08/Jan 2 units
09/Jan 3 units
10/Jan 1 unit
11/Jan AF

I am now at 30mg Baclofen a day and my craving has significantly reduced. I notice that I am eating more.

Good news on the progress. Keep us posted. We're rooting for you!

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Mabelee! Good to see you back here. I was wondering about you. Please keep us up-to-date about your decision re: Baclofen. Sorry to hear your initial progress stalled, but thanks for trusting this board to be a place to explore alternatives. All the very best.

Craving: Your willingness to share your experience obviously is helping others at least in thinking it through. Thanks.

Yes, I am DYING to know too about Baclofen use. Am really looking into it seriously...but worried about the whole "muscle relaxant" thing. I work out 6 days/wk!! What will this do to me?? I took Valium maybe 2x in my life and HATED it - so spacey and spazzed out.

I really want to go to the next level of medication as TSM is only mildly working for me ( if at all) and I need to move on...but I do NOT want to take something that gets me addicted on another level, that I can't get off of w/o major BS titrations, etc... makes my body feel like rubber, etc...

AW DAT!!!!!!!!!! Worries Worries...so yes, am interested in what doseages you are going on/starting here, thoughts etc...THX!

Whereas naltrexone is safe - one cannot get high or easily overdose on it and it does not interfere with vital systems such as breathing and heart rate - Baclofen is a centrally acting psychotropic drug and the doses suggested have been rather high.

Baclofen is considered more a SUBSTITUTE for alcohol.

Around 12% of all alcoholics are addicted through some other system - not opoid but perhaps GABA.

Afterall it is not one or the other, but can be a combination. I suspect my addiction is a combination of Opoid and GABA (as for what Nal is usefull for me, and Baclofen helps me).

The main problem about the Baclofen therapy are the doses suggested. Going over 1mg/kg could cause breathing and/or heart problems. At least that is the theory. Then people like Oliver Ameisen are taking over 200mg a day (which is highly over official safe limits, and he seems to still be alife ...)

My case is also very special as I am taking Bupropion, which has messed so far with my GABA system (and I consider Bupropion to have caused good part of my alcohol addiction).

I am right now at 30mg Baclofen a day, and for now I am looking forward to go up to 75mg. The results have been positive so far, but I am hoping that with higher doses the craving will become even less.

You could try it (consult your doctor first) and if you have problems with your muscles you can get off again it, as long as you increase and decrease the dose slowly and do not stop or jump on dose abruptly you should not be having any problems. Baclofen does not make addicted, and any references to withdrawal syndroms reported (after long-long term use!) are lasting for 3 days only. Valium (benzo) is a very heavy medication, and I would suggest my doctor to give me something else, if that is his idea. Only heard very bad things about it! I would not take any benzos at all!

I will keep on reporting here, also have a look at l00p's report. He doses it like a mad-men though! I have so far only increased it in steps more or less officially suggested. (+15mg/day every 3 days)

Actually, loop says it is fantastic for workouts, it will really increase your performance. See his baclofen and exercise thread. I've got some on order just to test this for myself... I'm getting old, I could use an edge on the mat when the young 'uns get to beating up on me.

-Ned

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My goal is to limit the potential damage that alcohol can do to my body - becoming a moderate drinker. Some days on Baclofen I felt like alcohol is really not that important and that all this "how would it be without it" is just bullshit - a trick of your addiction to keep you poising your body.

I think there are no studies supporting the Nal and Baclofen combination. Baclofen was tested by some italian team I think using 30mg/day for most of the time, and they noticed a significant decrease on alcohol intake, and significant increase on abstinent days. (factor 2, instead of 30 days abstinent avg. 60 days on Baclofen).

For me personally it is proofen that Baclofen is taking an effect on drinking behavior. I hope to get mine under control. A good goal would be 10 units a week for example - which I would consider a good breather for my body to detox.

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