Day 3 on naltrexone

Plentyoffish

Hi,

I've joined an out patient clinic to get help with my drinking. I binge drink every 3 days. My aim is to completely stop drinking, I'm done with it.
I have been put on naltrexone. I am only on my 3rd day, 1/2 a pill for 1st 4 days then the full pill every day for 3 months. It's gobsmacking the effect it has had on me so far. No desire to drink what so ever, even the thought of alcohol brings on a headache!
That part of it is excellent but I just don't feel right, an hour after taking naltrexone I feel very nauseous and it lasts for 2 hours. I have a hazey feeling in my head ever since, kind of like the groggy feeling you get when you wake up but it lasts all day. Im afraid that based on my 1st 3 days I won't be able to continue with naltrexone. I really didn't want to take it last night knowing how it was going to make me feel.
Have any of you been though this? Will this feeling disappear in time? I will speak to my doctor but I just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I've spent hours on google but the only information I can find is for people who are on the Sinclair Method, taking a pill in order to reduce their alcohol consumption. I don't want to drink at all and am taking a pill every day.
Thanks so much reading.

aabarnes1

Plentyoffish wrote: »

Hi,

I've joined an out patient clinic to get help with my drinking. I binge drink every 3 days. My aim is to completely stop drinking, I'm done with it.
I have been put on naltrexone. I am only on my 3rd day, 1/2 a pill for 1st 4 days then the full pill every day for 3 months. It's gobsmacking the effect it has had on me so far. No desire to drink what so ever, even the thought of alcohol brings on a headache!
That part of it is excellent but I just don't feel right, an hour after taking naltrexone I feel very nauseous and it lasts for 2 hours. I have a hazey feeling in my head ever since, kind of like the groggy feeling you get when you wake up but it lasts all day. Im afraid that based on my 1st 3 days I won't be able to continue with naltrexone. I really didn't want to take it last night knowing how it was going to make me feel.
Have any of you been though this? Will this feeling disappear in time? I will speak to my doctor but I just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I've spent hours on google but the only information I can find is for people who are on the Sinclair Method, taking a pill in order to reduce their alcohol consumption. I don't want to drink at all and am taking a pill every day.
Thanks so much reading.

I think there's a couple of things you need to ask yourself first of all.
Why do you want to completely stop?
What was or is the reason for your decision to completely stop?
Have you tried before, and what was the result?
Do you have an issue with the amount you drink when you do drink, and is your behaviour adversely affected when you drink like this?
If when you honestly want to can you control or stop drinking for any period of time?

I am not aware of the use of naltrexone in Ireland for the treatment of alcohol related illnesses, so I can't comment on any of the symptoms you describe, but it doesn't sound great, and it certainly doesn't get to the bottom of why you binge drink either.
Best of luck and keep posting.

Plentyoffish

Thanks for your reply aabarnes.

I have battled with the drink for years. Tried and failed to give it up over and over again. Every corner in my life seems to revolve around drink, drink has become a daily problem by either being hungover for 2 days or being drunk.
AA didn't work for me unfortunately but the good news is that the above symptoms seem to have died down. I'm not nauseous anymore and I haven't had a drink in over 7 days, it seems to be working well so far. I'm going to give AA another go next week. I never want to touch another drink again. It triggers something in my brain that won't allow me to say, no that's enough.

Hopefully my next post will be 4 weeks drink free.

Lady is a tramp

Naltraxone did absolutely nothing for me personally, my psychiatrist (one of the experts in addiction psychiatry in Ireland) is a big fan of it though. If it works for you, go for it, there's no one-size-fits-all solution for anyone!

If the side-effects were to resume, Antabuse might be another one to consider - very few people get any side-effects from it. It works completely differently to Naltraxone - you'd need to do lots of research first. It's not for everyone, but it's what works for some people I know with substantial recovery behind them.

aabarnes1

Hi Plenty,

Excellent start 7 days off the sauce, well done for that.
Your description of trying and not being successful at staying stopped sounds very much like my own.
For me, after trying every conceivable method to stop and stay stopped, the solution- a day at a time, came from the fellowship and program of AA.
I understand not every one who has a problem with drink needs AA to recover, but if you are a real alcoholic of the type I am, and the type described in the big book of AA, then AA is the only solution.

It triggers something in my brain that won't allow me to say, no that's enough.

That's an interesting comment, and if you were referring to your 'friend', the third person, I would say your friend is probably an alcoholic.

The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons unknown, have lost the power of choice in drink.Our so called 'will power' becomes practically non existent. We are unable, at times, to remember with sufficient effect, the memory of suffering and humiliation that our drinking caused a week or a month ago. We are without defence against the first drink. The almost certainty of what will happen to us even if we drink just 1 glass of beer does not occur to our thinking in order to deter us. If they do occur they are usually erased with thoughts that we can handle ourselves better this time, or we can behave like other people.
If we put our hand to a hot stove, it will burn us and we are unlikely to repeat this action, however where drink is concerned, we casually present the thought to ourselves that 'it wont burn us this time, here's how.' And we repeat the action. How many times have we begun to drink in this cocksure fashion, then after the fourth or fifth drink pounded on the bar and said to ourselves, "For God's sake, how did I end up here again?" Only to have the thought washed away with, "Well I am here now, I might as well get good and drunk, what's the use anyhow!".

If this brief paragraph describes your thinking, then you are probably beyond the point of human aid, and need some sort of help to recover.
I think it a very wise move for you to return to AA. Perhaps you might re-post with why you feel it didn't work previously!
I wish you the best, and good luck when you go back to a meeting, try different ones and give a big book meeting a try.

If it works on a daily basis for me, not only is that a miracle, but I believe it will work for anyone.

Tastyboy

Hello.

Naltrexone is only useful if you drink on it. Not consuming anything will make it a futile exercise.

Research it, and come back to me. Also, best of luck and well done, it's a start.