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Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is a safe, effective and inexpensive medication that has been shown to be effective in treating an incredibly wide range of illnesses, particularly those that are autoimmune in nature.
Due to its safety as well as efficacy, it has gained acceptance even among many holistic health practitioners.
The targeted diseases which have shown improvement with low dose naltrexone treatment include multiple sclerosis, a wide range of cancers, AIDS, and neurological and nervous system problems of all kinds. The use of low dose naltrexone by alternative physicians has grown exponentially since it was first discovered by Dr. Bernard Bihari in 1985.
Several research studies now support the efficacy of LDN treatment, long reported in successful case studies by integrative doctors.
Here’s what you need to know in order to determine if low dose naltrexone might be helpful for you or a loved one suffering from one or more autoimmune diseases.
How Does Low Dose Naltrexone Work?
Low dose naltrexone is an alternative use of the drug naltrexone. Naltrexone has a long history of use to treat drug addiction. Naltrexone, approved by the FDA in 1984, is used in a 50 mg dosage to block opioid receptors. The drug was initially used primarily to treat heroin and drug addicts.
Pioneering neurologist Bernard Bihari MD (1931-2010) first discovered in 1985 that naltrexone given in low dosages had therapeutic value for his AIDs patients. Dr. Bihari later found LDN to be effective in treating his patients with Multiple Sclerosis and cancer.
Bihari discovered that using a much smaller dosage of naltrexone at bedtime, approximately 3 mg daily, had the effect of improving the functioning of the body’s immune system. When taking a low dose of naltrexone at bedtime, a brief blockage of opioid receptors occurs between 2 and 4 a.m., which in turn causes a prolonged up-regulation of the immune system resulting in increases of endorphin and enkephalin production.
Volunteers who took LDN in this way were found to have elevated levels of beta-endorphins circulating in their blood the next day.
Animal research by I. Zagon, PhD has also shown significant increases in metenkephalin levels. Metenkephalines are pentapeptides having opiate qualities. Enkephalin is a chemical in the brain having an effect similar to morphine.
While the exact mechanisms by which LDN works are somewhat complicated and difficult to understand, the positive results experienced by so many individuals with such wide-ranging illnesses are difficult to dispute.
Low Dose Naltrexone is most commonly made in compounding pharmacies and can be used in either oral form or as a transdermal cream.
For those suffering from digestive issues, including children with Autism, the transdermal cream form, which bypasses the gut, offers a distinct advantage. Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless, the author of Children with Starving Brains, has extensive experience using LDN to treat children with Autism.
Low Dose Naltrexone and Multiple Sclerosis
Dr. Bihari alone successfully treated close to 400 patients with Multiple Sclerosis, with 100% of his patients experiencing positive results. Other physicians have also experienced healing with patients with Multiple Sclerosis. As of March 2002, it was reported that at least 2,000 individuals have been treated successfully with LDN for Multiple Sclerosis.
Clinical data and research suggest that autoimmune disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis, result from an overwhelmed or under-functioning immune system, Â which LDN helps to correct.
LDN and cancer
Researcher Zagon found that low dose naltrexone created significant inhibition of cancer cells by causing cancer cell death, while also increasing natural killer cells and other healthy immune system defenses against cancer. Clinical experience supports that LDN is effective in halting the progression of several cancers.
Dr. Bihari alone treated 450 patients with cancer, most of whom had failed treatment with standard, conventional radiation or chemotherapy. These treatments are well known to severely compromise one’s immune system and to be carcinogenic. Even with these negative forces at play, Bihari found that 60% of his patients benefitted from LDN usage. Tumor shrinkage was evident in a significant number of his patients.
