DOSE: 100 mg Baclofen (25/25/25/25); 900 mg Gabapentin (300/300/300); 300 mg Bupropion SR (150/150).
SIDE EFFECTS: Decreased alcohol cravings.
I'm sorry for not updating my blog more often. After beginning gabapentin I stopped increasing my baclofen dose, and therefore felt I was no longer living up to the blog's title. I had to take a makeup final exam earlier this week, and I think I did well on it. In order to study more successfully for my exam, I cut my gabapentin dose in half. I did this also because I couldn't tell if gabapentin was making a difference in my alcohol cravings. The wellbutrin (bupropion) has been effective at giving me more energy during the day, and since I've been at the same baclofen dose for several weeks now I am experiencing literally no side effects from it, or from any of the other medications. After I reduced my gabapentin dose, I initally noticed a slight return of cravings, but that has since diminished. By no means have I reached the highly sought after "indifference" to alcohol. I still have drinking urges, but they have not yet been severe by any means. I haven't had any moment that I would consider a "close call", and I'm able to function productively. In the next few days I may stop taking gabapentin completely, and start slowly increasing my baclofen dose once again. I've been sober for over three months now, and I'm proud of that. Reaching this point is not new to me, but it's definitely worthwhile. However I need to continue to work on the social and psychological aspects of alcoholism, and start to branch out and find support networks. I'll be starting my next semester of classes in the coming weeks, and that will surely bring about quite a bit of stress and anxiety. So hopefully I can have a network of supportive people in place by the time school starts. Aside from that, not too much to report. I'm back home once again for the holidays, which is always stressful. But it is good to see my family again. Back in Arizona I've become somewhat reclusive, and I know that I need to change that habit in order to maintain enjoyable sobriety. It is good to know that if I stick to one dose of baclofen for long enough I can reach a point where I feel no side effects other than reduced alcohol cravings.
Hope everyone has a happy holidays!
Showing posts with label gabapentin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gabapentin. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Day 49
DOSE: 100 mg Baclofen (25/10/20/20/25); 1,800 mg Gabapentin (600/600/600); 300 mg Bupropion SR (150/150).
OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet); Fish Oil (1 capsule).
SIDE EFFECTS: Short-term memory lapses; mild anxiety; slightly decreased alcohol cravings.
Well now I'm on quite a cocktail of medications. After meeting with my psychiatrist a few days ago, we decided to add Wellbutrin (generic Bupropion) to the mix to combat tiredness and memory problems. He was reluctant to prescribe a stimulant (for good reason), and so far bupropion has most definitely helped with tiredness. I've been researching gabapentin, and memory problems is not a listed side effect. Perhaps it's just a lack of focus and motivation that is causing me to have trouble retaining information. The reason I took an extra 10 mg today is because I was feeling really anxious and having some cravings. It's kind of frightening that my cravings are returning, and I'm not sure what's causing it. The past couple days it's been pretty bad, but I am able to recall how terrible my life was when drinking and could easily say no. For about the first month out of treatment my cravings were practically nonexistent, so I'm thinking that gabapentin may actually be making things worse. For now I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing and hope that things get better as my body continues to adjust to these medications.
I finally stopped procrastinating on an assignment that I had to complete in order to finish one of my makeup classes, and that has helped to alleviate some pressure at least. However I still have the big exam to take, and that continues to cause a lot of stress. I'm still sober which is obviously the most important part, and I plan to stay that way. The side effects have pretty much all abated, except for the ones I've listed above. Regardless of anything, I'm extremely happy about the fact that medications for alcoholism are being researched and tested. I'll post more later!
OTHER MEDICATION(S): Multivitamin (1 tablet); Fish Oil (1 capsule).
SIDE EFFECTS: Short-term memory lapses; mild anxiety; slightly decreased alcohol cravings.
Well now I'm on quite a cocktail of medications. After meeting with my psychiatrist a few days ago, we decided to add Wellbutrin (generic Bupropion) to the mix to combat tiredness and memory problems. He was reluctant to prescribe a stimulant (for good reason), and so far bupropion has most definitely helped with tiredness. I've been researching gabapentin, and memory problems is not a listed side effect. Perhaps it's just a lack of focus and motivation that is causing me to have trouble retaining information. The reason I took an extra 10 mg today is because I was feeling really anxious and having some cravings. It's kind of frightening that my cravings are returning, and I'm not sure what's causing it. The past couple days it's been pretty bad, but I am able to recall how terrible my life was when drinking and could easily say no. For about the first month out of treatment my cravings were practically nonexistent, so I'm thinking that gabapentin may actually be making things worse. For now I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing and hope that things get better as my body continues to adjust to these medications.
I finally stopped procrastinating on an assignment that I had to complete in order to finish one of my makeup classes, and that has helped to alleviate some pressure at least. However I still have the big exam to take, and that continues to cause a lot of stress. I'm still sober which is obviously the most important part, and I plan to stay that way. The side effects have pretty much all abated, except for the ones I've listed above. Regardless of anything, I'm extremely happy about the fact that medications for alcoholism are being researched and tested. I'll post more later!
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!
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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