r/Alcoholism_Medication

My brother started drinking at some point around 21 years old and it immediately spiraled. He never drank until this point, but because it was legal, I think it very quickly became an everyday escape. His drinking was problematic and hidden from the get go. When he moved 2 years later, we found empty jugs in his closet, it took several trips to the trash to clear them. Fast forward a little farther, he was charged with a felony DUI for hit and run with severe injuries. He called us after he ran and was hiding in his apartment. My mom and I showed up. The police actually tracked him down and came pounding on the door, it was quite an event. He was formally charged, pretty messy for a while, blaming his endless drinking on the situation and circumstances. After he served his sentence, it never stopped. Now he’s 28. I am completely and totally serious when I say he’s been to treatment over 20 times. His insurance will cover maybe 3 or 4 days at a time now. And he’s worse than ever. He’s gained 200 pounds. He drinks to the point where he eliminates his bowels in bed. I just don’t know what to do. Is he drinking himself to death? Where do I go from here? My mom is 65 and he’s living in her basement. She can’t go through this any longer. Trips to the emergency department are frequent, exhausting and it’s kind of like 🤷‍♀️ should we just accept that he’s drinking himself to death or WHAT would you do in my shoes?

My doctor said wait 12 to 24 hours after my last drink to take it, but I am so nervous. Just need somebody to help ease my mind. I’ve taken NAL, tried TSM and Vivitrol. This is the last resort before going to inpatient.

Hey all, i took nal in the past and it helped reduce my beers over a few months. If i stuck with it, it might have done the job, but sometimes i drank before i got home and couldnt take 1. Now i took semaglutide glp1 cause i heard it can help with AUD. It didnt for me.

But i heard glp3 reta can help so i got some and let me tell you. For me it helped alot. 1 week on the shot and it the was tapering my drinks and on my last drink i didnt even want to finish it! I feel like i finally found something that works .

This stuff is not approved yet but something to look into. Best of luck evryone. Alcohol sucks.

If naltrexone blocks the endorphins from alcohol, wouldn’t it just block endorphins in general?

I’ve been taking naltrexone daily at 50mg for a month maybe. Before that, I was on 25mg for several months. I’ve noticed that I’m more depressed and anhedonic than usual. I derive no pleasure from things that were once my hobbies. But I still derive great pleasure from drinking, even though I follow the rules of taking it an hour or more beforehand. I think I got better at controlling my drinking, but it didn’t really change how alcohol made me feel.

Like the title says, I've been asking my doc for over a year and finally went somewhere else. Should I be taking it even if I'm not drinking at all? I feel like if I do, I'll have a tolerance for it instead of taking it when cravings happen. I asked my doc but English is not his first language and it was difficult discussing it.

Forgot to add it's Naltrexone 30mg.

Hej allesammen, jeg tog antabus (400mg) sidste mandag, der er nu 9 dage siden jeg tog det og kunne godt tænke mig at drikke en øl eller 2 i aften,

Er der nogen der ved om jeg kan gøre det? Eller om I har nogen erfaringer med det.

The gigantic interest in GLP type medications has had positive spin- off effects. In addition to revitalizing interest in naltrexone it is normalizing medication-assisted treatment of obsession-style behaviors.

Mom with AUD reached a breaking point and needs professional treatment

My mom has been abusing alcohol for years now, despite gradual escalation of consequences and the immense pain it brings her children.

Recently, it has been absolutely nightmarish. I don’t want to go into details because it is too painful but she nearly got herself killed, could have hurt someone else, and abused my sister (the only person at home in the time) before passing out.

In the past, my siblings and I have always followed up on these episodes reiterating how much we love her and the need for professional treatment. She usually gets defensive, angry, or weepy.

The recent episode was so horrific though I think she actually is starting to recognize how serious this is. We talked for a long time about it. She never ever had deliberately harmed any of us in the past (our dad was abusive and she was the only one we could count on). But now, when she gets drunk, she becomes so cruel. I think she’s scared of herself. My siblings and I are exhausted, angry, concerned, and deeply hurt.

I don’t want to lose momentum with her now and need advice on what treatment she can get. These are the factors we’re working with:

1. She has a full time job and cannot take significant time off (she does have some medical leave saved though)
2. She is extremely resistant to things like AA, because she feels shame
3. She prefers the most private option possible
4. She has great health insurance through her work (which is a big reason why she can’t take off work)
5. She is a deeply depressed person (abandoned by her father, her mom was just a teen when she had her, grew up extremely poor, was in a decades long relationship with our abusive dad, her child \[my sibling\] with schizophrenia recently attempted suicide, she has almost no time to herself because her job does not follow a regular schedule and is exhausting)

TLDR: Need advice on what professional help is most practical for my mom based on the above conditions. Experience with different medications especially helpful (and how you got them prescribed).