The cancers found to respond positively to low dose naltrexone use by Dr. Bihari and other physicians include the following:
- Bladder Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Carcinoid
- Colon and Rectal Cancer
- Glioblastoma
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer (Non-Small Cell)
- Lymphocytic Leukemia (chronic)
- Lymphoma ( Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgin’s)
- Malignant Melanoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Neuroblastoma
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Prostate Cancer (untreated)
- Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Throat Cancer
- Uterine Cancer
LDN and the Latest Research Supporting Its Use
Several research studies have been conducted on low dose naltrexone’s effectiveness in treating various diseases. The following are summaries of some of the research findings of LDN and its treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, AIDs, cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and Fibromyalgia.
Gastroenterologist Jill Smith at Penn State University has recently conducted two successful clinical trials using LDN on patients with Crohn’s disease. In one study published in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, Smith studied the effectiveness of low dose naltrexone in treating children with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease. 14 children were enrolled in the study, randomized in either placebo or naltrexone for 8 weeks,  followed by 8 additional weeks openly given naltrexone. The children were monitored with blood chemistries and physical examinations. A Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index was used to measure progress in the children. At the completion of the study, 25% of the children treated with naltrexone were considered to be in remission, while 67% had improved with mild disease activity.
Dr. Smith’s other study using low dose naltrexone with Crohn’s patients was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in April 2007. In this study of adult patients, 4.5 mg of naltrexone was administered for a twelve-week period with quality of life surveys measured every 4 weeks during therapy, and again 4 weeks after completion of therapy. 89% of patients showed a positive response to therapy, while 67% achieved remission.
Two individual research studies have shown LDN to be useful in treating HIV/AIDS. These studies were published in the October 2011 issue of the Journal of AIDS and HIV Research. Physician Jaquelyn McCandless has been involved in extensive research on HIV/AIDS in Mali, Africa.
A study on the effectiveness of LDN on the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis was published in the Journal Multiple Sclerosis in 2008. This research examined 40 patients diagnosed with MS, focusing on the safety and effectiveness of LDN. The data concluded LDN to be safe and well-tolerated for patients.
In the Integrative Cancer Therapy Journal, 2009 issue, the authors described the remarkable long term survival of 4 pancreatic cancer patients treated with both alpha-lipoic acid and low dose naltrexone. PET scans indicated no presence of disease.
In a study conducted at Stanford University and published in Pain Med in 2009, ten female patients, diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, responded positively to an eight-week course of low dose naltrexone. Patients reported a greater than 30% reduction in symptoms compared to placebo.
Advantages of Treatment with Low Dose Naltrexone
A list of reported diseases in which low dose naltrexone can help treat is lengthy. LDN has been used successfully with most neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Autism, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and Multiple Sclerosis.  LDN has been used to treat most cancers.
Advantages of low dose naltrexone over conventional treatments include both safety and effectiveness. LDN successfully treats diseases known to be very difficult to medicate with conventional drugs. Multiple Sclerosis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Autism, and cancers are known illnesses that often do not respond well to standard medical protocols. Â The side effects of conventional treatments, particularly for radiation and chemotherapy typically used to treat cancer, are extremely harsh. LDN offers a safe, alternative treatment for these diseases.
Another distinct advantage, in addition to safety and effectiveness, is that of cost. LDN is a very inexpensive medication that can be prescribed by any physician since it is an already approved FDA drug. A one month’s supply was recently quoted to cost only $38.
Where to Find Doctors Who Use LDN
Any physician with an MD or DO degree can prescribe low dose naltrexone since it is an off label usage of naltrexone, an FDA approved drug. It is important that one obtain the drug from a compounding pharmacy in a quick-release form. Doctors prescribing LDN can be found at this link. Additional information can be found at the sources below.
References
(1) Boroch, Ann; Healing Multiple Sclerosis; (2007) Quintessential Healing, Inc
(2) LDN Trials and Studies in progress
(3) LDN Published research
(4) Find a doctor specializing in LDN
(5) Naltrexone Drug Info
More Information
Heal Your Autoimmune Disease Now
GAPS or Autoimmune Paleo for Healing Autoimmune Disease
Simple At-Home Autoimmune Test
When I was at a brunch the other day, a few girls started talking about LDN medication. This intrigued me since I did not have a great knowledge as to what this was. It nice to know that there is a medication that can help all sorts of diseases.
