Selincro - not working - getting worried

Because you are one of the unfortunate people who get a sub-conscious reward from drinking. Most people enjoy the taste, enjoy the atmosphere and the less inhibited conversation, but people with an alcohol problem get an additional reward on top of that which is related to their opioid receptors in their brain. That is how The Sinclair Method works, by blocking those receptors to stop that additional reward so that you only get the same response to drinking as a person who has never had difficulty with alcohol.

I have to agree with you we  are bigger than this  - I am trying a different strategy this week - I am getting into bed at 9 pm and watching breaking bad in bed, I just need to do something else with my time until I kick this habit   how are you doing now Sue? 

I had another slip last night and like you its a new day time to mae it much better than yesterday

thats it Sue, keep going. How much did you have last night ?  I'm going to do a dry week and then friday have some with the meds

a full bottle of wine

I'm going for as long as I can 

Good for you .... just remember its all one day at a time

 

Thanks Paul, I will stick with it - for now my plan is no drinks during the week and excercise and then Friday I will take the pill and stick to the plan.

Hi Belinda, I found on one or two occasions that the effect wasn't as strong as it had been and I think it is possible to "over-ride" the drug and keep on drinking if you really want to.

What I've found it can help with is making a conscious decision to stop after one or two so using it as an aid to cut down rather than relying on it to force me to cut down. I figured I have to do some of the work as well as just rely on the tablet, and so far it's worked in the main....

Good luck :-)

 

This is probably why the NICE recommendation is that the drug is prescribed ONLY along with psycho-social support. It is my view that education is needed rather than any other form of counselling so that people understand exactly how the medication works and how it should be taken.

It IS worth taking again, Pauline, because the benefits can be massive. There is loads of information online, a lot in this forum too, about Selincro / Nalmefene.

Basically though, it ONLY works if you drink with it. It takes 2-3 months to reach the point of 'pharmacological extinction' (which is when you have unlearned your addiction) and you need to take a pill 90 minutes to 2 hours before your first drink.

You also need to take a pill before drinking EVERY TIME, for the rest of your life or you would relearn your addiction very quickly. That is unless medical advances come up with a better treatment, which there currently isn't, anywhere in the world.

I have been seeing a counselling as you suggest.  I am told by my GP that 28 pills cost £80.00 - I dont think my GP would be too impressed to prescribe this drug for the rest of my life.  I wasn't aware that it would take 2-3 months, I suppose I was expecting a miracle cure.  I drink every day, so therefore I have to take a pill every day.

I am in my 5th week of taking selincro and I am defiantly drinking less on the nights that I do drink. My goal is to cut down the number of drinking nights (currently 5). However, I still have a strong urge to drink most nights of the week ( I can seem to do two drink free). Paul do you think with time ( at the point of  pharmacological extinction) my urge to have a drink in the first place will reduce? 

Well, if you are lucky enough to get a counsellor that understands the drug (they are very rare!), they will advise you that you need to work towards having days off from drinking and not taking a pill on those days. The reason for that is that the Selincro will block pleasure from other, more healthy activities. Things like extreme sports, certain sweet and spicy foods, sex, cuddling babies and stroking animals affect the same opioid receptors in the brain and you won't enjoy these activities as much after taking a Selincro pill.

Don't worry though, although having days off from drinking may seem impossible now, after being on Selincro for a while, you will be able to achieve that easily.

Some would say it IS a miracle cure. I have a client who did 14 detoxes with various organisations and never lasted more than about 6 weeks without drinking, in between them. He is now into his third month on Selincro and is able to have a glass of wine with his dinner and then drink no more (after taking a pill).

 

Yes, Kathryn, it will. I am not sure how your drinking was before you ever took Selincro. Could you take two nights off from drinking then?

Hi Paul, yes I could. 

You should find that your urge lessens more and more before the point of pharmacological extinction Kathryn. It's impossible to guess exact timescales as everybody is different.

Thank you Paul for your advice.