Hi everyone,

Well, I got my nal in the mail yesterday and was like “Alright! Let’s get started!” So I went about my business and took ½ tablet (25mg) an hour before I knew I would be home. I had eaten a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese about 2 hours prior to taking the pill and ate about ½ cup of grapes right before I took it. About 30 minutes after I took it, I was feeling a little queasy, but I knew that was pretty normal. 45 minutes later (at home thankfully) I was downright nauseous. By the time an hour had gone by I couldn’t drink anything, let alone a beer (my usual drink of choice). I was so nauseated I could barely walk. As the evening moved on, I managed to keep down a can of 7up and a snack. The real bummer for me was that I really couldn’t do anything that needed doing (laundry, dinner, walking the dogs, etc.) and I felt like total crap. I had an AL free day for the first time in a very long time, [i]but I know this isn’t how the method works.[/i]

I know this discussion has come up before, and maybe I should have posted somewhere other than "weekly progress", but has anyone else started out with a lower dose of nal and found it to be effective? I’m pretty petite and I am making the mental leap that the effects/side effects of nal, like most drugs, can be dependant on size/weight.

When I got up this morning I still felt a little queasy, but it was manageable. I absolutely do not want to give up on this! So my plan today (and I am a daily drinker, just some days more than others) is to try again, but to take only ¼ of a tablet and eat a more substantial snack beforehand.

Any advice you all can give me? I know the side effects are supposed to be temporary, but I don’t think I can handle another evening like yesterday. Again, I really don’t want to give up on this! Hoping a smaller dose will help…

Mermaid

Hi Mermaid,

That stinks but yes, virtually all of us have the side effects for a few days. They are transient and go away.

I have no suggestion to lessening, but maybe you do need to titrate up meaning starting at 12.5 mg and adding a little bit each day. Get to 25 mg and continue till you can tolerate 50 mg. It certainly won't hurt you especially if you're going to drink anyways....

The only disaster that I know of is to STOP taking Naltrexone then as your brain does opiod upregulation, you drink without NAL and it gives even more subconscious reward to the drinking behaviour.

SO that would be my suggestion. Most just stuck with the 25 mg and the side effects go away quickly, but if you are real small, maybe that's a consideration....you should ask your doctor though as advice on this board regarding meds we don't do...I wouldn't think it would be a size factor though...

I had the exact same experience Mermaid. I couldn't drink the first time I took 25 mg. I did drop to 12.5 mg briefly before going back up. I think this is fine if you get your drinking in within a few hours of taking 12.5 mg as it will not last for long. You will find that the harsh side effects go away after a few doses. When they do, increase to 25 mg and then 50 when you feel up to it.

Hi all,

Just an update from me…I was reading some recent topics and noticed a few more than I had seen before about the side-effects of nal and questions about others’ experiences and dosage. I had a pretty bad reaction to nal when I took 25 mg my first day as I semi-ranted about that day.

Since then, I did back down my dose, starting with 12.5 mg my second day. Took it with a small snack an hour before I had a drink. No nausea, no problem…just drank a few beers and that was that. Next day I took a different approach - I took 12.5 mg on a nearly empty stomach and waited a half an hour to see how I felt then took another 12.5 mg. I waited an hour, drank like I “usually” would with no upset stomach, maybe a little headache but not as bad as a “hangover” headache - not even close. Friday & Saturday (days 4 & 5) I took 25 mg, waited a half an hour and took another 12.5 mg, waited an hour and drank like I normally would. Same thing today.

I seem to be getting past the nausea with this approach ( thank you nick and jim for your words ). As far as other side-effects, I feel a little “flushed”…too warm and maybe a bit drowsy during the first hour or so after taking nal. I’ve not experienced insomnia any more than I did before, but I have had more vivid and memorable dreams - though not in a bad way J

I am keeping a diary of how much I am drinking. My spouse ( who is now well-informed with TSM and my decision to give it a go ) told me he thought I was drinking less. I told him that I may be drinking a little less, but that what he is seeing is what I’m feeling - I don’t feel the same when I drink. I’ve a long way to go.

I must thank all of you again for the information and support you provide here. It has made a huge difference for this beginner.

Mermaid

Another success story in the making...sorry for your immediate pain, but it will work for you ultimately. Hang in there -

You are welcome. It's working for you! Be happy and have hope! My best, Nick.

