LDN: Has anyone been prescribed Naltrexone?

What dose of Amitriptyline were you on - how long did you take it?

I think there is also Biotin that helps people - However, it takes 3-6 months of taking it before seeing any results. LDN may be 8-12 week wait before any noticeable change too.

Regarding low dose naltrexone, I looked at the website above, including some of the research. There was some published research, and I did take a look at it. Most of the studies were small, but they look like they were properly set up (double blind, controlled, etc).

What I find particularly concerning is the claims made about LDN. The fact that the site claims that it can be used for virtually any condition or disease, makes me very uncomfortable.

In short, there is some preliminary research that has been published, but it is preliminary, and the research that is presented on the site does not support the use of LDN for all of the conditions that are listed. Buyer beware, is all I have to say about this.

Sharon

I donā€™t recall the dose but was on it for much longer than that 20 years ago. Last year I was on 100 mg per day. I know meds take a long time to really be effective including many steps up for dosage, I have been on 45 of the routine meds given for fibro and have been on over 40 different supplements that are thought to help.

There are many people on this forum using LDN with good results and few or not side effects. Standford Medical has done a study and is also actively prescribing it for fibro patients. After 45 of the common meds used for fibro over 20 years, some of them have been on years later just in case it might help, I am willing to try something new. One of the meds that helped me in the past was off label use - Lyrica(before it was ever approved for fibro), if the doctor had not been willing to prescribe off label meds I would have continued suffering. I donā€™t even know what my new doctor will suggest but he will likely be using some current research since he also teaches at Vanderbilt University. I will definitely ask him about LDN.

Witsend, yes my 4.5mg is compounded by a local pharmacy. It is not generally available at that dosage. It is also not covered by my insurance because this usage is considered ā€œoff labelā€ for naltrexone.

My doctor says that 4.5mg is the usual starting dose for fibro. Over time some patients have to go down a bit (2.0 or 2.5) or up a bit (5.5 or 6.0) as it is very individualized. Also sometimes after a year or so, your body can learn from the medicine what to do and begins to do itself, so you can begin stepping down dosage over time and eventually stop.

Fingers crossed for all of us. There is so much research coming out now - the tuberculosis vaccine is in trials in Massachusetts and showing well and Canada has discovered our gut biome is out of whack so straightening that out has helped a lot of people up there.

9000 moving parts and hard to know what to work on or where to focus :slight_smile:

Patty5, in response to your question about how LDN works, this is my understanding after talking with my doctor. You will of course need to talk to your own doctor and pharmacist.

Not At All Scientific/Just My Understanding: The LDN lands in the opiate receptors of our nerves, filling them up. Our own natural opiates made by our body then donā€™t have any place to land. So they float around in the synapse gaps not landing, increasing the level in our bloodstream, and therefore we feel better. This is the same body mechanism that makes CBD Hemp help us. Neither the LDN nor the CBD are ā€œpain medsā€ - they donā€™t reduce inflammation - they just fill up the receptors.

I hope this helps, ra:):turtle:

Thank you again for your response, the gut biome sounds interesting, I will see what i can find on that. Might also be a topic I will discuss with the new doctor. My gut is messed up 24/7 so a good avenue for me.

Trying to bundle another treatment form: this thread was categorized best, albeit 2 years ago.
(Itā€™s not naltrexone that you could call a ā€œcomplementary therapyā€, itā€™s just its use as Low Dose Naltrexone, LDN. Iā€™ve put it under ā€œpain medsā€ in my treatment list tho: Fibromyalgia References: Symptoms, triggers, treatments (to be intertwined)).
I think Mod/Sharonā€™s arguments above sum the caveats up nicely:
Has anyone been prescribed Naltrexone? (LDN) - #22 by ModSupport
As Mod/Seenie wrote itā€™s discussed quite often. But a ā€œhotā€/heated topic - not worth that much bother, so Iā€™ll keep to the studies.

