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Campral/Naltraxone...I'm freaking out

Posted , 9 users are following.

Misssy2
Misssy2

I have been taking Campral....and I feel like it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY with cravings...I am not even taking the prescribed dose...which was 3x a day for me and 2 pills each time.

I am taking 2 pills a day.

I have been gaining weight like crazy...so I started looking up pills that I am taking and the side effects.  AND found "weight gain" is listed as a SERIOUS side effect.  

I also have been more short of breath lately..and "shortness of breath" is also listed as a SERIOUS side effect.

I'm frreaking out because I think I have to stop Campral and it is helping me.

So I looked up other drugs that stop cravings and Naltraxone was one of them. 

Has anyone here that has stopped drinking using Naltraxone continued to take this pill and noticed they are not craving a drink?

Joanna and Paul...if you read this....what are your thoughts on the craving aspects of Naltraxone?

I am going to call my Dr. today but it is only 7:30 here and I wanted to get this off my chest.

Also..interesting reading I copied..while researching Campral:

Patients in the European trials tended to be more severely alcohol dependent than those in the U.S. studies, and most patients in European studies had been abstinent for longer periods before starting Campral, two factors that could account for the difference in the findings, according to the NIAAA.

"We use medicines to help detoxify people, but even after detoxification occurs the neurochemistry is still not in very good balance, and probably even more importantly, when your brain thinks it's going to get alcohol, that elicits these compensatory neural changes so that the body goes through the equivalent of a little mild withdrawal, and [Campral] blocks that," Volpicelli explains.

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  • RHGB
    RHGB Misssy2

    Posted

    Well, I take 9 medications a day, so one extra doesn't mean much to me. I would say, that if you took Campral for 6 - 12 months and it got you off alcohol, would you really worry about putting a stone on?

    I'd kind off think that would be the least of my worries.

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 RHGB

      Posted

      No...RHGB.....I'm not worried about the weight gain for my looks....I'm worried that it is listed as a serious side effect and that I am gaining weight rapidly.

      I already said to my b/f that I didn't care about the weight gain last week and that Campral is saving my life...but the weight gain is becoming excessive...and shortness of breath is al so becoming worse.....

      I am going to be medically forced to stop this pill and I am depressed about that. 

  • jacqueline85124
    jacqueline85124 Misssy2

    Posted

    Hi Missy,

    I have been taking Naltrexone for four months.  It supposedly works like Selincro, in that it only has an affect if you drink while taking it.  I wouldn't say it gets rid of cravings, but it does help me manage how much I drink.  I tried to take it along with Campral (the Campral to reduce the initial cravings, and Naltrexone if I eventually wanted to drink socially).  I stopped the Campral after two weeks for two reasons, 1)  taking it three times a day made me think too much about the drink I was or wasn't going to have, and 2) I really don't think it worked for me because the constant thinking about pills and possible drink became as much a preoccupation as the physical craving it may have reduced.

    That said, I have been able to control my drinking to a social level (two bottles of wine per week) with the Naltrexone.  I take half a tablet two hours before having a drink, and then I drink my drink slowly.  I am then able to stop drinking if I so desire, or reflect about having another drink, and then decide to drink more or not, weighing in how it will affect my sleep, work the next day, humour, etc.  To sum it up, Naltrexone has allowed me to drink a normal amount, without losing control, but it does not stop the initial craving for alcohol.  It must be taken at least one hour before drinking (in my case, two hours).  I hope this helps you.

    Take care,

    Jacq

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 jacqueline85124

      Posted

      Hi Jacqueline....thank you for responding with your experience on the Naltraxone...I'm so confused...because I know different pills work differently for everyone.

      I was reading about Naltraxone or Selincro (can't remember) but both say that in clinical trials 36% of the people it worked for stopping cravings.

      I'm different than you with the Campral..I think the Campral 100% has reduced my cravings and actually has stopped me from drinking and I'm very saddened that I have to switch due to the serious side effects.

      like I said to RHGB...i don't physically care about the weight gain...what I care about is that it is listed as a serious side effect..and it is becoming excessive....and shortness of breath....I already have COPD...and I've noticed...that I have a "marked" shortness of breath since I have been taking Campral.