Thank you for your wonderful article on LDN. I have had MS for over 37 years and had tried every holistic treatment method out there (including diets and supplements) as well as using Big Pharma’s poisons. I was desperate and, seven years ago, looking at assisted living (Big Pharma was failing me and nothing holistic had been able to stop the disease). Low Dose Naltrexone gave me my life back, and I am now stronger than I have been in 30 years. When I first started LDN, eighty percent of my fibromyalgia pain was gone in two days.
Because how “spread out” information on LDN was, I compiled what I could find and talked with physicians and pharmacists familiar with it to answer questions for which I could not find answers (what is the refrigerator shelf life of self-compounded LDN –50 mg of Naltrexone in 50 ml of distilled water? — 30 days). I wrote “Fighting the Dragon: How I Beat Multiple Sclerosis” in an attempt to give people an understanding of how LDN worked in a language they could understand (people with MS may have a VERY difficult time comprehending written material) and something to take to their physicians who did not know about it.
I do not think you compromised your website in the least. More than once I have heard doctors tell me that they don’t like to prescribe drugs . . . except for LDN. Most drugs are designed to fight disease. The difference with LDN is that the medication boosts the immune system so it does what it is supposed to do. LDN reduces the inflammatory process so the body finally has a chance to repair itself. Research in 2011 at Penn State College of Medicine noted that LDN 1) reduces inflammation, 2) CONTROLS CELL PROLIFERATION in cancers, and 3) ALTERS THE COURSE of autoimmune diseases. I don’t think I’ve heard of any FDA/AMA-supported medications for cancers or autoimmune diseases that can claim that. I have heard that there is research in Europe rethinking disease treatment–medications that support the immune system instead of fighting the disease.
The reason that LDN is effective against so many diseases is that it is not fighting the disease, it is boosting and rebalancing the immune system. Our bodies are capable of fighting off many diseases, especially if we do not compromise our health with bad nutrition, environmental toxins, insufficient rest, or other forms of abuse. Often, onset of a disease is the result of a “break” in that immune wall . . . and given a break in the right spot and exposure to a disease trigger, disease results. AIDS, as a trigger, is a perfect example. It usually requires a break in the skin or mucous membrane for the virus to infect an individual. Often, we may be exposed to respiratory infections and not get them because our immune system is operating properly. But, if we are overly tired, stressed, or haven’t been taking care of ourselves, we are more likely to get ill.
While proper nutrition, rest, exercise, and “mental hygiene” can go a long way toward building and maintaining health, LDN provides that final boost to retune the faltering immune system.
And the truth of the traditional MS drugs? Several of the early ones (Avonex, Beta Seron, and Rebif) are interferons (which came out of cancer research). In July 2012, JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) published an article noting that interferons did nothing to slow the rate of disability and did nothing to prevent people from reaching an EDSS (expanded disability scale) score of 6 (barely able to get around the house), which is where I was seven years ago on Copaxone (after experiencing 4 exacerbations [attacks] in one year on Avonex). Both drugs made me miserable with side effects: body aches, headache, a feeling like my head was in a vise, and finally, with Copaxone, heart attack symptoms.
So why do people take these drugs?
Their doctors tell them they have to take something to keep their disease from getting worse. Even if their current symptoms are only mild, patients need to take something “for the future.” The result? Sometimes, there is a temporary alleviation of symptoms. Sometimes the rate of exacerbation slows. (On LDN, my exacerbations STOPPED–and now, I have not had an exacerbation for the past seven years.)
When I tell neurologists I am taking LDN for my MS, a number of them have commented, “So, you’re not taking any disease modulating drug?” And I think, “KNOWING where I’ve been and SEEING how I am today, what do you THINK I’ve been taking?”
