Naltrexone Implant And Still Drinking (Top voted first)

Hi. I have had the naltrexone implant for approx 2 months now. When I got it I cried with relief when driving home because I thought it would be my saviour after everything I heard and read. I have been a black out drinker for over 10 years now. Have done detoxes, one rehab, two years of AA and nothing helped. Continued to have the never ending torture of thinking about the damn drink. But I'm devastated that I'm still drinking most nights on this thing. I know it's psychological, it's definitely not physical cravings. I am forcing large quantities of discusting tasteting cheap vodka down my through because I just can't handle being sober. Always so scared to be sober. I don't enjoy drink anymore and go straight to black out drunk yet I can't stop. Getting very scared now as running out of options. I'm going to die if I can't find any will power. I have not been sick on naltrexone and no noticeable side effects. I just desperately wanted to be one of those people to say it saved my life!

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Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear what you are going thru. I've been there many many times. I take campral & i swear by it. It has helped me stay sober from alcohol for almost a year now. (February will be a year) I also do yoga & that helps me with stress & just being able to relax. It's not just hype, it works, trust me, I was a skeptic at first but it's the real deal. I've also started home schooling my 2nd grader at the beginning of this school year & that gives me something to suit up & go to everyday & that was something I desperately needed. But all of these things i do have something in common too, they keep my mind occupied so i don't think about drinking. I too failed on naltrexone, I too never felt AA was for me. In fact, in my brain, I felt it made my problem even worse. But I was going to die, alcohol was many best friend that I just couldn't let go. I started up on the campral & it really did a lot in my brain, suddenly I wasn't thinking about alcohol as much. I could see a beer commercial & wasn't salivating or trying to find ways to get alcohol. I really just leveled out. Then from there I really saw that I could take the reigns on my own life, I was stronger. Then after about 4/5 months I decided that I wanted some responsibility, something I could be apart of & be proud of & stay sober at the same time, so I added home school for our daughter. ( caution: if you aren't ready for such a major step then don't take it, it did get overwhelming at first & had the potential to send me back to drinking, but it didn't) I just very recently added in the yoga, because as I said, I was skeptical. But it honestly was that "feel good" that we alcoholics search for & also, being an alcoholic, we can't let things get "stale" in our lives. That's such a disaster for us. So when we get that "itch" it's normal to scratch it, but it can be done in ways that improve & enrich who we are or it can be done destructively, you just have to want it, or not want it, if that makes sense. Like I didn't want to die so I took action. Now campral isn't a magical pill & won't just cure all but for me, by far is one of the best meds I've been put on in my entire life. It saved me. The naltrexone thing, imo is crap. It didn't work for me at all & doesn't hold a candle to campral. Campral allowed me to get stronger & helped me not think about or crave drunk. I know being sober can be a very scary place, but it can also be a beautiful place. I never understood what those dang old drunks were so happy about in AA.. Like HELLO I can't drink & neither can you, this totally sucks, stop smiling at me a- hole..AHH, LOL but now after 10 months on campral, i find i have the same joy. & campral is not antibuse, it doesn't make you sick if you drink on it (but. i wouldn't advise it) but it honestly is worth at least giving a try. It can't be worse than the hell of cheap vodka you're putting your self thru everyday/night. I know, I was you. You deserve more for yourself, you deserve a good life. You seemed desperate when you wrote so i thought I'd share my experience & pray that something out of it saves your precious life.

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Best to you and hope you have found a good place in your life. I wanted to comment on your opinion of Naltrexone. It has a very good track record world-wide with some 70% of people able to almost completely remove their cravings and interest in alcohol. But it does not work for everyone. There is a subset of people who may be without the particular gene necessary for it to work. Also, its use does not lead necessarily lead to complete abstinence. It allows the person to have control over the use of alcohol and no longer be a slave to it. Most people claim it allows them to have a drink now and then and not want to kill the whole bottle. People report they may have one and order a 2nd and they never even drink the 2nd one. That being said, the two most important elements are to take the pill one hour before consuming alcohol. And studies indicate it is commonly mis-prescribed by doctors who do not know how it works and prescribe abstinence and therapy along with the drug. It doesn't work unless you drink while taking it. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but that is how it has been proven to work in almost 100 studies world-wide.

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Naltrexone implants can't be used in isolation. They just don't work. In alcohol use the subside cravings but the Vivitrol inj., naltrexone tablets all talk about needing a strong counseling element to work.

You need to get in touch with a specialist addiction counsellor, this can work but only as part of an agreed treatment plan.

Where are you based?

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Hi. I forgot to mention I am seeing a psychologist. Been seeing for two months now. Hoping to get some relief after doing long term. Thank you for your reply.

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I have the naltrexone implant that lasts for 3 months and was told that if i choose to drink i will get severely sick and even end up in a coma (see website). I don't understand this because with naltrexone pills you're suppose to drink, but with the implant one gets sick? It doesn't make sense. Has anybody here had the 3 month implant done by dr kirsten? If so, what is your experience?

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