hi, its my first post here so im not sure if im in the right place. i took 25mg of nal on thursday about an hour before drinking. i drank as normal (a lot, about 2 bottles of wine, my usual weekly binge). woke up the next morning, violently sick for 3 hours, couldnt breath pulse racing, felt like i was dying. couldnt even get out of bed. its over 2 years since i was actually sick, vommiting through alcohol. it was awful. is this normal. 2 days later im still feeling a bit woozy and very nervous about taking nal again. perhaps i should try it on a non drinking day and see what reaction i have. any advice greatly appreciated

Some people have this reaction but a small minority. Try 12.5 mg next time and work your way up from there. And always take nal on a full stomach. If you search "nausea" on this board you will many people who got sick the first time but got better rapidly -- typically after a few sessions. Good luck. In the unlikely event you have a doctor who is working with you, obviously consult her/him.

spuds! I'm so happy you found this site, there is a ton of great info here and the people are nice too!
Don't be afraid to try Nal again, just make sure you eat before you take it and work your way up slowly. You can do this!

thanks for your response. ive checked out some posts on nausea and it does seem common but not quite as severe as i was. i hadnt had much to eat the day i took it, maybe that was part of the problem. i tend to drink once sometimes twice a week, always a heavy binge.
im wondering how long nal stays in your system. im still feeling a bit rough today but i presume it is the after effects of vommiting so much (i hate throwing up)
i think i will try 12.5mg with food today and not drink. i dont have anything to do so i can just take the ride and see what happens. i can cope with a bit of nausea and spacy stuff but the throwing up etc just kills me.
thanks again for your response

Hi. Welcome! Alot of us have experienced horrible hangovers once we start taking Nal. If I drank anywhere near what I used to drink on a "heavy night of drinking" (binge) after taking Nal, I really get so sick the next day ... much worse that I can remember being before Nal. I figure it's kind of how "normal drinkers" feel. They get horrible hangovers and vow to never do it again! Well my mind is learning that lesson too, and I think this is all part of the reconditioning. On a binge day/night now, I only consume less than half what I used to, I don't black out and I actually decide that I have had enough! I consider what I will feel like in the morning! This is all probably common sense to most people but was pretty un-common for me.
Hang in there, it gets easier.

Hey Spuds,
I think even severe nausea is a fairly common side effect of nal, and will get better with time. Two things, tho: the nausea that you get right after taking the pill is a side effect that only sticks around for 1-2 weeks. I actually threw up the first time I took the nal - without drinking. Now it's fine. However, the massive hangover/nausea AFTER drinking on nal doesn't go away, it seems. That is just another way of your body telling you you are doing something bad to it I think Adversion therapy perhaps?
Good luck and keep posting,
EL

Hi Spud,

How was the trial with 12.5mg? I agree with everything that has been said - the Side Effects do go away.

I'm a binge drinker and I take 25mg Nal and carry 100mg with me just in case I ever feel that I'm losing control and about to order a double / quadruple tequila. Fortunately haven't had to use this 100mg yet!

Keep us updated, we care about your health!

Andy.

hi again. sunday i took 12.5mg of nal (its only a rough guess as i am breaking a tablet). i made sure i took it with food.
i did drink about 2 hours after taking it. i drank my usual amount tho i do think i drank the first bottle of wine slower than usual. i wasnt sick the next day, other than the expected feeling crap that i always get but no vommiting.
2 things did happen which are very unusual for me.
1) i actually got into my pyjamas, i normally wake up in my clothes.
2) i made some food and took it to bed with me, a pot noodle and toast (o so healthy). i never even think about food once i start drinking.
although i was still drunk to pass out/black out i wonder if perhaps i was slightly more in control/aware.
i understand this could be a long process but its great to have input here of other peoples experiences on nal. thanks

Wearing pajamas and eating food are clear indicators that you have more clarity drinking on naltrexone. This is a great indicator that TSM will work for you. Initially, you will have to look for small changes. Gradually, bigger changes will come, like large reductions in craving and numbers.

You are on your way! Good luck.

Hi spuddleduck
Just wanted to say I sincerely hope you're doing OK as you read this. I too had an extremely similar reaction to NAL to yours on my first day, as I described in a thread in this forum:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2321

But 6 weeks on, I am OK. I've got sick only once since the first day. I initially took 12.5mg, then gradually moved on to 25mg, and now on 50mg without virtually any side effects. I was very careful not to take NAL and drink with an empty stomach in the first couple of weeks. But things are much better now. Amount-wise, I drink about a half of what I used to drink before NAL. Still early days, but I am positive about the outlook (and it's extremely unusual for someone who is so 'glass-half-empty' as me - and actually my glass tends to be still half-empty these days when I've had enough ).

Hope your condition gets better and stable soon. And hope you have a medical professional around you in case things get tricky! Look after youself!

Anu