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Naltrexone is a drug referred to as an opiate antagonist. As Naltrexone it is indicated to treat opiate drug addicts addicted to such as heroin or morphine. Doses used for this purpose are usually 50 mg or more each day.

 

Low dose naltrexone (LDN) - the drug is approximately one-tenth or less than the level used for drug/alcohol rehabilitation purposes - is being used by some as an "off-label" experimental treatment for certain immunologically-related and autoimmune disease such as :

 

 

How does LDN work?

LDN boosts the immune system, activating the body's own natural defences. The brief blockade of opioid receptors that is caused by taking LDN at bedtime each night is believed to produce a prolonged up-regulation of vital elements of the immune system by causing an increase in endorphin and enkephalin production. Those volunteers who have taken LDN in this fashion have been found to have much higher levels of beta-endorphins circulating in their blood in the following days.

 

LDN is a treatment method that has been in use in the USA since 1985 but is relatively new in the United Kingdom.

Despite its claimed successful use in America, until fully proved here, it must be considered as experimental and that no long term beneficial response can be guaranteed.

 

Animal research by I Zagon, Ph.D., and his colleagues has shown a marked increase in metenkephalin levels as well.

In human cancer, research by Zagon over many years has demonstrated inhibition of a number of different human tumours in laboratory studies by using endorphins and low dose by LDN, it appears to work directly on the tumours' opioid receptors and, perhaps, induce cancer cell death (apoptosis). In addition, it is believed that they act to increase natural killer cells and other healthy immune defences against cancer.

 

In general, in people with diseases that are partially or largely triggered by a deficiency of endorphins (including cancer and autoimmune diseases), restoration of the body's normal production of endorphins is the major therapeutic action of LDN. This drug was developed in the 70’s and early 80’s to treat heroin addiction but it was found that lower doses (typically 1/15th to 1/50th) beneficial effect on other conditions.

 

Responsive conditions appear to include some cancers, autoimmune diseases and neurological conditions.

 

It has since been reported that some people receiving this drug in the treatment of MS, initially at a dose of just 3 mg per day, have experienced a range of improvements, including such as:

 

 

Cautionary warnings.

Because LDN blocks opioid receptors throughout the body for three or four hours, people using medicine that is an opioid agonist,  

Narcotic medication, such as:

Should not take LDN until such medicine is completely out of one's system.

 

At the doses usually prescribed in these conditions side effects are normally minimal though some patients find it difficult to tolerate with disturbed sleep being the most widely reported negative effect. This rarely persists after the first week. There may also be temporary increase in specific symptoms of the MS, such as:

 

 

Full-dose Naltrexone (50 mg) carries a cautionary warning against its use in those with liver disease. This warning was placed because of adverse liver effects that were found in experiments involving 300 mg daily. The 50 mg dose does not apparently produce impairment of liver function nor, do the much smaller 3 mg and 4.5mg doses. (this has yet to be proven over time).

 

Despite the fact that  LDN is at a very low dose, the presence of significant introductory or prolonged side-effects cannot be excluded.

 

In addition, it is advised that LDN should not be taken during pregnancy.

 

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LDN Links

 

Other web sites

ldnresearchtrust.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                              

                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        

 

 

 

                          

 

 

                                            

 

 

                                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)