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Ondansetron for alcoholism

aihfl

aihfl

Bluelight Crew
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Nov 5, 2015
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El Pueblo Loco
Just curious if anyone has used this drug to curb cravings. It's considered experimental but it shows promise of helping even the most hardcore alcoholic. I might ask for it. My current medication regimen is not working. It's a drug developed to suppress nausea in cancer patients.
 
aihfl said:
Just curious if anyone has used this drug to curb cravings. It's considered experimental but it shows promise of helping even the most hardcore alcoholic. I might ask for it. My current medication regimen is not working. It's a drug developed to suppress nausea in cancer patients.
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Hmmm, very interesting. I have had it before prescribed for severe migraines - to stop the vomiting. My feeling would be that if it was taken daily it could cause you damage physically. It's a STRONG medicine. just not sure if I'd be willing to take it daily. I don't have any scientific data to back this up. It's more of a feeling in terms of my experience with this medication. Have you ever tried BACLOFEN for alcohol cravings instead? It may be worth looking into that.
 
Yeah, but it's now being used for maintenance of abstinence as well and supposedly it's the most effective med for stubborn early-onset alcoholics like me. I started drinking around 14-15 and really got to work by the time I was 17 and I'm 42 now. By the way, I fell off the wagon badly. My mother offered to send me back to rehab so I'm probably going to do it. She wants me to go Shands, but I really want to go to Serenity Springs in Edgewater for 60 days. Shands is like a factory, they want you in and out as fast as possible. That was where I did my first medical detox. I really need 60 days. I looked The Refuge in Ocklawaha, but it's friggin' $37,000/month, not that Serenity Springs is cheap, but $20k is a lot more palatable. Plus they only take 12 men at a time at Serenity Springs and you go through every step before you leave.
 
I have no experience with Zofran, but thought I would mention Vivitrol as it really saved my life. I've been sober now for 2 years and haven't had an issue with cravings. I got the shot for the first 8 months of my sobriety. I had previously tried campral, Antabuse, and one other medication (can't remeber it right now) and those didn't help me. I had also previously been sober but relapsed after my first year because I could no longer stand the constant and continuous cravings that didn't diminish at all in that year. I had been a pretty hard alcoholic for 17+ years, drinking either several bottles of wine a time or 20-24 beers at a time. Eventually moved to liquor and had to go to rehab lol. Good luck!
 
x_benzo_girl said:
I have no experience with Zofran, but thought I would mention Vivitrol as it really saved my life. I've been sober now for 2 years and haven't had an issue with cravings. I got the shot for the first 8 months of my sobriety. I had previously tried campral, Antabuse, and one other medication (can't remeber it right now) and those didn't help me. I had also previously been sober but relapsed after my first year because I could no longer stand the constant and continuous cravings that didn't diminish at all in that year. I had been a pretty hard alcoholic for 17+ years, drinking either several bottles of wine a time or 20-24 beers at a time. Eventually moved to liquor and had to go to rehab lol. Good luck!
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Yeah your pattern sounds like mine, except I moved from liquor to mostly wine because I could just pack so much vodka away I'd be drunk for weeks on end, but then I'd drink so much wine the same pattern repeated itself. I should really reconsider Vivitrol I think. I had a bad reaction to naltrexone so I ruled it out and plus I would still get just as wasted on it. Antabuse is outdated and I've been on Campral too. I noticed it did help reduce all sorts of compulsive behaviors, I wasn't obsessing over sex or impulse buying, but I just couldn't stay off the sauce. Right now I'm on baclofen and gabapentin and Ativan and Vistarii for anxiety. My doctor is frustrated with me because he prescribed the benzo to keep me from drinking, but I still choose to drink instead of taking the benzo.

Anyway, thanks. I think I'm going to do rehab again. This will be my second go.
 
aihfl said:
Yeah your pattern sounds like mine, except I moved from liquor to mostly wine because I could just pack so much vodka away I'd be drunk for weeks on end, but then I'd drink so much wine the same pattern repeated itself. I should really reconsider Vivitrol I think. I had a bad reaction to naltrexone so I ruled it out and plus I would still get just as wasted on it. Antabuse is outdated and I've been on Campral too. I noticed it did help reduce all sorts of compulsive behaviors, I wasn't obsessing over sex or impulse buying, but I just couldn't stay off the sauce. Right now I'm on baclofen and gabapentin and Ativan and Vistarii for anxiety. My doctor is frustrated with me because he prescribed the benzo to keep me from drinking, but I still choose to drink instead of taking the benzo.

Anyway, thanks. I think I'm going to do rehab again. This will be my second go.
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Vivitrol worked best for me once I was sober. I tried it though while I was still drinking and found I could "cheat". As for the benzos - I couldn't stay off booze at all while taking them. I feel like they made the alcoholism progress quicker and more voraciously. My first rehab stint cut me off benzos cold turkey, and the withdrawal was so painful (was on them for 10 years)that I have no desire to touch another benzo again. I found my experience with Vivitrol to be different than just taking he naltrexone pill - for me the shot had fewer side effects than the pill. I think being on the shot for a longer period of time sort of reset my brain in terms of alcoholism, and that's part of why I don't have cravings. This past summer I was at a work event which had a bar - I ordered water but for some reason there was some alcohol in it. I noticed when I took my first sip. I spit it out and threw the water away, but it didn't trigger any cravings or what not.

I think rehab's a great idea! I wish you the best!
 
If we're talking about Zofran, I never knew about this. Cool idea, I'll have to look into it. I can't imagine what kind of dosages would be required though (I mean, I take it for crohns disease from time to time but that's it). I feel like pregabalin or baclofen would work better, but different strokes. Always good to hear there are more options out there.
 
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