The Best Inflammation Medicine, Low Dose Naltrexone?

I have had so many HypoGal readers inquire about Low Dose Naltrexone so I thought I would include this page on my HypoGal Blog.

Please note, that I am not a medical expert nor do I have any type of medical training. I do not endorse the use of any off label products but I am sharing my journey with Low Dose Naltrexone. I hope by sharing my journey with Low Dose Naltrexone it will benefit others.

Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is the off-label description for the medication Naltrexone when taken at low doses.

Naltrexone is FDA approved in the treatment for Opioid Dependence (Heroin) and Alcohol addiction 1994.

Low Dose Naltrexone LDN signifies that you consume Naltrexone in a small dose. The average treatment for opioid and alcohol patients is between 50 mg and 300 mg daily. Low Dose Naltrexone average dosage is 4.5 mg each night. Some people begin Low Dose Naltrexone at .5 mg and increase to 4.5 mg over a period of weeks or months.

The low dose Naltrexone treatment plan was devised and later developed by the late Dr Bernard Bihari. Dr Bihari was a Neurophysician from New York, USA who passed away on May 16th 2010.

Dr Bihari theorized that a low dose of Naltrexone would stimulate the body to produce endorphins while a person slept.

Endorphins are the body’s peptides of natural like opiate. Endorphins are thought to play a central role in the beneficial orchestration of the immune system. It is suggested that the LDN causes the endorphin and enkephalin levels to increase and may trigger the opioid receptors to induce the death of cancer cells.

A majority of people with cancer and autoimmune diseases are partially or largely triggered by a deficiency of endorphins or are accelerated by a deficiency of endorphins (such as HIV/AIDS). Low Dose Naltrexone is thought to help restore the normal production of endorphins. 1

There are many testimonials from people who have taken LDN and feel that it has helped them. However, there is limited clinical data that can confirm the benefits of low dose Naltrexone.

Preliminary research has been promising for use of LDN in treating chronic medical conditions such as chronic pain, but the use of LDN as a treatment is still experimental and more research needs to be done before it can be widely recommended. 2

However, people whose chronic illness causes them to live with debilitating symptoms may want to explore if low dose Naltrexone may benefit them.
I would like to again, give a Shout Out to the Low Dose Naltrexone Trust Organization for their valuable website. The LDN Trust organization offers a website filled with valuable information. The LDN Trust organization helps you to better understand, What Is Low Dose Naltrexone?

below are several informational websites about Low Dose Naltrexone:

http://www.ldnresearchtrust.org/

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3962576/

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Complementary-Alternative-Medicines/Low-Dose-Naltrexone

https://web.archive.org/web/20120225220715/http://www.va.gov/MS/articles/Spotlight_on_Low_Dose_Naltrexone_LDN.asp

https://web.archive.org/web/20120225220715/http://www.va.gov/MS/articles/Spotlight_on_Low_Dose_Naltrexone_LDN.asp

1. Makman MH. Morphine receptors in immunocytes and neurons. Adv Neuroimmunol 1994;4:69-82
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21256121
I have been on my journey with  Low Dose Naltrexone for over seventy days and I taken notice of some positive changes. My energy level has improved and my Relapsing Polychondritis seems to have stabilized.  It is not my miracle pill but the results have amazed me.

If your chronic health condition has benefited from the use of an off label treatment can you please share your information with me. You can email me at Lisa@HypoGal.com