Adding further info/links I found interesting:

4.5mg for fibro (instead of 50mg for alcohol reduction).
General: Low-dose naltrexone - Wikipedia
Experiences: Low Dose Naltrexone/LDN for Fibromyalgia: Four Year Update - Melissa vs Fibromyalgia
Side effects: Naltrexone (Oral Route) Side Effects - Mayo Clinic Vivid dreams, IBS
Side effects What are the Side Effects of LDN - Town & Country Compounding
Side effect in one case: severe muscle rigidity at 3:30.
Studies:
Reduced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines after Eight Weeks of Low-Dose Naltrexone for Fibromyalgia - PubMed 2017
Fibromyalgia symptoms are reduced by low-dose naltrexone: a pilot study - PubMed 2009 10 women. may be effective, highly tolerable, and inexpensive.
Use of low-dose naltrexone in the management of chronic pain conditions: A systematic review - PubMed 2020 pain. anti-inflammatory and immunomodulator. most studies, incl. for orofacial pain.
The Use and Utility of Low-dose Naltrexone Capsules for Patients with Fibromyalgia - PubMed 2018 4.5mg 25 women
Low-Dose Naltrexone for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia: Investigation of Dose-Response Relationships - PubMed 2020 CFS: 3 cases
Low dose Naltrexone for induction of remission in inflammatory bowel disease patients - PubMed IBD 2018: reducing mucosal ER stress
Low-dose naltrexone as a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome - PubMed CFS 2020
Low-dose naltrexone for the treatment of fibromyalgia: findings of a small, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, crossover trial assessing daily pain levels - PubMed 2013 31 women pain/mood better, not fatigue/sleep.
The Use of Low-Dose Naltrexone for Chronic Pain - PubMed 2019 pain: could be a viable treatment option cos minimal adverse effects and cheap.
Pharmacology Update: Low-Dose Naltrexone as a Possible Nonopioid Modality for Some Chronic, Nonmalignant Pain Syndromes - PubMed 2019 pain: increased levels of endogenous opioid production, known as opioid rebound effect
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN): A promising treatment in immune-related diseases and cancer therapy - PubMed 2018 immune review: may become a promising immunomodulatory agent
The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain - PubMed 2014 anti-inflammatory/pain: glial cell modulator.
Low Dose Naltrexone in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia - PubMed 2018: small: safe, likely
Low-Dose Naltrexone for Chronic Pain: Update and Systemic Review - PubMed 2018 pain: promising
The Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Naltrexone in the Management of Chronic Pain and Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, and Other Chronic Pain Disorders - PubMed 2018 pain incl. FMS: safe, but unproven
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)-Review of Therapeutic Utilization - PubMed 2018 = Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)ā€”Review of Therapeutic Utilization overview: FMS too small.

I think thatā€™ll do, aside praps from adding new studies specifically for FMSā€¦

Iā€™ve re-skimmed scientific evidence (20 pubmed-studies, most 2018-2020, the earliest 2009) and many forum posts here and elsewhere on LDN.
Iā€™d suggest itā€™s nothing to plug too much, as evidence is very limited (too small studies) and some people are not helped by it or have quite some sfx;
but something to try, as the risks are low, itā€™s cheap, some are helped, there is also no evidence against it, some suggest that it stimulates the body to take over, so you can maybe reduce the dose after a time. (Can you?)
The newest pubmed-study (2021) agrees: ā€œFM may also be treated with LDN. The main limitation of the findings was lack of a randomized control group treated with placebo.ā€
There are definitely more testimonials for it than ā€œmyā€ GABA.
The biggest impression I have from all the forum discussions everywhere is that the testimonials are so exuberant that it turns people off of trying it and that moderators often try to tone it down - similar to other topics with ardent supporters like guaifenesin or thyroid supposedly being the real issue behind FM, which also rely mainly on testimonies.
Thinking about it: That is one of the reasons for having shoved it off my list, which is unfair I spose.
Maybe if the testimonies toned it down, its image/repute would increase.

