Low dose Naltrexone (LDN) therapy is becoming quite common in the US and is used in pain cases like fibromyalgia and inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s and Rheumatoid Arthritis. But, I know some of you here in the UK are also trialling it. I mentioned it as an option in the Healing Plan too for hypersensitives to try and break the chronic pain cycle.
One of its main mechanisms seems to be an ability to reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in inflammatory conditions:
In an 8-week single-blinded pilot study using 4.5 mg of LDN each night, serum levels of numerous proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-12, IL-18, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and TNF-α were significantly reduced when compared to baseline in patients suffering from fibromyalgia.30
However, it is not all about pain. LDN is being used for mood disorders, neurological conditions (like migraine, ataxia etc) and cancer.
For those of you new to it, I thought this article was an excellent overview and includes some really useful tips on dosing etc.
The Uses of Low-Dose Naltrexone in Clinical Practice
The researchers conclude:
Considering its low cost and low side effect profile, LDN in oral form has potential clinical utility in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions including inflammatory diseases, fibromyalgia, neurological conditions, cancer, and mood disorders.
Definitely worth a look then. Let us know your experiences with it. Where do you get it from – does your GP or pain clinic prescribe it?