Low Dose Naltrexone - Very Helpful

[[ne...]]

 

 

I found that after a few nights at 1 mg I was experiencing fairly strong 'agitation' throughout the day, plus hot flashes and vivid dreams.

 

I didn't take the dose last night and all that agitation has gone. It wasn't anxiety but it was very uncomfortable!

 

I have some 0.5 mg tabs to pick up today and will start with the lower dose.

 

I'm type 1 diabetic I.e. I don't produce my own insulin but I'm not insulin resistant so LDN is unlikely to change anything there. I will monitor closely though.

 

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you understand how this works.

 

I had the vivid dreams also and began to journal them. I saw areas in my life I needed to change or address. They gave me some great clarity. I don't have them any longer and I miss them. I know that sounds strange.

 

I also had several weeks of euphoria...I miss that also. I found it all balances out with time.

 

To your health!

[[ne...]]

Clinical Trials for LDN

Updated: May 3, 2013

 

In Brief

 

Around the globe, there has been a quantum leap forward in the number of ongoing research studies on LDN. Here is a capsule look at a number of such projects.

 

Developments that are detailed below:

 

    Two studies in Mali, Africa demonstrating LDN’s successful use in HIV/AIDS—published October 2011.

    A study of LDN in the treatment of MS at the University of California, San Francisco, published February 2010.

    A multi-institutional clinical trial of LDN for PPMS in Italy, which includes endorphin measurements, completed in fall 2007, published September 2008.

    A Phase II placebo-controlled clinical trial of LDN for Crohn’s disease at Penn State.

    A placebo-controlled pilot study at Penn State on the efficacy of LDN for children and adolescents with Crohn’s disease.

    A clinical trial of LDN in the treatment of fibromyalgia at Stanford Medical Center, published February 2013.

    A study by the MindBrain Consortium in Akron, Ohio of, especially, the affective changes in MS treated with LDN, begun late 2007.

    An animal research study at Penn State of naltrexone in a model of a disease that mimics MS, under a small grant from the National MS Society.

    Animal research on neurodegeneration at NIEHS, suggesting a protective role for naltrexone.

 

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/ldn_trials.htm

[[Ce...]]

Clinical Trials for LDN

Updated: May 3, 2013

 

In Brief

 

Around the globe, there has been a quantum leap forward in the number of ongoing research studies on LDN. Here is a capsule look at a number of such projects.

 

Developments that are detailed below:

 

    Two studies in Mali, Africa demonstrating LDN’s successful use in HIV/AIDS—published October 2011.

    A study of LDN in the treatment of MS at the University of California, San Francisco, published February 2010.

    A multi-institutional clinical trial of LDN for PPMS in Italy, which includes endorphin measurements, completed in fall 2007, published September 2008.

    A Phase II placebo-controlled clinical trial of LDN for Crohn’s disease at Penn State.

    A placebo-controlled pilot study at Penn State on the efficacy of LDN for children and adolescents with Crohn’s disease.

    A clinical trial of LDN in the treatment of fibromyalgia at Stanford Medical Center, published February 2013.

    A study by the MindBrain Consortium in Akron, Ohio of, especially, the affective changes in MS treated with LDN, begun late 2007.

    An animal research study at Penn State of naltrexone in a model of a disease that mimics MS, under a small grant from the National MS Society.

    Animal research on neurodegeneration at NIEHS, suggesting a protective role for naltrexone.

 

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/ldn_trials.htm

 

Hi NT! 

 

Haven't seen you in a while...hope you are healing well. Just want to thank you for putting so much time into getting/sharing info that may help us in our journeys...You're the best!

 

See you on here!!  ~CeCe   

[[ne...]]

Abstract

 

The use of low doses of naltrexone for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) enjoys a worldwide following amongst MS patients. There is overwhelming anecdotal evidence, that in low doses naltrexone not only prevents relapses in MS but also reduces the progression of the disease. It is proposed that naltrexone acts by reducing apoptosis of oligodendrocytes. It does this by reducing inducible nitric oxide synthase activity. This results in a decrease in the formation of peroxynitrites, which in turn prevent the inhibition of the glutamate transporters. Thus, the excitatory neurotoxicity of glutamate on neuronal cells and oligodendrocytes via activation of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid class of glutamate receptor is prevented. It is crucial that the medical community respond to patient needs and investigate this drug in a clinical trial.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15694688?dopt=Abstract

[[ne...]]