Just seen it seems fairly hard to get here in Germany. My local pharmacy has no clue. But Iā€™ve found a pharmacy that compounds it and two docs that prescribe it. However 250-300mi awayā€¦ And they do not seem trustworthy to me, theyā€™re both exuberant about loads of non-evidenced treatments and ideas and oneā€™s also a radical vax opponent and believes in indigo children and breatharianism.

Summary of all posts about it here on livingwithfibro.org: Ratio of 5:6:9, Better/brilliant : 1 Indi, 2 Sandi1, 3 T34FLYGIRL 6 mo, reported of 4 crynsugar & 5 MaryGrace, It helps a bit, sfx OK: 1 bluzarry, 2 reanselmo49, 3 fibroflare59, 4 fibrogal, 5 zelly, 6 Mariposa-1, worse: 1 carolyn, 2 Freedom, 3 capefibro, 4 linda8, 5 kitty1, 6 nmamommy, 7 Niki, no fx: 1 Rosellas, 2 suzie

This thead above is so long, but itā€™s only 2 people, plus Sharonā€™s caveats.
bluzarry03: 4.5mg no sfx, helps sleep together with 10mg melatonin(!) 4 months at this dosage. Higher: crazy sfx. Helped pain to a certain extent, but I still have flare ups and fatigue on a regular basis. 35$/m
ranselmo49: 3 months 4.5mg no sfx, clothes not hurting, still have fatigue, brain fog, random lightning bolts, and all sorts of other unpredictable things, most nights i get a good sleep and most days i am pretty ok until about 3pm. Not via insurance, 35$/m. Own understanding: Some have to go down or up a bit. ā€œNeither the LDN nor the CBD are ā€œpain medsā€ - they donā€™t reduce inflammation - they just fill up the receptors.ā€
Mod/Sharon: Sites claiming it cures everything makes it dubious.

