Day Ten

DOSE: 40 mg Baclofen (10/10/10/10).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Slight mood changes; decreased alcohol cravings.

Tomorrow I will be increasing my dose to 50 mg, and I've decided to go up every three days due to the fact that I haven't had any limiting side effects. Yesterday I was having some strange mood swings and occasional cravings for alcohol, which frustrated me because prior to that I hadn't been experiencing hardly any cravings. I've also been getting anxious about a job interview that I have tomorrow morning. I've been noticing that in stressful situations I think baclofen actually makes me more anxious, not less like some people have experienced. However that feeling usually subsides after about 20 minutes. Overall I'd still take any of this over intolerable alcohol cravings and that lurking sensation of feeling "trapped" into sobriety. I started my intensive outpatient program yesterday, and I'm looking forward to continuing to attend those groups as well as beginning individual therapy sessions. Baclofen is doing about as much as a pill can do so far, but I still need to address underlying issues in order to have meaningful, lasting sobriety. Or is that the AA talking? Occasionally I'll notice myself drifting into feelings of regret about foolish past behaviors while drunk. I've done some incredibly ridiculous things while intoxicated, but it really serves no purpose to dwell on any of it. Anyways, I'm 38 days sober and feeling great! The only thing on my mind is this stupid interview tomorrow, and for some reason I just can't help but thinking I'm going to fail miserably. All I can do is show up and be myself and hope for the best. I'm sorry for these boring, monotonous blog entries, I'll try to spice things up as I get used to this whole process.

And just to repeat for anyone who is curious about my dosing schedule:

1st dose: 7 - 8:30 a.m. (depending on when I wake up)
2nd dose: 1 - 1:30 p.m.
3rd dose: 6 - 6:30 p.m.
4th dose: 10 - 11:30 p.m. (depending on when I go to sleep)

This schedule is working great for me so far, and when I increase I take the larger dose in the morning and in the evening because the afternoons are the only times I occasionally experience tiredness from baclofen. I'll post again soon!

Day Eight

DOSE: 40 mg Baclofen (10/10/10/10).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Slight mood changes; decreased alcohol cravings.

Another positive day today. I have been increasing the dosage slightly more quickly than I had originally planned, but as of yet I haven't noticed any tough negative side effects. The somnolence has completely gone away, and I've only noticed occasional mood swings and some infrequent headaches. It's well worth it because even at such a relatively low dose, I am not having many alcohol cravings. I really do need to get involved in some volunteer work or something, because I need to fill my days a bit more. Tomorrow I'll be starting my outpatient program, and I'm hoping to make some sober friends through those meetings. I still haven't attended an AA meeting, but it hasn't been an issue yet. I've just been to so many meetings, for so long now, that I am almost repulsed by the idea of returning. Realistically, though, shame and embarrassment is definitely playing a role in my reluctance to return. Ultimately, I just need to join in on some sober leisure activities like sports teams or hiking, etc. The 40 mg dose will have to carry out for at least four days, because I need to have enough to last until my next refill. Oh, one other thing I've noticed in terms of side effects is that I've been finding myself waking up with a slight headache around 7 a.m. and finding it difficult to fall back asleep. I usually take my last dose around 10:30 p.m., so perhaps my body is reacting to the fact that it doesn't have any baclofen coursing through its system. However the positive effects far outweigh any negative consequences to this point, and I'm very pleased with the results. In terms of past anti-craving medications, I've taken Wellbutrin, Campral, Naltrexone and Antabuse, none of which had any real noticeable impact. Wellbutrin helped some, at least with my depression, but other than that not really.

All in all, I'm really optimistic about baclofen. I'm a little nervous that I may be developing a tolerance too quickly, and that the generic form of the drug may be less powerful than the brand name version. However, I think I'm just reading too much into little details. I'm still happily sober, and that's all that matters! Goodnight.

Day Six

DOSE: 30 mg Baclofen (10/5/10/5).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Headache; slight mood changes; decreased alcohol cravings.

