Low Dose Naltrexone shows promise for Auto-Immune Disorders. Low Dose Naltrexone could be very beneficial for any patient who is suffering from an auto-immune disease.
Patients who suffer from autoimmune disease such as cancer, HIV/AIDS are not always able to find a treatment that is beneficial for them as an individual. Some patients never seem to find a treatment that provides relief which makes their situation all the more frustrating. Low dose naltrexone (LDN) has gained more attention over the last few decades and has been studied for its use as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory.
Low Dose Naltrexone as an Opioid Antagonist
Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist which means it binds opioid receptors but produces no analgesic or pain relieving effect. A few examples of opioids include methadone, morphine, heroin, and fentanyl which bind to opioid receptors producing an analgesic effect. Naltrexone essentially competes with opioids by binding to the receptors and decreasing the effect of the opioid.1 Naltrexone was first approved by the FDA in 1984 in a 50 mg dose for heroin or opium addicts. In 1985 Bernard Bihari MD, discovered low dose naltrexone, dosed at 3 mg-4.5 mg, as having different and unexpected effects on the body compared to the typical 50 mg dose.2 He found that this low dose, taken at bedtime, was able to enhance a patient’s response to infection by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. At low doses naltrexone exhibits analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties which are not observed at higher doses. In the mid-1990’s Dr. Bihari found that patients in his practice with cancer and auto-immune diseases could also benefit.
Modulating the Immune System
A common question that clinicians and scientists ask is “what controls the immune system?”2 Over the past two decades research has repeatedly pointed to one’s own endorphin secretions (internal opioids). In a 2003 article of the New England Journal of medicine “Opioid-Induced Immune Modulation” stated that preclinical evidence indicates overwhelmingly that opioids alter the development, differentiation and function of immune cells. This means that the internal opioids that our bodies produce have a direct effect on the immune system. The brief blockade of opioid receptors between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. that is caused by taking LDN at bedtime is believed to produce a prolonged up-regulation of vital elements of the immune system by causing an increase in endorphin (internal opioid) production.
Low Dose Naltrexone and Crohn’s Disease
The first published article in a US medical journal about LDN was titled “Low-Dose Naltrexone Therapy Improves Active Crohn’s Disease”.2 As a result of the study, two-thirds of the patients in the pilot study went into remission and 89% of the group responded to treatment to some degree. Cancer research over many years has shown inhibition of a number of different human tumors in laboratory studies by using endorphins and LDN. It is suggested that increased endorphin production, induced by LDN, works directly on the tumor’s opioid receptor and induces cancer cell death. It is also believed that they increase other healthy immune defenses against cancer.
Is Low Dose Naltrexone Underused?
Low dose naltrexone is extremely underutilized and should be considered in a variety of disease states including many different types of cancer, auto-immune diseases like multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, chron’s disease, Sjogren’s syndrome and many more.2 LDN virtually has no side effects and is very well tolerated. If you are interested in learning more about LDN, visit www.lowdosenaltrexone.org.
By: Julie Lindsay Pharm.D. Candidate 2016
About the Author:
Julie is a 4th year pharmacy student at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). She is expected to graduate in May 2016 as a Doctor of Pharmacy. She will be an Integrative Pharmacologist and Compounding Pharmacist for PharmaCare Compounding Pharmacy located in Tallmadge, Ohio.
Reference:
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3962576/pdf/10067_2014_Article_2517.pdf
2) http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/
3) http://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2014/May/ldn-wonder-drug-fb.jpg
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Highly energetic post, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part 2?
Sure, we will be posting several blogs about Low Dose Naltrexone. It could be beneficial for lots of patients suffering from nearly any auto immune disorder.