Nearly half of all Americans have at least one chronic disease. Once you have one chronic disease, you have a higher risk of developing others. Inflammation seems to be at the root of all disease. What if there were a cost effective agent that could help fight inflammation, that could regulate your immune system so it doesn’t get out of hand, and that could be useful in treating major health issues like chronic pain, mental health conditions, autoimmune conditions, and even cancers? It does seem too good to be true, so let’s look at the science, and then you can decide whether this may be right for you.
What is LDN?
Naltrexone, an opiate antagonist drug, was approved by the FDA for the management of drug addiction in 1984. In doses of 50 – 100 milligrams, naltrexone completely blocks opioid receptors in the brain, thus preventing patients from experiencing a high when they take opioid drugs. In low doses — 1 – 4.5 milligrams, hence the name low dose naltrexone (LDN) — it has profound effects on regulating the immune system, lowering inflammation, and minimizing the symptoms and progression of chronic disease.
How does LDN work?
This remarkable therapy was discovered in the 1980s by Dr. Bahari, a physician in New York City. Dr. Bahari understood LDN’s therapeutic affects and started using the medication in much smaller doses with his HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, with remarkable results. This treatment modality is now used to treat a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, including lupus, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, depression/anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and many more. It works as an opioid antagonist, and among other mechanisms, works to boosts the body’s endorphins and enkephalins. This rise in feel-good hormones contributes to the reduction of inflammation and an improvement of immune function, and often minimizes the symptoms and progression of chronic disease. It also works to promote healing, inhibit abnormal cell growth, and provide relief of pain.
Since LDN upregulates endogenous opioid activity, it may also play a role in healing and repairing tissue. It may promote stress resilience, exercise, social bonding, and emotional well-being, and it may improve psychiatric problems like depression and autism.
People who suffer from autoimmune disorders often have lower levels of endorphins and white blood cells. LDN may in theory help the immune system by temporarily blocking these receptors in the brain and tricking the body into thinking more endorphins should be made. By the time more are made, the LDN is out of the system and the receptors are unblocked.
Chronic Conditions and LDN
LDN has been tested in a few chronic pain conditions, including the lupus-overlap disease fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia syndrome (also known as FMS or fibro) is a disorder that affects the muscles and soft tissues of the body. It is believed that fibromyalgia intensifies painful sensations by affecting the way the brain processes pain signals. It is often characterized by many troubling symptoms, including widespread and chronic muscle pain and stiffness, extreme fatigue, problems with sleep, and painful or tender spots on the body.
In two small separate trials, research published by NCBI found that LDN might be an effective treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome. The first trial, in 2009, showed a significant pain reduction in patients. A second study, conducted with 30 women, showed a 57% reduction in pain after starting LDN. At the end of the double-blind study, half of the participants described feeling “much improved” or “very much improved” from taking LDN. The two studies were promising in suggesting that LDN was superior to placebo in alleviating the pain and discomfort associated with fibromyalgia syndrome.
LDN tested in patients with active Crohn’s disease demonstrated a significant decrease in CDAI (Crohn’s disease activity index) scores. 89% of patients exhibited a response to therapy and 67% achieved a remission. The most common side effect reported was sleep disturbance.
Conditions that have shown clinical benefits with the use of LDN include chronic pain, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, Graves’ disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, eczema, neuroinflammation, Sjögren’s syndrome, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel, celiac disease, autism, fibromyalgia, lupus, traumatic brain injury (TBI), cancer, HIV/AIDS, Lyme disease, and weight loss.
LDN Availability and Side Effect Profile
LDN is only available through a compounding pharmacy, and dosing varies with each individual. It is well tolerated with a low side effect profile that is often transient. It is also very affordable, ranging in price from $35 – 50 per month.
While LDN is no miracle compound on its own, it can be a beneficial part of a well rounded integrative treatment approach in many patients and can assist in regulating their unbalanced, dysregulated immune systems to lower inflammation and potentially slow down the progression of the disease. For more information on LDN and how it may help you and your chronic condition, please contact TLC Medical Centre Pharmacy to make an appointment with Zoom Heaton, a board certified health practitioner in Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine.