Another glutamate inhibitor, low dose naltrexone (LDN) has shown some efficacy with pain and mood in fibromyalgia.

 

http://www.healthrising.org/blog/2013/02/15/glutamate-one-more-piece-in-the-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-mecfs-puzzle-the-neuroinflammatory-series-pt-ii/

 

 

[[do...]]

Hi Nexttime,

 

Forgive my laziness, but does Naltrexone help with chronic fatigue and/or nausea? I see my doctor tomorrow but I just don't have it in me to read back through the posts tonight as I've been struggling mightily today.

 

Sorry, but thanks for all your research. Much appreciated. 

[[ne...]]

There are not a lot of studies I've seen for chronic fatigue but high quality of life scores for fibromyalgia patients. Fatigue is a large part of fibro.  I can say at 4.5 ml, I had very good energy and was exercising a lot. Since Jump, I have dropped down to 1 ml as 3 ml was too much with our hyper CNS systems.

 

I stopped taking LDN for several days and my symptoms increased so I just started back at 1 ml last night after waking up after an hour or two of nightmare dreams. I took 1 ml and within 30 minutes, I was relaxed and went back to sleep and fitbit recorded an additional 6 hours of restful sleep.  I had good energy today and got a LOT of things done. Could be because I've just come out of a wave but the timing is spot on from the 1 ml of LDN.

 

I'm mentioning my experience since our CNS's are hyper. I started at 3.0 ml during taper and went to 4.5 within weeks with no issues. After jump, it's a new ballgame. I'm starting again at 1.0 ml and will only increase 0.5 ml every 7 days.

 

Here are some links:

"Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist, FDA approved for a dose of 50 mg. At “normal” doses naltrexone tends to increase pain. But at low doses, in the 3-4 mg range, LDN has long been used by alternative medicine-minded clinicians as a treatment for pain, fatigue and other symptoms. In brief, LDN seems to help a meaningful proportion of FM patients. And, so far, its side effect profile has been relatively benign—almost certainly more favorable than our standard FM drugs. As importantly, LDN’s proposed mechanism—suppression of inflammatory cytokines within the central nervous system might lead toward a new approach for a broad range of diseases.

 

A key article is from Stanford Medical School’s Division of Pain Management. Jarred Younger PhD, and Sean Mackey, M.D., PhD are the lead authors. Using a double blind design, each of 31 women with Fibromyalgia were treated with either 4.5 mg of naltrexone in the evening for 12 weeks and a placebo for 4 weeks. (Low dose naltrexone was prepared by a local compounding pharmacy.)"

http://www.drpodell.org/fatigue-fibromyalgia-breakthrough-research.shtml

 

 

LDN for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

 

So far, LDN has not been studied for chronic fatigue syndrome. However, some doctors and patients say they've used it successfully. With recent evidence pointing to the possibility of neuroinflammation in chronic fatigue syndrome and LDN's possible impact on inflammation in the nervous system, we may be seeing why this is an effective treatment for some. As with fibromyalgia, LDN is sometimes prescribed off-label for chronic fatigue syndrome.

[nobbc]https://www.verywell.com/low-dose-naltrexone-ldn-for-fibromyalgia-cfs-716070[/nobbc]

 

Doctors presentation on CFS and Fibromyalgia (PDF File)

http://www.ldnresearchtrust.org/sites/default/files/Dr%20Kent%20Holtorf%20LDN%20and%20CFS-FM_0.pdf

 

[[pr...]]

It is proposed that naltrexone acts by reducing apoptosis of oligodendrocytes. It does this by reducing inducible nitric oxide synthase activity.

 

 

keeping the nitric oxide levels down is actually an important factor during benzo withdrawal. it can be one of the things that makes a body not feel right, toxic and out of balance with too much glutamate activity.

[[lo...]]

this is how I got it in Los Angeles:

pdoc prescribed without hesitation and called it into a compounding pharmacy which I found.

for whatever reason insurance does not cover it, and a month supply is 65usd.