fibroflare59: 1y, upped to 9mg, thinks it does help. and: it seems to help with the fibro pain. You should look into it.
fibrogal: 1wk. and here: have had great success ā€¦ amazed how well this ā€¦ has helped with my pain and sleep. and here: has helped me hugelyā€¦ Both the low dose naltrexone and CBD oil have helped me greatly with my depression, anxiety and sleep as well as my chronic pain; I canā€™t say enough about both of these meds. and: noticed no side effectsā€¦ I understand it doesnā€™t work well for everyone, but for me it , along with cbd and lyrica (and tylenol), has made a major dent on my pain and has helped a lot with my sleep. Subsequently (eventually), I have noticed an modest increase in my energy level as well.
I still take the other two, lyrica and cbd though! and: impressed, also (aside from pain) helps with sleep, and seems to also be helping with my energy level (probably because it helps with sleep).
Mariposa-1: 4.5mg 4mo, currently pain free, sleeping better (though still on sleep meds). My energy level has not yet ā€¦ improved much. ā€¦if I get overly stressed I will have some fibro pain. I also began to take Lyrica 2m ago.
Nannyfor3: so. in fibro support group.
carolyn: Startingā€¦ 5th dayā€¦ 21 days later: high dose of LDN 4.5 mg at 9 pm. I feel more pain than I did at the dose of 3, but doc says do this til Feb.
and ā€œhe wants me on 4.5 for at least 3 months and its getting really miserable.ā€ One month later: ā€œPain doctor took me off LDN and put me back on the original Norco.ā€ and here: I started the LDN at 1.5 mg, went to 3 and felt ok. now at 4.5 and lots of extra pain and ringing in the ears. I asked doc to lower it to 3, but he said no.
Freedom: tried LDN for a month and it didnā€™t help me. before that: I think the LD Naltrexone has helped some with the pain. I donā€™t wake up as often screaming in pain. I was doing that, maybe, 3 times a week?
Indi: somehow tricks your brain into creating natural pain killers. 8mo: pretty good apart from sometimes sleeping a little less deeply. And: LDN is the BEST thing I have ever tried!!! Its made more difference than everything else I have tried combined! It helps me sleep and means I dont feel achy in the morning and can go days without pain releif or massage. Before talking LDN I always felt horribly achy and sore in the mornings and had to take at least a mix of 9 different strong painkillers and needed at least one back massage a day. So it definitely help.
Capefibro: May retry LDN, probably went up too fast, worsened my FM unbearably. I was at 2.5 LDN when my fibro went off the charts, back to ā€œnormalā€ three days after I stopped. Actually, I would now think of taking LDN in early AM and suck it up until late afternoon to take a Tranadol, not ideal but doable. Tramadol is not exactly an opiate, works on different receptor sites than the ones LDN blocks. I couldnā€™t take LDN at night because I had two of the worst, vivid nightmares in my life on it, apparently a side effect for some. LDN, I started at .5 and went up .5 per week, probably too fast, until the day I was going to 3.5 and woke up with same horrific cranial fibro pains that got me diagnosed three decades ago but had gradually faded and been replaced by others. As I mentioned, they went away immediately after stopping LDN. I had those nightmares I mentioned twice when I started, taking before bed. I had no other positive or negative effects of LDN. Probably not a good trial, some people start even lower and stay on for months before going up, always hard to get yourself to do with no effect. I suspect there are subsets of FM and some nonresponders to LDN. Then: I worked up to 2.5 mg from .5 and then had a nasty reaction that worsened my fibro so I stopped. My symptoms quickly went back to their usual level. and Maybe I need a higher dosage!? I havenā€™t been able to get myself to try again even though the effect only lasted a few days. Depending on the fibro, I may try again. Iā€™d hate to think some simple med could help. I did have to take in the AM, maybe not optimal, as I experienced vivid and unpleasant dreams when taken at night, perhaps the only adverse effect Iā€™ve seen reported. If I had an M.D. with experience in dosing it working with me Iā€™d certainly try it, I had to order it overseas on my own.
Sandi1: 2mo: helped me tremendously! She prescribed a 50 mg tablet so my insurance would cover it. I noticed right off the bat how it affected my mood! I woke up with less brain fog and really enjoyed my morning coffee. My head was the clearest it had been in ages and the burning sensation in my hands and feet were gone! I believe that it takes the edge off that all over pain, similar to taking a Vicodin or similar. My husband has really noticed the difference, as have my two adult kids. I was hesitant at first to try it but it has little to no side affects! I started taking the recommended dose of 4.5 mg and have lowered it to 3.8 mg, as in the beginning it did cause me to wake up more during the night. Not good, as I need my sleep! I know others have started at 1.5 mg and then increase it each week. That may be a better way to adjust to it. I started dreaming again and it has been great. I still have went through a few flares - and during them I wasnā€™t so depressed like Iā€™ve been in the past. no withdrawal symptoms. ā€¦ I started at 4.5 ml and I noticed that it caused me to wake up more during sleep. I lowered it every two days to where it doesnā€™t, which is 3.8 ml at night. Best time to take it is around 9 pm based on studies. Thatā€™s the only side affect I found, but I also take 2 sleep meds or I never sleep. ā€¦ t relieves the buzzing in my legs and hands, as well as improves mood. Before taking I had no ambition to do things. This drug got me smiling again without having to take an antidepressant with lots of side affects! First post on it in Sep13:
tricky123: Iā€™ve read about it, and the reviews are very subjective to say the least.
zelly: I found that although they did not give me as much pain relief as other meds they did teach me to pace myself as my body would just stop and not let me battle on through the pain, as I used to on the opioids as they used to mask everything even my mind. ā€¦ Unfortunately after a year on the Naltrexone the rheumatologist said I had to come off of them as there is a risk of sudden death because of the build up of toxins in the body(oh my god ) ā€¦ So now after six months back on the Naltrexone after my body had a rest from them, am now waiting for Botox injectionsā€¦ give it a go it may work for youā€¦ (no further posts)
Rosellas: I started taking LDN, Gabapentin, and Cymbalta a few months ago as my new pain specialist has advised. No bad reactions, but nothing is improving.
Freedom: It has helped some. I started on 1.0 mg. Now Iā€™m up to 3.5mg. ā€¦ He said if I donā€™t have any improvement at that dose, I never will. He said 50% of fibromyalgia patients have improvement with LDN. [JayCS: docs then mean ā€œsomeā€.] My LDN dose is at 2.5, and Iā€™m working my way up slowly to the 4.5 mark. Similar here.
Linda8: 1.5mg of Naltrexone @ bedtime for four nights now. I have been noticing that I fall asleep better (also listening to my relaxation tape), and my head is a little clearer in the morning! ā€¦ I have heard that people taking 3mg have intense side effects. I have not heard people taking more than 3mg. Then later: I have also tried Naltrexone for about 3 months and it did not do much but when I tried increasing it (doctor orders) to 2.5 mgā€¦I became severely nauseous and heaving so I stopped it. as well as: I was on Low Dose Naltrexone for three months and it did nothing for my Fibro pain, and I think it may have caused my liver enzymes to elevate ā€”that or pain medicationsā€“Iā€™m not sure which.
Kitty1: I think the trick to LDN success is not having glaring side effects in the beginning. Some people are able to eliminate all other fibro drugs after being successful with LDN for about a year or so. Sounds like you could be on the way! Doesnā€™t work for me. Side effects are baaad pain. It doesnā€™t make sense, but my body said ā€œno!ā€. I even tried taking half the stuff out of a 1 mg capsule and the .5 even caused it. My fibro doc said it doesnā€™t work for everyone. I know the LDN group on facebook has real good discussions. I learned from them that it really should be increased very slowly. So, you might want to go to 2mg and then 2.5, etc. The other thing is that every one seems to settle on a different dose. You will know. When starting: I started taking it a few weeks ago. I am still at a minimal dose, which will be increased in incriments, but am having great relief from it.
Two nurses: crynsugar, not only does she take LDN, but is also a nurse. MaryGrace is also a nurse and takes LDN, also this: crynsuger is our second nurse to sing the praises of LDN, Marygrace also swears by it, but then: Punkin2x74: Sugar. Please donā€™t take this the wrong way but weā€™ve been through this a couple times. Please do not post regarding LDN to me again. We have discussed it previously. My doctor and I do not feel in any way this LDN is beneficial for my chronic pain conditions. Nor does my doctor and his colleagues feel it is beneficial for FMS sufferers. Thank you have a nice day, as well as: Itā€™s really frustrating when people try and make us think that they have a miracle cure. If there was something that miraculously worked out there we all would be on it. Sheesh!, and Kitty1 again: Hi Crynsugar. You have got me very excited. I see a new fibro NP in August. According to her web page, she prescribes and uses LDN. The research I have done on this drug since you began talking about it has proven very positive. [sounds a bit adamant.] and [that NP is Ginevra Lipton (book, website)]: She is 38 and has fibromyalgia.(New Doctor Tuesday - More New Meds? - #9 by Kitty1): She takes one thing at a time (I like that). Says with me we will start with anxiety and we will talk about LDN at next visit.
nmamommy: When I read about LDN I asked to give it a try. 6 months later and things are just worse. [However first high dose due to tramadol & morphine addiction.]
suzie: i did try LDN( low dose naltrexone) but i dont remember about it.
(T34FLYGIRL: I have been on 1mg of it for about 6 monthsā€¦it has worked wonders for my energy. [But from this context itā€™s not certain which med she is referring to:]) however here it is: it has helped so much with my fatigue! Itā€™s only been about a month that I have been on it but there is a noticeable difference.
[Nikki](https://forum.livingwithfibro.org/t/has-anyone-tried-low-dose-naltrexone/2001: yesterday I started my first dose of LDN ā€¦ But I awoke with a terrible headache! and: The side effect I read about, insomnia, has been a problem. Itā€™s not supposed to last though. I am going to try taking it earlier in the day, and work up to night time, when it is supposed to have the most benefit. Yesterday I was in a very good mood and had some energy. But when I took the naltrexone at night it messed with my sleep.

