Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN)

[Poppy]

Has anyone used this drug to control symptoms? Apparently it has been used in the USA to treat autoimmune conditions for some time, but is relatively new in tnd UK &  Europe.

Thanks.

[CureSjogrensNow]

I have been told that it is used to control neuropathy, but I could have totally gotten that wrong.

[WhatYouSjo]

Hi Poppy. I have tried LDN on and off. Many with fibromyalgia seem to find it helpful, as well as patients with varying autoimmune diseases. I found it somewhat helpful, but I've experienced some vertigo while using it, so I'm not using it at the present time. However, it is low-cost and low-risk, so it is certainly worth trying.

There is a FB group dedicated to LDN and other alternative treatments for SS and similar conditions. The group members would be able to answer any questions that you have.

[wendyoh]

hey I tried that about 8 years ago after reading people raving about it at the xxxxxx forum. I have chronic pain and was hoping it would help with that and my other immune stuff. I gave it a 6 month trial and found it somewhat effective for my ailments, nothing incredibly impressive, but I became aware of more food sensitivities on it and I think my body became hyper aware of anything that increased endorphins on it, like even chocolate, where I would get a backlash after eating or doing something that increased happiness, a backlash of blah etc and started to get depressed when winter came in a way that was foreign to me so I went off it and felt less depressed. I was sort of crabby during that time too which could have been also because I gave up a former pain relief regiment to try it. My current mainstream doctor just brought it up to me, she wasn't with me during the time I tried it, I guess its gained acceptance with some mainstream docs now. I wouldn't do it again....but I do believe its a great thing to try and know it works for a lot of people it seems per some forums.

[quietdynamics]

Poppy, LDN was originally tried to help with opiod addiction (Trexan® ), and later alcohol (ReVia®; Depade®.) addiction w/ FDA approval.
ReVia FDA data  https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2013/018932s017lbl.pdf

*There is no FDA-approved use for naltrexone at any dosage for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammatory diseases.

I know of some people who have tried it and for their own reasons did not stay with it.
Here is a study done at the Department of Anesthesia, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, Stanford University

The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3962576/

Letter to " Public Petitions Committee Parliament of Scotland, UK, January 8, 2010"
Petition by Robert Thomson on behalf of LDN Now Scotland calling on the Scottish Parliament
to urge the Scottish Government to make Low Dose Naltrexone readily available on the NHS to
auto-immune disease sufferers as well as other conditions not classified as auto-immune such as
HIV/AIDS, cancer and fertility, in each NHS board area thereby reducing the danger of sufferers
having to access riskier alternatives and also incurring higher costs by purchasing the drug
through private medical providers and to provide guidance to all GPs on LDN protocol and
require them to collect LDN clinical data.
http://archive.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/petitionsubmissions/sub-09/09-PE1296N.pdf

[wendyoh]

@quietdynamic---the opiate blocking aspect is what I theorized happened to me, even though I was on minute dose I think it was blocking endorphins in me too much rather than the way they hope it would for most people at that low of a dose

My heart would go out to someone on probation if they forced them on this at like 50mg to try to keep them off illicit narcotics, if they got the global endorphin blocking effect like I did they would, clinically speaking, being SOL............

[Poppy]

Thanks everyone for information.  I'm desperate for something to alleviate my fatigue. I was doing really well on Hydroxy. and then came down with a chest infection,  had course of antibiotics and since then the original fatigue that I suffered has returned. It's really taken over my life! We just had to cancel another holiday because of symptoms.

Thanks again.