I assume the insurance doesn't accept the low dose application of it, since I looked and they do cover naltrexone. So my guess to get it cheaper is to get a regular rx for naltrexone, and compound yourself.

excited to try it

[[lo...]]

ok - so i took my first 2mg of naltrexone last night. my sleep was tiny bit more disturbed - but it was already very disturbed. I felt quiet energized at moments.

this morning I feel definitely energized and mentally more clear (despite some grogginess due to a small dose of mirtazapine i am taking for better sleep)

i am quiet hopeful going forward, will keep it at 1.5mg for a week or so, and then go slowly up

[[Bi...]]

How I drank more to overcome alcoholism

By Actress Claudia Christian from Babylon 5 the TV series | her Naltrexone story

 

[[Ce...]]

How I drank more to overcome alcoholism

By Actress Claudia Christian from Babylon 5 the TV series | her Naltrexone story

 

 

 

Excellent story Birdy...thank you.   

[[Bi...]]

How I drank more to overcome alcoholism

By Actress Claudia Christian from Babylon 5 the TV series | her Naltrexone story

 

 

 

Excellent story Birdy...thank you.   

 

Glad you enjoyed it CeCE 

[[lo...]]

i'm on my 5th day of LDN. started with 1.5mg, now at 4mg. I did not notice any sleep problems. if anything my sleep got better. i slept pretty good last night on just 600mg gabapentin and 0.15mg clonazepam. I feel like LDN is helping with 'brain wellbeing'. it is hard to explain, but my overall mood increased a lot, although my physical symptoms are still pretty bad. but the physical are easier to deal with. will keep this thread posted as i go on

[[se...]]

Loving finding this thread... been interested in it way before I fell into the benzo toilet , maybe I CAN CLIMB OUT NOW!. ( oops didnt mean to shout, my Freaudian keyboard) Thanks for posting!

[[Bh...]]

Does it help with sleep by chance? When do you take it..am/pm?

[[ne...]]

Many report better sleep after any initial common side effects of insomnia or vivid dreams.

Prior to jump, I had great sleep and very clean energy.

 

Had blood work yesterday and my TSH thyroid levels are even better than months ago.

July 4.42 uIU/mL

October 2.32 uIU/mL

 

I have not taken levythyroxine since May or June.

 

It may or may not help with benzo withdrawal.

In PAWS, nothing is certain as we all know.

I've cut my dose since I have been having adrenaline spikes.

I know that LDN is not causing the spike as I have gone clean from everything (including supplements) to make sure LDN wasn't causing issues. It wasn't. It's adrenaline from the body healing.

LDN is great for autoimmune issues.

 

Some have recently started LDN and are having good results as posted above.

 

 

Outside of benzo withdrawal, LDN is a no brainer for health.

My blood work from yesterday is very good and I attribute that to LDN as I was taking it prior to jump for months.

[[Bi...]]

I read about a few people in blogs reported going on a mild opiate like high about 3 days after quitting LDN.  I guess they down regulated their level of opiate receptors?

LDN makes for interesting reading.

[[ne...]]

Up regulate

 

How LDN works:

https://www.ldnscience.org/ldn/how-does-ldn-work

[[Bi...]]

Up regulate

How LDN works:

https://www.ldnscience.org/ldn/how-does-ldn-work

 

I read it but could not find any topic on UP-REGULATE

 

 

Endorphins

 

Endorphins are opiate-like molecules produced naturally in the body. The term ‘endorphin’ comes from ‘endogenous morphine’, meaning that it is created within the body, and differentiating it from opioids that are administered from external sources.

 

Endorphins are produced in most cells in the body, and are important regulators of cell growth, and therefore the immune system. Disorders of the immune system can occur with unusually low levels of these endorphins. The particular endorphin that has been found to influence cell growth as well as immunity is called Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) or Met-Enkephalin.

 

For an endorphin such as OGF to exert its beneficial effects, it must interact with the body’s cells. It does this by binding to a receptor on the surface of the cells. The receptor to which OGF binds is the ‘Opioid Growth Factor Receptor’ (OGFr) – previously known as the Zeta (ζ) receptor.

 

Thus, for the endorphin system to be fully functional, two elements are required: opioid production and cell interaction.

Naltrexone Stimulates the OGF Receptors Producing Therapeutic Effect

 

Naltrexone is an externally administered drug that binds to opioid receptors. In doing so, it displaces the endorphins which were previously bound to the receptors. Specifically, by binding to the OGF receptors, it displaces the body’s naturally produced OGF.

