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Day 5. Wish things were getting easier.

Posted , 9 users are following.

steverz
steverz

Hi all,

Been dry for five days.  I've taken Revia for a year now while I continued to drink (which turned out to be less and less without trying, until I plateaued and had trouble reducing my liquor intake much more) - TSM for a year.

My alcoholism, I've been told is a co-morbid condition that many bipolar sufferers find themselves struggling with.  For me it started out as self-medicating, I think.  Which eventually progressed into my full blown alcoholism.  I digress....

Days 1-3 were rough.  Shakes bigtime.  Tremors in my arms and legs.  Hot and cold sweats.  The feeling something horrible was going to happen any minute/anxiety, a strange over-sensitive skin feeling over my whole body.  Itchiness everywhere.  Stammering when I spoke.  Did I mention the sweats?  Inability to eat.  Any of this sound familiar to others here? :-O

===How I survived the first 3 days=== 

- Took 1,500 B12 per day

- Took 500 B1(thiamine) per day

- Took 1 Centrum multivitamin per day

- Under instruction "lode dosed" with 20mg diazepam

  twice a day for the first two days, now down to 10mg

  twice a day after day 2

- Drank 2 "high calorie" BOOST meal replacement shakes a day

  (I simply had zero appetite)

- As I do every day, I also take 50mg tab of Revia/naltrexone daily

  in an effort to keep my cravings at bay as best possible.

I'm told that while "drying out" that your nutrition is of paramount importance.  My doctor told me that as much as 80% of alcoholics who seek treatment are malnourished, and almost all have a Thiamine and B12 defficiency.  The idea of developing Werneke-Korsakoff scares the hell out of me, so I've been diligent with my B-vitamins and folate.

Last year, I was forced to go cold-turkey as a result of pancreatitis (brought on by my drinking).  If you've not had it before - trust me when I say I had NO idea that level of pain existed.  I hobbled to the hospital after throwing up blood.  After a couple days after no liquor (it burnt like liquid fire on my pancreas to even touch my tongue to liquor and swallow) - I started hallucinating. I didn't know what "DT" was at the time.  Now I do.  Nutrition focus could have saved me the worst of the grief.

Day 5:  Cravings here and there.  What is driving me nuts is the habbit of reaching over for my glass of liquor that isn't there.  Instead when I reach for that glass now, it's a glass of green tea.  Seems like breaking the actual action-habbit of drinking is almost as hard as the psych or physical addiction. Sweats continue.  Muscle and joint aches.  I am startled very easily. Doing all I can to distract myself.

Thanks for reading! wink  I'd be glad to hear from others who have gone through, are going through, or about to go through the "dry out".  

Off to make my umpteenth pot of green tea.  :-/

steve

1 like, 32 replies

32 Replies

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  • Robin2015
    Robin2015 steverz

    Posted

    HI Steve. I am glad to see that you have just joined from Canada and getting good and techincal replied from so  many people!! That is what is so great and I wish you best of luck. I did not take medication and cannot give good and proper advice only that it is worth it!! Yes, heard it al before but it is worth it and best of luck! Robin
  • kathy64561
    kathy64561 steverz

    Posted

    gosh really making me think reading these posts. I have to sort myself or I will be dead and I know that. Just listening to song love Daniel Bedingfield and about to do gardening need to keep myself occupied. I cannot go on like this and put parents through overdose again cause I am not getting the help I need and takes weeks to get if you get it. hubby has gone shopping on own again which upsets me big time. He has had enough I dont want to lose him he means so much but then that stupid bottle gets in the way again. I know why cause bullied so much my ex partner who denies. but he was 6' 7". i am 5 2" and pushed me up the stairs and pointed in my face and yet he then got married and had kids when i cannot due to condition did not know had. and now tried to get back into my life for one thing hubby says. i love my husband but want to be normal and come down off alcohol doing. lovely sunny day here so gardening may help. dont know anymore but hope so xxxx
    • steverz
      steverz kathy64561

      Posted

      Hi Kathy!  Sorry to hear you have so much on your plate.  When things were at their worst for me, ironically the very last thing I could possibly consider was to quit drinking.  We all know our drinking is counter-productive to a happy life and is destructive, but it literally took an ER doc telling me I'll die if I keep drinking, for me to actually make an hourly attempt to stay dry. 

      I'm hopeful for you!  I'm only in the midst of detoxing still on day-6 and wish I had the experience to offer you any meaningful advice.  But I'd love to read more from you! smile   

  • kathy64561
    kathy64561 steverz

    Posted

    PS does it matter if from UK as this site looks US?? do people mind
    • RHGB
      RHGB kathy64561

      Posted

      For anybody reading the next bit, don't, if you don't have a sense of humour and take everything literally and are easily offended.

      This is a UK site, but we allow the colonials to particiapte, even those rebellious ones that sided with the French. Just wish that they'd learn to spell, and also need to teach them there are 26 letters in the alphabet, not 25 and the one they are missing, is the 'U'.

      On a serious note, it's run by the same company that does patient access to your GP, hence the name patient.info.