So far my body has been very receptive to baclofen, and I'm hardly experiencing any real negative side effects. I think I'm going to speed up my schedule a little bit and see if everything continues to go well. Since I was getting tired in the middle of the day, I've switched up my dosages a little bit so I'm taking less in the afternoon. I took 10 mg at 8:30 am, 5 mg at 1:30 p.m., 10 mg at 6:30 p.m., and I'll be taking 5 mg before bed. Baclofen has been helping me sleep, which has been great because I had read several experiences of people having insomnia due to baclofen use. Today was my second day at 30 mg, and either tomorrow or the next day I'm going to increase the dose to 40 mg. I went to my assessment interview for my outpatient treatment program, and I start on Monday. I'm looking forward to that. Sorry I'm rushing this entry because I really don't feel like writing anything tonight. Even at such a low dose, I am definitely feeling positive benefits from baclofen  in terms of both decreased alcohol cravings and just an overall sense of well-being. I think it was extremely helpful that I had already been sober for a month before beginning. It has been highly recommended from experts in baclofen therapy for alcoholism that at least a few days of abstinence take place before beginning the regimen. Obviously for some people this isn't possible, and I know that when I'm in active alcoholism I'm never sober for more than an hour, let alone a day or two. I'm excited to continue pushing forward and to incrementally up my dose until I feel completely satisfied with the results. Again, I apologize for the sloppy entry tonight, but I just feel like sitting back and watching some TV before bed. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Day Four

DOSE: 20 mg Baclofen (5/5/5/5).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Headache; mild somnolence; decreased alcohol cravings.

I had a somewhat interesting day today. Last night I decided to take an extra 5 mg of baclofen before bed because that morning I noticed what seemed to be a slight baclofen "hangover" from not having it in my system for several hours. It worked well and I slept great once again, so I'm going to do that again tonight. Tomorrow I will increase my dose to 30 mg, and I'm a little nervous about that but also excited. Overall I felt good today in terms of the effects of baclofen on my alcohol cravings, but I did experience noticeable tiredness after lunch, around 1:30 p.m. I took a nap and found it very difficult to shake off the feeling of somnolence and lethargy after I woke up. Eventually that feeling wore off and I felt fine, but it was a strange experience. My days are pretty slow since I'm not in school or working right now, so I need to find some new activities to fill my days. I believe this is where a program such as Alcoholic's Anonymous would come in handy, because a pill obviously can't address the social and environmental aspects of alcoholism. Next week I will be starting an outpatient treatment program that meets three times a week for three hours. Hopefully I'll be able to make some sober friends there and start participating in fun, sober leisure activities. My intramural sports team will also begin next week, and I'm excited for that. I have also noticed mild headaches at various times throughout the day, but this could be a result of my bruxism (jaw clenching). Part of me was hoping that baclofen, being a muscle relaxant, might alleviate some of my jaw clenching/teeth grinding, but it hasn't done so yet.

In all, today was a positive day and I'm still feeling very good about my baclofen adventure. Some marked tiredness, mild headaches, and very slight mood changes are all that have occurred in terms of side effects so far. I hope that as I increase my dose, the side effects don't get to be too much. I just read (Oct. 22, 2014) that the University of North Carolina is seeking volunteers for a controlled study of baclofen use for the treatment of alcoholism, so I will definitely be keeping up with those developments. My guess is that within five years scientists will have changed the molecular makeup of baclofen just enough to be able to market it as a new drug and thus allow pharmaceutical companies to profit from it. Due to the fact that baclofen is a relatively old drug, all of its patents have expired, so big-name drug companies can't make money on it. That is the only reason I can see for why it is not being focused on more in the treatment of alcoholism.

Anyways, I'll post more in the next day or two. I'm 33 days sober, and things are going well!

Day Two

DOSE: 15 mg Baclofen (5/5/5).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Mild nausea; mild muscle weakness; decreased alcohol cravings.