Healthrising has a lot on LDN, probably more balanced than elsewhere:

Click for details from Healthrising

LDN is one of the few things that I can say to people that the odds are pretty good that ā€¦(it) can reduce your pain. Dr. Ginevra Liptan ā€“ Fibromyalgia specialist. In the 2009 study ā€œOnce patients were off the drug, their symptom levels quickly returned. " " LDN has not been well-studied in either disease but [t]wo small fibromyalgia studies lead by Jarred Younger suggest LDN may be able to help some people with fibromyalgia. A 2009 single-blind crossover study found LDN significantly reduced pain, fatigue and stress levels. Intriguingly, a measure of inflammation called erythrocyte sedimentation level (ESR) predicted 80% of the responses. The fact that higher ESRā€™s were associated with greater reductions in symptom severity suggests that FM patients with more inflammation might benefit more from this drug.ā€ ā€œA larger placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover study (dose 4.5 mg/day) produced similar results: reduced pain, improved mood, and general satisfaction with life. LDN was helpful in reducing about 30% of the pain in about 60% of the patients.ā€ " The first ME/CFS study ā€“ a retrospective study assessing the charts of 218 patients ā€“ found that about half the participants experienced some improvement in at least two more symptoms. A 2019 case report also fleshed out the experiences of three ME/CFS patients. An Australian laboratory study suggested that LDN may help with the natural killer cell problems found in ME/CFS.
Larger studies which assess the effects of different doses and different dose protocols and more fully fill out LDNā€™s effects are greatly needed. Youngerā€™s Neuroinflammation, Fatigue and Pain Lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has a variety of LDN studies planned. The NIH, however, recently rebuffed Youngerā€™s efforts to fund an ME/CFS trial and a trial involving dextro-naltrexone (see below)." ā€œLDN is Dr. Nancy Klimasā€™ first-line treatment for the pain associated with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. She has found the drug to be effective and safe.ā€ Information about how and where to get it. "Some patients start off at even lower doses (.25 mg/day), and some respond positively to much higher doses of the drug. One formerly bedridden woman who received mild benefits from the drug at 3 mg/day fully recovered from ME/CFS while taking 12 mgs/dayā€¦ Adjustment to the drug can take more time than expected as well. The woman who ended up taking 12mgs/day of the drug at first topped out at 3 mgs but months later was able to significantly increase her dosage without incident. Jarred Younger: ā€œDextro-Naltrexone ā€“ The Next Naltrexone?ā€ (Stanford, 2018; JayCS sez: interesting background stuff, but Iā€™m wary that if Younger is just doing loads of pilot studies, then there is not as much behind it as claimed.) Further blogs and links to ā€œimpressive grassroots effortsā€.

Click for even more details, FYI, summary: Bottom line I think: No "need" to plug this stuff especially. It may be worth trying, but it may have bad (s)fx. If you do try it, it sounds better to not keep to the 4.5mg dose of Younger's studies, even if docs have sometimes forced people to: I'd start with .5mg or if possible even less and increase slowly, finding your own dose: that may be part of the "secret". Apparently even small differences in dose make a lot of difference. The people it was helping were taking 9mg, 3.8mg or 1mg (Reminds me of getting a 2mg melatonin ER pill prescribed and breaking off 1mcg bits (5%) - and that still being too much for me, almost the same zombifying effect as the 2mg ER or the 1mg without the ER.) I'm disconcerted that Younger's studies from 2009 and 2013 did not find any of the harsh sfx quoted above!

