Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) when effectively prescribed, is a truly unique compounded medication that could help forge a new frontier in the management of a wide array of medical conditions. Innovative practitioners are teaming with compounding pharmacies to bring this intriguing medication to patients seeking a change; having shown promise in people of all ages suffering from the effects of inflammation, chronic pain, and mental health, autoimmune, dermatological, and gastrointestinal issues.
LOW DOSE NALTREXONE IS A UNIQUE MEDICATION IN MANY INCREDIBLE WAYS. UNDERSTANDING ITS DIFFERENCES IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS—
There is No Standard LDN Dose —
Dosing needs to be personalized — To be effective, LDN CANNOT be blindly prescribed in a standardized one-size-fits-all dosage. There is no specific target dosage—each persons effective dose must be personalized and compounded to their individual circumstances.
Art and Science — Our practitioners understand that achieving successful clinical outcomes by correctly prescribing LDN requires skilled listening, specialized clinical expertise, time, and patience.
Customized — Many patients have attained wholly unexpected health improvements, made possible due to the technical capability of compounding pharmacists to personalize each LDN prescription to an individual person.
General Protocols —
Start low — Our providers begin your LDN therapy at a low strength, and gradually titrate the dose upward until reaching your most effective level.
Your symptoms — Many patients may share the same clinical diagnosis, but particular clinical symptoms, presentation, and severity may vary significantly.
Outcomes — Our patient outcomes have been increasingly more promising as the network and patient base grows.
Side effects- Typically are minimal and occur mainly when initiating therapy, if at all. Rule of thumb: The correct dose should have no side effects. Any side effect indicates the dose is too high for the present; lowering the dose will alleviate the problem. Re-introduce the medication at a lower dose.
THE DOSE MATTERS:
LDN therapy is a team effort—
Discovery — Finding your optimal LDN dosage can lead to life-changing health benefits and improvements in quality of life.
Partnership — Productive open communication between patients and their medical practitioners and compounding pharmacists should result in a highly effective treatment
Looking Towards the Future —
With LDN’s far-reaching positive effects on the immune system, it can be freely utilized for a wide range of medical conditions. Given its low cost and absence of significant unwanted effects, LDN, when properly dosed, can be a highly desirable option for many.
Common Conditions for which LDN is prescribed:
Restless leg syndrome (RLS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), chronic pain, dermatologic (skin) diseases, mental health, multiple sclerosis, hailey-hailey disease, crohn’s disease, long-haul corona virus, ulcerative colitis, arthritis.
Other Conditions LDN may help with:
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Addison’s Disease
Autoimmune Disease
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Crest Syndrome
Mcas
Multiple Sclerosis
Psoriatic Arthritis
Raynaud Phenomenon
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis
Fibromylgia
Diabetes Type 1 & 2
Ehlersdanlos Syndrome
Hashimotos Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus
Scleroderma
Sjogren’s Syndrome
Thyroid Disease
Sarcoidosis -
Celiac Disease
Crohn’S Disease
Gastritis
Gastroparesis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
SIBO
Ulcerative Colitis -
Arthritis
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Diabetic Neuropathy
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Low-back Pain
Opioid Withdrawal
Spinal Stenosis
Chronic Pain -
Memory
Palliative Care
Parkinson’s Disease
Quality of Life
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Autism
Anxiety
Depression
Hyper-vigilanc
Memory Loss
OCD
Panic Disorder
Postpartum Depression
Traumatic Stress
PTSD -
ADHD
Allergies
Autism
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
OCD -
HIV
Pandas
COVID
Long COVIDLyme Disease
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Autoimmune cardiomyopathy
Autoimmune myocarditis
Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura
Kawasaki disease
Polyarteritis nodosa
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Dysmenorrhea
Endometriosis
Fertility
PCOS
PMS
Sexual Dysfunction
Uterine Cancer
Pregnancy
Vulvodynia -
Celiac Disease
Crohn’S Disease
Gastritis
Gastroparesis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
SIBO
Ulcerative Colitis
Brain fog
Cranial arteritis
Hasimoto’s encephalitis
Alzheimer’s
Narcolepsy
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Migraines
Parkinson’s disease
Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) -
Arthritis
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Diabetic Neuropathy
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Low-back Pain
Opioid Withdrawal
Spinal Stenosis
Chronic Pain -
Thyroiditis
Hypothyroiditis
Hypoglycaemia
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Graves’ Disease
Addison’s disease
Cushing’s syndrome
Diabetes mellitus type 1
POEMS syndrome
Schmidt syndrome
Thyroid eye disease (TED)
A Deeper Look Into LDN
Building a Deeper Look Into LDN:
Reference Study: History/ How (Dartmouth)
Reference Study: Anti-Inflammatory
Reference Study: Depression in fibromyalgia
Reference Study: Anti-inflammatory/Chronic Pain
Reference Study: Therapeutic Utilization
Reference Study: anti-inflammatory/Depression
Reference Article: anti-inflammatory/Multiple Sclerosis
Reference Study: Dermatology
The History
Naltrexone was initially synthesized in 1963 and originally approved by the FDA in 1984 for the treatment of opioid addiction. The full clinical doses for addiction applications range from 50mg to 200mg per day of naltrexone, whereas the daily dose of off-label LDN is prescribed in the 0.001mg to 8mg strength range. At all doses, LDN has been safe with minimal side effects and no major risks.
