Thursday, November 27, 2014

Day 40

DOSE: 80 mg Baclofen (20/20/20/20); 1,500 mg Gabapentin (600/300/600).

OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet).

SIDE EFFECTS: Headache in the morning; short-term memory lapses; somnolence; decreased alcohol cravings.

I haven't posted in a little while, and that's because I've taken a slight detour on my baclofen journey. I met with a psychiatrist about a week ago hoping to get an increased prescription for my baclofen use so I don't have to supplement my dose through other means. However, after meeting with the psychiatrist, he insisted that I try gabapentin, another off-label alcoholism drug. So I've been titrating up on gabapentin, but because it makes me drowsy too I had to reduce my baclofen intake so I could tolerate both. In the past few days I've noticed a frightening return of cravings, and I'm unable to determine whether it's from taking gabapentin or from reducing the amount of baclofen I'm taking. I was up to 110 mg/day of baclofen when I began gabapentin, and I quickly dropped the amount of baclofen to 80 mg, which could well be the cause of my recent drinking urges. Regardless, I'm still sober! I drove home for Thanksgiving yesterday, and I became very tired near the end of my drive, to the point that I almost thought I couldn't continue! However, I bought some coffee and snapped out of it. So I'm a little nervous about changing my game plan to include gabapentin, but I want to give it a fair chance and see if it helps me reach a point of indifference towards alcohol. The few studies that I've read about the efficacy of gabapentin in reducing cravings seem promising, and if it doesn't work out I will simply return to my original baclofen titration schedule. Anyways, getting ready for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my family, so I should probably get going. Also, today I haven't had any cravings whatsoever, so hopefully that will continue as my body adjusts to this new medication. Happy holidays!

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