Advice please

Can I do that?  I thought you had to do a diary and stuff first?

 

As Vickylou and I have said, go see your GP and tell himyou want to stop. Explain that you tried cold turkey and tell him the uncomfortable syptoms.

We are nearly all talking from experience.

2 bottles of wine per night usually. My doctor knew before but doesn't know I've relapsed. .I just feel so ashamed

I will make an appointment

Dear Lorna. Bless you. You have no reason to feel ASHAMED...we all have slips...I lost count of mine...but you can and will do it lovely....ask if you can have a home detox...I had five...and also four where I was sectioned for weeks or months..your GP will want to help...also the community ALCOHOL SERVICE ....hold your head up high..you are not weak or bad...you are just human....so please...see your GP as soon as possible....I wish you all the happiness and good health in the world....big. warm hugs to you ....DEIRDRE xxx

Lorna, also ask your GP about Selincro (Nalmefene). It can help you lower your alcohol intake (but it won't prevent withdrawal symptoms). It can also help blunt a relapse. You GP should be able tell you about it. If not, look for another GP that's more experienced with addictions. There are other meds besides Selincro that may work better for you, but your GP should know about those. 

Please visit the Cthreefoundation website and click on the link for the OptionsSaveLives Forum if you like to read about the experiences of some of our members or if you have questions. (But go talk to your GP first!!!!)

I know you're scared, but you will get through this. 

Lorna

​you have nothing to be ashamed of when you see your dr. In fact you might find the opposite. Many people never admit how much they drink, or they deny they have a problem. You should be proud NOT ASHAMED!! Your doctor should recognise that you're aware you have a drink problem and just by admitting it, you want the best possible way to address the problem. That is quite an achievement.

Please make that appointment with your GP. No-one will tell you it's easy, as it's not, use this forum, talk to forum members who are going through the same thing. There are people here who have turned their lives around without alcohol, and they too felt just like you do now. Their advice is invaluable and shows what can be achieved.

Be proud not ashamed and good luck

I had to go and see my GP on 7th Jan and tell them I had relapsed. I didn't feel comfortable, the alternative was to drink myself into an early grave.

Which do you think is worse?

Lorna  --

I assumed you were in the UK or EU. Outside that area Naltrexone is available (US, Australia, etc) instead of Selincro.

I can remember doing that several times over the years! Never a particularly easy thing to admit to, but as you say better than an early grave. I know which I would choose.

 

Many GPS claim to have never heard of selincro (nalmefeme) Mine had never heard of even the Sinclair method! Neither had the 18 year old support worker at the substance abuse clinic I was referred to. Pretty pointless referring someone to a specialist when the patient knows more than the specialist

That reminds me, I must keep you updated for my second round with Addaction. I have two lots of Campral on the way, about £235 worth, which works out at about two months supply.

When they arrive, I'm going to see my GP and announce that I have them and do they (I have two GPs because of my condition) want to do an LFT plus renal check.

Then I'll say I'll go to Addaction, the Stratford-Upon-Avon branch this time, not the Leamington Spa branch. I shall inform them (Addaction) that I've had words with their director and he has promised things have improved /lessons learnt blah blah and that I hope they will listen to me and act on the information I give them.

Two things will happen, they will actually be responsive and stop their one size fits all policy. Or much of the same, another complaint to the director and another reason to question why they have the contract, when the GMC get back to me.

I've learnt a lot about the system (helping people with alcohol abuse problems) since I went to see them in early September and I shall be much sharper this time.

Good point, vickylou. I wonder if it might be better to go to the chemist and ask which doctors in the area prescribe it? 

ADEfree

i thought I'd found the perfect solution by asking the pharmacists at tesco and two local chemists if they could tell me which surgeries prescribe nalmefeme. They couldn't help and suggested I contact the practice manager! Seeing as two out of 4 within my area are not taking on new patients it seemed pointless.

Before this thread becomes confusing to anyone just picking it up, RHGB is talking about campral, which I had no trouble getting my GP alone to prescribe, having read up about it. The other medication nalmefeme or naltrexone in my case was the problem. GP had never heard of it, nor was he prepared to look at the information I had printed off. I changed GP only to find the same attitude. Both gps said they hadn't the resources to provide the counselling needed when taking either of the two drugs. It was up to either addaction or ADS to provide the prescription, but neither of them had heard of them and I would have to ask my GP!!

ADS, after a lot of pressure from me, did look into the Sinclair method and decided that as I was not alcohol dependant, I didn't meet the criteria required for taking the medication. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

So after changing my doctor, the new one will not prescribe diazapam under any circumstances, and will not allow me to continue taking NITRAZAPAM at night.

I personally think RHGB should be applauded for his persistence in trying to find a doctor willing to prescribe campral on the NHS. After completing a detox he should have been given campral, and not have to spend time and money on getting the medication he needs at a vulnerable time.

I would be most interested to find out why heroin addicts have no problem getting methodone during a drug rehabilitation programme, and to the best of my knowledge, don't have to trawl the Internet and pay over £200 for the privilege.

 

Wow, vickylou! That's amazing incompetence on the part of ADS. Do you have to go into the appointment slamming shots off a litre of vodka before they get the picture?

And poor RHGB! Sounds like Addaction would cause anyone to drink! Has the NHS always been this way or is this a result of cost-cutting and austerity?

BTW, I understand that Cthree will provide counseling in cases where that's a required part of getting a prescription to treat Alcohol Use Disorder. 

A few days ago I was looking for some leads for a UK resident on the OptionsSaveLives forum and ran across a couple of surgeries that had Cthree-europe's article on Selincro posted. Perhaps the word is beginning to spread a bit more quickly.

I would like to add that anyone who might be thinking of naltrexone, nalmefene or wants to know more about The Sinclair Method reads this page on this site.

https://patient.info/health/sinclair-method-for-alcohol-use-disorder

Do be aware that getting the prescription for the medication itself is different in many parts of the UK.  If, after having read the above, you want to approach your doctor, please get in touch with me first so that I can look up what the prescribing procedure is for the part of the country you live in - in most cases, your GP cannot prescribe this without the involvement of the local alcohol team.

It will save you a lot of time if you know what the procedure is before you go to your GP appointment!

Believe me, there isn't one nice easy to use and find central database - I tried it myself. You kind of have to know where to look.

So save yourself some time and take up Joanna's kind offer.

Too right, had I known about red, Amber and green, I wouldn't have changed doctors.

I think RHGB is talking about GPS who prescribe camprol, and Joanna is talking about which GPS prescribe nalfemene and naltrexone.

Neither my old GP or my new GP claim to have heard of the Sinclair method or nalfemene and naltrexone. The same was true with the ADS support worker who had not known about them.

I did however get campral prescribed from my old GP without having to be referred elsewhere

No, Naltrexone is on the list as Amber for my area, same list, seems to cover every drug apart from aspirin and ibuprofen.

I'll send it for my area by PM, there seems to be different files for every health authority region in the country and they don't all follow the same format.

I am more than happy to look up the procedure for any of the approved alcohol medications in the UK, anyone just needs to PM me the medication and the town and country where they live, and I should be able to look it up within a day or so.

Now I have figured out what, and where, I need to look, it is getting quicker for me to do each time.

As I see it, the goal is to get people the help they need, no matter what option for recovery they wish to consider.  We are all trying to help each other after all, and it is becoming more and more apparent that some doctors and alcohol specialists are engaging in 'tick-boxing' exerises, rather than treating us individuals.  I know there are great doctors out there too, but usually people reach out to me because they are hitting brick walls in obtaining the help they desperately need.

If it's an approved medication for alcohol treatment in the UK, I will look it up for anyone