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Low Dose Naltrexone LDN Fusion Pharmacy

Low-dose Naltrexone

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Description

Low-dose Naltrexone

What is low-dose naltrexone (LDN)?

Naltrexone is typically used at doses of 50-300mg and blocks the effect of opioids, which helps manage alcohol and opioid addiction.

Emerging studies are showing that when used in lower doses of 1.0-4.5mg, naltrexone takes on alternate therapeutics. Unlike larger doses, LDN increases the production of endorphins, your body’s natural stress and pain relief hormones. It also has been shown to reduce inflammation, modulate immune cell production, and increase your natural immunity.

LDN is a compounded medication that has been used with much success for a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory disease states. It is available as an oral capsule, oral suspension, topical cream, and sublingual drops.

While there are several studies which confirm effectiveness of LDN therapy with minimal side effects, more studies are being conducted to investigate utility in a range of illnesses.

LDN has been used for:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Anxiety
  • Arthritis
  • Atopic Dermatitis (eczema)
  • Cancer
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Chronic Pain
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Fibromyalgia
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Inflammation
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Lyme Disease
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Psoriasis
  • Thyroid Disease
  • Ulcerative Colitis

LDN side effects:

One of the most exciting aspects of LDN is its tolerability and low side effect profile. Some potential side effects may include vivid dreams, sleep disturbances, headaches, and mild dry skin. These side effects typically resolve with little time.

LDN for inflammatory/autoimmune disorders:

Inflammation is the natural way that our body fights off foreign invaders and heals injury. However, chronic or uncontrolled inflammation can damage healthy cells in the body and result in chronic diseases such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Inflammation in the gut can cause Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and inflammation in the brain can lead to depression, Alzheimer’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. LDN pathways modulate your body’s immune response by decreasing pro-inflammatory markers and increasing your specialized immune cells to decrease inflammation.

LDN for chronic pain:

Pain can be caused by a variety of factors, and effective pain management is difficult to find. LDN is a low risk, low side effect, low dose, and low-cost drug that has been shown to provide pain relief. LDN increases endorphins and enkephalins, which are the body’s natural pain relief hormones. It also decreases pain by helping reduce inflammation.

LDN for skin conditions:

When applied as a cream, LDN has shown lots of benefit for inflammatory skin conditions. It has been shown to successfully treat itchiness in various conditions, and has evidence for use in psoriasis, eczema, and potential treatment for acne. Topical LDN is commonly compounded with other medications for optimal symptom relief.

 Self Guided Research:

Listed below are some references to LDN studies and research to help you with your self-guided research:

Toljan, Karlo, and Bruce Vrooman. “Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)-Review of  Therapeutic Utilization.” Medical Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 21 Sept. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6313374/.

What is Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)? LDN Research Trust. (n.d.). https://ldnresearchtrust.org/what-is-low-dose-naltrexone-ldn.

SJ;, T. D. B. (n.d.). Pharmacology Update: Low-Dose Naltrexone as a Possible Nonopioid Modality for Some Chronic, Nonmalignant Pain Syndromes. The American journal of hospice & palliative care. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30917675/.

Younger, J., Parkitny, L., & McLain, D. (2014, April). The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain. Clinical rheumatology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3962576/.

DJ;, P. D. K. S. B. G. B. (n.d.). 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. Pharmacotherapy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29377216/.

Parker, C. E., Nguyen, T. M., Segal, D., MacDonald, J. K., & Chande, N. (2018, April 1). Low dose naltrexone for induction of remission in Crohn’s disease. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6494424/.

Bridgman, A. C., & Kirchhof, M. G. (2018). Treatment of psoriasis vulgaris using low-dose naltrexone. JAAD Case Reports, 4(8), 827–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdcr.2018.06.001

Beltran Monasterio, E. P. (2019, January 23). Low-dose Naltrexone: An Alternative Treatment for Erythrodermic Psoriasis. Cureus. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6433456/.

Bridgman, A. C., & Kirchhof, M. G. (2018, September 18). Treatment of psoriasis vulgaris using low-dose naltrexone. JAAD case reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6143714/.

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