r/naltrexone

Hi, just wanted to share my experience with Sinclair Method, maybe it will help somebody else.

I'd been a heavy drinker for a few decades, roughly 60 drinks a week. With naltrexone and staying away from shots of liquor, my consumption was cut in half pretty quickly. I just didn't want to keep going when I drank. That lasted about 6 weeks.

Then my consumption ramped up to around 45 drinks a week, with many nights at previous levels, despite the fact I was not enjoying it as much. I recall getting really pissed off that the euphoria would just not come. That went on for another month or so.

I was fortunate enough to be working with an addiction councilor, who encouraged me to try a week off from alcohol, just to see how it felt. Just a week right, how hard could that be? I didn't think I could do it.

But by the end of the week, to my utter astonishment, I didn't really want to start drinking again. The pull just wasn't that strong. Every other time in the past I'd tried a week alcohol free, all I could think about was drinking when it was over. (alcohol deprivation effect)

Well, it's been nearly two years now since I had a drink, and for the most part I have not had strong cravings for alcohol. There have been many times I've thought about alcohol, but it's not been overwhelming, and passed fairly quickly instead of that constant nagging thought. There of course has been a routine adjustment, as my evening schedule was organized around drunk time, but after several months the new routine just felt normal.

The point of this story is that naltrexone may be doing far more for you subconsciously than you realize, and you may have to meet it half-way by experimenting with extended alcohol free periods. I'm pretty sure that had I not had that conversation with my counselor and tried a stretch of alcohol free time, I would have continued drinking for many more months, and maybe even come to a point where I wondered if it was going to work for me at all.

I am glad I followed through with taking the first dose, however, within an hour I vomited, got cold and shaky, really weird groggy/dizzy brain feeling, and then awful diarrhea for maybe an hour. Oh and I got really tired. I went to sleep by 9pm and slept great though, and I feel fine this morning. I had planned to go ahead and have a drink if I wanted, but I felt so sick there was no interest. So--first alcohol free day in maybe years?? I'll take that as a win, even though the day-1 tax was nasty.

It was 25mg, yes I ate and drank water. I should maybe mention I am on a GLP and have been for a while. Would you keep moving forward with 25mg to acclimate myself faster, or back down to 12.5mg for a few days? This is not medical advice I asked and the doctor said I can go slower or faster however I want.

Either way I am taking it, oddly last night made me feel more determined not less. I feel great this morning. Totally fine and I do still feel it very slightly.

I’ve been struggling with drinking for a year now. A year of daily drinking. Been drinking all day everyday since December. Honestly if it weren’t for dangerous WD I’d have quit cold turkey already by now. Maybe I’m overreacting but better safe than sorry right. Anyways. Attempted tapering multiple times and was successful the first time but ever since then it’s just a back and forth fail. I did however finally try naltrexone. I take 50 mg a day I believe and I’ve been on it for maybe 2 weeks. It’s made a massive difference. I’m actually suprised and so glad I tried it.

But.

Once it wears off in the evening I take that as an opportunity to get drunk and do and that’s basically where I struggle.

With the nal pill I average maybe 12 shots of Tito’s a day at the moment.

I was wondering, if, would the injection solve the issue of it wearing off in the evening? I assume that if I’m injected with it then it’s active like constantly until a month or however long it takes to actually wear off. Since it’s helped a lot in pill form but not so much at night, is the injection something worth looking into?

I'm using naltrexone via sinclair method. Was drinking an average of 30 drinks per week. Now I'm around 14-16 the last 3 weeks. Check my page if wondering about my experience of side effects and such. I'm a 35 year old female with adhd.

Today I had an epiphany; I almost didn't notice this huge shift in my thinking/behavior.

Was going about my day. Had some anxiety and thought about drinking. Pushed the thought away twice. Still feeling anxious and thought to myself "what can I do instead of drinking to feel better". Got ready and went for a 20 minute run.

This is a pretty drastic change. Years ago this is how I handled negative emotions in a healthy way. The last year not so much, I'd have likely been on my way to the liquor store or battling thoughts of drinking for several hours.

I am officially 8 days in and I haven't had a drink. I won't say I haven't thought about it but when I go to the kitchen I just pour water, tea, club soda, or a mini dr.pepper. I just don't feel the pull to take my NA beverage over to the bar cart and top it off with a liquor anymore (so far!)

I am not taking naltrexone to fully give up on drinking but to stop the routine of always grabbing a drink after work or in a stressful situation. I have 1 planned drinking day per month planned out (1 Packer's football game at a bar a month) but beyond that I am going to try to stay drink free until Christmas. The main reason for changing my routine was it is/was stopping me from losing weight and getting back to feeling like the old me again :)

But like the title says, three test have been passed!