Ha, interesting. I actually caught myself getting carried away by the idea of a miracle cureā€¦ really, I was thinking: Wdnt it be great only having to take LDN, leave the 13 supps, the hours of self-treatment and treatment behind meā€¦ Oooooh yessssā€¦

So, I went another route first, was getting really into it and interested: First: Itā€™s very hard to get here. My pharmacy canā€™t get it for me and I canā€™t get it from any pharmacy via my usual online pharmacy price comparison portal, up to now Iā€™ve ā€œonlyā€ found one compounding pharmacy far in the South that said it does it. Maybe thereā€™s a compounding pharmacy closer, not sure how to work that out. One on a forum got it from ā€œoverseasā€, but warned they wdve preferred a doc to help them. Someone else got the 50mg pills prescribed by their doc and tried quartering, but that was still too much - there might be a workaround there.
The compounding pharmacy I phoned and asked how best to get a prescription willingly shared the name of a doc whoā€™d prescribe it. Iā€™d also found another doc who does. Both also in the South. However both come across on their websites, on youtube and on a doc rating platform as emotional, exuberant, naturopathic/alternative, evangelizing (is there a better word?) and polarizing. Whilst the first compared herself to US functional docs, her methods & explanations are far off into the esoteric areas (e.g. photon therapy), her main med for FM is guaifenesin ( not LDN), she ā€œknowsā€ her fibromyalgia was caused by Lyme disease, explains everything oversimply, ā€œknows everythingā€, has many exuberantly positive ratings, but also many who describe her as chaotic, unstructured, not able to adequately explain when questions are asked. some of her explanations are good, some fanciful/weird. The other one is a radical vaccination opponent, gives a speech on a demonstration about a pediatrician who was charged with waiting too long before a baby was taken to a clinic cos of malnutrition. That pediatrician believes in indigo children, that the measles virus is not responsible for measles and ā€œbreatharianismā€ (we could nourish ourselves from sunlight alone).

Now Iā€™m definitely not at all saying that the people/docs who advocate it are all like this at all, but it started me wondering if a) the evangelizing exuberance causes the polarizing and if the people who do this are susceptible to LDN, because it is a bit nonconformist & a bit mysterious, and perhaps also they are having a strong placebo effect (which is good for them), or praps the other way round.

So I was interested not in what a pro-LDN website had to say, but first one FM-forum. The result isnā€™t catastrophic, but sobering: Of 20 people 5 (25%) found it pretty good to brilliant (some of these loved exclamation marksā€¦), 6 (30%, together 55%) found it helped a bit along with other things, and sfx were OK, however 7 (35%) found the symptoms got considerably worse , either immediately or after about a month or so and 2 (10%, together 45%) ā€œhadā€ no fx at all (one of them cdnt remember any).
3 of the 5 people who found it good had been on it for 2, 6 and 8 months - I wdnt rule out that they didnā€™t post any more, because they were feeling too good. It didnā€™t work for the only man amongst them, FWIW. One person was narked about how much one of the main proponents was plugging it and asked her to refrain from doing that.
The main doc/writer Iā€™ve now seen using/prescribing it is the fibromite Ginevra Liptan.
A good neutral link I found along the way was once again healthrising, using the positive words ā€œan impressive grassroot movementā€ for LDN proponents.
The other side to that is the way LDN proponents often tout it, saying ā€œcheck it outā€, ā€œlook intoā€ and ā€œspread the wordā€, someone wrote ā€œworsened my FM unbearablyā€ ā€œthe reviews are very subjective to say the leastā€ which in combination with the aura of a miracle cure (cured, all symptoms) makes it tough to hear and not nice. OK, it is nice to get some hope first, like me yesterday, I was flying a bit, ā€œwhat if?ā€ - brushed my usual skepticism aside a little, but I donā€™t mind playing around, and I was guessing Iā€™d be finding a bit of a snake pit (is there a better one?). Esp. when so many people are having a tough enough fibro-life and then people do try it and it gets worse ā€¦ and just to make sure why I say snake pit, I quote: ā€œits getting really miserableā€, ā€œworsened my FM unbearablyā€, ā€œI became severely nauseous and heavingā€ &ā€œI think it may have caused my liver enzymes to elevateā€, ā€œ6 months later and things are just worseā€, ā€œSide effects are baaad painā€. The upside of this is, you can just stop it, without even weaning it off and these effects stop quickly.
Some said that LDN catalyzes your body to produce itā€™s own pain killers or similar, so you can reduce it, but others you have the same pain if you stop it (e.g. the 2009 study), so it seems itā€™s fogging over and not curing. One of the healthrising summarizes about Youngerā€™s 2013 study with 31 women ā€œLDN was helpful in reducing about 30% of the pain in about 60% of the patients.ā€ which sobers up the implication that it can reduced 100% of the pain in 100% of the patients. I donā€™t think my slipshod forum testimony statistics contradict those findings of Youngerā€™s studies (heā€™s at Stanford by the way), but Iā€™m disconcerted that this study did not find any of the harsh sfx quoted above. Also on healthrising it was implied that it your FM maybe mainly has an autoimmune component (seemed to be found in one of the studies), then the likelihood it might work might be higher. I also get the feeling that maybe a mood component makes it more likely, and that if works on one part of fibro - if all the other symptoms come from that, it may work a bit ā€˜miraculouslyā€™, but we are too different to bet on that.

