A while ago I posted about my boyfriend who was about to start TSM (thanks for the responses, the encouragement and support on this forum is wonderful!- it’s been over 2 months now!!!).Unfortunately, he is now talking about stopping with Nal! HELP!

He has been extremely nauseous and is, quite simply, sick of feeling sick. Recently, he was talking to a friend who has been somewhat of a mother figure to him (she works in a doctor’s office which apparently makes her a medical expert, and she doesn’t really know anything about the treatment), and she told him if it was making him nauseous he should just stop taking it. Now, I obviously don’t want him to feel horribly sick all the time, and I have been trying to find different remedies for nausea (we’re still waiting to see if any of them work), but I’m extremely worried that he is going to give up before trying them all out.

He has successfully been on Nal for over 2 months now and actually experienced an immediate reduction in his drinking which has continued until recently (instead of several black out nights per week, it’s only been a few times per month; instead of drinking the full bottle of vodka per day, he doesn’t finish it all or he buys a smaller bottle). Recently, he seems to be back at his normal drinking levels again, though I can’t be entirely sure (he has been having more blackout nights lately, which could be because his tolerance has decreased, but he’s also back to finishing that full bottle of vodka on a lot of days as well). I’m not sure whether he just had an extremely long honeymoon period that’s now ending, whether this is the extinction burst many people experience, or whether the increase in drinking is linked to stress (a lot of not so pleasant things have happened lately). Regardless, things have improved significantly since he has started TSM (more than I think he even realizes or wants to acknowledge).

Like I said, it’s been months and apparently the side effects won’t go away. The only problem is we can’t be sure if it’s the medication or something else, as he can’t really have an alcohol-free day yet without feeling violently ill. He was often nauseous and threw up frequently before the treatment (though he says it was never as bad as what he is currently experiencing), and he has a tendency to drink all his meals so his body/stomach are not exactly in the best of shape (he's in his late twenties but has been inundating his body with alcohol for over a decade which has definitely taken its toll).

I’m not sure if it’s simply just the nausea or if he is discouraged by the recent increase in drinking (though I have explained that that is normal and doesn’t mean the treatment is not working) or whether he wants to give up out of a fear that it might be in fact be working and he just doesn’t know how to live a life without alcohol yet (he has a pretty consistent pattern of self-sabotage… He wants things to be better, but anytime things do get better, he actively does something to mess it all up). He won’t post on the forum (he is very anti-computer / internet), but I was hoping that I might be able to get some advice to pass on to him. Am I being selfish for insisting that he continue with the treatment when it makes him feel so ill? Thanks guys, I’m at a bit of a loss here…

well it's obvious that you care and want to help. and I know it's hard to be with an alcoholic. but depending on how sick it makes him feel, maybe it might help to try topomax or another treatment. I am NOT a doctor, but maybe I'd see if he's stick with it a bit longer and see if the side effects go away and if not, try something else. my 2 cents. good luck