Has anyone taken topamax for alcohol withdrawl?

[tishasheree]

I have a drinking problem which is out of control. I am drinking over a bottle a day (wine, vodka, anything I can get my hands on). I have small children, who dont get the attention that they need because I am drunk or hungover all of the time. I feel like a failure as a mother and person. I am a nurse, and have called in sick many times recently because of my drinking. I have tried AA, and failed.
I purchased Topamax online, and want to give it a try, but am afraid of the 'memory fog' side effect that many people seem to have. I will lose my job if I start showing up seeming impaired. I know that they already suspect that I am having issues. I am scared.

[Robert_325]

I have heard of using Topomax for alcohol cravings. It's an off-label use but it helps some people. You could also look at Naltrexone or Antabuse which are used more often. I hope you follow through and do something constructive for yourself.

If this detox gets too tough for you don't be afraid of inpatient treatment. Alcohol detox is very serious. The side effects can be overwhelming. Do whatever it takes. If you're a nurse your employer wouldn't terminate you over seeking treatment. God bless.

[xTerm]

Check out this article.
I read a different article some time ago that talked about patients that were treated with the muscle relaxer "baclofen"
Some of the patients that drank alcohol started noticing that they no longer had a desire to drink alcohol after taking this drug for a certain amount of time.

Here is the source of the article as well...

I have never heard of Topamax so i cant comment on it.
Personally, I wouldnt touch Antabuse. Im sure it has helped some people but Ive heard some fairly negative stories about it.

http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi...tract/37/5/504

The -aminobutyric acid (GABAB) receptor agonist, baclofen, has recently been shown to reduce alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring rats and alcohol consumption and craving for alcohol in an open study in humans. The present study was aimed at providing a first evaluation of the efficacy of baclofen in inducing and maintaining abstinence and reducing craving for alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients in a double-blind placebo-controlled design. Methods: A total of 39 alcohol-dependent patients were consecutively enrolled in the study. After 12–24 h of abstinence from alcohol, patients were randomly divided into two groups. Twenty patients were treated with baclofen and 19 with placebo. Drug and placebo were orally administered for 30 consecutive days. Baclofen was administered at the dose of 15 mg/day for the first 3 days and 30 mg/day for the subsequent 27 days, divided into three daily doses. Patients were monitored as out-patients on a weekly basis. At each visit alcohol intake, abstinence from alcohol, alcohol craving and changes in affective disorders were evaluated. Results: A higher percentage of subjects totally abstinent from alcohol and a higher number of cumulative abstinence days throughout the study period were found in the baclofen, compared to the placebo, group. A decrease in the obsessive and compulsive components of craving was found in the baclofen compared to the placebo group; likewise, alcohol intake was reduced in the baclofen group. A decrease in state anxiety was found in the baclofen compared to the placebo group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of current depressive symptoms. Baclofen proved to be easily manageable and no patient discontinued treatment due to the presence of side-effects. No patient was affected by craving for the drug and/or drug abuse. Conclusions: Baclofen proved to be effective in inducing abstinence from alcohol and reducing alcohol craving and consumption in alcoholics. With the limits posed by the small number of subjects involved, the results of this preliminary double-blind study suggest that baclofen may represent a potentially useful drug in the treatment of alcohol-dependent patients and thus merits further investigations.

Another article about baclofen here...

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/567102

December 7, 2007 -- Results of a randomized trial show alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis were able to attain alcohol abstinence at a higher rate with baclofen, an anticraving agent with a low liver metabolism, than with placebo.
"In conclusion, our results suggest that baclofen, because of its anticraving action and safety, could have an important role for treatment of alcohol-dependent patients with advanced liver disease," the researchers, with first author Giovanni Addolorato, MD, from the Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, in Italy, write. "We have shown that a pharmacological agent can promote alcohol abstinence and prevent alcohol relapse in individuals with alcoholic liver disease."

by the way.. good luck.