First one was preseason football; sat down with a Bloom soda and watched my team lose. I think this was the first football game I've watched without alcohol in 14 years.

Second test was the weekend; I don't have many friends in my area and I was afraid being alone on the weekends with no plans would lead straight to the bar cart. Nope. I cleaned, took a fitness class, read a book outside on the balcony, and just played with my dog. It was a very nice weekend :)

Third test was my friend coming over for dinner last night. He is also a big drinker and we will usually enjoy a few cocktails, a few shots, some crappy takeout. He passes out on the couch, I go to bed, and we wake up the next day with half finished cocktails on the counter that "just have to be finished". heaven forbid we throw some bottom shelf vodka down the drain. That usually leads to a few shots and me sneaking away from work early to go play pool and have another few drinks at a bar. I didn't have a single one :) I poured a club soda and watched a movie/chatted without any liquor.

Edit: I'm taking 50mg with breakfast in the morning and have had no side effects besides the fact that I'm not craving food as well. Great side effect since I'm trying to lose weight.

For those still undecided if Naltrexone is right for them; here’s my experience to date.  Female in my late 50’s; been drinking a bottle of wine a night for years (10+), more on the weekends.  Have been wanting to cut back for years, not quit altogether (yet), but have some NA days.  Tried on my own white knuckling it, but would only last a day or two, then back to normal routine.  I found that once I started, I couldn’t stop at just one glass.

Had been watching the Oar commercials for awhile and been reading up on Naltrexone.  Even asked my primary care for a prescription a year ago, he told me to go to an AA meeting.  Thanks Doc!

So I took the plunge and ordered through Oar.  Received 90 – 25mg dissolving tablets for ~$250. 

Day 1 – Took first dose (25mg) after having my first drink; I know you not suppose to, but it arrived via UPS at 5pm; was anxious to try it, I had made up my mind.  I’m giving this a go.  Took the first pill and didn’t finish my wine, it tasted like shit.  One, the dissolving tablets are very strong and would recommend taking with food.  Gave me a bit of nausea and made me very drowsy.  Went to bed, slept okay, not great, but I slept.

Day 2 - reduced dose to 12.5 mg took about an hour prior to having a drink.  Felt pretty nauseous and had no appetite to eat.  Poured ½ glass of white wine, drank it, but it didn’t taste very good.  Poured ½ glass of red wine; drank it, but again, didn’t taste great and had zero buzz effect.  I guess that’s the point.  Okay, must be working.

Day 3 – took the 12.5 mg again but right after lunch with a full stomach and with lots of water.  Had almost no nausea.  Went out to our favorite casino for a short trip; casino is a trigger for me.  I always overdrink and can’t play unless I have a drink in my hand.  Ordered one glass and it lasted the entire 2 hours we were there.  Left for home and normally I’d be dying for a glass as soon as I’d come in the door.  I wasn’t and I didn’t drink anymore the rest of the night.  Had an appetite, but once I made my dinner, only ate ¼ of what I served myself. 

Day 4 – Just like prior day, took 12.5 mg again right after lunch.  No nausea or other side effects, except constipation. I didn’t see constipation as a side effect, but it’s the only thing I can think that caused it, I normally pretty regular.  Took some gummy metamucil and problem solved.  Hadn’t decided if I was going to drink this day, but witching hour passed and I hadn’t grabbed the wine, so I figured, what the hell.  Let’s try a NA day. 

Honestly, the pull was not that bad.  I made dinner and typically, I ALWAYS have wine while making and eating dinner.  Kept dinner simple and managed the routine without a glass in hand.  Sat down after dinner for a bit of news, which is usually my night cap, will have one or two so I drift off to bed, good and buzzed, but not stumbling.  Had a “Moment” beverage instead and was calm and relaxed.  Went to bed at normal hour, slept good, not great, but pretty good considering I didn’t have wine to fall asleep.

Sharing this with you all, knowing while I’m super early on my journey, I’m feeling hopeful and optimistic and hope this helps anyone else that is struggling to take that first step.

I've been putting off taking my first dose for several days. Basically once I got the pills in hand I suddenly became afraid of the side effects, which is dumb because hangovers terrorize me daily and this couldn't possibly be worse than that. I had 8 drinks last night which is medium to light work; some days I have 12+. Maybe I am a little afraid of what I'm going to do with myself if I don't hide and drink. Anyway thanks for listening. Any suggestions or encouragement are welcome. I have my alarm set for 4pm, doing 25mg/half the tablet, I will eat something and drink a big glass of water. I'm worried it will not work, and also worried it will work.

So supposed to be following TSM and finding it really difficult. I started 4 months ago and everything went really well for the first few weeks. Then I started looking for excuses to not take the pill. Since then I’ve had weeks of drinking taking the odd pill here and there.

