Here's an ABC news interview with Dr. Olivier Ameisen, the French cardiologist who wrote "The End of My Addiction." Useful info about an alternative treatment. . .My own sense is that eventually alcoholism/addiction will one day be treated with a combination of drugs, such as Naltrexone and baclofen. I'm toying with the idea of starting baclofen - initially at a very low dose - just to see what the results might be. For sure some report a near miraculous cure.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=6636845&page=1

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I hope anyone who is thinking of baclofen thinks about it long and hard.


The FDA says there is not conclusive evidence that baclofen affects the GABA system.
http://www.drugs.com/pro/baclofen.html

Wikipedia says that baclofen IS a GABA agonist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baclofen

If true, baclofen could result in the same "lazy" Gaba production by our own bodies that concerns Dr. Eskapa so much about us benzo users.

On the bright side, according to Wikipedia, baclofen users do not seem to develop tolerance and this is an important distinction from benzos.

On the down side, every source I've seen warns that stopping baclofen can result in benzo-like withdrawal symptoms, which tells us, no matter how it functions in the brain, it makes some powerful changes similar to benzos.

If you choose baclofen, it seems you will be taking this drug daily for life.

We all have choices to make and I respect that. In fact, it's great to know we do have choices. I just hope they are as informed as possible. So many of us benzo users had NO IDEA what we were getting into when we started them or we never would have.

To be fair, I should note that baclofen seems to be the drug of choice now over at MyWayOut and some seem to be getting great early results. Still, I'm just sayin'.

From wikipedia, some of the withdrawal syndromes:


Yikes.

Interesting stuff...thanks for posting this G4M. I have not read too closely about baclofen so far other than noting how it has helped many with anxiety issues further reduce their cravings...but it has also now caught may attention over at MWO (Marbella is starting to take it to help wipe out final stages of her addiction).

I am still hopeful my issue will be manageable with Nal alone, but it is oddly tempting to try more drugs to achieve results faster (I am not implying that's what G4M was suggesting, that is just where my thought process went). So, also thank you to Lena for the reality check - making me think it through! I appreciate all of the information you guys provide here, the pros and the cons.

Cess & Lena, thanks for the research on this drug. Sounds like jumping from the frying pan into the fire to me. Benzo's are a nightmare. I agree with Lena we would never have taken them if we had known the long term affects of these drugs. I was dumb enough to fall victim a second time. I am still in shock that the small dose that I take of klonipin is an addiction and may be the very cause of what it is suppose to correct! I am still shaking my head! Will post on the benzo thread, have some news.

I'm just having an unexpected difficult time, at 15 weeks. . .so am sorely tempted to add baclofen to the mix, just to see if it will help get me 'over the hump.' The success stories on MWO are quite dramatic - and while you have to be very careful not to go off baclofen suddenly b/c of serious withdrawal symptoms, the drug is not in the benzo/hypnotic/addictive category.

But. My online order didn't go thru 'for some reason.' So I'm taking that as a sign to hang in here with TSM alone. . .at least for another month.

g4m, well you sound like you may be feeling, for a moment that is, the way that I have been feeling all along. Not fun is it? Sorry for what you are going through but think that you will be the success that you thought you would be because you are not on other crap. I have heard from someone who is also on the Beclofen and having great success. He didn't take the benzo's first so there is a great difference the only thing that I worry about is what happens when you want off of beclofen? Will they suddenly find out it is the nightmare that we on benzo's are facing????? Hope and pray you don't end up being in that boat. Seems like a lot of people are simply having trouble this week for whatever reason. Hope things look up for you and the rest!

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G4M - I'm in the same boat as you, few weeks behind but a bit stalled now, which is why I have been tempted to order Bac as well.

I too was going to order last night but came back online and found your post and Lena's reply - took it as a sign for me as you did (the ever present internet gods looking out for us?)

I am not ready to take another medication, just yet. I'd like to give it at least 6 months with the Nal to see where I'm at. It was a huge decision for me to take Nal and even though Baclofen looks much more benign than Benzo's, I am going to remember to be a patient patient. And also I need to remember that I have not been trying **at all**. We have a little mantra on this board to just let it happen naturally...which has been lovely and easy to follow, but at some point we may need to try a bit. Last night my cravings were low but I still like my wine, so I had 2 glasses. Each 7 ounces...prior to TSM that would have been 3- 9 ounce glasses so I am definitely down in consumption. I could very easily not have had any last night, but since I still have thoughts, I decided to take my pill and try to work on extinguishing them. I know 2 glasses is nothing for many on this board, but even at that level it affects my life negatively and I hate it. I'm hoping over the next 4 weeks those 'thoughts' I have each night will disappear and I will be at the point where I don't feel this nagging need to 'extinguish' that voice...because it will be gone.

Baclofen is so tempting for many reasons (not the least of which is I have many anxiety related issues), but I am going to commit 6 months to Nal only and keep watching for signs that I am ready to start trying to AF. If I still need Bac at that point I will have the added benefit of gaining insight from other user's experience.

Everyone here has my support for whichever route they choose (sincerely) -- I am just posting my own thought process as I think it helps to come online and talk through our decisions, whichever end point we reach.


Thank you all again - I can not tell you how much help this forum (and the med thread on MWO) have been to me this year.