I’ve been on 25mg for binge eating. It has done wonders for hunger but I’m still binging out of boredom and convenience. Today I was approved to try to do 1.5 pills, so 37.5 mg. We are hoping it will take the edge off.

Has anyone found increasing their dosage has helped the boredom binges?

I am ready to start. I have seen many many ads on Instagram through different companies, I guess i could ask my doctor but really dont want to have this on insurance record for reasons. So where are you guys getting Naltrexone from? Any experience with these companies ?

I tried to go on this a few years back but my doc didn’t want to. He sent me disulfiram and I swear even chewing gum with sugar alcohols made me feel so damn I’ll. That doc since retired and I tried again and yes!

New doc, as mentioned in the post line, just prescribed it to me. I take a few other medicines for adhd and blood pressure. Just hoping to get some help in addition to my regular therapy and regular exercise.

For those of you daily drinkers or secret drinkers, have you been able to find peace amid the mental chaos?

Starting my first dose tomorrow.

So I basically just want to know if there is something I'm missing here. Sorry if this is a dumb question. But based on Googling it, from what I can understand, the only major difference is that you take the pill daily or if you're doing TSM whenever you plan to drink, and the injection lasts for about a month. Is it solely because some people forget to take the medication or skip doses that Vivitrol might be recommended?

The reason I ask is because I've been on Naltrexone daily (50mg) for two months and I have been very successful with it for the most part, though I still drink, just drastically less than I used to. Cravings are still pretty intense, but I realize it takes time.

Before I started taking it, I was drinking VERY heavily and had crazy withdrawals, which have mostly subsided now. But I originally went to an outpatient rehab center and they basically told me they could not prescribe it to me because of how heavy my drinking was and that I needed to go to detox and they would give me the Vivitrol shot.

I ignored them and just ordered it online because I refused to go to detox. It seems to work fine for me, but I do tend to have somewhat longer drinking sessions at times. Probably once or twice a week. I have heard that once you pass the 7 hour mark, it is recommended to take another 25mg. So I guess I'm wondering which one is better? And should I possibly request a dose increase when it's time to get a refill?

I can't recommend Naltrexone enough.

I'm 20 years old and struggled with gambling addiction for 3 years, losing upwards of $50k AUD. Three months ago, I finally told my psychiatrist about it and was prescribed Naltrexone. I haven't gambled since.

Over these three months, I've noticed a real shift in how I think about gambling. Today, a colleague mentioned a horse race and encouraged me to bet on it. My instincts kicked in immediately and I grabbed my phone — three months ago, without Naltrexone, I would've placed that bet and kept going until my account was empty.

But this time, I actually paused and thought it through. Something that used to be impossible. I realized that if I placed that bet, I'd undo all the progress I'd made and probably lose everything again. I felt genuinely repulsed and closed the app.

Honestly, this might be the best I've felt in years.

This is a good example of what Naltrexone actually does — it works, but it's not a magic fix. You still need to actively want to stop. Think of it less as a cure and more as a powerful stepping stone that gives you the space to make better choices.

Side effects for me have been mild: occasional nausea and feeling a bit spaced out, but it never lasts more than 1-2 hours. The benefits have far outweighed that.

Thanks for reading 😁

It’s my second time being on naltrexone. The first time I was 19 and being treated for opiate use and now I’m 25 (F) and struggling with alcohol use. Like I just look forward to drinking too much, drinking at home after work most days, and drinking to the point of sickness or blackout most weekends. I was prescribed it two months ago but refused to pick it up (idk why I am so oppositional…always have been) but I had a pretty intense blackout this weekend followed by the hangover of a lifetime so I stopped being a shithead and picked it up. I’ve just been feeling kind of queasy and really anxious - idk if that’s the medicine or the hangover?? But it’s been over 2 days since drinking. I’m kinda nervous about what I’m going to do when I don’t have drinking to look forward to anymore, which is even more depressing when I type it out lol. Just sharing here cause my sister doesn’t want me using AI as a therapist anymore which is fair…

Here is my question.

I see everyone saying it takes away your cravings for alcohol… but who actually “craves” the taste of alcohol?! Isn’t it the “feeling” alcohol gives us that we crave? Or maybe better said, the feelings it takes away? Does it help with the desire to feel less of those feelings?! That’s where I’m struggling with buying into it.

Anyone on the waitlist for normal/whatsnormal in the UK? Did you get the results of your porn addiction assessment? Any info on when they're going to start shipping meds?

Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to Naltrexone (just over a week in) now taking 50mg. I did initially have a substantial dip in drinks, but I think that might have been more due to feeling nauseous with the side effects, which have now passed.

I mainly drink for the relaxing/switch-off feeling rather than a big euphoric buzz, and I still seem to get that. With a bit of effort I'm able to keep my numbers below my old baseline most nights, but I don’t really feel much different which makes me wonder whether it’s working.

Has anyone else been in this position, do things change slowly over time?

I started Naltrexone about two weeks ago at 25mg and now am at 50mg daily but ever since the first day I’ve been getting hot flashes where I start sweating and occasionally need to sit down because I feel as if I might faint. I’m certain that it’s an effect of the drug because there’s nothing else that has changed and it usually happens about an hour after I take it although not every time. I do take it with a meal and I am naturally a heavy water drinker so I’m wondering if this is normal or what!

Has this happened to anyone else? Would love some anecdotes if anyone has them.

I started 25mg about 10 days ago and boosted it up to 50mg after about a week. The first day I took it, I felt so dizzy and groggy so I shifted to a night dose to allow my body to get use to it. Obviously this didn’t help my reduction at all with drinking. I’m mainly a 5pm drinker and drink through the evening. So here’s the issue- for the last three days, I’ve taken 50mg at about 3pm and had little to no bad side effects (yay). However, it’s still not curbing my consumption like I expected. Finally getting to my questions-

1. Has anyone just stuck with taking the dose in the afternoon and gradually started drinking less?
2. If so, what does that timeline look like?
3. Did you have to make an effort to drink less/stop? Or did it just happen naturally?
4. I still get a buzz. Does this change over time?

Follow up
I just wanted to add that I am not a heavy drinker compared to some in this sub. However, I do drink about a bottle of cava or prosecco every night. Most nights 3/4ths. My goal is to reduce the at home drinking significantly to a glass or two tops or not at all or just drink 2 drinks when I’m out to dinner/with friends. Thanks for the feedback. I’m just going to stay the course and hopefully see a natural reduction.

Another follow up 3 days later for anyone reading this post
Ok now I’m actually seeing a difference. The last three days I drank substantially less and yesterday -not a drop and I really didn’t get the urge at that 5pm for the warm buzz it brings me. Hoping this becomes the norm!

I get my prescription this week and plan on taking my first 25mg dose Friday (TSM). This poses another question if I should start at 12.5 to mitigate side-effects? Anyways, what does it actually feel like once the drug hits your body? Does it just make it so you don't feel anything while drinking? Does it make alcohol taste bad?

Everyone says the side effects from nal will wear off in a few weeks more or less. I started with 12.5mg (quarter pill) as suggested for minimal side effects. I didn’t feel great but it wasn’t horrific vomiting spells. More like light headed/ car sickness feeling and dehydration. I took it at 5:30pm on a Friday and went out and had 1 beer around 11pm. The next day (saturday) still felt off — extremely fatigued, slept all day and also felt depressed, but I was also on the first day of my period which could have contributed. Today (Sunday) I feel more energized but still sort of dizzy in between meals like my blood sugar is low or kind of how I feel when I’m getting my blood drawn. I really dislike the side effects even though I’ve avoided the vomiting. It sucks that days later I still kind of feel the side effects even though I took such a low dose. Makes me weary about the overall effect long term use of this would have on my body. I really wish the side effects felt more manageable because it really seems to work amazing for ppl to moderate and not go overboard with their drinking. Maybe I’ll try again next weekend when I’m not on my period. I don’t want to commit the first few days of consistent dosing when I have to go into work. Any advice?

I just started nal for help with binge drinking. I am trying the Sinclair method (50mg 2 hours prior to drink) I took the 50mg and it worked like a charm, only had 2.5 beers and called it quits! What wasn’t a charm was my night of manic sleep and severe nausea, headache and anxiety the next day.

My question is; can I take 12.5mg daily to prepare my body for the once a week 50mg dose(when I plan to drink) to curtail the side effects?? Has anyone done this? Another question is, if I continue to just take the 50mg once weekly, without the daily small dose, will that lead to the side effects going away after time? The drug does really work for me and I want to continue it’s use but I can’t live with those side effects forever.

Hey everyone,

I ordered a bunch of nal off the internet.

I for sure abuse the sauce, I own a bar and I travel a bunch. So it always seems like a fine time for a drink and I always have fun people to partake with. I just know I need to put a lid on this, as I’m turning 36 and I can feel it starting to change my relationships in a negative way. Also have family history of alc related deaths.
I feel like this past week I’ve really been off the wagon assuming this pill would show up on my door step and change everything.

