Hi everybody,
I have been taking NAL religiously an hour before drinking for a few months now. I had tried TSM several times and decided for various reasons that I did not want to stop drinking. I used to have super high tolerance and no hangovers at all without NAL. Now, NAL and 6 beers makes me feel lousy all day the day after. It sure has helped me cut down on units, but is this normal? It seems like if I stop at 4 I don't feel quite so bad the next day. Anybody else experience this?
Thanks,
Retread

Yes, it is very normal. You're experiencing, in part, what people refer to as the Nalover. It's an ill wind that does bring some good....you'll have to cut back on the # of units...and voila, you are cutting back on your alcohol. Have you tried reducing your Nal dosage?

I'm sure others will chime in. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

Gotthengene is right on the money there Retread. It's a very common early-stage reaction to the Nal. Don't be surprised, even if continuing on your current dosage, if it passes in the near future and you go back up to your previous levels--but that is also part of the progression (for some, not all) and is evidence of the Nal still working.

As for your having tried TSM several times and then deciding that you didn't want to stop drinking...that's an interesting and probably common concern for most alcoholics or habitual drinkers. The beauty and magic of the Nal, however, is that if you stick with it long enough, it will cause you to slowly, naturally lose the interest in drinking...so if you do lose interest in drinking, it will be because your interest and innermost desire will almost magically change and you just won't WANT to drink. It's not something that is hammering away attempting to MAKE you stop....rather, it is YOU who eventually decides and WANTS to stop (or moderate).

Bottom line is, you don't have to have any specific interest or desire to stop drinking when you start taking the Nal. Sure, you may think, or know that the drinking isn't good for you, and so decide to start taking the Nal --- and that's all the "interest" that you need to have --- the Nal takes care of the rest, as long as you follow the golden rule and take the Nal at least an hour each and every time before you drink!

Good luck to you...keep on keeping on. (KOKO)

Thanks for the replies and the advice. I am finding it easier to have AF days for fear of the "nalover". This past week was 24 units and 4 AF days. 10 of the units were yesterday and my nalover is in full force, so I'll be starting the week with my first AF day. Thanks again.

Quite normal, my tolerance has dropped and I'm quite sick the entire day following if I go over a certain amount which is approximately half the amount it used to take.

4AF days last week; that is great!!! The Nalover is what got me on my now 31 day AF run. Wishing you well and hope you feel better soon.

I find that NAL definitely gives me horrible hang overs. I also feel very fatigued on it (at times), so I could see one feeling spacey.

Unfortunately, I think it is just something we have to deal with.

Nice thing is, these NAL side effects can be beneficial when you are look in for AF days. You find that you ask yourself if you want to drink and deal with the side effects or just not drink.

Q

Well said, Q! Which makes the whole "Nalover" a blessing in disguise, as actually part of the whole Naltrexone experience...extinguishing our drinking one way AND the other!

Beautiful point, thanks!

Just wanted to add here that I've really noticed the last few times I've drank (I'm only now drinking once every 7-8 days) I've really felt it the next day. This last weekend I had 2 glasses wine(1 large, 1 small) plus 2 glasses champagne(all bar measures) over a 4 hour period and started feeling sick about 1 hour afterwards which lasted until late afternoon the following day. Previous session I did have 10 units one night and felt terrible the following day, few weeks back 12 units and was throwing up all the following day. Prior to TSM it would be 20-30 units(I know 10 units is still a lot and I'm essentially still a binger I guess!).

Seriously thinking of either going AF full-time or just limiting to one or two drinks once a week.

Into my 5th week of Nal and the side effects are trying . Feel exhausted and cannot sleep at the same time. Still going to pursue this because sometimes I feel like I did when I was 23 . This is my first post and I have nothing but admiration for the honesty of the people here. I know Rome wasn't built in a day . Feel like the last 5 years of my life were a complete waste but that's no reason to give up .