Many of the FDA-approved MS disease-modulating drugs make people miserable with side effects. But at $40-$50-$60 thousand a year, these drugs have to be doing something, right? Sure. They are making Big Pharma rich. The thought that LDN might gain mainstream acceptance has to TERRIFY Big Pharma–and this has to be the ROOT of much of the resistance. One inexpensive drug that is more effective against more conditions that all their millions of dollars of “cocktails” could virtually destroy a huge portion of their business. The crime of it is that medicine, which should be about health and saving lives, has become “all about the money.”
In the US, over 17 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP) is in healthcare, a higher percentage than any other country in the world. How can you have a healthy economy when so much of the nation’s money is flowing into such a narrow sector?
A final note. The most noted side effect with LDN is vivid dreams. It does not affect the heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, or lungs. It does not cause mental aberrations. And at its low cost, it is not going to “break the bank.” So why wouldn’t people at least try it on the chance that it would work?
Because doctors won’t prescribe it? CHANGE DOCTORS. To find a doctor who will prescribe it, call your local compounding pharmacies, ask if they fill prescriptions for low dose naltrexone, and when you find one the does, ask for the name of the doctors who prescribe it.
P.S. Low dose naltrexone is also effective for animals and children. The dose is calculated as .03 times weight in pounds. People, even these over 150 pounds, usually do not exceed a dose of 4.5 mg. But if you have a pet with cancer and you don’t want to put the pet through the trauma of surgery and radiation, LDN could be worth trying.
thinking out loud … since Juvenile diabetes (Type1) is thought caused by a person’s body daily attacking and killing the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin (autoimmune) … makes me ponder if anyone has thought to try LDN for Type1 diabetes?
Can LDN be used to cure ezcema? And would I still have to eliminate certain foods out of my diet?
I have a prescription for LDN from my doctor, but I’ve never taken it. It was one of the last of a number of prescriptions and supplements he pushed on me that just overwhelmed me, and for the most part, exacerbated my symptoms. I may consider doing a bit more research and giving it a try. Thank you for the information.
I wondering if this might help me get off of daily multiple doses of Ultram, which isn’t working as well as it did and is highly addictive. This may just be the in between that I need to manage severe CIDP (idiopathic neuropathy) pain. Thank you!
What about someone who is already on 50 mg a day for prevention of alcohol abuse? Does it have any benefit as a preventative for the diseases mentioned above?
Can low dose naltrexone be used to treat Lyme’s Disease?
It would be best to reach out to a holistic physician on this to see if it might work for your particular situation. There is a link in the article on how to find a LDN prescribing physician to book a consult with.
DRUGS? Have you COMPROMISED your website? I am in the position WEEKLY to refer people to alternative health–and often send people to this one. In the future, I will be carefully watching to see if you have now COMPROMISED YOUR PRINCIPLES. This “solution” to AI diseases is total crap. And you, of all people, should know this.
Sometimes drugs are necessary and LDN is certainly better than chemo/radiation. Even Dr. Tom Cowan MD, a Board Member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, uses low dose naltrexone in his practice. http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/moods-and-the-immune-system/
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/a-holistic-approach-to-cancer/
I think saying that all drugs are bad all the time is a very short-sighted approach to medicine even if holistic. Sometimes drugs are helpful and a very good solution for specific situations and conditions.
Thanks for giving a summary of the benefits of LDN. I use it for RA, and was able to stop Methotrexate and Embrel, both meds with serious long term side effects. You mention the need for a Compounding pharmacy, this is true, but many of us just use a 50mg tab in water. Myself, I add a 50mg tab to 500ml of distilled water, and than use 40ml each bedtime, this equals a 4mg dose. There are several YouTube videos on using this method. Keeps the costs even lower for those either without insurance, or not reimbursed (related to it’s off label usage).
Again thanks for your article on the benefits of LDN for many health issues.