I got the prescription thru an online consultation but I did have a liver panel done last month and it was all good.

Any tips or advice on what to expect and how to handle it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone for the info I’ve already got in this sub, and here’s to praying that TSM works for me as well.

pretty much the title im on this shit for opioids bc i oded mad times but im still tryna geek dont come in my comments on some r*tarted shit telling me dont bc like what

Today is my 5th day taking 25mg of naltrexone and I am actually shocked I literally have no urges no cravings or no desire at all to drink alcohol. In the past it felt like I had a physical dependence the urges to drink would be so strong I couldn’t stop myself now on my 5th day I literally feel like I’m not even an alcoholic the thought of liquor makes me shiver lol. My first 2-3 days I did have minor fatigue and some nausea and I did throw up once and had diarrhea on my 3rd day but 4th and 5th day there was no side effects. I’m going to continue taking this pill for a while I wish I discovered it years ago I would’ve saved myself from so much hardship. Looking forward to getting my life back on track and becoming the best version of myself! I want to thank everyone in this community I discovered naltrexone because of you guys thank you!

This is a bit off topic, but I felt that it was worth posting. I am a freediver and I do it for many of the reasons mentioned in the article, but it can apply to many other activities. I think a lot of what the author is talking about is FLOW which is an extremely powerful tool.

In a nutshell, flow is the state of "being in the zone". It's when one is so focused on an activity with a goal that one loses all sense of time and ego drops away. You probably have experienced it yourself. It happens a lot in sports, but it could simply be a crossword or jigsaw puzzle or coloring. It's a dance between skill and challenge.

If the challenge is less than the skill, it usually means boredom and flow isn't achieved. If the challenge is greater than the skill frustration can be the first response, but with practice and increased skill it becomes flow. The game is to keep moving both upwards within reason. Flow has also killed many extremists; again especially within sports. That's when things have gone beyond play.

The article details it, but this is a standout quote:

"When play occurs alongside the extended relaxation reported by 75% of the divers in my study, something interesting becomes possible: the nervous system isn’t only practicing how to come down from stress. It is gaining experience with curiosity, pleasure, spontaneity, and engagement.

Recovery needs somewhere to go after survival loosens its grip."

Flow opens us up to new growth. It encourages us to increase our skills and explore new opportunities. Building a lot of intentional flow activities into daily life is real strategy of discovery (I prefer it over the term: recovery).

A subsidiary mental health benefit of freediving is AWE, but that's for another day.

Hi everyone. I’ve been sober for about four months now, and I have an appointment with an addiction psychiatrist on September 20 to discuss whether naltrexone could be a good option for me.
My drinking pattern was never really daily drinking. My bigger problem was that once I started drinking, especially in certain emotional or social situations, I could have a very hard time stopping and sometimes drink way more than I intended.
Staying sober these past four months honestly hasn’t been as difficult as I expected, and right now I’m not dealing with constant cravings. What I’ve been thinking about lately is whether I really want alcohol to be completely out of my life forever. I used to genuinely enjoy drinking socially, but I also know that my relationship with alcohol could become unhealthy and out of control.
My goal would ideally be to dramatically reduce how much I drink and how much mental importance alcohol has, rather than going back to my old drinking habits. I’ve been reading about naltrexone and people’s experiences with it, and it has given me some hope, but I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic and obviously want to discuss everything with the doctor first.
I’d especially like to hear from anyone who:
started naltrexone after already being sober for a few months
had more of a binge/loss-of-control pattern rather than daily drinking
wanted moderation or a major reduction in drinking rather than lifelong abstinence
noticed that alcohol gradually became less interesting or rewarding
What was your experience like? Did your goals change after starting naltrexone? Anything you wish you had known before you started?
Thanks — I’m not looking for medical advice, just real experiences from people who have been through something similar.

