Product Description

Dr Olivier Ameisen was a brilliant cardiologist and running his own successful practice when he developed a profound addiction to alcohol. Fearing for his life, he immersed himself in AA, rehab and therapy. Nothing worked. So he did the only thing he could; he took his treatment into his own hands. Searching for a cure for his deadly disease, he happened upon baclofen, a muscle relaxant that had been used safely for years as a treatment for various types of muscle spasticity, but had more recently shown promising results in studies with laboratory animals addicted to a wide variety of substances. Dr Ameisen prescribed himself the drug and experimented with increasingly higher doses until he finally reached a level high enough to leave him free of any craving for alcohol. That was more than five years ago. Baclofen, as prescribed under a doctor's care, could possibly help many addicts. But as long as the medical and research establishments ignore a cure for one of the most deadly diseases in the world, we won't be able to understand baclofen's full potential. This book is a plea for research that can rescue millions from the scourge of addiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114163 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
This is a wonderful book. Ameisen may be responsible for making a signal discovery - much like, but better than, that of George Cotzias in that so many more patients may be involved. --Dr Jerome Posner, George C Cotzias Chair of Neuro-oncology, Dept of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

About the Author
Dr Olivier Ameisen inaugurated the position of official physician to the prime minister of France. In 1983 he moved the the United States to join the prestigious cardiology team at New York Hospital and Cornell University Medical Center. He currently devotes his efforts to the treatment of addiction and divides his time between Paris and New York.

Customer Reviews

Irresponsible wishful thinking

Olivier Ameisen claims to have discovered, by experimenting upon himself, that large doses of the drug baclofen relieved his craving for alcohol. This may very well be true. It is also possible that this drug might have a similar effect on other individuals, especially those whose metabolic processes resemble those of Dr Ameisen.

However, there is nothing particularly new about this. It has been known for many years that drugs such as chlormethiazole and chlordiazepoxide have a similar effect in alleviating the craving and other symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal.

It was initially believed that chlordiazepoxide and the other benzodiazepines had the advantage of being 'non-addictive' by comparison with the barbiturates which they superseded. Today, benzodiazepine addiction is recognised as particularly insidious and difficult to treat. Withdrawal symptoms are particularly distressing and last for very much longer than those associated with most other drugs.

We are told that the great advantage of Ameisen's recommended drug, baclofen, is that it does not give rise to tolerance in patients. The effective therapeutic dose does not have to be increased over time. Much the same claim was once made for diazepam (Valium). We now know, to our cost, that this claim was wildly inaccurate.

Tolerance, moreover, is not the only criterion by which a drug's addictive potential may be measured. It is common knowledge that many alcoholics continue to drink to avoid the onset of withdrawal symptoms - sweating, shaking, 'dry-heaves' (unproductive nausea), and, in more serious cases, the hallucinations of Delirium Tremens (DTs), and life-threatening seizures.

The following is a list of symptoms which may result from withdrawal of the drug baclofen (with acknowledgments to Wikipedia):

"Withdrawal symptoms may include auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, tactile hallucinations, delusions, confusion, agitation, delirium, disorientation, fluctuation of consciousness, insomnia, inattention, memory impairments, perceptual disturbances, anxiety, depersonalization, hypertonia, hyperthermia, formal thought disorder, psychosis, mania, mood disturbances, restlessness, and behavioral disturbances, tachycardia, seizures, tremors, autonomic dysfunction, hyperpyrexia, extreme muscle rigidity resembling neuroleptic malignant syndrome... etc., etc."

Hang on. Doesn't this look rather familiar?

It is quite possible that Dr Ameisen may be a fine cardiologist (heart specialist), especially if he manages to remain sober. His understanding of addiction, on the other hand, appears to be very limited.

hi, my name is debbie, and im an alcoholic
Well, what can i say. totally riveting read, and a real eye opener thankfully not the "hair of the dog" kind, that i was familiar with. I had almost 5yrs sobriety with the wonderful help of A.A., but like most alcoholics, relapsed and found it EXTREMELY difficult to get back on track, mainly i would say due to the shame and guilt of having relapsed and all that ensues. Strangely enough, i was visiting my G.P. after yet another failed attempt at sobriety, when he mention this book, which even more strangely i happened to have just started reading. Long story short, i am now into my first full week of baclofen, and i KID YOU NOT, it has done exactly what the good doctor said it would, and this is from someone who craved much the same as Olivier, and suffered extreme anxiety also. Yesterday it was all i could do not to pick up a drink, i held on, went home and took my 2nd dose of baclofen, and as the doctor said within an hour or so, my thoughts of a drink were gone. THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE...but with regards to the ONE STAR reviewer, called dr. bob (yeah, and my names Lois), you failed to mention that it is imperative, as with most drugs of this nature, that one tapers off the medication as advised by your own G.P. Also, as far as im concerned, i trust the good doctor who wrote this book a WHOLE lot more, because he was his own guinea pig, than some bunch of beurocrats deciding what works and what doesnt when theyre not even alcoholic and therefore cannot possibly know what relief from this disastrous affliction would feel like, and dismiss Oliviers efforts to have his trial put to a wider test, because of their own bigotry. Anyhow, thats my opinion, and im sticking to it.

Its curing me too
I am a 57-year-old alcoholic and heard about the author through a friend. I ordered the book and read it from cover to cover the day it arrived. It was fascinating. Just like reading my own life story. I have seen my GP with the book in hand and have been on the authors suggested medication for about 5 weeks. I feel more relaxed, more confident and both the alcohol and cigarette craving is getting less.
A recommended read for anyone with craving problems who wants to get away from the misery of losing control.