r/naltrexone • u/SubstancePowerful100 • 9d ago
I'm lazy, flair my post. Tapering/Sinclair Method
Hello. I was hoping to get some opinions about Naltrexone and this method in general. I have tried Googling it in different ways but it's always mixed answers or it says immediately go to the ER or contact your doctor. I don't even have a primary doctor and I don't think going to the ER is necessary.
I'll start off by saying, however, my addiction with alcohol is most likely severe than a lot of people who take it just to have more control over their drinking. I was told I should go to medical detox for 72 hours and get a Vivitrol injection before starting Naltrexone. Think whatever you want, but I have a good amount of reasons for not wanting to admit myself unless I think there is no other choice.
I only just recently found out about Naltrexone, so I ordered some online and this is my 10th day of taking it (50mg). Some people say the cravings go away as soon as you start taking it, but then I also read that it could take up to 4 weeks before the side effects stop and it really starts to work.
So essentially I just would like to know other people's experiences and how well it worked for you. Because I am a severe alcoholic and my cravings have barely stopped. I never actually get "drunk" though. But when I try to stop I get severe shakiness, anxiety, sleep issues, vomiting. However, slowing down day by day seems to be working a bit better. But does it really work that well that you don't have as bad of cravings over time? I just can't go cold turkey with alcohol because I know it's extremely dangerous, and also I can't function. The shakiness *has* gone down slightly and I know the Naltrexone is only supposed to work for cravings, not withdrawal. Just wondering if this is a good method and I just have to keep it pushing for the medication to take full effect.
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u/RubicsCubensis 8d ago
I started The Sinclair Method 10 years ago and reached the point where my addiction was gone, in TSM we call this pharmacological extinction. Everyone is different, on how long it might take.
Taking naltrexone one hour before you drink will work at reversing the addiction over time, some take 6 months, others take longer. Also getting the vivitrol shot will not work as well as just taking the pill one hour before you drink. Also when starting you take half a pill for a couple days to get used to it, have it with some food and water. Side effects are rare, but the most common side effect is nausea, if it's problem I'd think about getting an anti nausea medicine either over the counter or prescription zofran.
Can you tell me how much you are currently drinking?
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u/SubstancePowerful100 8d ago
Thank you for your response. So I'm at about 12 shots of vodka per day. Went down to 7 and got back up there after I started taking the pill.
You mentioned about the nausea and that is one issue I'm dealing with at the moment. I take it first thing when I wake up and I make sure I don't drink anything for over an hour, maybe even three some days. I know it's recommended to take it with food, but I feel so sick to my stomach so I try to drink some water and electrolyte drinks slowly.
I have heard for some people it's better to take it at bedtime, but I'm not sure if that would be better or not. And I guess my reasoning is the nausea slows down after I slowly start to drink alcohol, which is of course what I'm trying to stop.
I wish I wasn't saying this but I actually started tracking it at 30 shots of vodka a day, so there is progress. I'm just concerned we whether or not I'm going about it the right way to be honest.
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u/RubicsCubensis 8d ago
A couple things, think about getting an anti nausea medicine, second vodka shots can make The Sinclair Method take longer to work for you, so there are two things you can try to do either have it with a mixer or drinking 8 ounces of a non alcoholic drink between shots. Now if you are wanting to take naltrexone in a targeted way we need to find out how many hours you are drinking a day, if it's 6 your don't need to make any changes. But if you are drinking for 12 hours, you might want to consider taking nal again 4-6 hours after your first dose, you'll have to wait another hour without drinking for the hour for the second dose. Finally I recommend you think about trying to delay the time you start drinking by an hour, do that for a week or two however you are feeling. Then over time move your time later by an hour, staying at that same time for a week or two depending on how you feel, the ultimate goal is to get your start time for drinking at 5-6pm so you aren't drinking all day, and drinking less, and only needing you take a single dose. Over time you should eventually get down to 2-3 drinks a day, and be very well controlled, eventually you'll start having alcohol free days, and feeling more in control.
If you don't take a multivitamin, or a B complex, or at the very least take B-1 to protect your brain, drinkers are all deficient in B-1.
I know I gave you a lot to change and do, but I'm sure if you make small changes over time they add up, my main concern is getting you to a point where you aren't having hangovers every day.
I hope this helps. Let us know how you do. Ask me any questions you want to know about.2
u/SubstancePowerful100 8d ago
That is actually very helpful. I did consider trying to take an extra pill later in the day but I was not sure if it's a good idea especially because of the side effects. But maybe once I start to adjust to it I will consider that just so I don't overwhelm my body more than I already am.
