Alcohol Use Disorder, Naltrexone and TSM

The life of a much loved mother and vibrant woman from our school community was cut short recently. She was intoxicated and while resisting help to get into an ambulance, fell and hit her head and went into a coma.  She died two days later. The shock followed by the tittering of gossip (yes, normal) was followed by personal introspection (normal). Perhaps you are you asking yourself, "could this have been me?" I’m sure I’m not the only person who has been told that this beautiful person had a problem with alcohol.  There was no malice but it does shine a light on how our society processes that information. Out of respect for our friend, it's vitally important to dispel some common myths here. "Why couldn't they just stop?"  No one sets out to or wants to become alcohol dependent. If it was as easy as "just stopping" then there would be no alcoholics. "They must have been unhappy!"  No, it's purely an addiction.  The brain o...

Almost at the end of my 9th week of the Sinclair Method and I've got 10 Naltrexone tablets left so I have booked an appointment with my online GP for a followup.   I'm more than a little proud of my achievement and my drink log is proof that this science works! Each day gets better and better for me.  My anxiety and depression are almost non-existent, I'm sleeping better than I have for a long time and I am productive and happy. The last two weeks were the school holidays for us and it's generally a time of more social activity so there were a few instances where I was distracted and therefore did not drink mindfully however the amounts of alcohol consumed are significantly less than my pre-TSM levels. Over last two weeks, I have been less interactive with the Options Save Lives forum and realize that a vital part of the journey is to share with fellow AUD sufferers.   Of course, the science is the most important element of the process than...

Yesterday my pill holder arrived from C Three Foundation in America.  I excitedly put it onto my set of keys. Inside it I placed a Naltrexone tablet.  The pill holder is lightweight and is a discreet size and the printing "cthreefoundation.org" is a tiny reminder that help, support and information is never far away.   There is room inside for two Naltrexone tablets and the silicone rubber seal is designed to keep the medication fresh. For more information about the Sinclair Method and Naltrexone, take a look at C Three Foundation's website at www.cthreefoundation.org

Reading around the C Three Foundation forum " Options Save Lives " has made me realise that I am not actually an "early responder" but I am in the honeymoon phase.  From what I can understand, in the early stages the Naltrexone has the upper hand but after a couple of weeks, the brain will fight back wanting its fix and that's when I may see an increase in the cravings.  I'm going to ride with it.   Until then, I'll continue as I have been and won't force an alcohol free day because there's really no point until I experience the "fight for the fix". Then I'll know what I'm in for!  Here is information from C3 regarding the Honeymoon phase...   "It's like the term 'Quick Responders' or 'Early Responders'. This is something that we at C3 are working on clarifying for people. We have seen people on this forum notice an immediate reduction and call themselves a quick/early responder, without realising tha...

This must see documentary, One Little Pill, is another important resource to utilize to gain an understanding of the way alcoholism is cured via pharmacological extinction (the Sinclair Method) and with dignity.   "The extraordinary new documentary One Little Pill is Claudia Christian's moving international crusade to confront the realities of alcoholism with a new treatment that actually works, and is a stunning expose of the current social forces that delay or even obstruct all new advances in medicine. In this intimate visual portrait, Claudia (Christian) courageously reveals her own past struggles with alcohol in order to help others in far worse situations find a new path to living with a disease that affects us all. This beautifully produced documentary takes us from a housewife in Chicago, a research institute in Helsinki Finland, and even the rural villages of India as we are immersed in her (Claudia Christian's) war against a crippling disease and a system t...

I started reading, Dr Roy Eskapa's "The Cure For Alcoholism" last night.  It's beautifully written science with a touch of humour. To understand the history behind the Sinclair Method, the hurdles, the breakthroughs is empowering.  I realized with great concern that i f it wasn't for a fortunate chain of events, we wouldn't today be reaping the benefits of TSM.   I am even more determined to make this work for me. I am immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by the late Dr David Sinclair, Dr Roy Eskapa, Ms Claudia Christian and everyone involved in the arduous process of bringing TSM to the notice of the medical profession.

My first full dose (50mg Naltrexone) was taken yesterday at around 4.15pm and as I wasn't sure how it would affect me, I lay down and read for the hour.  No side effects, not even a crampy tummy. Stretching the 1/2 dose (25mg) over the course of 6 days worked well for me.  Generally, it is recommended to have a 1/2 dose for the first two days but I felt that extra time was needed in my case.   At 6pm I made a drink (scotch/soda) and was in no hurry to finish it and it lasted me an hour. I had a momentary fancy to have another one but made a soda with sugar free cordial instead.  As I approach the end of my first week, I am delighted that I have dropped from around 50 standard drinks per week to 8. I need to add here that I am responding very early to the Sinclair Method but this is not always the case so please be aware that for most people it does take longer.   Sometime in the next couple of weeks I am going to introduce other interests so I can star...

Took my last 1/2 Revia tablet at around 4.30pm this afternoon. Really didn't get around to pouring a scotch/soda until closer to 6.15pm and sipped on that through dinner. No urge to have another and it will be interesting to see what happens when I start the full 50mg doses.  The side effects are now non-existent. I started my drink chart tonight but since I started on Monday night with 2 glasses of wine, since then it's been one drink each night. I've estimated that my pre-TSM intake was around 6 standard drinks per night on average (almost a bottle of wine) with quite a few more drinks when socializing so I've rounded it up to 50 units (Australian). Going from 50 units down to 8 is a pretty dramatic decrease. Discernable side effects have disappeared so the full 50mg dosage starts tomorrow.

After a successful TeleMedicine appointment, I am delighted to write that I am about to embark on the journey to a new and improved me!  The internet consultation was easy and the GP was a very kind and understanding person.  The consult costs $90 (no Medicare rebate). I have a script (and one repeat) for Revia 50mg. With nervous anticipation, I took my first tablet at 4.20pm Monday 5th August.  To eleviate the possible side effects, it is recommended that the first few doses are a 1/2 tablet.  Once the side effects wear off, then the full tablet is to be taken. Here's what I wrote in the forum... "Spent the last two weeks in nervous anticipation of this event.  Was at first stalled in the prescription process but with great information available in this forum (thank you everyone for your invaluable contributions) and then patiently waiting for my appointment, it finally happened today.  ...I'm calling it the first day of the 'best' of my life. At 4...

I found a GP lcoally who treats patients with Alcohol Addition using Naltrexon implants and injections but also prescribes the oral medication.   I wrote the following in the C Three Foundation forum called Options Save Lives. "I feel like I've never been so excited to see a Dr in my life! Tomorrow I have an appointment with one of the FEW doctors locally who prescribe Naltrexone. Speaking with the receptionist was liberating! I tried to explain that I am a decent person, mother, wife, own a small business....but I am unable to control my need for alcohol. She cut me off and said, "we have many patients just like you" and I felt like I'd finally received a life rope without any shame attached. I'm tearing up just typing this. After a decade of falling deeper and deeper into this nightmare and recently starting to sneak an extra drink here and there so my husband wouldn't notice, I had to admit that this wasn't just a bit of self medicating.  I lov...