Hi

I am a 43 year old male who has suffered from really bad anxiety and panic attacks for about 12 years now. About 3 months ago the anxiety and panic had gotten so bad that I decided to start drinking and smoking ("self-medicating"). Now I'm an alcoholic again (actually this is my first relapse in 2 1/2 years). The first few drinking binges felt great but it no longer feels good to be hungover with sore lungs and a hacking cough anymore. I feel like I'm in my 90's. I got a script for Naltrexone from my doc the other day and this morning I took one (25mg).

Now, it's really difficult to say wether the side effects I got were from the Naltrexone, the accumulative effect of all the alcohol I've consumed over the months, the hangover from my drinking yesterday, the 10mg Atarax I took before bed time last night, the 1mg Lorazepam I took this morning, the Prevacid capsule for my GERD, my anxiety/panic or any combination of the above but it was'nt until I took my first Nalrexone that about 30-40 minutes later I began to feel really sleepy and zoned out. It was all I could do to get any work done around here and I just felt "different" (hard to describe really). This evening I tried to drink a beer and got as far as one and a half bottles and much to my delight, I found that I had no desire or craving for anymore and ended up dumping the second bottle.

Well, I guess there's really no "point" here. Only that I would like to know what everyone else's experience has been on Naltrexone. It makes me feel kind of crappy and I really don't care for it but to it's credit, it definately DOES help me to have the power to say "no" to alcohol.

- Regards and thank's, Lonely (and sober) Traveler

Hi lonelytravelor. I don't have any experience with this particular problem, but my mother is an alcoholic and I was wondering if you could explain to me what Naltrexone is? Thanks and good luck! - Tina

LonelyTraveler there is no wonder drug that will take care of your Alcoholism. WHen I was drinking (over 4 years ago,) I would often have days when I decided enough was enough for that day. But often I would have other suubstances trickling through my viens and passifing my craving. Other days (much more rarely) I would just leave the drink as a matter of proving that I could control my drinking (hence I was different from otherS!)

In hindsight I understand that this was all part of the denial that surrounds alcoholism and the mental obsession was what truley defined my drinking, not how much or how often.....

You hit the nail on the head at the end of your letter. Revia (naltrexone) can curb the desire to begin or continue drinking. The dangerous thing is the false sense of security, thinking you can drink normally again. You know booze, usage will escalate! The physical effect you are experience could very well be the ReVia, you need to be completely clean when you begin treatment. You have been drinking heavily and it might take more than the usual 72 hour detox to get the booze compleely out of your system. You could need some additional clean time for the Revia to work properly.

You also said that you are an alcoholic "again", I hope that was just a typo because once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. I too am alcoholic and have been "attempting" to be dry for the last 5 years with mostly positive effects. Antabuse didn't work, it just caused headaches and flu symptoms while drinking. ReVia (50MG/Day) is working wonders for me as I don't continually think about the booze, it frees my mind to live a more normal life.

Keep the faith and give the ReVia time to kick in, without using while under treatment. :nono:

Al...

I know that its supposed to help reduce cravings in recovering opiate and alcohol addicts by blocking opiate receptors in the brain; I won't take it though, because it also has been proven to block the exercise induced 'high' that comes from our bodies releasing their own natural endorphins.

Stacey