Also any advice on how to get her into therapy (which she has been resistant to in the past because of the time commitment and her lack of faith in therapists)

I have been doing TSM and taking naltrexone 50mg for almost 2 years and has always worked well. It did not erase my desire to drink but went from at least a bottle Of wine every night and sometimes more to 1-2 glasses a couple times a week, with some weeks not drinking at all. I did not crave alcohol or think about drinking. I was extremely consistent with it for the first year. Tracking my drinks and always waiting an hour if not more before my first drink.

Over the past 6 months I got lazy and was not as strict with it as I should have been- sometimes taking it and drinking soon after instead of waiting an hour and not taking it at all a handful of times. I was definitely drinking more often and having more drinks.

I have been consistent with it and waiting the full 60min for the past month or so. Sometimes it works like it used to- sometimes the desire to drink is barely there or other times I will get sick of it by my second or third drink.

However this is probably happening only 50% of when I am taking it now. Is this because I was inconsistent for months? And if so, did I cause it
to be less effective or will it just take sometime to get to that point again? I am upset with myself for being irresponsible and getting to this point after doing so well with it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Providers Clinical Support System – Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder is a national project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide free, comprehensive training, guidance, and mentoring on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol use disorder.

They now are promoting not only daily use of naltrexone to support abstinence, but also The Sinclair Method, and a Targeted Approach aimed at high-risk drinking. This is really important news in terms of getting more caregivers to prescribe naltrexone and provide better guidance on how best to use it in individual situations.

I’m so nervous to try this. I cannot continue with these habits. Please tell me if this med is worth trying.

My father has always been a heavy drinker, but it's gotten worse since his retirement.

His drinks of choice are about 4 beers a day (every day) and 2 whiskey (free pour) and coke tall glasses at night. Sometimes a lot more.

He's also way more irritable and angry and only eats about once a day because he's "full." He's also tired and sleeps around 3-4 hours every day. He's 68 years old.

He thinks he doesn't have a problem and refuses to see a doctor.

However, he has agreed to start taking supplements as the first step.

Would Thiamine (Vitamin B1) and Magnesium Biglycinate be a good starting point for nutritional deficiencies? He's agreed to mix it into his food.

I'm thinking B1 mixed with his food when he eats and Magnesium in the evening with a snack or water (preferably coffee bec he doesn't really drink water)?

Any help is appreciated from those who've supplemented.

This shot knocked me on my ass (pun intended). I have felt like dook the past 2 days. But I have not had alcohol in 2 days.

Got out and went to the gym this morning because I thought moving my body would help. The combo of fatigue and nausea and appetite suppression was extremely limiting but I (very lightly) incline walked for 30 minutes. Just getting out of the house and driving around a little was helpful mentally, I think.

Now I'm home and showered. I would normally have a glass of wine. I'm having a non-alcoholic corona instead. It's fine. It's not as good as wine. But I haven't gone multiple consecutive days without drinking since Covid. So that's better I think.

Just here to speak my thoughts into the void. I feel weird. But hopeful. Y'all seem to be hopeful people.

I get that naltrexone is the gold standard, but I have never liked the idea of blocking endorphin receptors -particularly given that the drug is still going to be in the system the next day. So, I have been giving Sinclair method thought for years but have never bit the bullet. I hear GLPs drastically reduce cravings in some people. Some stories make it sound like a total miracle, but I guess it is only a miracle for those people who have weight they can afford to lose? But, I really need to gain (not lose) weight and I am very sensitive to anything that reduces my appetite. In fact, possible nausea or reduction of appetite is one additional reason I am holding on naltrexone.

Started Nal taking 25mg daily about two weeks ago. Tried to increase to 50mg after day 3 but the nausea and sleepiness were bothersome. I didn’t drink at all for the first week, second week was on vacation and it definitely helped my ability to moderate. I still really don’t like the side effects and I’ve noticed its effects ting my appetite. I am pretty for and don’t have any desire for weight loss. Contemplating just switching to TSM but also feel like it’s early to pull the plug on daily. Anyone experience similar effects?

I started drinking at 19, it was a lot but it was manageable but now I'm 32 and over the last 2 years I've been drinking every. single. day. I went to my doctor last week and I opened up to her that I'm an alcoholic so she prescribed me this medication. And I'm nervous about taking it. I'm nervous about reactions, and if I'm being 100% honest I'm nervous about letting go of the only thing that has brought me comfort these last 2 years. But I know I have to stop. My blood work came back for heavy alcohol use but imaging isn't necessary for the time. (I also have high cholesterol and high triglycerides.) So I know I need to stop while I'm ahead. I know this question probably gets asked a lot but can you tell me about your experience? I also know it's a red flag that I'm scared to let go of my alcohol but has anyone else felt that way before too?

Thank you!