we stay the course, though.

Well done Badger, good start! It sounds like instead of peaks and valleys you're leveling out. Just as an FYI, I tried Guapo's advice yesterday at Thanksgiving, and it seemed to work pretty well. Just spacing out drinks a little, I ended the day at 5 or 6 (haven't calculated it yet), and just drank socially. I would not have been able to do that without the Nal.