Does anyone take Baclofen to control cravings?
Posted , 12 users are following.
Some who r suffering from alcohol addiction all their adult lives. In the last few years alcohol abuse increases due to inceased long term use. I understand some First Step Drug & Alcohol clinics offer Baclofen 10mg tablets once or twice a day. For those u have little hope of stopping. When I looked the grug up it states this medicine is used for sclerosis treatment and addiction treatments. Controls the cravings. Baclofen can help those facing alcohol addiction with the pain of withdrawal with great ease and stop cravings for alcohol.
I asked the hospital staff where my son was admitted for a illness due to alcoholism for help could they prescribe him Baclofen .The hospital staff refused to prescribe Baclofen to him on basis that they knew nothing about Baclofen and they would check into it. Never got back to me..under the circumstances w hy or how could this be the case? This hospital also has a alcohol treatment program I was tring to get my son in before he was released from the hospital for the illness he was in treated for. My reasoning for Baclofen was if I could find a way to get my sons mind of alcohol by a drug that stops the cravings then meybe there would be a better chance for him to admitt himself to the treatment program.
i was fightin a loosing battle on both sides. Noone cared ..
Has Baclofen stopped the cravings for others? Once off the drug does the cravings come back?
I have taken Chantix to stop smoking and it reduced my cravings right away. And I tried every way to quit for 20 years. In less than a few weeks time I was a non smoker and no cravings. Today I still miss smoking. Want to try one or bum one off a friend. When I do take a puff I turn green and choke and say to myself how did I ever smoke?
is that what it's those who find sobriety say when tempted to drink?
1 like, 28 replies
hope4cure
Posted
I read Dr Ameison's book. Read the online studies. There will be plenty of time to reset your brain chemistry once Baclofen gets you to a point where you can go Alcohol Free. Please, please, please don't lose hope. The side effects can be really brutal, and drinking while titrating makes them worse, but if you've tried everything else, Baclofen may be the answer.
I am not promoting or defending drinking during baclofen therapy or after indifference is acheived - here's what the experts have to say about it (Pascal Gache, Renaud de Beaurepaire, Philippe Jaury, Bernard Joussaume, Annie Rapp and Patrick de La Selle - six doctors/addiction specialists who have treated (between them) more than 1500 patients out of the 60,000 that been prescribed Baclofen for the treatment of alcoholism in France:
(an exerpt from Prescribing Guide for Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcoholism – for Use by Physicians)
Experience has shown that it is not necessary to be sober to start treatment with baclofen.
This decision will be discussed with the patient based on his clinical situation and the
advantages or disadvantages of withdrawal. It is useful to remember that baclofen lowers the
epileptic seizure threshold. Baclofen can also increase the alcohol-induced incoordination.
Patients may be asked to deliberately moderate alcohol consumption during the first weeks
of treatment, till “indifference” sets in. This will make the patient feel that he is actively
involved in his treatment: he avoids social occasions for drinking, becomes aware of his
rituals and habits related to alcohol and frees himself of them, seeking other ways than
taking alcohol to cope with life’s stresses. But such an advice is not obligatory.
4.2.1 Continuing treatment
When the desired dose is reached and is well tolerated, it is recommended to stay at that
dose for 2 to 3 months (sometimes less and sometimes more) and then try to reduce the
dose to find the lowest effective dose. There is no established pattern as to how to reduce
the dose. One way to determine the effective dose is to reduce the dose until the urge to
drink returns, and then increase the dosage one level above this dose. The decrease can be
done either very slowly (10 to 30mg per week) or in larger increments (back rapidly to two-thirds
of the dose), the lower level being maintained for 1 or 2 months. The maintenance
dose is often between one third and half the maximum dose reached.
4.2.2 Maintain lifelong treatment?
Baclofen has not been prescribed for long enough in alcohol addiction that we have the
necessary clinical experience to be able to say how long the treatment will last. Experience
has shown that it has been possible for some people to stop baclofen after a few months or
years of treatment, but this is a minority of patients, while others must wait and see. Baclofen
is very unlikely a lifelong treatment.
Adding more information to include more HOPE for anyone who wants to stop Alcohol from controlling their lives.
Love, Peace & Success
HOPE4CURE
nicole36330 hope4cure
Posted
peter63481 hope4cure
Posted
Could you tell me if your son started taking Baclofen?
Those who took the medicine are still sober, feeling the craving? And after so long taking this medicine do you feel any problem because this medicine? I just need to know if is safe.
Thank you guys
jamie53262 hope4cure
Posted
Hi,
Ive been a chronic alcoholic for 25 years. I started titrating up October 2016 and switched suddendly from drinking 4/5 bottles of wine a day in feb 2017. My switch does was 270mg , and there were some severe side effects each time I upped doses, but i perservered after read Ameisen;s book and my desire to cure myself of this disease. I've lowered my daily dose and in June 2017, found my maintenance level of 120mg. I have the odd pint of lager now and then, but I'm totally indifferent to alcohol now and have no cravings whats so ever. its almost 9 months since my switch . Its totally changed my life . I'm 45 years old & high dose baclofen has saved me and my career etc
jamie