 

As a consequence of this displacement, the affected cells become deficient in OGF and three things happen:

 

    Receptor production is increased, in order to try to capture more OGF.

    Receptor sensitivity is increased, also to try to capture more OGF.

    Production of OGF is increased, in order to compensate for the perceived shortage of OGF.

 

Since LDN blocks the OGF receptors only for a few hours before it is naturally excreted, what results is a rebound effect; in which both the production and utilization of OGF is greatly increased. Once the LDN has been metabolized, the elevated endorphins produced as a result of the rebound effect can now interact with the more-sensitive and more-plentiful receptors and assist in regulating cell growth and immunity.

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

 

The duration of the rebound effect varies from individual to individual, but generally persists for about one day.

 

The benefits of the rebound effect can only be utilized by taking a low dose of regular Naltrexone. Taking a high dose of Naltrexone or using a timed-release formulation will result in continuous blockade of OGF receptors, and the rebound effect will not serve any useful purpose.

 

In scientific terminology, the use of regular-dose Naltrexone results in ‘continuous opioid receptor blockade’ whilst the use of LDN results in ‘intermittent opioid receptor blockade’. In order to benefit from the rebound effect and achieve the therapeutic benefit of LDN, it is essential to avoid timed-release (or slow-release) versions of Naltrexone.

 

Individuals vary in their metabolic speed and this will result in inter-patient variation in the speed at which LDN is eliminated from the body, as well as the length of the rebound effect. Whilst a single daily dose of between 3mg and 5mg will be suitable for most patients, individual modification of dosage or frequency is sometimes needed.

[[lo...]]

ok - 2 week update on using LDN -

taking liquid at around 4mg. my mood is greatly lifted. the whole benzo w/d isn't as painful. still tense but much better.

i can highly recommend LDN to anybody, in or out benzo withdrawal, as a very good mood lifter. I haven't suffered any depression in life, but i could imagine this would help greatly with depression as well.

 

[[lo...]]

reviving this thread - and my 1 month LDN update.

I settled at 4.5mg LDN daily, and took it every day, except 1 day where I forgot (and that day I felt worse)

I can highly recommend LDN. it does not take w/d away, but it definitely helps with mood. I feel like when a bad wave hits, it usually doesn't last very long. I am not 100% sure if this LDN since I do use a lot of other supplements, but I feel it does help.

I plan to take LDN once I am done completely with w/d.

[[pr...]]

reviving this thread - and my 1 month LDN update.

I settled at 4.5mg LDN daily, and took it every day, except 1 day where I forgot (and that day I felt worse)

I can highly recommend LDN. it does not take w/d away, but it definitely helps with mood. I feel like when a bad wave hits, it usually doesn't last very long. I am not 100% sure if this LDN since I do use a lot of other supplements, but I feel it does help.

I plan to take LDN once I am done completely with w/d.

 

 

 

thanks for updating us about the LDN. i had said on this thread before that it is something i am interested in trying at some point. especially since i had leison's on my brain when i had my last MrI which was in 2012. maybe you should get off all your other supplements and just see how the LDN works alone for awhile and then slowly add in the other supplements?

[[...]]

reviving this thread - and my 1 month LDN update.

I settled at 4.5mg LDN daily, and took it every day, except 1 day where I forgot (and that day I felt worse)

I can highly recommend LDN. it does not take w/d away, but it definitely helps with mood. I feel like when a bad wave hits, it usually doesn't last very long. I am not 100% sure if this LDN since I do use a lot of other supplements, but I feel it does help.

I plan to take LDN once I am done completely with w/d.

 

You "highly recommend" it and "it definitely helps" ... but you're "not 100% sure" about that. 

Huh? Lol! Glad to hear something's working anyway. 

[[fi...]]

reviving this thread - and my 1 month LDN update.

I settled at 4.5mg LDN daily, and took it every day, except 1 day where I forgot (and that day I felt worse)

I can highly recommend LDN. it does not take w/d away, but it definitely helps with mood. I feel like when a bad wave hits, it usually doesn't last very long. I am not 100% sure if this LDN since I do use a lot of other supplements, but I feel it does help.

I plan to take LDN once I am done completely with w/d.

 

My integrative gynocologist who knows what I'm going through had suggested this to me - she told me to research and see if it was something i would want to try - thanks for this post