Hi everyone. Hope you are all having a a great day.
I have been on TSM since 8/5/15 and I just have some questions about side effects.
I am noticing that my joints and muscles really hurt the next day after taking my nal. It seems like every time. I am also experiencing a lot of nausea, still, which I know it usually an initial side effect for everyone, but being almost two weeks in, I was just wondering if this was common. I was also wondering if there was an amount of alcohol that would be unsafe to consume while on nal. I am very aware that drinking large amounts of alcohol even with out nal is unsafe, but my question is just in reference to mixing the nal and alcohol together and it being more dangerous than just drinking alcohol alone. I am not ever going to drink with out my nal, just wondering.
My fiancé and I went out of town this weekend and we drank A LOT and I really started to feel sick. Maybe it was just too much alcohol. What else, I am also experiencing some anxiety, but this just may be from drinking too much. I used to get anxiety all the time from alcohol before nal, but on Saturday night, while drinking, I had incredible anxiety and I was so dehydrated. (yes, I had a lot of water)
I guess I want to see if anyone else has experienced this because it may make me feel better.
Thanks in advance!
Carli

Carlic,

I am sorry to hear about the side effects you are experiencing. I will try to answer some of the questions and I hope someone else with more experience will chime in.

1) Muscle and joint pain: low dose nal. is currently being used for diseases like MS, and fibromyalgia. So I am unsure if it could cause that. When I drink too much I was too sick to notice any joint or muscle pain. Is it possible that you are tensing up during your sleep after a night of drinking (like restless leg syndrome)?

2) Nausea and anxiety: I would have to say if I drink too much I do experience nausea and anxiety. If I drink like a normally did I will get a "nal. over" which I would feel like I was dying (along with the nausea and anxiety) and I would pray for sleep.

3) Unsafe amount to consume: I believe the practice it is to drink like you do normally. I am not a doctor, so I cannot tell you what would be a safe or unsafe limit. I do know when I picked up my script from the pharmacy it had a pamphlet and this can be found if you google it. It will have the warnings, side effects, etc. Just remember the FDA does not approve taking nal. and drinking.

Anytime you introduce something into your body it can cause side effects. You have to decide if the side effects are worth the treatment (I think I would have a pickled liver in a couple of years, so for me it is worth it).

Nal. will help to a point; however, I have discovered that I have to do some of the work. Nal. is a tool to help you achieve your goal. The next time you drink try to drink less and see if you have the same side effects. If you don't, you know that it was from drinking too much.

I wish you a peace of mind and less side effects,

Jaba

Jaba,
Thanks so much for your reply.
Maybe I am tensing up at night while sleeping. I will try to figure out the cause of the muscle tension.
Not that I am happy to hear you feel like your dying when you drink too much on nal, but that is how I feel as well and it's good to hear someone else experiences the same thing.
I am going to put in more work this next week and try a little harder.
Like you, this is the best method for me to have a healthier lifestyle.
Thanks again and hope you have a great day

just to chime in here, I started nal on Friday (~25 mg) and took again ~25 mg on Saturday... is it normal that I am still -48 hours later- feeling dizzy, lightheaded, foggy, kind of "hung over" from using it? I did not take any yesterday or today (I didn't drink either of those days either and only had 1 small glass of wine friday and saturday nights).

I have no idea when this feeling will stop and it's freaking me out a bit. I want to continue to take it but need to understand better how this will progress. I can't function like this long-term...

Hi monster. I know I was just talking about having side effects, but they have definitely diminished a lot since I first took nal. I started with 50 mg and it was absolutely horrible. I now only take 12.5
From my initial post, I am obviously still having SE, but nothing like I did the first 2 or 3 times I took it.
From what I read from other people, it looks like they all pretty much had SE initially and after a while they went away.
It seems that after they go away and have been on TSM for a while, that every once in a while people complain of nal-overs which I'm sure you can deduce what that means, but it's very random and no one can ever predict when they come on.
For me, having a nal over and dealing with some side effects every now and again is much better than the consequences I was facing before, but I don't know your story or what's true for you. I'm sure you will feel better by either tonight or most definitely tomorrow.
Hope everything works out for you.

Carli

Okay - Carli - I have not heard of the joint pain issue but Jaba had some really interesting theories! The nausea and anxiety - that is from having too much and I agree with Jaba on feeling like death with a Nal-Over - I never used to have hangovers before Nal because I would not drink enough to get one - I always used to say that I did not do hangovers - !! But wow, a Nal-over really is enough to stop me drinking for days - and I can get them on as few as two or three drinks! I feel sure that your SE's will go away with time and as you said they are better than what you used to get - so maybe even try cutting down your 12.5 dose just a teeny bit ? Not a lot - but just scrape a bit off the tablet - you do not want to stop it from being enough to block those receptors !

Monsterisland - I think you should put your dose down to 12.5 for a few times - the Nal can give SE's initially but as Carli said they do go away! I have none now at all. The Nal affects everyone differently - so take it slowly until your body gets used to it. Maybe even go down to half of that 12.5 ? Just for a few times and then slowly go back up.....

Jaba - loved your post - you had some good things to say ..... I do not think anyone with more experience can add much! I can't! LOL

Hugs, Maggie x

Thanks Maggie, what a sweet thing to say. Monsterisland-I agree with Maggie. I was so afraid of the side effects I started out with 1/4 to a pill for 2 days and 1/2 a pill for 4 days. It still blocked my receptors for my drinking was down by half. I do remember that dizzy, lightheaded, foggy and hungover feeling and it made me drink a lot less. If I remember correctly by the end a full week it went away. Fortunately for me I do not work, for I do remember thinking thank god I don't have a job for I was so spacey. I just kept telling myself that it has to be working and the side effects are better drinking like I use to.

I do hope that you and Carlic side effects dissipate soon.

Jaba

Carli,

I just wanted to tell you that I have found out that some of your side effects were noted by users of LDN (low dose nal). Some claimed that there M.S. symptoms increased and others complained of mild nausea, headaches, stiffness, joint pain and inability to sleep that would last a month or two. I haven't found the cause of this(except that it is side effects); however, those who keep on the LDN do feel better and are in remission.


I hope you continue in your success and your side effect will dissipate,

Jaba

Jaba,
Thank you so much for sharing that information with me. It eases my mind a little to know that they are, in fact, side effects of the nal.
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement as well and I wish the same to you!

Carli

Has your alcohol in take reduced?

I do know that alcohol is supposed to cause joint pain because it dehydrates the joints, alcohol is also a pain killer and it can be quite normal for pain to be felt when the pain killer is reduced!

When someone reduces their intake there can be a period where they have to get used to normal aches and pains which have been previously covered up.

I know you have said you are a binge drinker, which is how I mostly drank, I noticed pains after binges, so don't know if this is the same for you and you are associating it with the nal?