      I TOTALLY appreciate your reply...and now (not due to you) but due to medicine and how it acts differently with different people...I am MORE confused as to if....Naltraxone would work with me for cravings...because I CAN NOT drink. sad.

      Thanks again

  • nicole36330
    nicole36330 Misssy2

    Posted

    I am taking Nalmefene which is the tablet of choice in the uk for TSM

    I'm 6 weeks in and not really seeing any change but I'm sticking with it

    I think maybe half my problem is us that I AM looking for a miracle pill in that I did find it last year in Baclofen,it literally switched off my craving over night after titrating up to 180 mg over a number of weeks

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 nicole36330

      Posted

      Hi nicole! 

      I just QUICKLY looked up Balcofen....its a muscle relaxer? Used for MS..and other conditions?  This helped your cravings for alcohol?

      Why did you have to stop it?

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 nicole36330

      Posted

      OMG...this is becoming more of a nightmare...LOL.

      I feel like I have to have ANOTHER visit with my Dr. to discuss all of these pills ...now I have to write down Balcofen....lol

    • nicole36330
      nicole36330 Misssy2

      Posted

      Because the side effects are quite severe if you titrate up to fast which I did and when my gp found out I was taking it they basically refused to treat me for anything else and it sent me into a bit of a depression

      But I am trying to titrate up on it again but take it very slowly this time.

      I basically hit my switch as they call it by titrating up in 16 days,it took people months to do this on the forum I was using to help me

    • nicole36330
      nicole36330 Misssy2

      Posted

      Look up Baclofen for alcohol,it's much better received in the us than in England.

      I'm not pushing it because it's not an easy process,just letting you know what I've tried in the past

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 nicole36330

      Posted

      Hi Nicole...Thank you again...and I have NOW crossed out Baclofen...due to other side effects it can cause with problems I already have.

      I DO appreciate you spending time today to help me out!

      Be careful with your titration!

  • PaulJTurner1964
    PaulJTurner1964 Misssy2

    Posted

    Hello Missy. Naltrexone helps cravings if you use it as per The Sinclair Method, but it is a process which can take a while, it's not like you take one pill and it kills cravings. It's a process by which you recondition your body not to expect a reward from drinking and therefore teach it not to crave.
    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 PaulJTurner1964

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your input.....What about this Balcofen that Nicole mentioned?  I see the indication listed for MS?

       

    • RHGB
      RHGB Misssy2

      Posted

      It is not on label for alcohol problems. It is a muscle relaxant. The funny thing is, I could probably get my GP to prescribe this, as it is often used for spasticity suffered by stroke victims.

      This will make you smile.

      'Baclofen has been used for treating spasticity for many years before losing out to gabapentin. Recently its use in alcoholism has sparked new interest. Jenny Bryan explains

      For the estimated 12 million people worldwide who live with spasticity, the gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) analogue baclofen (Lioresal) has been a valuable option for relieving disabling and distressing symptoms for nearly 50 years. Before its introduction in the UK in 1966, patients seeking relief from muscle spasms were faced with increasing lower limb weakness and impaired bladder function associated intrathecal phenol or unacceptable drowsiness with chlordiazepoxide or diazepam in the doses required.

      That's Librium & Valium. Maybe I should go see my GP and say hey, I'm really suffering from muscle contraction (spasticity) give me some Baclofen, Libs or Val tablets please.

       

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 RHGB

      Posted

      LOL..."give me some Baclofen, Libs or Val - please".

      GREAT,...you just crossed Baclofen off my list....because I already have bladder function problems - being referred to a Urologist...so obviously my Dr will not prescribe this one.  So thank you for saving me the trouble of even asking - making the phone call that much longer...and I just was going to call with my list....when I read your message.

      However, I am going to use a different approach this time with the Dr...instead of me playing Dr...and suggesting medication..I'm going to see what she says...but I am getting educated by all of you and the interent...so when she does suggest something I am educated somewhat.

      Thank you.

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2

      Posted

      Oh..and I already take Gabapentin.
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