Though I believe it has been mentioned by some, but I wouldnā€™t focus on other uses of the med. Nothing we take for Fibromyalgia is made primarily for us. They generally use meds that treat seizures, depression, etc. if in different dosages. The body doesnā€™t know what label a medicine has. It just responds to the amount you intake. I havenā€™t personally taken this one, though.

I agree, good point/analogy. I donā€™t think anyone really has a big issue with this, but apart from Mod/Sharon here I think I did see that said more outright on another thread, and would then use your argument.

I am taking LDN. Currently Iā€™m on 4.0 mg. Iā€™m very med sensitive so my pain doctor started me on 1.5 mg. Soon Iā€™ll be taking 4.5mg. It has helped with my sleep. Maybe my pain is a little better??? He said about 50% of people find relief at the 4.5mg dose. He said any higher dose has not been shown to be helpful. If it helps me sleep, thatā€™s better than nothing. Iā€™m assuming his information is based on his own research and experience. I have not experienced any side effects.

Hi Freedom, good to hear itā€™s working after all, firstly just because itā€™s great that at least something helps,
secondly because I mistakenly booked it above as making it worse for you, which reading the old stuff again is wrong, I seemed to have found you once say youā€™d taken it a month and it didnā€™t helpā€¦
Silly meā€¦ :speak_no_evil:

You are probably correct JayCS. I really didnā€™t notice a difference until I was taking 3.0mg. Mostly itā€™s help with sleep. But I still have awful flares. Friday, Saturday and Sunday it felt like I was on fire and my bones were breaking. From my neck to my toes, Iā€™m in constant pain. Today was a pretty good day though. I had a lower pain level. Just as I wrote that, I had 3 random sharp shooting pains in my right leg. Ah!

Ouch!
BTW I just saw LDN on a list for MCAS. But Iā€™ve now ordered so many supps, Iā€™m hoping that and diet will help keep the histamine etc. down.

Hi Freedom - howā€™s the LDN going now? I just read someone seemingly ā€œcuredā€ from 9mg of it (and evangelizing about it as a ā€œmiracle med.ā€) so Iā€™m looking up other experiences once againā€¦

It has helped JayCS. But by maybe 25%? I take 4.5mg every morning. My pain specialist said the max dose heā€™s used is 4.5mg twice a day. Since itā€™s helped some, I will continue using it and I havenā€™t had any side effects.

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