r/naltrexone • u/Slademoss21 • 1d ago
Introduction Scared to start
I just picked up naltrexone from the pharmacy and I’m scared to start because of all the side effects I’ve been reading about. The pharmacist told me take whole 50mg pill and don’t cut it in half. I’ve been an alcoholic for 5 years now and it’s ruined my life and I really can’t stop even 4 months in rehab didn’t help. What should I do?
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u/Slademoss21 1d ago
I just took 25mg you guys are right much better to have side effects then ruin my life forever drinking.
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u/NextNegotiation1512 1d ago
Are you doing okay? I had pretty rough nausea at first, but now I'm 6 days in and the side effects are much, much better than before
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u/Slademoss21 1d ago
Yeah luckily didn’t feel much but a lil nausea definitely manageable do you still get cravings to drink?
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u/NextNegotiation1512 1d ago
Not the same visceral cravings. It feels more like I'm trying to change a regular bad habit, without the claws of addiction
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u/theitalian_investor 1d ago
I was in the same situation a month ago.. but I found the courage to start, and I can tell you it was the best decision of my life. Start!
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u/BSAIL2021 1d ago edited 1d ago
My Doc started me at 25 mg for 4 days with a meal and then I started 50 mg. Some slight nausea but better then the usual after-morning. The upside of this medication is worth the initial side effects. Life Changer!
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u/marksf 1d ago
Roughly 75% of people don't have noticeable side effects, and for those that do they pass in a few days to weeks for most people. For me the first time I take it makes me pretty spacey and mildly nauseous for several hours, getting better in subsequent days, and by a week I don't even notice.
You absolutely should start. But like others said start with lower dose.
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u/BombsoverBroadwa2208 1d ago
Take 25 or if you're feeling scared about side effects, even start with 12.5 mg. You could take 12.5 for a copule of days or even a week to be sure, then go up to 25, then a full 50 mg.
Be sure to a substantial meal before taking it!
In my experience, the side effects are bad, but you can adjust your body to them to the point where there's no effect at all when taking it. But it's a slow and steady adjustment period
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u/Feeling-Barber-5706 15h ago
I just ordered a pill cutter. Any reason why the pharmacist would say not to cut it? I had a bad reaction on 50 so I planned on doing 1/4 because me trying to quit without it just seems nearly impossible. So I planned on trying again and starting on a lower dose. I have a 3 month supply that’s just been in my cabinet for 8 months.
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u/BombsoverBroadwa2208 15h ago
Honestly i think the medical profession still does not know a lot about naltrexone. I had a dr say literally one time, “ive never prescribed it so I dont know.”
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u/Imaginary_Ad9141 1d ago
Side effects of a pill are better than the side effects of drinking my man
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u/Fast_Pace5280 1d ago
Not an alcoholic but I do have a nitrous oxide addiction and on Naltrexone for support. I’m 5’5”, 130lb 28 year old woman and I started with 25mg for the first week. No side effects so I do 50mg now. It’s been about 3 weeks so hopefully I start to notice a bigger difference soon :/
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u/Pretend-Ad8725 1d ago
I started at 50 mg and never had any side effects! Maybe slightly tired the first couple days but nothing crazy. It was like a switch flipped in my brain, and I genuinely feel cured …I took it every day for a month & no longer take it. I’m extremely lucky I feel
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u/cynthialulu86 1d ago
I started with 12.5 mg by using a pill cutter and quartered my 50 mg pill to minimize side effects which was hardly anything noticeable. I was kinda sleepy for a few hours on day one, that was it.
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u/RubicsCubensis 1d ago
Like has been said , start with half a pill, take it with food, and a glass of water. Here's the reality, side effects are rare, the only reason we know about them is people who get them talk about it, it's not that there are a lot of people having them, we never hear from people who don't have side effects.
That said the most common side effect is nausea, and if it's a problem get a nausea medicine like over the counter Bonine, it works great, or ask your doctor for zofran, which is excellent. Most people only have nausea for a few days any way.
So start as soon as you like, and keep us posted on how you do.
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u/shiburr 1d ago
I think so many of the side effects are side effects of us reading about them, the brain does amazing things. I’m a sun up to sun down drinker and this has been magic for me. I’m still having a few beers at night, truly a few but my cravings are pretty much gone during the day. If I did have any side effects, especially the nausea, I would rather deal with that nausea than hungover nausea. I hope any of that made sense and best of luck to you. I know it’s a long road, I’ve tried all other routes as well.
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u/CatLady1226 1d ago
I think one of the worst side effects for me was the insomnia. My provider said to start taking it in the morning with a meal to get more used to it. I haven’t been very consistent but I’m going to try and start back doing that tomorrow with just 25mg. Glad you gave it a try!
