I like to post some good news. I did find a Psychiatrist that prescribed me Nal! By the way, sorry if this post is too long but I am looking for someone who has similar issues.

Getting Nal was one heck of a process since my regular Physician told me he wouldn’t do it. I almost gave up and went on-line to order it but my inner-voice told me to try a Psychiatrist. After getting my blood work done and having my liver test pass ( whew! ) I made some more calls and finally found a receptionist who talked to her Psychiatrist and even though he hasn’t heard of this method yet he would prescribe Nal. I was elated!

The meeting with the Psychiatrist was very intense. He seemed to have a very brusque manner. For the first 50 minutes he asked me many questions about myself, my life, and my family history. He was very thorough! No small talk with him and a few of my light jokes to lighten the mood didn’t even elicit a smile.

At the end he told me what my problem is. He said, “You have underlying depression and anxiety which was caused by my family, genetic history and some tragic events ( the loss of my first wife four 1/2 years ago )”. He also said, “I have extreme socio-economic pressures on me (can’t find a job) and being a newly wed this is also an added stressor. Having a loving, VERY supportive wife I didn’t think that but I figured maybe he might be a “little” right.

What I didn’t appreciate is when he said, “I will prescribe you Nal but you won’t take it” (what!?). He told me I will want a buzz so I will skip my dosage. I really don’t like when someone ASSumes something of me. He told me that in his 45 years experience just taking a pill won’t work. I need counseling and then promptly set an appointment with one of his counselors. He told me I want a QUICK FIX which doesn't work. He also gave me a script for an anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety medicine he said works with Nal. He told me he didn’t want me taking Xanax which I generally only use for flying.

I am happy to report my first three drinking sessions I started off with .25 and didn’t feel any major side effects. Maybe one side effect is I felt a little spacey for a few minutes. My wife even commented, “You don’t seem to act sooo stupid” which I did take as a compliment. My third .25 drinking session I handed her my last drink and told her I was done. She was dumbfounded. I have NEVER done that!

Last night was my first .5 drinking session which my drinking came down further! However, before I ever took the pill I started to feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety and pressures in my brain. The drive home “at night” ( which sometimes bothers me ) even had me feeling worse. I thought I was going to have a panic attack. When we got home I was feeling “pissed off” for no reason. After I started feeling a little better I poured myself a drink and I started to feel even better. The anxiety seemed to go away as the weird sensations in my head. I would like to add this started a week ago before I started taking Nal.

I am looking for anyone who has had these types of experiences. I am currently on Tricor and Niacin. I had taken the Venlafaxine ( 37.5 mg ) for four days prior to taking Nal but stopped because I felt like this drug was inducing depression and anxiety.

I actually had similar experiences on Simcor ( for cholesterol ) a few years back which my Doctor said was unusual and prevented me from taking this drug.

I pray my underlying problems will not stop me from taking Nal.

I did meet with the Counselor yesterday. I did mention my anxiety levels seem to be rising. She said, she thought I may be going through alcohol withdrawal. I don't think so because I haven't decreased my alcohol consumption that much yet. When I usually don't drink for a few days ( which I hadn't at the time of the meeting ) I usually feel less anxious NOT MORE.

I hope to find someone here that can relate with me and we can exchange private emails.

Sincerely,

David

PS I have a follow up with the Psychiatrist in a few weeks and will tell him of these experiences.

Hey there,
I'm on meds for anxiety (zoloft) and have found that taking the nal sometimes makes me quite...edgy. And nervous. Once I start drinking, it's usually ok, but the nal itself can make me feel wierd. Not a doctor, but that's just my personal experience.
Hope you sort things out.
EL

Hi David,

Congratulations on getting started! You will prove the psychiatrist wrong, because you WILL take Naltrexone. What all of these doctors fail to understand is that we don't want to be drunks - we want to enjoy alcohol in moderation like everyone else. You will still feel a buzz, just not the extra-addictive kind that, over time, caused a loss of control in the first place. I don't have experience with the other meds, but my Nal SE's were similar at first and returned occasionally. Spacey, irritable, anxious, pissed off feelings were pretty common for me the first week. That did subside after the first week.

I am not doctor, so I cannot give real medical advice. But I did have a psychiatrist tell give me the exact same diagnosis about 7 years ago. He said I had mild depression and anxiety and was self medicating with alcohol - also within a 50 minute consulation. He put me on Lexapro, which did help me feel less scattered and more focused, but did nothing to stop me from drinking anyway. I quit after two months because the SE's were unacceptable and it was not helping with the original problem, drinking too much.

