I too am watching your experiences with BAC as I may be joining in a few months, but am hoping this is the last stand with the me and I'll be celebrating with chamomile tea or 1 Boddingtons in the the next few months.

HOUTX, I wish you so much success. You're always so encouraging, probably the most if that's possible because this board is filled with so much love...MY Best, Jim

I started BAC over a month ago..veeeeerrrrrryyy slowly. 5 mgs/day for 4 days, then 10/day for 4 days, then 20/day for a few days, then at week 3ish: 30/day, 40/day last week...no problems. I took it 10 @ noon, 10 @ 4-5 and 20 @ bedtime. And I worked it so that Mondays are the first day of the next week's upped doseage.

Yesterday was basically week 4 ( & 1/2) and I decided to up the dose by the standard 20 mgs, taking 60mg/day for this week: 20 mgs 3x/day. OMG. Yesterday I was feeling soooooooo zoned & spacey most of the day & into last night...I DID NOT like it. I didn't feel like working out at all, but I tried to stay busy, ran errands and did things. Came home, had a few glasses of wine, IMing a long-lost friend & went to bed later than I wanted @ 11. Woke up about 3 a.m. & suddenly couldn't remember if I'd taken my last 20 mg dose!! Felt pretty sure I hadn't, and not wanting to miss it, popped 2 right then.

This morning I woke up just feeling sooooo weird again. UGH - not sleepy, not hung over, just ZONED!!! I hated it!!! Felt that way most of the day so only took 10 mgs @ noon and then later in the afternoon took 20 mgs more before I went & worked out. Have felt ok but just still soooooo weird. Thinking I will take 2 before bed and see how I feel tomorrow. Maybe I took 80 yesterday rather than 60?? Wondering if I took that 20 in the middle of the night after taking 20 4 hrs prior?? UGH - it's possible. I have vowed to be more diligent and pay attention when I am taking the meds. I have tended to do this on NAL also - not paying attention & wondering if I took it or only thought I did. I just don't think about what I'm doing sometimes. So I'm going to stay with 50 mgs/day for a few days then up it to 60. See how it goes, then next Monday add another 20 mgs for the week.

This medication is now even more scary to me after the loopiness I've felt today. Will be very careful from now on and also wondering if I will be able to tolerate higher doses if this is any indication of the side effects. I just wanted to drop my head into my plate of spaghetti! The upside is, I have been nonplussed with my adolescent charges :-) But gotta keep moving for fear of passing out. I did not like this out-of-body feeling I've had
AT ALL...

But gotta hope I can tolerate it more as I go along and the switch will be flipped in a few more weeks...

P>S> Anyone can usurp or hijack my thread as needed. It's all good :-)

Shizzle as you might say. I wanted this to go perfectly smoothly for you after all the patience you had with TSM and all the support you have given others. But it's not the end of the world or anything. Maybe leave a sharpie or marker handy and put a dot on your wrist for each dose? We are cheering you on as you make this work for you. Strong heart in your doings.

wow lena, I was going to suggest the same thing with a marker but I thought of a piece of paper instead of her hand. houtx you know what will work for you to remember.

There are a few things I figured out to help with the SE's one is make sure you have a full stomach when you take the meds, get a GOOD nights sleep (between the bac, taking melatonin and some wine) it really knocks you out and if all possible try to cut down on your drinking. There was a week where I couldn't drink for two days and it was so weird absolutely NO SE! sorry to say the AF days haven't happened again but after surgery I'll be able to start going up again on the bac and hopefully hitting the switch in a couple of weeks. houtx, you got to be consistent with this med or the weirdness you're feeling will discourage you and you'll quit before it works and quitting isn't that easy seeing you would have to slowly decrease the bac.

PM me if you have any questions
corkit

speaking as an almost senior citizen, I can recommend one of those little boxes with pill spaces for all day, all week! All drug stores have them. I can't use markers or little slips of paper - too easy to get lost, and too easy to forget marking. Keep your pill box where you have a habit of going: kitchen table, kitchen counter, bathroom counter, bed-side table....

Corkit is absolutely right on: inconsistency is a killer! You simply MUST find a way to take your doses on time, every day or you risk going back to square one every time!!! Good luck - I just know if you can get a handle on actually taking the doses regularly your side effects will abate. Take it slower if you must too.

Thx y'all - all good suggestions & I will definitely be more diligent...tick marks something as I increase the doses. I think I definitely took 80 mgs between Mon/Tues as today I woke up feeling fine and having taken 40 mgs so far, all has been fine. Will take another 20 in a few minutes before I turn in, but today I took 20 @ noon and 20 at 6. Thinking that will be my times...noon (after I eat), before I work out in the afternoons and before bed.

I have seemed to be drinking less just b/c I have been going to bed earlier these last few weeks. Am sleeping pretty well & waking up feeling pretty good. It's not where I want to be, but I do feel some changes in that way. Also I am taking 50 mgs of NAL daily - just want to keep my bases covered. Also feel like I need to add that fact to keep legitimately posting here. I am still practicing TSM "just in case"...who knows it may eventually end up being the perfect cure for my addiction: BAC + NAL.

Hope so. Will keep you posted. (Happy Cinco de Mayo, mis amigos! Arribe! - I did not celebrate, BTW - not into it, but many here are :-)

houtx how are ya? Wondering how the Bac is going. You were sweet to me when i first came to the board and I thought about you. hope you are well. holla

Awwww, thx Joe - you made my day & my days are numbered! LOL Tomorrow is the last day of school!! Woo Hooo - but after most of next week off, I will be teaching summer school. It's great money and I will be at a different school, which should be really great!
:-)

Othwewise, I am holding on at week 3 on 80 mgs of BAC. Still have major side effects and the word is to hold on...so I am. All else is well and hope same is true for you. Good luck and hope all else is well -