Gotthegene,

Thanks for reply. No apology needed - I just wondered what I had said. I have never blogged in my life and now I am a member of 2 and can't remember what I've said to who.

Thanks,
Desperado

My parents were the ones who drink the gin and tonic and beer every night. They are NOT baptists, but are very happy and sharp in their 80s.

Okay it's Barryb I was thinking of....mystery solved!

Now if only the cure to alcohol was that easy.

Hello Desparado,

Sounds like we have a lot in common. Beer drinker evolved into vodka sneaker. Seems like we have a lot in common the barry also. Keep up the posts and go for the AF. I'm gonna try again tonight. I think I will, as I had a really bad weekend, and I feel disgusted about it.

Hi Desperado,

I just joined here too. I am so sorry to hear about your situation, but it's great that you have found something new that might help. I have a suggestion. I am definitely no expert (I haven't even started myself, I am waiting for a painfully slow shipment of naltrexone), but I did read lots and lots about this method.

Here's my suggestion: part of the reason TSM is supposed to work better than the FDA-approved way of using naltrexone (every day, while not drinking) is that you can still enjoy regular daily activities without naltrexone blunting healthy positive feelings. I have read that people who take naltrexone every day can get very apathetic toward life in general, and people who suffer from depression may be at a higher risk for that. So I don't know how often you are taking it now, but I would suggest doing everything you can to throw in an alcohol-free day as often as possible if you can, to give yourself a break from the naltrexone, and to re-train your brain to enjoy normal activities more than it enjoys drinking.

You probably already know this yourself from your own reading on TSM, but I worry about people with depression who are having to take this stuff all the time. I also suffer from depression, and it is a big deal, and can really affect your recovery. I hope you don't mind my unsolicited advice! I am crossing my fingers for you and wishing you success and good health.

Hi cirque,

Sorry so long in replying. Thanks for the comments. I will gladly take your advice solicited or not. I wonder the same thing also about the naltrexone and depression. I am on day 44 and have not had a day without naltrexone. The main reason is my psychiatrist said she would only prescribe me 4 months worth of it (mainly because I said it normally takes that long). I didn’t explain to her it could take longer because she really didn’t even want to prescribe the 4. So, my idea is to go 3 months taking it every day (the 3rd I may have a few without it) then on the 4th concentrating on going without it most of the time (hopefully).

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM AMYONE THAT HAS ANY ADVICE ON WHAT I JUST WROTE. GOOD IDEA? BAD IDEA?

I feel I am getting better drinking wise and depression wise. I am also taking gabapentin which I think helps the anxiety. I am trying to stay busy doing things that needed to be done long ago. When I am doing something productive I don’t crave the alcohol as much. I must be doing something right my liver functions have gone way done. AST was 112 in Nov – now 30. ALT was 109 – now 34.

Good things to do for your liver besides not drinking: Mix fresh lemon juice with a few tea spoons of olive oil and some cayenne pepper (take at least every morning). Lemons are great for the liver but you may want to brush your teeth afterwards – the “only” thing I know that is bad about them is they can take off tooth enamel if consumed in high doses. Eat raw greens – have to put anything on them that’s not bad: lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper, no salt seasoning. For a while I bought beans in the bag and ate no processed food. I got my fat from beans, avocados, olive oil, and nuts.

You may have read this but my Doc told me I have about 5 years to live if I didn’t change my ways.

Have you received you naltrexone yet? How long has your depression been going on? Doc wants to put me on mirtazapine. Have you ever taken it or gabapentin?

I also wish you the best and thanks for the reply. Keep me apprised on how thing are – we all need to stick together.

God bless,
David (getting sick of Desperado)

David,

Today is day 62 for me. I have only had 3 days AF, so I have pretty much taken it every day. However, if you have an AF day, I would not take the pill, I did not on those 3 days. I look forward to 2 in a row someday soon. How is your unit tracking?

Chrisotpher

Christopher,

I keep track of my drinking and it’s been about 8 a day but that is over an average of 6 hours. Over all the craving has gone way done except I still have some for the first one. The main thing is I am measuring my drinks now and I am not downing them. I use to fix drinks that were 5-6 units “per drink.” I am also trying not to drink before 5 (I never drank before 5 until my medical leave). I keep my log were my wife can see it anytime she wishes. Right now I am not focusing on how much a day as to when and how long to plan my AF days since I only have 4 months of Nal. I don’t know if my Doc will extend my prescription. My plan is to have a lot of AF days by the 4th month so I can show my Doc what good it is doing then if she doesn’t prescribe more I will hopefully have enough pills left to last me until I can get some shipped. Do you have yours shipped and do you know the best place to get them from?

Thanks for the response Christopher,

David

I ordered from All Day Chemist per what I had read on the site. Many ordered there or from a River Pharmacy. I had a few comments regarding a difference in "the pill" or "the pill's coating" being different from each other, and that most preferred the pill/coating from the one from All Day, so I went there. So this is the only place I know. It takes at least 2 weeks. I re-ordered when I had 2-10 packs left.

My first order I only ordered Nal costing $16.80 for 10 pills. If your order was over $100, and you used an e-check payment, they deducted $15 off of the $25 shipping. So I order 6-10 packs to go over $100.

My second order I only ordered 5-10 packs, but added generic Crestor for $7.94 vs $25 in US due to no generic available in US, and I added 3 z-packs to have around to save a trip to the docs office. Strep throat runs through our house at least once a year if not twice.

I am debating asking my doc for a script, because I'm sure it will be less than $1.85 a pill with my insurance. I'm pretty sure I could convince my Dr. to prescribe it, but 1: I want to show him results first, and 2: I need to decide if I want it attached to my medical record forever.