Personally, I think a lot of anxiety and depression is caused or exacerbated by alcohol itself. I notice that I am much happier, more focused and decisive and less anxious when I drink less (or not at all.) That begs the question, why do we all go back to it then? Addiction and the alcohol deprivation effect, of course. I wonder what would happen and how you would feel staying off all anti-depression and anti-anxiety meds and taking Naltrexone only when you drink? Maybe much of that depression and anxiety will go away when you are consuming less of a depressant (alcohol?) Just a thought. It always concerns me how quickly doctors jump to anti-depressant meds - they are not to be taken lightly.

Good luck and keep posting. I am interested to hear what you do!

YG

David, I didn't take nal 58 times in the last 6 months. Those were the 58 days I didn't drink. Other than a white knuckled 30 day abstinence and a couple of days with the flu I had drank every day for 12 years straight prior to nal. I haven't missed a nal dose yet when drinking and in a month it will be a year on TSM for me. Why haven't I missed a dose? Because like you alcohol was destroying my life and robbing me of my talents and my dignity. Before naltrexone I was powerless to do anything about that. Maybe it's a good thing your psychiatrist pissed you off. You really want to prove him wrong now. Even though I don't know you I know you won't drink without nal. Nal is not a quick fix but it is a solution. Welcome to the board and keep us posted on your progress

Anti-depressants notoriously take a while to get used to and stabilized. Once you have taken them for awhile you should by no means suddenly quit them. I know no details of your situation, but I agree with the above statement re: possibility of foregoing the Anti-D. Since you seem to be having a great start with Nal, perhaps many of your depressive symptoms will improve in a couple weeks (the time it takes to get acclimated to most anti-D. Although I never suffered from Major Depression, I can at least tell you that my general mood and well-being improved dramatically when I gained control of my excessive drinking. Good luck in what ever you do.

I appreciate all your words of encouragement! I haven't had that weird sensation again - Thank God! This may have come from the anti-depressant I suddenly stopped even though I was on it only four days.

I know drinking too much has exacerbated my anxiety and depression. Once when flying back from an all-inclusive vacation in the Dominican Republic I had five beers the day before I flew back. My Xanax didn't even work that well the next day! I felt like I was going to come out of my skin. Other flights that I didn't drink the night before I was fine.

The alcohol/addiction specialist also didn't know of this method. She compared my drinking habit to her love of cake. She said, I am someone who can't stop at one slice and unlike her I have to eat the whole cake. Like the Psychiatrist she had to let me know in her twenty years ( we are up to 65 years total experience now with the shrink ) experience just taking Nal and drinking one hour later won't work. She told me AA may be one avenue for me even though I told her I don't want a "faith based" group approach. I told her ( thanks to the book ) I don't see how recrimination will help me. She agreed ( I don't get these people!? ). I explained the Sinclair method and all I got from her is a "deer in the headlights look" and her watching the clock every 10 seconds ( doesn't that tick some of you off? ).

Now that I am thoroughly pissed off I wouldn't dream of missing my dosage (1hour) before drinking.

David, keep the faith even if your therapist is a douchecanoe. My psychiatrist prescribed me nal and doesn't know TSM, but after talking to her and showing her how it was working for me, she just decided to let me do things "my way". She said she's had great success with nal as an anticraving drug and in moderating drinking, so she doesn't really care if I only take it on drinking days instead of every day (the general way nal is prescribed). We might have problems down the road when I explain that I'll need a Rx FOREVER (she thinks it's a 12 month process, or so...) but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Anyways, point being, as long as you can get the Rx....just follow the rules and post on this board and you should be on your way to regaining control!
EL

Thanks Electralou. Actually the Psychiatrist told me to take 75 mg every day. I told him the method works with alcohol only ( .5 MG ) which he blurted in a demeaning tone "OF COURSE YOU CAN DRINK ON IT". He might as well have added you stupid/imbecile American. I thought he told me at the beginning of the meeting he reviewed the method? I had one hell of a time understanding him since he had a thick Indian accent so I'm not sure if we got our signals crossed.

During the meeting with the addiction therapist I wasn't so sure she had control over her "cake problem" since she wobbled more than walked. I'm sure it is simply a thyroid problem (lol).

I told my wife before the appointment maybe I should change it to see a man since many of my drinking issues center around beautiful woman. My wife told me she probably heard it all before so not to worry. But during the meeting I let it slip about a Mexico trip a few years back when I was single ( I tried to keep the story clean ) where later my Doctor joked with me I must be trying to give myself a "self-induced heart attack". The therapists demeanor seemed to change. I kind of got the look I was a pervert in addition to being a born drunk. Heck, the woman I met was 23 and a model for Ferrari so hardly a kid or innocent for that matter.

No wonder people with a drinking problem don't seek help. Both of these people like talking down to me. I think it must be somewhere in their manual. Chapter 1: DON'T LET THE PATIENT CHOOSE THEIR OWN COURSE OF TREATMENT.

So, Lou I will keep the faith and be on the look out for a Psychiatrist that will take a few hours and reads the damn book.