Handling nalmefene and a party for 2
Posted , 3 users are following.
I started nalmefene 1 month ago to deal with what a partner of mine used to call my 'party for one'...hosted by myself, for myself, every weekend behind closed doors. I have reached tablet 8. Terrible side effects at first, and still feel out of sorts with it, with yucky facial flushing, but I am determined to give it ago and have been drinking less (though a large part of that so far is that nalmefene makes me feel tired and irritable and not in the 'party for one' mood).
This Xmas I have a friend coming to stay with me for several weeks. She is a normal drinker ie 1, 2, 3 max and she is done. So, I am of course planning how I will handle the whole nalmefene thing. Telling her about it, is not an option. I know from past conversations she will not understand or have a particularly supportive reaction, and I don't want to do anything that might sabotage things at this delicate stage. At the moment I am taking nalmefene either once or twice a week and of course 'planning' my drinking accordingly, as you are supposed to do. But when my friend comes, the drinking will become spontaneous. Not from me, but from her. She is the type of person who will buy beers and say she 'might' drink them that night, and then 1 week later the beers are still in the fridge. Or else she will say she is not going to drink tonight...but then does spontaneously. For a long time I have used a secret rule around normal drinkers so I can fly (stagger) under society's radar of acceptability. I copy whatever they are doing. So if they want to leave a bar after 2 drinks I leave too (and then drink the equivalent of Lake Superior once I get home). This would also be my preferred behaviour when she is staying with me, but would this mean taking nalmefene every single day of those 2 weeks....just in case she drinks (which means I will too)? Or how should I tackle this? The thing I hate about nalmefene is that you really need to wait that 2 hours before drinking. With naltrexone (which is the drug I would have preferred but can't get here in the UK) you only need to wait 1 hour, and that is much easier to handle when you are in the company of 'spontaneous drinkers', as waiting an hour is usually pretty easy (you can say you are hungry and need to eat first, or call someone on the phone and chat for an hour etc). Waiting for 2 hours with nalmefene sucks. Does anyone have any advice? Maybe I could just take half a tablet every day while she is here....the only other option is just to take it as soon as I think we might drink, and if I drink 10 minutes after taking the tablet so be it....it is only 2 weeks of not taking it correctly and will be over soon. Also, is it bad to take nalmefene and then not drink any alcohol? Will I damage the good effects I have built up so far?
1 like, 2 replies
barbara66703 Luka2
Edited
https://patient.info/medicine/nalmefene-tablets-selincro
the link is dedicated to the AUD treatment using nalmefene and will answer all your questions. when obtaining meds for treatment a leaflet should have accompanied it with info . many have had the same complaints in the past when starting this drug. i would try 1/2 dose and it may be ok until you work up to less alcohol daily. it's ment to help you slowly cut down on the amount of your daily intake of alcohol. it will help redirect the thinking process to lesson the urges for alcohol over time. its call pharmacudical extinction....slowly taking the severity of thinking about alcohol. use the tools to find another direction eat well drink plenty of fluids take vitamins.
Joanna-SMUKLtd Luka2
Posted
For the moment Luka, I would not be concerned about this.
A lot can change in the next few weeks, and that might lead to your attitude towards alcohol changing so much that what you are thinking now might not even apply come Christmas and the answer as to what to do will be so much clearer because this is what you WANT to do.
Joanna
Sinclair Method UK