It's only the second day of my baclofen schedule, but I noticed some positive changes in my mood and alcohol cravings. I slept great last night, apart from some pretty bizarre dreams. After experiencing some uncomfortable side effects from such a low dose (10 mg) yesterday, I was wary about my future with baclofen. However, today went much better. I took my first 5 mg at 9 a.m. with breakfast, and did not notice any tiredness like the day before. I noticed a lack in motivation for a short period, but was still able to take care of a lot of errands and household chores. After eating lunch around 1:30 p.m. I took my second 5 mg dose, and noticed that I was in a good mood and had not been experiencing hardly any alcohol cravings. A few hours after that I went to the gym, and noticed some slight muscle fatigue, a side effect commonly attributed to baclofen use. I took my third 5 mg dose around 7 p.m., and was able to relax and watch some T.V. after a busy day of running around and taking care of small tasks. Due to my recent relapse, I was forced to take a medical leave of absence from the university I attend, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. I have been spreading out my doses based on other clinical trials and the fact that baclofen only stays active in the body for approximately four hours after ingestion.

I'm going to stay on my 15 mg dose for three more days, and then I will begin increasing the amount by 10 mg every five days. I have read about many unpleasant side effects of baclofen as a result of moving up too quickly, which is why I'm choosing to go slowly. Overall, today has left me feeling far more optimistic about my journey using baclofen therapy to treat my alcoholism. I'm still debating whether or not I should return to Alcoholic's Anonymous to supplement my recovery process, but I've been in-and-out of the rooms for so long now that the thought of going back to meetings is almost repulsive. I did notice that I've been smoking more cigarettes than usual, but that could be more from boredom than anything else. It's only the second day, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I will most likely skip a few days of posting updates so as to avoid tiresome repetition, but will definitely continue to share my progress often.

Day One

DOSE: 10 mg Baclofen  (5/5) (Brand name Fexobac, generic for Lioresal).

RELATIVE FACTORS: Gender: Male ; Weight: 170lbs

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet). Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule).

SIDE EFFECTS: Mild somnolence; mild mood changes; increased alcohol cravings (read below).

Due to circumstance, I began my Baclofen intake at 2 p.m. by ingesting 5 mg orally. I have been completely sober for exactly one month today, so I noticed the effects of Baclofen after approximately 30 minutes. I felt more relaxed, somewhat tired, and experienced mild mental "fog." I was just released from a 30-day inpatient treatment facility for my alcoholism, so my stress and anxiety level was increased due to the initial shock of being back in my old environment. I believe that fact played more of a role in my increased alcohol cravings than that of the Baclofen, however I think it should be mentioned regardless. I took another 5 mg at 7 p.m., and did not notice the Baclofen nearly as much as the first dose. It is now 9:40 p.m., and I feel a little sleepy. I am somewhat concerned about sleep, but will report back tomorrow. From this point on I am going to take 15 mg of Baclofen distributed in 5 mg doses three times per day for the next four days before increasing the amount. It is only the first day, so I did not expect any positive results from such a low dose. I had quit smoking cigarettes for two weeks during my treatment, however due to the stress of being home I began smoking again. I am not sure if Baclofen had any impact on this decision.

I remain optimistic, but also fearful. Alcohol has taken everything from me, and I will do anything to overcome it. If you are suffering from alcoholism or addiction, feel free to contact me and share your experiences. I would love to hear from you, so please comment below. I will continue to post about my journey as often as possible, and will try to be as detailed and meticulous as I can in regards to relevant information.

All the best.

Relapse

Last month, on September 6, I relapsed. I immediately spiraled into out-of-control binge drinking once again, and within a week I was in a hospital detoxing. I stopped eating, showering, drinking water, and ceased doing anything else to take care of myself. I almost died twice in less than three weeks, and the final time I went to the hospital my B.A.C. was over .45 coupled with the fact that I had consumed 15 mg of Ativan that was prescribed to me after my previous hospitalization. After roughly three weeks, I woke up in a treatment center with no knowledge of how I got there or what had taken place anytime before that moment. Again.

I just discharged today, and I am now going to try to use high-dose Baclofen therapy to save my own life. This is my last chance at survival. I am documenting this in a vain attempt to help others. Alcoholism has proven so devastating, so horrific, that I simply do not know what else to do. I am going to die if I can't maintain complete abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. I doubt hardly anyone will ever read this, but to those few who do stumble on this blog, I hope you find it helpful.