  • kathy64561
    kathy64561 steverz

    Posted

    thanks so much for clarifying.  lol that made me laugh at least xx I am going to look at some of the drugs suggested as cannot go on like this and not fair on hubby xxx
  • kathy64561
    kathy64561 steverz

    Posted

    now he has had to diasappear to his mums on bank hols as she called to ask him to go and I am worrying big time. where was I in bed asleep, why drink, so I feel awful big time to say the leastl. but or myself i actually feel better today lol wish I could post a piccy of me before and after though still no make up but went and got soem bottles of water from shop and got told very trendy and good looking lol all
  • kathy64561
    kathy64561 steverz

    Posted

    oh god now going back through messages and cant see meds one saying what suggest have can someone please re post as i have had probs with my laptop and lost loads of messages big time xxx
    • ADEfree
      ADEfree kathy64561

      Posted

      Kathy -

      There are basically a few ways of going about it:

      1. Abstinence with no meds (AA, SMARTRecovery, Moderation Management, etc). Great if you find a program that is a good fit for you, but 90% of those that attempt abstinence this way will relapse within 4 years, some multiple times as they try and try again. Still, if you can manage to do it, it's a good solution and no meds are needed. 

      2. Detox, then take meds to maintain abstinence. Campral seems to be one of the top choices for this. It has no side effects and you can use it even if you have liver damage.

      3. Use a med to reduce your drinking to low-risk drinking levels, though you might decide to give up alcohol entirely. Naltrexone used per The Sinclair Method offers this for about 80% of those who try it.  

  • steverz
    steverz

    Posted

    Hi all, so I made it to day-14, then had what I'm going to call a minor-backslide.  I slipped for about 4-days of drinking one of those mini-mickeys (200ml) bottles of vodka each of those days.  Before treatment with Revia, I was drinking the 1.14L bottles every 24hrs.  So, rather than doing what I usually do when I slip and beating myself up over it, I've brought myself back down to one of those little 200ml every other day.  I made it through the worst of the physical withdrawal, but the emotional turmoil from the withdrawal are awful.  Mood swings.  Dark depressive spells (I'm bipolar...suppose alcoholism was a co-morbid symptom that came along).  I know that 85% of people with bipolar disorder seen in hospitals, are alcoholics or substance users. Still, no excuses, but makes things difficult when a depressive episode hits - your willpower falls apart.

    I'm certain i'm not the only one here to know that feeling.  And i sympathize with you.

    So, I've simply reset my goal.  Such abrupt cold-turkey, even with copious amounts of diazepam, still caused horrible withdrawal problems.  If any who adhere to the 12-step model of recovery, I know you'll suggest that I am just prolonging my agony.  But I've tried so many methods, including inpatient rehab, and SMART, and outpatient.  If nothing else, I'm a drinker who's hasn't given up trying.

    Again, I give a lot of the credit for me not entirely backsliding, and having only a short relapse to REVIA/naltrexone.  That wonderful little pill.

    I asked my doctor about Camprol (sp?) - unfortunately, being bipolar he is too nervous of it's "rather high risk of causing severe depression" so, while I think he will give it to me if I begged him to try it, I think I will defer to his judgment.

    So that's my ittle update.  I wish I was writing to say "yay, I've made it four weeks!" - maybe I'll be able to do so next month wink  Thanks for the support here smile =steve

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree steverz

      Posted

      Steve, keep at it and you'll get the upper hand!

      You mentioned TSM, I was wondering if you knew that TSM involves taking the Revia on  the days that you drink (an hour before you drink), but not on the days that you don't drink. 

      In any case, keep on at it as it sounds like you're winning and the more you get the alch under control, the better your meds will work!

  • Paper_fairy
    Paper_fairy steverz

    Posted

    Hi Steverz. Sorry for spelling mistakes as I can't find my specs!! I'm bipolar too and an alcoholic. Ive been in the Priory and Harrogate hospital too. Met a few famous guys there. I was put on naltrexone, by a top alcohol psychiatric  doctor to be taken every day with Antabuse. It does NOT stop craving and you need to speak to Paul or Joanna about the correct  way to take it. Antabuse is rubbish. Campral is good from what I'm hearing more and more on the forum. Just spent 2 days in hospital and none of the doctors or nurses have heard of any drugs for alcohol apart from ANTEBUSE. Scared stuff as alcoholics are dieing as uk does not recognise it😡😢Stay in touch please x
  • Paper_fairy
    Paper_fairy steverz

    Posted

    Hi steverz. Hope you're still doing well and the pancreatitis is not causing you too much pain.

    Day 1 and taking diazepam to help with withdrawals.

    Im going to buy some green tea so thanks for that tip 🍵😀

  • aedii9
    aedii9 steverz

    Posted

    I can totally relate, I'm 23 and an alcoholic, been detoxed 3 times in the last 9 months, third time was the most successful. I've been off drink for over a month, well, I say "off" drink, that's not strictly true, I drank far too much one night a few weeks ago, then stayed clean till yesterday when I had 2 beers which I then promptly threw up. I've got chronic gastritis and am supposed to be having another endoscopy soon because the 2nd time I was hospitalised I vomited quite a large amount of blood, my stomach felt like it was on fire. I don't think I can physically drink at the moment, it's too painful. Although I still get massive cravings. 

    When I first tried to quit drinking I was given Librium (chlordiazepoxide) but stupidly drank on top of it to increase the effects (NOT recommended). I then tried going cold turkey again and had horrible night sweats, tremors, and hallucinations - I was seeing insects crawling on the floor and the walls. I think I also had a seizure in my sleep a few times because I remember vaguely my back arching back literally to the point where I thought it would break and my jaw aching from clenching. 

    Anyone detoxing - do it safely and under supervision! 

    • RHGB
      RHGB aedii9

      Posted

      Are you taking omeprazole?
    • aedii9
      aedii9 RHGB

      Posted

      Lansoprazole - which obviously is another PPI. Helps with the burning and nausea. 
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