Scared to try Selincro with alcohol during work events

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hi everyone, 

I do not drink every day, I can go weeks without drinking but when I do have one or two drinks I go on a huge binge that can last for days, as I get horrible withdrawal symptoms. I took selincro once with no alcohol just to see what it felt like and I felt like a zombie. I could hardly talk and felt edgy and weird. I need to socialize in my work events and talk to clients, and I'm afraid if I take Selincro for work, it will space me out completely when I have a drink, Can someone please advise what its like to take Selincro with a glass or two of wine? I'm scared I won't be able to function and get my words and thoughts across. Hence why I have not taken it ever with alcohol because I am afraid and therefore I have had many relapses. Please help!!! 

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    This is normal for almost everyone beginning on Selincro.  It does get easier and easier each time.

    Did you follow the hints and tips of eating a good meal first, and drinking plenty of water?

    Since writing the above hints and tips article, we have spoken to a number of doctors who have prescribed Selincro many times in Finland and they do generally instruct their patients to begin on HALF a tablet the first couple of times to allow the body to get used to it a little slower.  If you chose to try this, please do so carefully, as Selincro may cause skin irritation if it gets on the skin.

    This short term discomfort is well worth the long term gains from this treatment, so hang on in there. There are a number of people on this forum using this treatment using Selincro, so I am sure they will be along to give you their experience now.

    Please be aware that Selincro shouldn't be taken if you are not going to drink - it won't do anything other than block the endorphins from anything else you might be doing for 8-10 hours after it.  It is designed to be taken ONLY when alcohol is going to be consumed.

    • Posted

      Dear Joanna, Thank you for your message, as I have only taken it once without having alcohol at home just to see what side effects it would have on me (guinea pig trial) I did eat some food before and after taking it. At first I felt high and spaced out (not a bad feeling really) but then when I tried to talk with my friend it felt like I was high on weed or something, it took me longer to process my brain thoughts (I didn't feel alert) then I lost my appetite, I could care less what was on TV, then I got restless and anxious and after about 6 hours of feeling like a zombie I took a Valium 20mg and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning still feeling very blazze, like a semi-depressed feeling (I suffered from depression when I was in my teens) and it was horrible! nothing made me happy or excited. I didn't feel normal until 24 hours from taking it. Since then I have been too scared to try it before a work event in case I feel stupid or space out or if I lose all my sense of humor to talk to people. At my work I have to host lots of meetings and be typically cheery and happy with guests at the company, so I feel like if I take Selincro I will be a huge disappointment and people will see right through me, like I am on something. 

      See I only started drinking alcohol, until I became a binge drinker to fit in social circumstances, as I am very shy with new people, then I became an alcoholic as to where if I drink I can't stop for one or two days, I'll finish work event and go back to my hotel room and keep drinking alone from the mini bar, and well... its downhill from there. So yes this happens every couple of weeks (about once a month or so) so I don't know how I will ever get used to Selincro if I don't take it every day as I don't drink every day nor I have the urge to drink. My problem is that once I get that second drink in my blood and the endorphins kick in, it's like a drug that doesn't let me go. 

      My last relapse was last week and I drank for 5 days.... mostly to avoid the horrible withdrawal symptoms. I just want this roller coaster to stop. So you think it will still work with half a tablet? 

    • Posted

      Your comment reply below to roisin is perfect, but do take a drink after the wait, too. 

       

  • Posted

    Sounds like it might help to start when you have a couple of days off, Chesca? Using a half dose as Joanna mentions, you might be able to ease into it a little slower. Failing that, Naltrexone might well be easier for you to get along with if you can manage to secure a script for it. 
    • Posted

      Hi Adefree, 

      Well on the few times I do drink Ill try next time with half a dose, although I read somewhere that the pill should not be split, but I'll give it a go, anything is better than relapsing and drinking for I dont know how many days. Thank you so much for your advice. Xx 

    • Posted

      You're quite welcome, Chesca! 

      I had thought that the pill shouldn't be split, but Joanna writes above that the doctors in Finland say it's ok. Just be aware that it could cause some irritation if it gets on your skin, so perhaps wear latex gloves when cutting the pill? 

      If the side effects continue to be a problem, perhaps your doctor will prescribe Naltrexone instead. I think in some NHS areas they have elected to use either one for their patients, whereas in others it's reserved for those who have gone through a supervised detox, to be taken only while abstinent. Joanna knows the ins and outs of this far better than I do, I'm in the US. 

  • Posted

    Hi Chesca, I started on Selincro @2.5 weeks (  ago as a daily drinker (so not exactly same pattern as yourself). My first experience was similar to yourself, though the side effects did disappear after @ 3 days (I take full dose daily when craving starts).  The side effects will subside, please do take the meds as Joanna suggests if really does make a difference and like ADE suggests perhaps take a couple of days off work to begin the journey and medication in the comfort of your own home without the added pressure of side effects in public. Good luck and welcome to the forum
    • Posted

      Thank you so much Roisin, so you think I should start with half a pill even on the days I am not drinking (hence the days I don't have social events) and then this way when I do get a work event and I take one complete tablet, I suppose my body will be better adjusted? thanks for the advice guys, I just didn't know how to take this pill to get my body used to it as I don't drink every day, but when I do, it is A LOT. 

      Right now I am still detoxing from last week, my body is still weak and I still have the depression side effects from the alcohol withdrawal, so I will wait to start taking half a tablet once my body and hormones have regulated because right now I still feel like s**t. 

  • Posted

    Hi Chesca, the medication is designed to be taking with alcohol in order to kick start the extinction process. Perhaps half a pill (use pill cutter / latex gloves to avoid skin irritation) with a small glass of wine. Taking the meds without alcohol will not assist the extinction process and can be seen as a waste of a pill.... though it may as you suggest help you to overcome the side-effects.  Take care and keep coming back to the forums. Good luck on your journey.

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