Hi everyone,

I’m on day 16. Quickly worked my way up to 50mg and am no longer experiencing noticeable side effects from nal. Following TSM to “the letter” taking nal one hour before drinking as I normally would. I have to say, I don’t think I really experienced the “honeymoon” like so many others have. As I posted when I was about one week in, my husband stated to me that he thinks I am drinking less. And as I said then, I don’t think I am drinking much less - in fact I know because I’ve been counting my daily units - BUT I do feel different when drinking on nal. I don’t feel as “drunk”, I feel much more in control of myself when I drink, and (this is contrary to some of the experiences I’ve read about on here) I haven’t experienced a terrible hangover since starting TSM, even when I’ve had way too much to drink, or consumed “mixed alcohols” (beer, then tequila, back to beer, shot of Crown…) which would usually render me useless for at least part of the next day.

I’m trying not to over-think this. I find great hope in the stories of all the people here. I’m trying to roll with what ~Q~ has said - let extinction occur quietly in the background. This may sound ridiculous, but it reminds me of my son who was suffering from bad acne. He started taking accutane and for the longest time it seemed like it wasn’t working - his skin was red and peeling and flaking, his eyes and lips were dry all the time - but here he is one year later and his face (except for the whiskers) is as smooth as a baby’s butt. Not the same thing, but a reminder of how medication works - not always “immediate”, just take it the way you are supposed to and let it go to work.

Thanks again for the insight and encouragement you all provide. Even after reading the book that brought me here, I probably would have given up if not for the support I find here.

Mermaid

Hi everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted my progress. For me, it’s hard to talk about my progress when I’m not sure at times if I’m really making any. But I do continue to read here often which keeps me hopeful and encouraged. At about 5 ½ weeks in, I think (I hope) I’m probably right where I should be.

During my first week on TSM, I dropped from my pre-TSM level of 70+ a week to 53. Week 2, 63. Week 3, 68. Week 4, 60. Week 5, 53. This week has been bad for me (as far as drinking) - I’m already up to 60 and still the weekend ahead of me - yeesh.

But I do recognize why this week has been tough for me - I’ve been working from home most days because I have a guy here doing some extensive plaster work in my bedroom, so not only am I home (more opportunity to drink) but my house is in disarray (had to clear the entire bedroom) which always stresses me out and I’m “camping out” in the living room at night (sleep deprivation). And to top it off, my hubby has been out of town for the past couple days, which also leaves me stressed and deprived of sleep (among other things). And - at the risk of sounding like I’m throwing a pity party for myself - work has been crazy busy AND we had to terminate an employee (which always makes me feel like sh*t) AND we are relocating one of our offices (more disarray and expense).

Stress is obviously a trigger for me! And some of the stressors I’m crabbing about were instigated by me.

But here are the really good things: I feel much more in control of myself when I’m drinking and it takes me probably twice as long to finish a drink now than it did prior to TSM. I haven’t been blacking out or forgetting conversations. I haven’t started one of those stupid drunken fights with my husband or my kids since starting TSM. I’m not fearful of social situations that involve alcohol consumption, as I sometimes was before TSM. I’m starting new projects - the bedroom re-do, the office relocation - and I’m getting back into the things that I was passionate about before alcohol took over my life - my business, my family, writing, exercising, music, reading, even just (corny as it may sound) getting outside and enjoying the “re-birth” that is Spring in my corner of the world. I may cry over what I think of as so many “lost” years, but I look forward to the future, whereas before I could barely see past the bottle in front of me. Sounds pretty cheesy I’m sure, but the future used to be black and I didn’t see myself in it.

Ok, that’s enough. I’m a little long-winded I guess. Many thanks to all of you. I can’t even express how much I’m rooting for all of you, all of us.

mermaid

Good for you mermaid! It is obviously working just fine...you are expecting so much in such a short time - not like we all don't do that eh? But it's starting to make a difference in your life - that's just great! Have a nice weekend...don't push, let it happen.

Hi everyone,

Just checking in at 7 ½ weeks since starting TSM. At the risk of repeating myself, I want to thank everyone here. Reading your posts, your stories, your ups and downs, your questions and answers…it keeps me from getting discouraged and reminds me that it’s still early days for me.

I am still drinking every day, but always take my nal one hour before. Clarity and control are still the biggest difference for me. I don’t crave more and more drinks after I’ve had one or two, not like I used to, and am beginning to think that continuing beyond the first couple of drinks is sometimes just habit because that’s what I’ve done for so long. But most of the time, it’s because I still want to get “buzzed”. What my husband and I used to jokingly call the “two-beer buzz” just doesn’t apply anymore. I still crave the feeling of being drunk, I just don’t seem to enjoy getting there as much. Does that make sense? Is this normal?

mermaid