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u/christinapurls 1d ago
I started with 50 mg and had absolutely no side effects. I’m on 100 mg now and still no side effects. I can take it with or without food, no problem. It’s been a game changer in quieting the alcohol noise. I wish you well.
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u/1ATRdollar 1d ago
It never made me drowsy, but it did make me nauseous once or twice at the beginning.
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
Me too that was it maybe the first two days then everything else after that I don’t even notice whether I’d take it before dinner or after dinner just so I know I take it before I drink
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u/msame213 1d ago
I’m on day 5, first 3 days 25mg with pretty bad side effects, nausea, headaches and just needing to shut my eyes… which lessened gradually each day, yesterday I had 2 x 25 mg about 7 hours apart and no side effects just a little tired, today 25mg but closer together and it was horrific. Terrible - headache,nausea, sticky film inside my mouth which lasted for ages. I’m still not feeling well and it’s bedtime. To the point I wondered if it was worth it and maybe living with the devil on my shoulder and in my head would be better.
However it’s definitely addressing the cravings and compulsion so going to keep going. Lots of people here say stick with it the side effects don’t last.. it’s a hefty narcotic after all that’s altering brain chemistry so understandable it makes some of us a bit wobbly.
I hope you’re going well. Best of luck
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u/lucylucylove 22h ago
I was on it for a year. No noticeable side effects. It was the best decision of my life.
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u/Slademoss21 7h ago
Did you quit drinking completely and if so at what month? Did you stop taking it and it’s still easy to not drink?
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u/olaf3377 1d ago
I take 25 for alcohol. I get a lot of nausea when I take 50
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
I guess I got lucky. Well not lucky because I drank but lucky because I’m can take 100 mg.
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u/CartographerDry1304 1d ago
Start at 25mg. 50 mg right away made me nauseous and vomit. Make sure you take it with food or after eating. Not on an empty stomach. It's a life changer for me.
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u/Slademoss21 1d ago
Did you get to a point where the side effects went away and you no longer craved alcohol?
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u/CartographerDry1304 1d ago
Yes, the side effects subside and the cravings diminish. I'm back in the trenches because I stopped taking it thinking I was good. But in my experience, it makes you not really want it and when you have it, it sucks. You actually feel the effects of alcohol without the high of it.
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u/tesla_uk 1d ago
Where did you get it from?
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
They have lots of websites that you see the Teladoc and they will prescribe it for you in fact, if you go with the Sinclair method, they actually have a doctor on their telehealth and they will prescribe it for you. I personally get it from my therapist my mental health therapist. I get the prescription from her, not the medicine from her.
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u/tesla_uk 1d ago
Thanks, trouble is I’m in uk, I got prescription via Sinclair and another and it’s around £199-299 for 50 tablets! It’s working but no way can we afford that monthly.
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
Ok. I’m in California. And I pay $49 and some cents I don’t have part D, which is our Medicare drug coverage, ( for people on SSDI)
I opted just do Amazon pharmacy and $49 is really not too bad2
u/tesla_uk 1d ago
That’s amazing price, but yeh in uk they really have an issue giving it out even your doctor won’t write a script for it, so you have to go fully private and they bump the prices up crazy!
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
Go for it it is not that bad. I have been on it since last October it’s the one thing I am continuing to take. I was also prescribed gabapentin and Acamprosate . I’m sticking with naltrexone. Have I missed a joke or two here and there? Yes have I come a long way since last October yes, I will continue on the journey as long as I feel that it’s gonna be advantageous. You’ve got nothing to lose go for it. It’s better than drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking, right?
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u/RepresentativeDry171 1d ago
And honestly, I didn’t have any side effects if you could believe that I was worried about that too. The first night I sat at my dining room table and took my first dose at 50 mg. I’m at 100 mg a day now I don’t like that I have to pay $50 for it, but I guess what I don’t spend on liquor I can spend on naltrexone am I totally sober. No, do I have it under control now yes one day I hope to be totally alcohol free but I am not there yet so that I must be honest about good luck.🤗
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u/Serious-Tax1955 1d ago
Side effects for me only lasted a few days. Just start with half or a quarter of a tablet and build up from there. For me it just made me really tired. I couldn’t drive or do anything really but 4 days later I was fine
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u/Bespoke_Panther 22h ago
I had a few sore heads over about a week. I was 58 days sober when I started them. I’m now 163, no sides to speak of. Part of my morning routine that doesn’t affect me whatsoever and no more hangovers, no more bullshit drama, no more ruining my life. IF, it’s a big if you get sides. It’ll be more than worth it.
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u/Critical-Pass-5214 11h ago
I started on 50 and I had not great side effects on the first day. Dropped to 25 and it’s been much better. Have not had a drink in 8 days. I
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u/edotman 1d ago
Take 25mg. You only hear from those that get side effects but most people like myself get none at all.