As I posted, I was off the program for about a month. Went out of town with no possibility of drinking and couldn't bear the idea of going back on to Nal when I got back.

So I drank all through April without it. Really had to think about starting a progress thread. If this thing doesn't work for me it might be a bummer - but it could also be educational for others so I decided to do it.

Not off to a good start today.

I was sort of half-hearted about drinking last night but I had a half a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge so I decided what the hell, it's Saturday night.

I ate a full dinner and took 25 mg and waited a full hour. I was working on the computer and actually had stuff I had to write. Within about 30 minutes the spaciness and fatigue started up. I had to shut down the computer and leave my work alone (which I really needed to do) because I wasn't making any sense. Ended up in bed around 7: 30-ish and miraculously managed to watch a movie but for the life of me I couldn't read or post online or write - not enough brain function. I felt slightly queasy all night.

I had one glass of wine and poured the rest of the bottle but as I was sipping it the old cottonmouth came up and I just didn't want it so I poured it down the sink - so I had only one drink.

Next morning (today) was awful. I was in the bathroom four times in an hour (won't go into details but use your imagination) then vomiting and I was still so exhausted that I was only borderline functional. I really thought I was coming down with the flu so I quickly drove to the grocery store and bought all kinds of stuff that I could just zap in the microwave in case I was too sick to cook. Dropped my dog off at a friends in case I was too sick to walk him and went home to bed but not before a few more bathroom visits.

Slept off and on until around 12: 30 when it was clear that I was not sick at all. It was the Nal.

Worse than the physical stuff was the fact that I had a low, flat, lethargic mood all day. I've always been able to appreciate life and be joyful even with a hangover and that was very disturbing - not like me. I missed my T'Ai Chi class which is the highlight of my week. I've fallen out of bed many a Sunday morning with a hangover and still made my way to T'Ai Chi and really gotten joy from it. Today I couldn't even drive there. I lost a whole day and that's big for me because I work and go to school 6 days a week.

So - I either quit now or give it one last shot. Everyone says that the symptoms subside and maybe that will be so. I cannot walk around like a joyless zombie but I guess I can give another few weeks to a program which might work.

I think the fact that I don't drink every day hinders the extinction - as I posted elsewhere. Eskarpa is very clear about that in his book.

So - tonight - against my better judgement I took a quarter of a Nal (12 1/2 mg) and popped another Chardonnay. Again, on a full stomach and I waited a full hour. I am drinking a regular sized glass of wine now and I can already tell there won't be any more tonight. I'm spaced out and my mouth has that horrible metallic taste and I think I'll go lie down to watch 60 minutes.

So - my progress (or lack thereof) should be very interesting.

Pre SM my intake is 18-24 units per week. May not sound like much but I drink very fast and in a concentrated period of time. Not usually every day - but I can plough through an entire bottle in an hour when I get on a roll and that is the most damaging kind of drinking of all. It really kills your internal organs. Better to drink a lesser amount everyday.

I'm going to try to take 1/4 of a pill each day with the exception of Monday and Tuesday when I have class until 10 PM.

We'll see what happens.

Good luck Samsara sounds like a good plan. Hope you can get up to the 50mg eventually. I had problems in the beginning and stayed on 25mg for a week.

Hi Samsara,

I'm sorry to hear you're so sensitive to the medication. Perhaps that will end up being a GOOD thing, as your body will respond faster than otherwise.

I also had a lot of fatigue/spaciness when starting the Nal. It lasted about 3 weeks, and then subsided. Your plan to cut down to 12.5 mg. makes a lot of sense, and I'm betting if you take it slow and easy, you'll become acclimated OK.

Good luck!

Thanks,

Right now the Nal is working kind of like antabuse! If I take and drink I get horribly sick.(If I take it and don't drink I still get horribly sick)

Samsara - I'm so glad you are back! I thought you were still wandering around the desert...

Stay with the miniscule amounts of the Nal. If you can cut that pill even smaller do it - just get your body used to it...if it's making you that sick you must be overaly sensitive but that doesn't mean it won't work for you - just take it really, really slow.

It took me awhile to get used to it but now I don't feel a thing when I take my Nal and I hated it at first. And my wine tastes great (a bit too good the last 2 weeks).

I was so happy to see that you are trying again and very sorry that the pill affects you so horribly. I hope you make it through this time - it's worth it.

Good luck!

Samsara, I too had problems with side effects when I first started. I went down to a quarter of a pill, which is 12.5 mg. I slowly worked my way up to 50 mg, going by 12.5 mg increments. Now, at the end of week two, the SE have gone away, and my body is used to the Nal.

Me too. My first dose, I wondered whether they had sent antabuse by mistake. But it all went away very quickly and sometimes I've taken to putting a dot on my thumb with a pen so I remember whether I took it.

Take as low a dose as you need for as long as you need. It's soooo worth it in the long run.