I came upon the book and this board a couple of weeks ago, and finally felt like I had real hope to deal with my drinking problem. I met with my doctor the other day, and even gave him my copy of Dr. Eskapa's book. However, he was totally reluctant to prescribe the Naltrexone, and I got the impression that even after he read the book, it wouldn't happen. And if it did, I would be obliged to combine the Naltrexone treatment with counseling.

I really don't understand the reluctance--is naltrexone a horrible scary drug, with bad side effects? Not from what I've read. And is it worse than the actual over-drinking itself? I'm a pretty logical person, so it seems like the answer to that question is "no"...

So my question is, how do you go about finding a doctor that is willing to prescribe it? Would this be an internist, or a psychiatrist? A large urban practice? Or should I just not waste my time and money going from doc to doc, and instead order it online, such as through River Pharmacy or All Day Chemist, until the treatment is more well-known?

I live in a large metropolitan city, so the availability of doctors is not an issue.

Any suggestions?

Hi Ausue

I wonder how your doctor would answer those questions.

Quite a number of us have either ordered Naltrexone online or pretended we wanted it for abstinance. I think it's damn wrong we have to do that when alot of us pay dearly for medical insurance and have a right to say what path we would like to go, but there it is.

How about trying another doctor- the most important thing is to get it and start, if you let him think you are using it to abstain (which in tests doesn't work) he will probably happily give you a prescription. Well, at present the most important thing is to get it- we can sort them out later when we are ourselves are cured.

Welcome- nice to have you here!

Thank you both...I feel like I've just received a nice big warm hug.

Another thought I had was to find a message board that is frequented by doctors, and solicit Sinclair Method docs that way. If any of you know of something like that, please let me know.

After reading so many posts, plus my discussion with my doctor, it almost seems as if the medical community wants to PUNISH those addicted to alcohol. They WANT us to spend a fortune in rehab or counseling, take time away from work, cause upheaval in our families, and make it plain miserable for everyone involved. I realize there's also the financial issue--so many therapists and rehab centers have their livelihoods at stake, as Dr. Eskapa discusses in the book, but it also seems punitive as well. The Sinclair Method is just too "easy" and "painless". We should pay for our addiction! It feels like a big conspiracy to me. <climbing off my soap box>.

Thanks again for all of your ideas and suggestions. Keep them coming!

Hi and welcome. I got a prescription from my psychiatrist but he took a couple of weeks of research to decide it was safe to try. I think the fact that the treatment calls for very low doses of Nal influenced him greatly. He also read up on some of the trials that Dr E quotes, and excerpts of the book that I printed off for him. Only just started on week 2 so can only say, so far so good. Good luck.

I made a dozen or more phone calls to "addiciton specialists" off my insurance website and simply told the gal I was "interested in finding a doc who was familiar w/ and prescribed naltrexone for alcohol addiction and specifically in conjunction with the Sinclair Method".

I hit upon 3 or 4...see my comments earlier here. But it is definitely worth it to me to go thru my insurance as I only pay $10 for the 30 pills. I was afraid my prescribing Dr, a psychiatrist, would be wanting me to come in for follow-up visits, but when I called to get a refill w/ "Dr. auth. required", it went right through. So hoping he will continue to approve indefinitely. He also prescribed Campral, which I only took for the first day as others here said it was worthless during this method.

It's the wanting and anticipation for the first few weeks trying to get a Dr. Rx or going thru a website that is the killer! Once you get it - wooo hoooo!!! Feels like you've landed in the safety net. I hope -

Psychiatrists are the best choice at getting a Naltrexone prescription. Theirs is a world of subjective prescribing rather than the rest of the medical community where prescriptions are made objectively. Therefore, you can, in good faith of course, manipulate the discussion to that of the doctor prescribing you Naltrexone with abstinence in mind of course. This is done during the initial visit. After, you come back, you state to your doctor that you notice that alcohol does not have the appeal it once did when you inadvertently slipped a few times since you first saw them, but you see a definite improvement in your condition and would like to stay on the same regimen. They will prescribe you more. Keep repeating the process and make it seem like you and the doctor are discovering a new cure for alcoholism.

I know it sounds deceitful, but curing our mental health is paramount. The above method works very well with younger psychiatrists with a large patient load.

Bob

I think what you said is very wise bearing in mind that health is key and we're given a bit of a run around and worry to get this sorted. It also struck a comical chord especially the young overworked Doctor idea !

Yes, psychiatrists listen and are very interested when we, as patients, take an active interest in our recovery. They are, on the other hand, extremely cautious about manipulative people coming in to get prescrip meds to abuse or sell. Fortunately, Naltrexone is not an abused drug, nor can it ever be. It blocks highs!

Bob

Since I was down to the last 2 weeks of my 60 day supply of Nal that I got from All Day Chemist, I made an appt. with a local psychiatrist, whom I went to see today. I was nervous (lying is just not in my nature!) but I followed the "script" that some of you suggested, and said that I had done a lot of research on medication and really wanted to try Nal to control my drinking. She said she would have started me on Campral, but since I specifically asked for the Nal and had looked into it she would give me a scrip for it instead! So I have a 30 day supply with 5 refills!!! I'm ecstatic and to say I'm relieved is an understatement.

She was obviously unfamiliar with the Sinclair Method (or at least she didn't mention it) but after trying to educate my gp on it and failing, I decided it would be better to play along with her. She wants me to get where I totally abstain, then put me on Antabuse. Also, suggested therapy, AA (once a day for 60 days), and possibly detox. I just nodded and agreed.

So thanks everyone for your great advice and help! By the way, the psychiatrist is an older woman of Indian (as in India) descent.

As for my progress, I've been on Nal for about 6 weeks. No side effects whatsoever, except the sleepiness. Also, no honeymoon period for me, and I'm pretty much drinking the same amount I did when I started (a bottle of Chard a day). However, I did make it to 9 PM the other night without a significant craving, and just don't seem to obsess over drinking as much as I did before starting this. I am slightly nervous that my intake isn't showing any sign of slowing down, but understand also that this is a 4-6 month process. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I got my naltrexone from my psychiatrist, who prescribed it along with Campral. I stopped taking the nal because I didn't think it was working -- that was, until I discovered the SM. Now I am using it toward that end and we shall see. I have an appt with her next week and I'm thinking of sharing the book with her.