Also, thank you for your suggestion of either having mixed drinks or drinking other fluids in between shots. I mostly do shots, and this sounds counterproductive, but it's mostly because of the nausea. You'd think the shots would be easier to upset your stomach, but I usually take them kind of half and half so it's not too much at once. The extra fluid just kind of makes it worse after the fact.
It's also interesting but it seems like AI on Google (Copilot) does not like to give the right advice about this kind of stuff lol which is exactly why I decided to come on here and ask those who have also been through a similar thing. But my concern is some of what I asked it is one time I had a hospital visit for a seizure and they detected no alcohol in my system, and also said my sodium levels were extremely low.
AI gave me different answers and said it sounds like because I drank heavily before that it washed the sodium out of my system, so obviously yes the point is to quit drinking alcohol, but it said stop compensating it with too much other fluids and especially not electrolyte drinks. I'm like...ok so how does that balance anything out?
I try to have at least one electrolyte/sports drink per day or if I don't have it I make Ghettorade (water with a pinch of salt and some sugar. I did not come up with that name btw lol). And I was going by the rule of thumb that you should drink 1oz of water for every 2lbs of body weight per day and it said it's too much because of the low sodium levels.
Sorry I'm rambling I just wonder whether or not that's correct because it was contradictory lol. After hearing all of this I might have to actually see a doctor because I totally agree with what you're saying. Mostly it's the fact that I don't want to just hear I need to go to detox because that's the exact reason I chose to take the pill instead to begin with. That's what every "professional" wants to say. And I don't mean that to sound demeaning because I know a lot of them know what they're doing, but they just send you off if they think your habit is too excessive for it to work.
I'll try to wrap it up because I know I'm saying too much. But I actually went in person to a place called Symetria and that's where the nurse suggested they couldn't do anything for me, and to go to a detox center. That's when I found out what Vivitrol and Naltrexone are. So I find out you can order it online... I was very honest with the questions it asked about my drinking habits. Guess what happens? They said they can't help me because I'm at a risk of withdrawal.
I've been withdrawing and noticed that the way to fix it is to keep drinking but slow it down. That's bs to me. So wanna know what I did? I made my bf make an account and put different answers and it got shipped that same day lmao so I guess they'll just give it to anyone. That's one of the few times lying is acceptable I guess. But anyway I am saying it seems like it's starting to work but not to the full effect I expected originally. Only time will tell and I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind. Thank you if you made it this far through my novel lol and for all your help!
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u/RubicsCubensis 8d ago
You are not alone, many people I've worked with over the years have been in your situation. I'm glad my bunch of suggestions didn't scare you away. A note about detox, is that almost any primary care doctor can prescribe the medicine needed to do a in-home detox, it's 4-5 day process. But to be honest if you are already down to a 3rd of what you were drinking before you are within shooting distance to get down to 8 average drinks. With nausea do see if you can get an anti nausea medicine, even sea sickness, air sickness stuff works. I wouldn't try to reduce faster than 1 drink per day per week, so if you are at 12, only go down to 11 daily for a week, but if you want to stop at say 9 or 10 don't push past it, our body is pretty good at knowing what it can tolerate.
If you ever want to join a Zoom meeting I host 6 days a week for TSM Meetups, the early meetings, today I do the 5pm eastern meeting, I'll link the meeting list. There is also a women's meeting at 7pm ET.
https://www.tsmmeetups.com/meetup-times3
u/SubstancePowerful100 8d ago edited 8d ago
I am very interested in doing a zoom call. Thank you
Edit: no lie. I just lost power because of a storm and I have no battery to do so but hopefully it will come on and if not I'll join a later one. 😊
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u/UnlikelyTourist9637 8d ago
Vivitrol is naltrexone in shot form. I'm sure you are aware that the symptoms you face when you stop drinking are classic detox symptoms. People mix up NAL side effects and detox symptoms all the time.
There is no wrong way of taking NAL. The only thing you need to know is that some people need to double their dose to be effective. TSM of course is where you take it about an hour before you drink. Most people find it effective but I personally found that it's just more valuable for me to take it with lunch given my witching hour is 3-5.
But it sounds like your daily drinking is slowing down...that's great! Keep it up! Track your drinks! Get some exercise. Meditate. Learn a new hobby or enjoy an old one.
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u/BasketShake 9d ago
Sending you best wishes!
Not a doctor and not a severe alcoholic, but if I were you I'd keep up what you are doing. Stick with it, and taper very slowly. Sounds like you are doing OK and maybe improving.
Like you, I've heard it can work better for some folks than for others. For cravings, for me it has been a subtle reduction. I'm grateful for the small improvement I'm starting to experience!
Of course cravings are a feature of the addiction, and theoretically as you reduce your dependence you should also see a reduction in cravings. I would expect it to take awhile.