The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain, 2014, Younger, Parkitny and McLain

It works well for me.

 

Here's Drugs.com pharmacist-researched report on LDN

https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/low-dose-naltrexone-ldn-3570335/

To me, see linked report above in this post, if a clinical trial for LDN in FM patients reports a 28% reduction in pain, that is not a lot (enough) translated to real life, which tends to be less than in clinical trials (see pregabalin trials for FM, for instance).

Also, the report states that you must take LDN for 8-10 weeks to know "if it works for you."

Also state that one needs to start at 1mg and increase dosage by 1mg/per week to a maximum of 4.5mg. If you need 8-10 weeks to know if it works for you, how do you know how much to escalate the dose?

By the scariness of the nighmares?

 

That makes me not interested in reading the study. For me, the first 4.5 mg dose provided complete blockage of that pain by the next morning (<12 hrs). If I followed their instructions, it would have taken me at least three, and more likely four weeks to reach a dosage that worked for me.

Detailed instructions for something that is poorly understood and which varies a lot person-to-person seems silly to me.

 

Well, I've succumbed to the hype or my longtime desire just to try it. A USA company called Ageless Rx offers LDN. They start at 1.5mg and double that the second week, third week you're at full dose of 4.5mg. You have to buy a 90 day supply.

I've asked to start with 0.5mg as I already have insomnia. I will get the pills in early February and am sure to give a report on this site.

I have no expectations, really. It may be hard to assess small changes as they can occur with warming temperatures here in spring, more hours of daylight and more intense angle of the sun, all of which seems to energize us mammals (or at least me).

I thought of trying pregabalin after my trial of LDN, but because of my (advanced) age, there are too many precautions listed and it won't help my dyscognition (not being able to focus and pay attention, esp while driving). In fact, that's a known side effect of pregabalin. So, after LDN, it's non-pharma interventions....maybe another cat, or a move to a warmer climate. Cold is such a stressor for FM pain.

My angry mood at my illness (and the lack of sympathy or lack of any comment whatsoever by relatives when I'm suffering the worst of it) leaves me irritated with the slow and often amateurish pace of research, the me-too type of repetition of unimportant findings. I want a breakthrough.

I am tired of endless mediocre research.