G'day Dipso, I've no experience with antabuse, and perhaps there's some here who have. From talking to people over the past this is a question for your local Doc. There's contraindictions and personal health issues that would need to be taken into consideration.

I am not about to try to talk you out of trying it but I did try it nearly 20 years ago. If you use it along with other support maybe it will be okay.
I was desperate to quit drinking. What I found out is it makes you terribly sick if you drink but I could drink through it. Without some kind of mental help to go with it I would say no. It can cause rapid heart beat and cause other potentially life threatening health issues if you do drink on it . To this day I will sometimes feel a little of the effects of it when I drink I don't think it ever really leaves your system. My take on it is that it is a nasty thing I would never ever try it again! If you tell me no I will do it or die so I must change how I think that is my only hope. From my view NO it was a nightmare.
God Bless You!
Barry

I'm not sure. I went to a therapist the year before I got sober in AA. He suggested if I couldn't quit for a few weeks, I try antabuse. I didnt want to. Substituting one drug (booze) for another (antabuse) seemed like a bad idea to me. I have family members with experience on methadone for heroin and while totally different there was enough bad exp around that for me to be very skeptical.
I never needed antabuse in the end so I'm grateful to say no exp.
But you should talk to a DR. See what they say.

My exp with antabuse which is marketed in the UK as Disilfurin went like this I was pescribed it by my doc with some persuading /pressure from my wife. I accepted that once I had started taking it, it would be impossible to drink wbich of course didnt remove the mental obsesion so that was tough for a while Then I had about six months were the obsession seemed to disapear. However My mind then got busy suggesting to me It was time to stop like I was safe now. So I stopped had an imediate obsession to pick up that first drink which sparked the worst and most out of control binge I had ever experienced. Which lasted a week. I got sober again and actually went back on it again but also started going back to AA. Think I took it for about 9 or 10 months more before I stopped Thankfully The obsession did not return but I was well involved in AA by then so I can see that I needed more than Antabuse The doctor never indicated that I had to stop taking it but that was 8 years ago With hindsight think I took it for a bit longer than maybe I should but It reasured my wife and Daughter so thats probably why I took it for so long

Funny you posted this. I JUST heard from a member at a recent AA meeting that they were using it and drank. His experience was that he thought he was going to die. His heart rate rapidly increased, his head pounded, he felt like his body was on fire. He stopped taking it shortly after that experience and chose to get support from AA instead of using it.

Keep in mind that this is a disease of the body and mind.

To me, it's like the gastric bypass surgery. People want a quick fix without doing the real work.

It also seems like you're making your body a physical experiment.

Why not just say, "If I could drink, I could die" without the med? It's the truth, anyway...

Nothing worth doing is done quickly.

Sorry I should have been clearer. I have been prescribed it for years. But I have a health review to come off it and don't want to.

I find it amazing that some people would actually discourage someone from taking Dr. prescribed medications.

FW- there've been many meds that have been recalled, overprescribed and just wrong.

There's hardly ever a case where there's a never/always situation. The situation with doctors is applicable. Never trust a doctor? Always trust a doctor? I disagree with both.

It worked for me I'm still on it...u need to do other work as well...like wanting to get help but before the weekend hits I take it and I don't drink...I have had no problems with it at all...

How long have you been taking it?

It worked for me. I took it for 6 weeks. I terrified about getting as sick as I heard people get if they drink while taking it. I pretty much had to do something drastic. I had no side effects that I know of. I had so many physical issues with stopping drinking that I don't know how I could have been able to tell that the antabuse was responsible for any of it.

I don't agree with AA people saying taking drugs to help stop drinking is against AA. Bunk to that. Whatever it takes is what it takes, and each of us are all different.

My appt is tomorrow, no way in hell I want to come off it. The alternative to me is too high risk.

I can't think that there is a time limit on it, but I am sure you will find out tomorrow.