How do i get myself back ok track? I typically drink a few bottles of wine every day and this mor ing my wife told me to go see the doctor!

How are people managing to keep themselves accountable and remember to take the damn tablets?

Well after a failed attempt at naltrexone 11 years ago, when the insomnia did me in, I'm starting again today, taking 12.5mg with breakfast along with a famotidine (I have reflux). I'm hoping that by easing in I can avoid the insomnia this time around. I've really had it with drinking, and the inevitable smoking that goes along with it for me ever other day.

I’m still on a work up month, currently day 5 and 13mg. Normally I’m a sleepwalk to the supermarket and come back with a stash to hide. Probably about 12 units a night.

Currently on family holiday where I’d be thinking booze a lot! So far 3 days in and I had a small beer with dinner twice. Tonight I genuinely don’t think I’ll make that choice and go with a NA beer.

It might just be psychology but the drive just wasn’t there to guzzle. The beer made a mark but it wasn’t a pleasant start to a journey. It was a beer and nothing else. That things in the brain that spirals or is always scratching for opportunity just isn’t there. Not missing, just like it didn’t exist. So far so good.

No side effects to speak of. A couple of stomach cramps but that could be holiday food.

Thanks for all the support reading your stories.

My new primary care physician that recently prescribed my Naltrexone highly recommended that I also find a therapist.

I’ve been to rehab, done outpatient, individual therapy with probably 4 different therapists and none of it worked for me. With the support of my partner, I’ve been able to drive down my drinking significantly and I also overcame a 15 year intense marijuana addiction without therapeutic support.

Wondering if anyone else is taking naltrexone without also seeing a therapist. Or is it worthwhile trying to find another one? I’m just feeling discouraged based on past experiences and I also don’t have much disposable income (although I do have US health insurance).

Taking for weight loss. I literally just started taking Nal 50 mg 4 days ago. I’ve been on wellbutrin 150 mg/day for 3 years already. Doctor said we will start here. I’m in the middle of day 5. I feel like when I do eat a full meal, I don’t really finish it completely. However, after work, I like to have a snack and right now I feel like I want to just sample everything from cookies to pastries to chips to hummus,etc. like I can’t get enough. Is this going to get better?

I took a 50 MG and felt like absolute crap all day, I felt like I was way way way way over caffeinated. Shaky, nauseated, couldn’t think. I couldn’t wait to feel better. I don’t see anyone else saying they had effects like this. Could it have been something else? or is this just not for me? I hope not because I’m looking forward to it

I'm sharing this here because it got blocked by the mods in r/PornAddiction and the related subs are all the same mods. I'm not against any model of treatment that actually works but I'm absolutely against keeping voices out of the conversation when they don't fit your aesthetic as to how to handle problematic behavior. Checking history any time someone mentions naltrexone, they delete the post and tell them join a twelve step group instead.

Therefore, I want this headline here so others searching Reddit might find that there are medications that can be part of the recovery process.

I understand full well that porn is not a recognized addiction and that some say it's a mere compulsion and the harm is driven by shame and guilt. I'm here to say that's not what this was. This was an embarrassing number of hours a week (potentially a process now referred to as gooning, but I'm far older than that term), a compulsion to just go watch for "just a few minutes" that turns to hours. Sure, there's a shame component there, but I promise something was actually severely wrong.

---

After years of struggling with porn and Internet use in general, I told my prescriber I know all the good habits, all the tricks. I know exactly what I should do. I've joined communities, installed blockers, done therapy. I just get into that HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) state and feel like I simply watch myself make poor decisions and it's badly affecting my life. This isn't some simple moral guilt issue. It's choosing porn over sleep, over relationships, etc. Checking my history, I've repeatedly likened it to alcoholism...and I know a LOT of functional alcoholics.

I lose all willpower and simply do not care. I'm a successful, highly rational person who makes careful, well thought-out decisions in my life. When it comes to my own health though, I'm less good. Outright self-destructive, chasing brain chemicals at significant personal cost. Unsurprisingly, I'm comorbid with ADHD, anxiety, and bouts of serious depression. So, he prescribed me the stupid, cheap pill.

It was like a switch was flipped. I've done SSRIs. There was no period of build-up needed. Overnight, the nagging need to essentially goon, often for hours, was just gone. My phone usage meter has dropped by literally hours a week, and porn use further still, replaced by healthier scrolling. I feel good. I feel like an adult able to rationally run my own life instead of being yanked by the ear by some monster into things that during-the-day-me had no interest in doing. Even if I'm not completely clean, I'm actually managing. I'm not distressed about a "need". I don't get the pull and if I do, I can tell myself no. I can redirect. Like people say habit building is supposed to work.

