Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Seven Months on Baclofen

DOSE: Baclofen 45 mg (10/10/10/15); Bupropion 300 mg (150/150).

Wow, I had completely forgotten about this blog! Guess I should give an update so anyone who reads this knows I'm alive and well. I have been sober for eight months, and taking baclofen for seven of those eight months. I have tapered my dose down to 45 mg per day, and I experience practically no side effects. Since I had grown accustomed to high doses of baclofen, it is still occasionally difficult to fall asleep at night. I tapered my dose down pretty slowly, and stayed at 50mg until my semester ended. Baclofen has been amazing for maintaining abstinence. My life has completely changed. I was taking 19 units at my university, and working full-time, and I received As in all of my classes. I have already been offered full-time employment at two different companies, and things are just going great. I don't attend Alcoholic's Anonymous or any other support group. I do see a therapist once every two or three weeks, and that has helped me quite a bit. My mind is clear, and I'm really glad I lowered my dose to a manageable level because it would have been pretty rough to get off of it had my body grown accustomed to extremely high doses. I do have "cravings" every now and then, but that's life I guess. They are by no means overwhelming, and I can quickly brush them off and get on with my day. I also quit smoking cigarettes. It's been over four months since I've smoked, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

I know that many people are attempting to use baclofen to try and drink normally. Trust me, I get it. Initially, that was my plan as well. But alcohol has caused so much damage and pain in my life that I have just accepted the fact that I can't drink it. The very fact that I want to drink something that has ruined my life tells me that my brain responds differently than others to alcohol. I have heard a couple amazing stories about high dose baclofen completely changing a person's life and allowing that person to "drink normally." But for every one of those stories, there are 10 stories of people who have had a nightmarish ride with baclofen, and they continue to drink alcoholically. Baclofen has truly changed my life, and allowed me to maintain my sobriety my own way. I finally have the ability to choose my own path instead of being force-fed something I don't believe in. I am not saying alcoholics should avoid baclofen, but I do think we should be safe about what we put into our bodies. Buying baclofen on the internet and taking 300mg every day is not a safe solution, no matter what one reads on an online study. I will try to keep people updated. I hope that everyone finds a way out of the alcoholic pit, because it's truly a horrible way to live. I hope that I can continue on the way I have been, but I never assume I am "cured."

2 comments:

  1. Congrats Jon for your success. I couldn't be happier for you. You mentioned that for every good story of Baclofen, there are ten stories of nightmarish rides. I have been researching Baclofen for almost a year now. Many succes stories but i haven't found any negative stories. Is it possible you may have exaggerated that number for the sake of this blog? I hope so. I'm pinning all of my hope on this Baclofen program. Without a success story of my own, I'm not sure i will survive. Also, can you share with us where you aquired your supply of Baclofen? Thanks in advance Jon. I look forward to your future postings. Your story gives me hope. Bob.

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  2. Hi Bob,
    Yes I did mention that about baclofen. Many people have hellish side effects with baclofen and compound it by drinking alcoholically despite being on the medication. That was not my experience. I found a psychiatrist willing to prescribe baclofen, but prior to that I was ordering it online. Fairly easy to find, but I won't provide the link for legal reasons.

    Bob, I don't know about your situation, but there is hope. The most progressive and promising addiction treatment lies in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). It will be far more challenging to find and expensive, but I have probably studied more about alcoholism than most doctors and researchers just because it has been so significant in my life, and DBS is likely the future of addiction treatment. Definitely try baclofen as a means to quit, but look into all of your options.

    Best of luck. We're in this together. And remember that you are a person with choice in life.

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