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Low Dose Naltrexone: Modern Wonder Drug
Naltrexone is an inexpensive generic pharmaceutical approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for treating opiate and alcohol addiction. In very low doses, it is being found a cost-effective means of treating a wide range of health concerns, including HIV/AIDS, certain types of cancer, and a number of autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. Side effects are usually both mild and transitory.
One small nightly dose of Naltrexone has the effect of temporarily blocking certain opioid receptors. This causes a several-fold increase in endogenous endorphins (opiate-like chemicals produced naturally in the body). As it turns out, that simple mechanism has profound consequences for one's health and well-being.
This site provides a listing of conditions and diseases that are known to have responded to Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN):
In the case of cancers such as multiple myeloma and neuroblastoma, LDN inhibits proliferation of malignant cells.
In the case of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, LDN takes an aberrant immune system and helps restore it to normalcy.
It is a matter of speculation as to how LDN works to successfully treat neurodegenerative disorders like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
In the early 1980s, Bernard Bihari, M.D., a now deceased New York neurologist, noticed that patients with HIV/AIDS who took Naltrexone for heroin addiction did not tend to develop the opportunistic diseases and conditions characteristic of a compromised immune system. He then began experimenting with its use in a wide variety of conditions, and the results were phenomenal.
It is estimated that about 100,000 people worldwide are now taking LDN, and the Internet abounds with patient testimonials regarding its safety and efficacy. This site features 201 of them:
Researchers at Stanford University completed a much larger study of LDN in the treatment of fibromylgia, with results comparable to the first study (however, they have not as yet been published).
This is an exciting time in the development of LDN, as clinical trials are currently either underway or enrolling participants both in the U.S and abroad as a treatment for fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS, and Crohn's disease.
The most frequently reported side effects of LDN are vivid dreams and trouble sleeping. They are usually short lived, however, and can be countered with sleep aids like melatonin. The cost to take LDN at the recommended adult dose of 4.5 mg is about $1.00 a day, a far cry from many pharmaceuticals on the market today. This site discusses LDN side effects and dosing:
Low Dose Naltrexone is an exception to the rule that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I am not saying that LDN is a cure-all. For the most part, it is only a treatment, not a cure (somewhat like insulin for diabetics). In some cases, it works wonders. In other cases, it appears to have no effect at all. In still other cases, it is only partially beneficial. To the best of my knowledge, however, there has never been a drug that could help so many different conditions at such a low cost and with so few side effects. To me, that is a wonder!
This site presents a set of two DVD's that introduce LDN in an extremely effective manner :
The first DVD features brief talks by three LDN advocates, seven physicians, five pharmacists, and one research scientist. The second DVD features twenty-seven patient testimonials and includes such conditions as ankylosing spondylitis, cancer, Crohn's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren's syndrome. These two DVD's are perhaps the best introduction to LDN that I have encountered so far. I highly recommend them as a means of presenting this most remarkable medication to anyone who might be interested.
For additional information about LDN, visit
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