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Stopping Selincro

Posted , 10 users are following.

michael1154
michael1154

I started taking selincro last April. Got past the horrible side effects and cut down considerably on my intake. The downside was that I was getting no enjoyment from the little drinking I was doing compared to previously, getting no buzz. So I stopped taking the tablets, got a bit of buzz back, but my intake was creeping back up.

Yesterday, I took a selincro before watching the rugby match, cracked a beer and settled back with a six pack. I enjoyed the first but couldn't finish the second!! I went for a walk came back, opened a bottle of wine with dinner as per usual, had one glass and couldn't take a second. Felt headachy, nauseous. Went to bed early, slept on and off, much the same as in the early days of taking selincro. Today I had three glasses of wine over the course of the afternoon. I don't want any more, back in bed, tired.

I am wondering if once you reach pharmacological extinction, is it permanent? Or can you retrain your body/mind to drink again? NOT that I want to!!

I am quite happy with my few glasses of wine every evening, even if it is exceeding the guidelines.I am eating healthily, exercising regularly, my GP is happy with me, so I guess selincro worked for me.

What I was shocked at was how much more of an effect it had on me second time around! I don't want to go through the side effects again so I won't be straying too far from the guidelines in future!

Keep faith people, it works if you want it to.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • patricia44773
    patricia44773 michael1154

    Posted

    Thank you for your post, Michael, I found it very interesting and I will look forward to seeing the replies from other people who have  used Selincro.  I am still dithering and wondering if I should go down that route.

    Your parting words interested me too....it works if you want it to.   Can you elaborate?

    Again, thank you for posting.

    Pat

    • michael1154
      michael1154 patricia44773

      Posted

      Hi Patricia,

      Good luck with whatever choice you make.

      My experience with selincro has been positive. I have regained control of my drinking. I still drink, but a lot less than I used to. I have always enjoyed drinking. It was only when it started to get out of hand that I decided to do something about it. I am not religious so the 12 steps never appealed to me. I don't consider myself an alcoholic, I have never been in the dark place that some people on here have and I am thankful for that. I admire their bravery to keep fighting the demon what ever way they can.

      When I heard about selincro, it was my hallelujah moment! It was what I was looking for!! A drug that helped you stop drinking, just like champix helps smokers!! I went to my GP, explained about it, got the prescription, followed the instructions. Suffered the side effects and saw my consumption halved over about three months. I have lost the need to drink, but I haven't lost the DESIRE. I can literally take it or leave it. Most days I choose to take it. I enjoy my wine, but not to the excess I used to. I stopped using selincro after five months, because it was 'doing what it said on the tin' killing my need for alcohol. I wasn't getting any pleasure from drinking. I missed that.

      Now I have to decide whether I REALLY want to stop or not. Hence the last line

  • PaulJTurner1964
    PaulJTurner1964 michael1154

    Posted

    No, Michael. For some people, using The Sinclair Method (Naltrexone or Nalmefene before drinking) helps them to come to the conclusion that they don't get enough of a hit from alcohol to make it worth bothering. That is the same effect that stops the body craving alcohol. However, IF you do drink, you could very quickly re-learm the addiction so you would need to have a pill handy just in case you decided to drink.
    • michael1154
      michael1154 PaulJTurner1964

      Posted

      Hi Paul,

      Thanks for the comments and well done on all the advice and support you give us strugglers on here!

      I completely agree with you about not getting 'enough of a hit from alcohol to make it worth bothering' I reached that stage, but still wanted the hit. I didn't need it I wanted it.

      That's why I stopped using selincro. Now I see that I could easily end up back where I started.

      I will return to taking the tablets every time I intend to drink and this time take the final step.

  • sophie02444
    sophie02444 michael1154

    Posted

    Hi Michael,

    I have been on another gabba b antagonist and I experienced the no-buzz effect.  Luckily for me I just did not miss it, which was one of the biggest fear I had. Life without alcohol just appeared grey, sad and uninteresting.   Perhaps is is the different drug, perhaps I was lucky.

    Because before the treatment I did not feel anymore that it was possible to be really really happy without alcohol, I thought that I should testify that it is possible.  I am not getting the buzz, but I just do not want it anymore because I am happy anyway. The treatment as rendered me totally indifferent to alcohol and I hope it will be the same for you at the right dose.

    Good luck

  • Joanna-SMUKLtd
    Joanna-SMUKLtd michael1154

    Posted

    Hi Michael,

    For the longer term, you could ask your doctor to look at prescribing naltrexone for you, instead of Selincro.  If you don't take some kind of opioid-blocking medication and continue to drink, over time there is a very strong possibility that your old drinking pattern will be re-learned again (re-established).

    Naltrexone is recommended in this country to help those who are not drinking manage their cravings.  It is the same type of medication as Selincro in the terms of what it does in the brain - it blocks the receptors so that the urge to continue drinking cannot re-establish itself.

    I drink perhaps every two of three weeks, a couple of drinks with family in a restuarant or similar.  I take a naltrexone tablet prior to each time so I only use about 30 tablets a YEAR.  This gives me the assurance that my prior urge to drink abusively will not return.  I do not want to risk going backwards.  I am happy, have a great life now and wish to enjoy an occasional drink at specific family events.

    It certainly seems to cause far less side effects than Selincro so this is good for you. I don't feel anything taking naltrexone once every few weeks.  It is also half the cost to the NHS so this is good for them, too :-)  I believe 28 naltrexone tablets cost the NHS less than £50 per year... far less than the long term costs involved if you revert back to compulsive drinking.

    You may find your doctor will have to refer you to your local alcohol services unit, as they are often the ones who prescribe naltrexone.  It depends on your relationship with your doctor.  Failing that, they can be obtained from a private doctor, rather than on the NHS.  Even if if costs you a little, I can testify that the peace of mind plus the lack of money spent on drink if your old pattern reasserts itself, make it well worth the small initial layout for getting them privately.

     

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