Hello everyone, I have been reading the forums awhile and this is the first time I am posting.

I have been trying the sinclair method for a few months with some success, but I am having serious trouble with the side effects, and would like some advice. I think I might be one of those people that experience severe side effects like extreme exhaustion, and heavy nausea. Basically for the majority of the next day after drinking and taking naltrexone I am incapacitated. These effects got a little better the more I took Naltrexone, but if I ever did drinking + nal days too close together the effects would be horrendous. Also if I take a break from drinking from a week or two, the side effects would be back to being very bad.

Though the side effects are bad, I can handle them. What's really bad is that I am starting to experience pancreatic pains right after taking the naltrexone (about 30 mins) , before the drinking even begins. I have experienced one incident of acute pancreatitis attack in the past, really just extreme pancreatic pain, and occasional pancreatic soreness. The interesting thing to note is that these incidents are usually while taking naltrexone.

Is there any research out there on the effects on naltrexone on the pancreas? Is there any way to lessen the side effects of Naltrexone? I want to get control over my drinking but not at the cost of my pancreas, and I am not sure I am ready to just quit drinking without aid from something like the sinclair method. What do I do? Any advice will be appreciated.

One thing I forgot to mention, apologies for double posting. Are there any substitutes for Naltrexone, something that attacks the addiction in a similar fashion out there? Something that doesn't have the nasty side effects and the pancreatic issues.

Thanks in advance.

You should absolutely see a doctor and stop taking nal

kkiijjii4 Naltrexone / Narcan is the only available drug of its kind. That is, it's the only drug used for reversal of opiate overdose (its primary purpose in a hospital setting). The advice above to "stop Naltrexone immediately and see your doctor" is easier said than done, especially if stopping Naltrexone = increased intake of alcohol, which is the real killer for the pancreas, and if you have poor access to healthcare. At the same time, I don't think people can pinpoint which organ exactly is hurting among the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and upper quadrant bowels. Maybe they can.

Still, you probably need to be under medical supervision if you're not. I also have felt that extreme "shittiness" (that's how I describe it) after Naltrexone and it is a bit disconcerting. There are other drugs you can try to help with cravings and addiction; I'm just saying that Naltrexone is the only one that does what it does. Others around here are more knowledgeable on alternative therapies.

How much are you drinking with and without Naltrexone?

At one point I could feel the cravings decrease, but then the pancreas thing happened and I took a break for awhile. Drank very minimally without nal during the break. After I started up with nal again that's when the side effects became terrible again.

I started searching through the forum and discovered some posts on Nodict and how it is ineffective for some people because of the coating, that is the brand I currently have. I'm going to start crushing the pills and see if that helps any.

Really I mean I think you're right, I'm not sure if there are other options. I certainly can't afford rehab or anything like that, just have to keep trying with this crush method.

When you get your side effects, is it the day after drinking? Also what have you found to decrease the side effects? It just gets so bad..

Also I have health insurance, I know it's stupid but I just don't want this "addict" black mark on my records... I know any type of bodily pain from drinking is very serious, but it doesn't happen that often and it's just very difficult to weigh it against having this black mark on your medical records.

I'm holding out hope that I can just get this thing under control and not have to see a doctor. I don't actually drink that often now because of the pains, so I'm hoping that will help with the situation. I drink once or twice a week, 6-8 drinks each time. The cravings in between just drive me insane, they define my life and this is just no way to live. When the cravings get the better of me I drink days in a row, after that is when the pains get bad..

Pancreatitis always seems like a cruel fate -- you can either have the pain of withdrawals / craving or terrible abdominal pain. Take your pick! The other night I sat and talked for an hour to a sweet, intelligent, and beautiful (= my three favorite traits in a woman!) 41 year old alcoholic woman with severe pancreatitis. Her whole life has basically been defined by alcohol. Never married, no kids, a string of bad relationships and illnesses all coming back to her drinking. As I suspected, a heavy vodka drinker with a long string of hospitalizations due to pancreatitis and fatty liver. She's been told that she'll die of the pancreatitis before anything else. I shared my story and told her about Naltrexone and some other non-AA options -- she just had this dazed look in her eyes. Honestly, I think she's resigned herself to death by alcohol. As the country song goes, "She put the bottle to her head and pulled the trigger."

You're likely nowhere near her situation, but I can definitely empathize with your predicament. Even TSM puts you in a predicament -- you can't get rid of the cravings without "extinction," you can't get extinction without drinking, but Naltrexone gives you horrible, life-altering side-effects and drinking gives you abdominal pain! Oh, the agony!!

I'm with you on the medical record thing, but, geez, there's going to come a point when you being the Lone Rangerette is going to be too dangerous.

I guess another option is to buy a non Nodict Naltrexone, perhaps from alldaychemist.com. Perhaps maybe the Nodict part of it is what's giving you the side-effects. But, to answer your question, I've had a yucky feeling for up to 48 hours after Naltrexone, but it was never like that when I first started and regularly used Naltrexone. Read my intro thread and you'll see I have used Naltrexone to stop binges rather than prevent them, and this is what has caused the yuckiness.

Keep us updated and we all wish you the best, fastest healing.

Nalmefene is a similar drug which is processed primarily by the kidneys. I'm with sideeffect2, though. You shouldn't take any drug which gives you severe abdominal pain. Clearly something is wrong.

I understand why you don't want to see a doctor. I didn't either. If you're really adamant on that, I guess you could . . . um, try nalmefene? Maybe see if you tolerate it better?

This makes me nervous. Organ pain is bad.

You could also try another drug like baclofen, acamprosate, or topiramate. They aren't TSM-compatible like nalmefene (and thus you'd probably need to take them regularly in the long term), but they've shown some evidence of efficacy and are unlikely to cause the same reaction.