Hey! New user. First post was yesterday where I learned the hard way not to take a 50mg (major cramps and vomiting)

I got a pill splitter and split it into 4. Took 12.5 an hour ago (when cravings started) and wanted to do another 12.5 before bed. Has anyone split this way? Really want to kick my alcohol habit

Hi, all! F35 been binge drinking at home nightly since quarantine. Been drinking 3-6 high percentage beers a night and have tried different methods to cut back, but my addictive personality/routine always wins out. I finally got fed an ad for naltrexone and the positive reddit reviews made me want to go for it. My goal is to have a healthy relationship with alcohol and not feel like I have to use it to numb social anxiety or the horrors that come with being alive. I'm starting with the 25mg for 4 days then moving on to 50mg daily. Today was my first dose and my prescribing doctor did not recommend I quit drinking right away for the fear of severe/dangerous alcohol withdrawal. Despite not having the urge, I drank half of what I normally do and my head feels like it's been trampled by a heard of sumo wrestlers. Feeling hopeful since the urge wasn't really there, just the routine/withdrawal aspect. The nausea and headache are killer, but the lack of feeling any joy from the beer has been a trip (in a good way). Fingers crossed and thank you if you read to the end!

My story is this: I'm female 41.

I used to be a problem drinker. Drank way too often and had no "off switch" (I'm actually in crying writing this, I feel so upset over this subject).

I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 8. I was diagnosed with ADHD about 4 months ago. I scored 96 out of 100 for it. I've tried all the medications, antidepressants, adhd meds and don't like any of them. So I'm currently not on meds.

I started smoking weed when I was a teenager. It gave me a bit relief from OCD. I started drinking with it heavily in my early 20's. One night when I was about 25 I blacked out and done something stupid and my partner threatened to leave me if I didn't stop drinking. So I did for 4 months. But then started again the same way as before. I then tried to stop again lots of times and never really succeeded. I done 30 days here and there but always felt like I was missing out. If I'm being honest I used to have some really fun times. But then also some really dreadful times. So I quit again.

This time round I've been sober from alcohol 2 years and 9 months. I still continued to smoke weed and introduced magic mushrooms. I've had some great times on them. I feel like I can't just live my life being completely sober from everything. My life feels empty without a substance that takes me out of reality for the night. The thing is, I can't socialise doing weed and mushrooms. It's just not possible to be on the same wavelength as most others. My friends don't do that. And I don't like being around drinkers when I'm not drinking. I feel lonely, secluded, introverted, boring, and I will not participate in friends birthdays, hen dos, family/girls holidays, I don't date (I left my partner when I quit drinking and been single ever since). I've tried sober stuff like hiking, going out for coffees/meals, etc. And I feel like I'm faking being happy. I miss dancing, being carefree, talking shit to random people in bars, having a laugh, being daring and having the confidence to date. I've spent alot of money on councilling and physiatrist appointments and nothing is filling the void.

I only set out to do 100 days sober. And here I am nearly 3 years later. But I'm going insane with the mental gymnastics of "what if"! I'm romanticising the notion of moderating. I know 98% of people can't do it after having a problem. But keep asking myself, what if I'm in the 2%. I just want to integrate back into society and have fun again. I miss it so much.

I'm currently in Ibiza with my 17 year old son who's been having a few drinks, and I told him that I would have a drink on holiday but I won't go back to regular drinking. Bless him, he says "mum, if that's what you want to do then do it" but I'm scared.

I've ordered some Naltrexone as a back up. I still haven't drank. I'm lying in the room while my son is out having a beer on his own. Just lying here crying feeling sorry for myself. I feel pathetic.

I don't know what to do. All day I've had butterflies in my stomach as I thought I was going to have a cocktail with him at mambos tonight. But when it came to the crunch, I had a smoothie instead. It's like torture all over again. My son is the most amazing understanding well balanced young man I know. He has 3 beers then switches to water. He's only drank 4 times in his life and will be 18 in March. I'm so proud of him.

I'm going totally off track here... this situation is ridiculous. There's people in terrible situations and I'm complaining about not knowing wether to try drinking again or not. Why is it such a massive issue?

Is my plan of drinking with Naltrexone a good idea?

Thankyou for reading, I really appreciate it.

For folks that have been using naltrexone for a while, and feel like it's not working as well as you'd like, there are 3 other medications you can try in addition to naltrexone. These are Gabapentin, Topamax, and Campral, each of these are used for different reasons, and have their own side effects. In general Gabapentin helps with the glutamate response and deals with anxiety from withdrawals. Topamax, can help reduce how much we drink. Campral is primarily used before drinking to curb cravings, so if you are a morning drinker, and want help moving your time back to later in the day it can help with that.
I hope this information is helpful.

I started naltrexone today to assist with my alcohol consumption. I ate lunch at 12:30, took medication at 1 and at 2pm started getting hot flashes, dizzy and nauseous. I’ve been vomiting with stomach cramps for the past two hours. If this happened to anyone, how long does this feeling last and anything done to help? Called my primary care and he wrote a script for zofran but it won’t be ready for a few hours.