I'm starting to document my progress, not only so I can track my triggers/cravings/units, but also so others have someone to connect with during this process. I know I NEVER would have taken the leap to read the book, order the Nal and begin TSM without reading the entries from Firebird, MinneapolisNick, BGH, Springerrider, La Bear, HouTx, DOMD, Lena, BobandCarol, lo0p....the list goes on. I really hope you all realize how inspiring you are! I hope the little bit I can add will help someone make an informed decision, too.

Okay, started April 1st (no foolin...) and began with 12.5, a fourth of the pill I got from River Pharmacy online. Following what some others had recommended, I ate about 15 minutes before taking the meds. And, Hooray! No nausea, dizziness or headache (then again, I did start off with a very small amount...I plan on working myself up to the full 50 mg since I am petite and super sensitive to meds). I did feel QUITE spacey, but not in a bad way; I almost felt like I was on a decongestant. Last night, same 12.5, and no side effects BOTH nights, drank 3 units of wine. Both nights poured a fourth, but found myself uninterested! Presently, there are two bottles of wine on the counter...er, for like the first time in a couple of years? Pre-TSM I was 45 units/week, with some weeks being up to 60 units.
Tonight I give 25mg a go. Will post again soon!

ps: Did take note of a trigger for me today--my DH started getting on my nerves a bit with some demands this a.m., and I felt a little twinge in my chest to go grab a beer. Decided to wait until tonight just so I'm not trying the new dosage mid-day with kids at Easter parties.

Great to see you starting a progress thread. It was because of those same threads that I started TSM too and its important that we in turn do the same.

I was lucky also in that the SE's were pretty mild. There will be up days and down days but TSM works for the majority of people. Best of luck, Sammy, I look forward to following your progress.

That's great: the immediate decreased interest in alcohol. Don't freak out if/when your consumption goes back up -- you are defeating triggers, big and small, and so your journey will probably be a non-linear rollercoaster. But you are definitely on your way!

Welcome, Sammy, and thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Hey all.... checking in with my progress for the first two weeks.

Pre-Nal: Avg 36-40 per week/ 0 days AF
Week 1: 27 units/ 0 AF
Week 2: in progress, but am at 32 units with 1 day remaining/0 AF

I have some questions; if anybody has time to answer or let me know if their situation seemed similar, please let me know!

I started at 12.5 mg, moved on to 25 mg after a few days but have remained there because the side effects are so overwhelming (dizziness, extreme fatigue and a grouchiness that would make Oscar jealous...). Is taking 25 mg even doing anything for me? My honeymoon was not so honeymoonish, and very brief (just that first week), but should I expect another honeymoon when I finally work up to 50 mg? Is lack of a big honeymoon significant?

On the plus side, I have had ZERO days where I feel I MUST have a drink in the morning to "cure" my hangover, zero days where I talk myself into a late afternoon cocktail, and zero nights waking up and sneaking a drink so I can fall back asleep. These improvements are huge for me because, a couple of years ago, they were the first clues to myself that my drinking had spiraled out of control. Also, these are the habits that make me feel AWFUL about myself...nothing like chugging straight from a wine bottle at 3 a.m. and your child wanders sleepily in to ask what you're doing I am beyond happy that these habits have disappeared.

Hi Sammy I full agree. Even if nal never actually reduced my intake it still had a huge effect in other ways. No more blackouts, no injuries and strange bruises, I dont wake in the middle of the night full of anxiety and since I started tsm I would dream of having a drink before evening time even at the weekends. Like you it was these behaviours that made me sit up and realize I hada problem in the first place and it great that it these behaviours that are the first to go.

As to your question about 25mgs, think your still getting good coverage. Itoo stayed on 25mgs for the first 2-3 weeks as I didnt have my order delivered and only had a few nal and had to split them to make them last and I still had reduced drinking and all the other benifits. Id go up though as soon as the SEs are managable. Try going to 37.5mgs first and see how that goes. I had no differance in SE,s between 25 and 37.5.

All the best

Not having a honeymoon is not necessarily an indicator TSM won't work. Most people who meet with no success on TSM report that their drinking basically does not change much, if at all, while on naltrexone. Your positive early signs are indicators to me that you are not likely in the group that TSM doesn't work for.

Regarding 25 mg: you are fully covered, but for about half the time you are at 50 mg. At least that's what Dr. Eskapa posted last year when someone suffering bad side effects asked if 25 mg would be an acceptable level. I believe if you do your drinking within a few hours after taking 25 mg, you should be covered.

Eeek! Realized I haven't posted for awhile...thanks all for letting me ride on the coattails of your posts to see how this is working for everyone

I'm embarrassed to say, but I gave up counting units. After my initial 1 1/2--2 weeks of a honeymoon, I was so discouraged to see my units start to rise that I gave up on counting. I am finishing week 8 today, and CAN say that I see progress in the following ways:
~ No blackouts
~ No embarrassing behavior (at least, no embarrassing behavior related to alcohol)
~ A sense of awareness when I DO pour a drink....I see myself acknowledging the drink as unnecessary, even though I go right ahead and pour it...and drink it.
~ I am truly repulsed by the taste of most alcohol (beer, white wine and liquor taste like gasoline--blech!); red wine tastes awful until the second glass.
~ And, I had my first AF day this week with, seriously, no effort! I simply told myself my body needed a break, curled up with a great book, then suddenly looked to the clock and saw it was past ten!!! I went to bed and had some UNREAL dreams that were both scary and very spiritually affirming about where I am on this path. I woke up the next morning feeling great, took a crazy long run on the beach and reminded myself that this is where I will be in the next 6-12 months

There have been some hard days, and a couple of very discouraging hair-of-the-dog mornings However, I keep on keeping on, reading others' journeys here and reminding myself that I'm in this for the long haul....really, what do I have to lose? I continue to try not to overthink this (sheesh--this is hard since overthinking is what I DO, and probably why I loved drinking so much to begin with---to quiet my chattering mind). I am keeping the faith, staying positive and always taking my nal an hour before I drink. I have nowhere to go but up!!!

Keep it up. sometimes I wonder if time would go by faster if I weren't so anal about keeping my numbers and trying to analyze them and compare them to death. That might be a blessing for you. More control is something I've seen too. even when my numbers spike up

Hi Joe, thanks for responding. I think I may start to be a bit more on top of my numbers...I'm entering my 9th week and am hoping to see a bit of progress at this point. I think you're a week or two ahead of me, so I'm watching you as some sort of indicator of where I'm going. BTW, read about your terrible-awful-horrid week on another thread and my heart goes out to you! Glad things are going better.