Only bad side effect are orgasms don't feel as good (go figure) and early nausea.

Point being, you might want to try it. Also to point: it's infuriating how easy we've made porn access and how we treat addition to it as merely a "habit" when a medication designed to treat hard drug abuse is the only thing that works for some people, and it works extremely well. It's awful what we've done to ourselves.

Hi there! I started on my half dose of 50mg on Thursday. Everyday i’ve taken it i get really wired and anxious (fast heart rate, headaches, muscle spasms, just a feeling of panic overall). I have a history of generalized anxiety disorder and am pretty sensitive to medication. Wondering if anyone else has gone through this and if it goes away? I have a scheduled appt with a doctor this week, but thought id reach out here to feel less alone. I want to keep taking it but i am worried these side effects won’t go away and i will always have to be anxious in order to stop myself from drinking.

I’ve just started and after 2 days of 25mg have moved up the 50mg, which I have taken for the last 4 days.

I have had no noticeable side effects and am concerned that this might suggest that Naltrexone may not be effective for me ?

I haven’t felt any difference so far as to my craving and based on users experience how long does it take to kick in ?

Thank you.

My husband started naltrexone last night around 7:30 p.m. at 25 mg and had some pretty rough side effects. He took it with a full, healthy meal (chicken breast, sweet potatoes, and green beans) and about half a can of Guinness.

Within about 30 minutes, he became very drowsy and wanted to lie down. After an hour, he said he felt extremely spacey and described it as almost feeling like an opioid high. That feeling also made him pretty anxious because he felt like he wasn’t fully in control of his brain/body.

Around 9:30 p.m., the nausea kicked in. He took Zofran, but unfortunately it didn’t seem to help, and he started vomiting around 10 p.m. Afterward, he fell asleep and woke up feeling much clearer. This morning, he’s thankfully feeling back to normal.

I’m really proud of him because despite how unpleasant the first night was, he woke up this morning still determined to continue trying the medication.

For those who had significant side effects when first starting, what helped you get through the first few days? Did they improve pretty quickly as your body adjusted? We’re considering dropping down to 12.5 mg and titrating up more slowly to see if that makes it more tolerable.

Any tips or experiences are very welcome. I’m also really grateful to have this group as a resource while we figure this out.

I just got on suboxone to finally I was taking up to 1000 mg a day. In order to take the box out, we have to be active withdrawals for about 18 to 24 hours. I can tell you the total certainty it was the worst place I have ever been to in my life. I have been through a lot of painful stuff in my life and nothing close to the holiday experience withdrawals, Suboxone, and no longer experiencing physical withdrawal, but I am so emotionally and mentall still hurting so much. It’s only been a few days but I’m hoping for relief soon. I ended up going to urgent care because I couldn’t handle the withdrawals on my own. They sent me to the ER where I fainted in the lobby and got treated horribly by the staff. The absolute worst most traumatizing thing I’ve ever been through.

I am a 30 year old mother, with a stable job. I don’t drink alcohol, use any other drugs whatsoever. I have aspbergers, adhd, and depression, and statues using as a way to manage life. But I got completely carried away with it. The pure kratom lead powder is one thing, but 7oh is a whole other beast. Take it from me. I don’t want another human being to have to go through what I’ve experienced and am still experiencing. I may not be going through physical withdrawal anymore, but I am hurting so much mentally and emotionally. I’m on day 3 of sobriety and pray for relief.

I spent years on hydrocodone and it spiraled into a pretty bad addiction. I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore but discovered Kratom. I felt like I was scammed and there was a lot of miss information about the consequences of Kratom.
To be clear, I wouldn’t change my decision to go to Kratom and use that regularly for two years. It helped me get off Adderall and prescribed pain killers that were pushed on me in the military. I feel like I’ve been addicted to anything that would give me dopamine or motivation during a time in my life where I was building my business and working myself to death in my 20s.
I struggle very badly with PTSD from significant trauma that has stacked consistently from when I was a young child until now. (35 year old female)
My depression and burnout made it impossible to function and I didn’t see the point of life if this is what it was going to be. Kratom made me feel great when I was taking it but I knew my dopamine was nonexistent without it.

I tried everything and made all the effort to turn things around for years, holistic, meds, therapy, everything and no relief

I heard about ibogaine and I didn’t even hesitate. I just came home last night from Mexico for my ibogaine and it was the most brutal thing my mind body and spirit has ever endured. It’s been four days but I’m dealing with the weakness and the post acute withdrawal symptoms like body aches and can’t lay or sit without readjusting.

Because of the ibogaine this shouldn’t last more than a week but is there anything that relieved or stops the swears? How long do they last? I’m struggling and need support. I did not go through the pure hell of ibogaine to give into the misery.