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Low Dose Naltrexone
Naltrexone (available in 50mg and 100mg) is an FDA-approved drug used to treat patients with alcohol dependence. It works by blocking opioid receptors 24 hours a day and thereby taking the euphoria (fun) out of drinking.
Low Dose Naltrexone is usually only 0.5 to 4.5 mg per day, hence the name Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). LDN only blocks opioid receptors 6 hours a day. Your body responds by making more endorphins which then land on the opioid receptors once the 6 hour blockade ends. That is how LDN works for difficult to treat chronic pain such as fibromyalgia. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disease is where your body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a part of your body as foreign and attacks it. Some examples of auto immune disease are multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Disease, etc. One part of an immune response to something identified as foreign is the activation of toll-like receptors (TLR) which leads to production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which results in inflammation. LDN blocks TLR which prevents inflammation. Every drug has two forms, each a mirror image of the other (levo & dextro). For most drugs, only one isomer offers a therapeutic effect. Both of naltrexone’s isomers have a therapeutic effect which is why LDN has so many uses. Levo naltrexone blocks the mu and kappa opioid receptors and dextro naltrexone blocks the TLR. LDN requires a prescription and is available from compounding pharmacies which will work with your doctor to help find the individualized dose to suit your needs.
A Brief History of LDN
One of the biggest contributions to medicine in the 20th century was the discovery of receptors in our bodies. Naltrexone – an opiate antagonist – was theorized in the 1940’s, but it wasn’t until 1984 that naltrexone received its first recognition in receptor-based therapy. Its official use was for treatment of addiction to opiates. A year later, in New York City, a doctor named Dr. Bernard Bihari published the first reported immunological effects of LDN. Dr. Bihari’s research was initially with a small group of patients with HIV/AIDS, which results in a weakened immune system and greater susceptibility to infection. In the control group of the patients that received a placebo, approximately 31% of the patients had developed an opportunistic infection during the trial. In contrast, none of the 22 patients of the experimental group who received LDN, developed any opportunistic infections. Over the next few years, Dr. Bihari expanded his research trial with a larger amount of patients and contributed to the plethora of knowledge about using LDN therapy to treat a number of conditions, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. Today, there are more prescribers and pharmacists who know about LDN therapy.
LDN Therapy
Currently, prescribers and patients can obtain LDN from compounding pharmacies to meet their dosing needs. Research shows success in using LDN therapy to treat a plethora of diseases including cancer. There are cases of LDN combined with alpha lipoic acid or high doses of Vitamin D which have resulted in shrinkage of cancerous tumors and sometimes complete remission after several years of treatment. For more information about LDN and cancer please visit: www.medicorcancer.com. The most common side effects of LDN are sleep disturbances, including vivid dreams. Side effects only affect about 6% of patients and can normally be alleviated by taking LDN in the morning, as opposed to taking it at bedtime. If you think LDN could help you, talk to your compounding pharmacist or prescriber about LDN, and visit the website of the LDN Research Trust: www.ldnresearchtrust.org. On this website, you can find a list of doctors who prescribe LDN, a list of pharmacists who compound LDN, a list of diseases LDN has been used to treat with success, and much more information. You can also order the recently-published book entitled, “The LDN Book” edited by Linda Elsegood, who shares her LDN story in the book’s preface. LDN helped Linda’s multiple sclerosis so much that she started the LDN Research Trust (a registered charity in the United Kingdom run solely by volunteers) to get the word out about LDN so more people could be helped by this amazing drug. Each chapter of The LDN Book is written by a different prescriber on their area of expertise using LDN. The LDN Book is available from our pharmacy, the publisher (Chelsea Green Publishing www.chelsea green.com) and Amazon. There is an LDN page on facebook called “Got Endorphins?” with posts of people who are actually taking LDN and other posts of people with questions about LDN. These people exchange ideas and stories about their experiences with LDN.
LDN works for difficult to treat chronic pain such as fibromyalgia. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disease is where your body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a part of your body as foreign and attacks it. Some examples of auto immune disease are multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Disease, etc.
About the Authors: This story was written by Rick Upson RPh, Owner and Pharmacist in Charge, Palm Beach Compounding Pharmacy, Jupiter, Florida. www.palmbeachcompounding.com We have been compounding high quality medications for people and their pets since 2004. With the invaluable assistance of Elizabeth Montgomery, owner of the law firm of Elizabeth A. Montgomery, P.A. (www.elizabethmontgomerylaw.com) www.jupitercollectionsattorney.com and Louis Schobel Pharmacy Intern, NSU College of Pharmacy.