The first use of LDN in a clinical setting was by Dr. Bernard Bihari in 1985, where he was prescribing Naltrexone at full dose for its intended use. After discovering that LDN influenced a large increase in the bodies naturally produced endorphins, he switched his study to immunocompromised patients with HIV/AIDS and began a dose-ranging trial. Administering naltrexone in the lower prescribed dose range of 1mg to 5mg , Dr. Bihari noticed unexpected improvements across a spectrum of clinical conditions in a subsection of his immunocompromised patients.
The How
Inflammation is at the core of the troublesome health conditions that plague the majority of the population. Inflammation is the body’s response to any form of harmful stimuli and over time can potentially damage almost all systems and tissues in the body, depending on the underlying factors.
LDN has two main proposed pathways that it alleviates inflammation and functions:
The first pathway LDN operates in is as an opioid receptor antagonist; meaning, for a period of time it blocks the opioid receptors—the receptors responsible for receiving opioid peptides naturally occurring in the body such as met-enkephalin also known as Opioid Growth Factor (OGF). These naturally occurring peptides, also called endorphins, in the body are key for analgesic effects (pain reduction), tissue repair, and other processes. During the period LDN blocks these receptors (approximately 4-6 hours) it signals the body to produce more of these endorphin-like OGF which in turn has a rebound effect for the body resulting in having more of these endorphins at its disposal.
The second most probable mechanism for its anti-inflammatory effects is the blocking of the Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), which is found on microglia. Microglia are immune cells in the central nervous system that are responsible for the inflammatory effects and neurotoxic effects the body produces when it is dealing with several diseases and issues, multiple sclerosis is an example. LDN blocking this TLR-4 receptor may be what prevents inflammatory effects blocking the cycle of inflammation. This leads to pain reduction, neuroprotective properties and inflammation reduction. Other pathways that cause LDN to be so effective likely exist and research continues to reveal how LDN can be so beneficial for individuals with an array of diseases and symptoms. Our providers have developed effective protocols to work with patients of all types including those currently taking opiates and pain medications to wean them off these medications and experienced the full benefits of LDN.
NOTE: Links to numerous relevant LDN research and studies have been provided on the website
This amazing discovery has led to much more clinical research utilizing LDN treatment. The effects of the LDN treatment have been impressive, positively benefitting patients' quality of life in numerous areas, beyond the reduction of inflammation and pain. LDN has since remained a highly successful off-label treatment, with an expanding and evolving clinical knowledge and understanding guiding its utilization in chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, inflammation disorders, central nervous system disorders, and psychological disorders. The amount of peer-reviewed research concerning LDN continues to increase, with great efficacy being seen in both clinical and research settings.
Tailor-Made Personalized Dosing
Standardized one-size-fits-all dosing vs. tailor-made personalized dosing?
Low dose naltrexone (LDN) commonly refers to the prescribing of the medication at 1/10th to 1/100th strength of regularly dosed naltrexone. Traditional studies and dosing established over 30 years ago most often utilized a standard 4.5mg bedtime dose of naltrexone. This approach provided favorable clinical results for a faction of patients, but minimal to no results for the majority.
In recent years, we have seen expanding and evolving dosing protocols due to the learned understanding that optimal clinical outcomes with LDN are not found with a single standard dose for all. Rather, success is highly dependent on working closely with a knowledgeable practitioner and compounding pharmacist to help guide each person to their most efficacious LDN dosage. Doses now range much broader than the traditional 4.5mg bedtime dosing; spanning a spectrum from 0.001mg to 16mg; and from one to three times daily depending on specific patient circumstances.
Communication is the key. Routine follow-ups with the provider and pharmacist to monitor and adjust dosing when necessary is paramount. Considering the numerous avenues and pathways that LDN effects in the body, its clinical applications are varied and diverse, therefore a individual targeted approach is crucially necessary for to achieve the most successful health outcomes.
Many people were prescribed standard LDN in the past with little to no response, or experienced undesirable side effects. It is very likely that the patient was on an incorrect dose for them, or allow sufficient time for the therapy to perform; they quit too soon.