If you're not familiar with this medication and it's uses for treating alcoholism I'd suggest you Google it. I began taking it, as prescribed by my doctor, last week. Aside from a few mildly unpleasant side effects it's been a pretty remarkable experience.
Pros:
*zero desire to drink alcohol
*zero desire to smoke cigarettes
*I have a considerable loss of appetite (not a loss of the desire to eat, I just feel satisfied with much less food)
*my obsessive attachment to my smartphone disappeared immediately
*my obsessive racing thoughts disappeared
*my constant concerns regarding home security have subsided to normal levels
*I feel more calm
Cons:
*The first day I felt nauseous, disoriented and tired (I cut down the dosage and things improved.
*strange, intense dreams
*fitful sleep
*still feel a little fuzzy, like being on a strong cold medication, but that's starting to lessen
*upset stomach during first few days
I wasn't expecting to lose my desire to smoke or some of my obsessive compulsive ways. All I hoped for was some help with the desire to drink alcohol. It was only after taking Naltrexone, and discovering these changes in myself, that i did reseaech and found its being used successfully to treat many things.
I understand that the AA way is not about taking a pill, but there are many who could benefit with some medical intervention to help them stay sober long enough to hear the message.
I'd be very interested to hear any of your opinions.
Glad to see you're having positive effects from this medicine, and that it's Dr. prescribed ... ... ... I had a Dr. that prescribed it for me about 12 to 13 years ago ... I seem to remember it helped me cut back on my drink'n as long as I took it regularly ... but I had some other issues and quit taking it and duh, I went back to heavy drink'n ... bad choice on my part ...
I say as long as you're seeing your Dr. regularly and are following his directives, fine ... more power to you ... but I also believe that unless there is a spiritual growth to accompany this, significant progress will be long and hard ...
Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Naltrexone has been shown to be somewhat successful for alcoholics wanting to reduce drinking. It's not particularly effective in those seeking total abstinence from alcohol.
Most AAs look down on that kind of outcome, for various reasons. But reduction is a common objective in the world of recovery.
If one is interested in total abstinence programs such as AA, there's no reason why a treatment program couldn't include both AA and Naltrexone.
We have several posts and threads here on this forum that mention Naltrexone. This drug wasn't around when I got sober. I can't say for certain but I probably have tried it. I did take Antabuse starting out. That worked 2ell for me.
Tipsy, are you also getting counseling as part of your treatment program?
